Mozart's Violin

7/29/2019 Mozart's Violin

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Mozart's violin

by Dmitry Badiarov

Two sound ideals

Mozart violin - construction of violins, violas and cellos at Mozart's time was different from what it

is today. Most important was the difference in sound. Actually, there were two sound ideals: one

was called "human voice" and another "silvery ". The first was considered the most appropriate

for a concert violin, the second for an orchestral violin.

Sound ideals between middle of 18th century and till ca.1826

Existence of two kinds of violins is apparent from Wolfgang's letter to Leopold, which he wrote on

the 6th October, 1777: "when they *Dubreill - pupil of Tartini, and Carl - his youngest son] began

to discuss violins for concerts and violins for orchestras, they reasoned very well, and they were

always of the same opinion as I". Five years later, when Mozart was 26, in 1782, Paduan luthier

Antonio Bagatella published a violinmaking treatise - "Memoir, or Rules for the construction of

violins - violas - violoncellos - double basses". He instructed on how to obtain a "silvery voice" or a"human voice". Connoisseur of Mozart P.Lichtenthal mentioned two sound ideals of Mozart's time

in his "Dictionary of Music", published in 1826. From the above documents it is apparent that two

kinds of violins existed during a few decades, and it was still remembered in the beginning of the

19th century.

Beginning of transformations

Bagatella was one of the first and the most famous luthiers who made transformations of the old

baroque violins into "classical" instruments. "I adapted proportions of many old violins, working

more on old instruments than on instruments which I made myself". According to his Memoirs, he

started making violins when he was about 19. On Christmas night, 1748, he discovered the rules,

which became his method. This was probably the time, when the first violin modifications of

"classical" character took place. It was just before Tartini and Geminiani published their treatises


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on violin playing (1750 and 1751 respectively). A few years later, in 1756, Leopold Mozart

published his treatise. Same year Wolfgang Mozart was born.

fig. 1. Small violin - original neck and other original parts are lost. It is furnished with

modern fingerboard, tailpiece, and bridge

fig. 2. Viola and violin. Viola has lost its original size. Its original neck and fingerboard are modified

in the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th century. The violin has an original neck and an old

fingerboard, however the neck is thinned. Attribution of all three instruments to Mozart's ex-

property is too vague to be taken seriously. mozart violin

Method

The method of Bagatella is a proportional design, in which all violin parts assembled together in a

perfect Harmony. He believed that things were not in harmony at HIS time, but they were in

harmony in the past and he discovered the rules. Thus, to obtain a "human voice" the top of an

instrument must have an even thickness. To obtain a "silvery voice" the top must be somewhat

thicker in the middle. So when Bagatella was demanded to create a "human voice" he had to makethe thickness of the top equal. When a "silvery voice" was demanded - the top had to be left

thicker in the middle, and made thinner toward the ribs. In both cases both outline and

thicknesses were changed proportionally.

Unknown criteria

We can't know how they distinguished between "human" and "silvery" voices. Many of the

Strads and other instruments had the tops with an equal thickness. Probably the sound of such

instruments was called "human". Guarneri violin, which was in a possession of Paganini, has a top

thicker in the middle. Was it called "silvery" at Bagatella's time? Was it called "silvery" even in

Paganini's hands? This may remain a question forever - one certain thing is that it was a concert

violin for him.


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Tartini, Bagatella and Mozart

In 1782, when Bagatella was 49, he was a famous man. He wrote: "I had the opportunity to work

for Mr. Tartini over the course of approximately thirty years, working both on his own violins as

well as those of his students. He had numerous pupils who were sent by Princes from all over

Europe". "I reduced many [violins - D.B.] upon request for Giuseppe Tartini", and "many others

were made to order for Mr. Tartini and I have no idea where he sent them to". Tartini was a

famous motivator of the new sound esthetics. Mozart probably heard of Bagatella. It is unlikely

that Mr. Dubreill should not have mentioned Bagatella, when Wolfgang discussed violins with him.

Bagatella lists dozens of customer names in the Memoir. Although there are no Mozarts, it is

possible that Leopold could be among them: "There are many foreigners, whose names I do not

remember".

Mozarts instruments

Leopold, who took the greatest care about musical education of Wolfgang, furnished him with a

few instruments. Originally "baroque", these instruments were modernized in the 2nd half of the

18th century. This is the list of instruments, preserved in the Mozart Museum in Salzburg:

Child Violin (Kindergeige) - in a possession of Mozart Museum since 1896. It is modernized to

such an extent that it has lost almost all historical interest. (See fig.1)

Violin - with a false label "Jakobus Stainer, in Absam, / prope Oenipotum, 1659. This violin was

probably made in Mittenwald in the first half of the 18th century. According to some theories it is

that violin, which Mozart used it until 1781, however, there is not enough evidence to assume that

this violin ever belonged to Mozart. (fig.2)

Viola, labeled "...iouani Paolo Megini/a Brescia. - 161". (fig.2)

Attribution and lack of evidence

The problem with all these instruments is that there is not enough evidence to assume that these

instruments indeed were in Mozarts property. Apart from the above instruments, there are a few

instruments of doubtful property and attribution preserved in different collections in Europe

Documents

Mozart's Violin