Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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SOUND-HOLES SOUND-POST 627
of the Renaissance. The C-ahaped (Fig. 2)
sound-holes, it was observed, lacked grace, so
makers began to twist them about until they
Pig. 4. Pig. 5
assumed the greater elegance of form. An example
of this progression is shown in Kg. 5,
which is taken from a tenor viol on one of the
carved screens of Cremona Cathedral, dating
from the first part of the 16th century. This
was a distinct step in the right direction ; but
neither Gasparo da Sal6 nor Andreas Amati
could quite throw aside the G-shape, and
the first employed that form for some of his
grand tenors. Gasparo da Sal6's ff holes are
very long and pointed, stiff in appearance and
parallel in position, while Andreas Amati's lack
symmetry by reason of their being cut too wide.
Gaspare's pupil Paolo Maggini (Brescia, 1590-
1640), according to Savart's experimente, committed
the same error, the mnlfled tone of his
instruments being due to this cause, the contained
volume of air within the body of his
violins answering to the vibrations of middle D.
The brothers Amati and Jerome's son Nicolas
who added a touch of boldness to his father'sj^f—
put gi-ace of design into their sound-holes, but
robbed their violins of power by placing them
too far apart on the belly. The fallacies inherent
to these first attempts were discovered
and rectified by Antonius Stradivarius(Cremona,
1644-1737), whose graceful, converging^ holes
resulting balance of parts impossible to surpass.
Deviations from the form or position established
by Stradivari have never proved satisfactory.
What Joseph Guarnerius gained in power by his
more heroic form of sound-hole— magnificent
as it is in many cases—was at the sacrifice of
the tone of the G string. The E A D of his
violins are sonorous and brilliant, but the
fourth string snflers from combined eflccts due
to the excessive thickness of the plates, and
the size of the sound -holes. In these days
the form and position of the sound-holes have
reached a point of almost mechanical perfection.
With the exception of the attempted innovations
made by Savart and Chanot, the present /shape
has retained its position unchallenged for quite
300 years. Most makers now content themselves
with copying the pattern of some one
of the great masters, and at the large violin
manufactories at Mittbnwald in Saxony and
MiRBcouET the imitation is mechanical in
the extreme. See the article Violin-making.
Savart, Mimmre smr la Construction des Instrwments
a Cordes et a Archet ; Gallay, Zes
Luthiers Italiens ; Vidal, Les Instniments a
Archet ; Yussopoff, Lwthomonographie ; Mordret,
LutliirieArtislique ; Mangin et Maigne, Nouveau
Manuel complet du I/idhier ; P. Davidson, Thi
Violin; Hart, The Violin; Hill, Avtonio Stradivari;
Heron -Allen, Violin -malcing ; Violin
MonChiy Magazine, No. 5 (edited by J. M.
Fleming) ; GaUay, las Ancitres du Violon
Gerber, Musical Lexikon ; von Lutgendorff,
Die Geigen und Lavtenmacher ; Bachmann, Le
Violon. E. H-A.
SOUND-POST (Fr. &me ; Ital. aninui ; Ger.
Stimmstoek). A small pillar of pine wood which
stands vertically within the body of the violin
and the other instruments of that family.
Originally it was a mere structural precaution,
brought about by the introduction of the higher
pitch, and consequent greater pressure upon the
belly of the instrument ; but it is in reality the
centre round which the vibrations of the body
of the instrument focus, and from which they
proceed. This important tone-producing factor
is made either of fine-grained Swiss pine or
spruce wood, and it is placed so that the fibres
of its wood run at right angles to those of the
belly. Closely fitting against the arching of the
are acknowledged to be perfect in form, position,
propoi-tion, and intent. Although Stradivari
had an ingenious method for ascertaining back and belly of the instrument, it retains its
the correct place for his ff holes on the belly of position under, and slightly behind, the right
the violin, and fixed upon the main features of foot of the bridge, and is kept in position solely
these, yet on no two of his instruments can the by the pressure of the strings upon the belly.
j^'' holes be called identical. The spontaneous Its length depends upon the depth between the
feeling and charm which characterised the back and belly of the instrument for which it
work of his predecessors, who knew neither is intended, and its diameter is subject to slight
template nor pattern, or at least did not employ alteration, according to the modelling. If the
them, were by him preserved with an added sound-post is too slight, the tone of the instrument
in which it is placed will be relatively
touch of necessary exactitude. He realised the
efficacy of flatter surfaces and the influence exercised
by the contained mass of air, and made it is too thick. The correct position to be assigned
thin, and the opposite effect is produced where
his jgf holes to suit these ruling factors with a to the sound-post is an important matter, as
the smallest variation of position materially
alters the tone. The extreme range over which
it may be moved is comprised within an area