BookRix

Sterne (Himself A Votary Of The Fiddle) Has Well Said, "Have Not The
Wisest Of Men In all Ages, Not Excepting solomon Himself, Had Their
Hobby-Horses--Their Running-Horses, Their Coins And Their
Cockle-Shells, Their Drums And Their Trumpets, Their Fiddles, Their
Pallets, Their Maggots And Their Butterflies? And So Long As A Man
Rides His Hobby-Horse Peaceably And Quietly Along The King'S Highway,
And Neither Compels You Nor Me To Get Up Behind Him,--Pray, Sir, What
Have Either You Or I To Do With It?" He Further Tell Us, "There Is No
Disputing against Hobby-Horses;" And Adds, "I Seldom Do: Nor Could I,
With Any Sort Of Grace, Had I Been An Enemy To Them At The Bottom;
Happening at Certain Intervals And Changes Of The Moon, To Be Both
Fiddler And Painter"








The Leading instrument Is Singularly Favoured It May Be Said To Have
A Double Existence In addition To Its Manifold Capabilities, It Has
Its Life Of Activity On The One Hand, And Inactivity On The Other At
One Time It Is Cherished for Its Powers Of Giving pleasure To The Ear,
At Another For The Gratification It Affords To The Eye Sometimes It
Is Happily Called upon To Perform Its Double Part--Giving delight To
Both Senses When This Is So, Its Existence Is Indeed a Happy One The
Violin Thus Occupies A Different Position From All Other Musical
Instruments Far More Than Any Other Musical Instrument It Enters Into
The Life Of The Player It May Almost Be Said To Live And Move About
With Him; The Treasure-House Of His Tenderest And Deepest Emotions,
The Symbol Of His Own Better Self Moreover, The Violin Is A Curiosity