Throwing Shade at String-Makers

“We next read about string quality almost a century later in Dowland’s (1610) instructions on stringing a lute. He stated that good thin strings came from Rome but the better ones came from “Monnekin” [Munich] and “Mildorpe.”

— Historical Background to the Strings Used by Catgut-Scrapers - Ephraim Segerman and Djilda Abbott. The Catgut Acoustical Society Newsletter, No. 25, 1976

“There is a small sort of Lyons [French strings], which many use, for the Octaves; but I care not for them, they being constantly rotten, and good for little, but to make frets of.”

— [Early Modern English] Musick’s Monument - Thomas Mace. Printed by T. Ratcliffe, and N. Thompson, for the Author, and are to be Sold by Himself, at His House in Cambridge, and by John Carr, at His Shop in the Middle-Temple Gate in Fleet Street/London, 1676

“It is said that good strings for instruments are only made in Italy, those that come from Rome passing for the best. […] The Italians have their secrets, which they do not communicate to strangers. The workers of this country who claim to understand something, and who in fact make instrumental strings that critics judge to be rather good for the music composed for them, have also their secrets which they keep well, above all when they are questioned.”

— [French] Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers. Para Une Société de Gens de Lettres. (Encyclopedia, or Reasoned Dictionary of Sciences, Arts and Crafts. For a Society of People of Letters) - Denis Diderot, M. D’Alembert. Briasson/Paris, c. 1750

— The Making of Gut Strings in 18th-Century Paris - Translated by Stephen Bonta. The Galpin Society Journal, Vol. 52, 1999

“One shouldn't be surprised that not so many strings are made in other [non-Italian] countries. The inhabitants are more economical and do not slaughter so many thousand young lambs of seven months as in Italy, but allow them to grow larger because of the use of wool.

[…]

The Italians are almost the only ones to trade in violin strings, and they supply the whole of Europe with them. It is true that the good strings abroad are generally called Roman, but a far smaller number are made at Rome than at Naples, and the latter exceed the former. The strings are manufactured very secretly in both places, so that the foreigners should not become too clever.

Footnote: There are also string makers in Paris who are secret about their art. But they do not make good strings for the violins, only the strong ones for the big clocks, for the racquets for hitting balls, and for the hatters.”

— [German] Historisch-kritische Nachrichten von Italien, Welche eine Genaue Beschreibung Dieses Landes, der Sitten und Gebräuche, der Regierungsform, Handlung, Oekonomie, des Zustanders der Wissenschaften, und Insonderheit der Werke der Kunst Nebst einer Beurtheilung Derselben Enthalten. Dritter und Letzter Band (Historical-critical News from Italy, Which Provides an Accurate Description of this Country, the Manners, and Customs, the Form of Government, Action, Economics, the State of the Sciences, and Especially the Works of Art, Along with an Assessment of Them Contained. Third and Final Volume) - Johann Jacob Volkmann. C. Fritsch/Leipzig, 1771 *

“Some have a great prejudice against titles [string brands], and believe that if they only buy so-called Romance ones, they are proven. But you don't know that most Romansh strings are made in Germany, and that the real Italian strings are often very bad.”

— [German] Anweisung zum Violinspielen, mit Pracktischen Beyspielen und zur Übung mit vier und Zwanzig Kleinen Duetten Erläutet (Instructions for Playing the Violin, with Practical Examples and Practice with Four and Twenty Small Duets Explained) - Georg Simon Löhlein. At the expense of the Waysenhaus and Frommannische Bookstore/Leipzig and Züllichau, 1774 *

“[…] These strings are made in almost every country in Europe. The best ones are made in Italy alone, and especially in Rome. Those made in Germany have not yet reached perfection than those in Italy and Lyon.”

— [German] Darmsaiten (Baukunst), in: Deutsche Encyclopädie oder Allgemeines Real-Wörterbuch aller Künste und Wissenschaften von einer Gesellschaft Gelehrten, Sechster Band (Gut Strings (Architecture), in: German Encyclopedia or General Real Dictionary of All Arts and Sciences from a Society of Learners, Vol. Six.) - Johann Georg Glenk. Frankfurt, 1782 *

“It is well known that most foreign strings have lost their quality for some time now. I can speak from my own experience, since I am so well informed from Rome, as well as direct from Florence. Not only will such strings become very expensive due to long-distance transport, but I have always been able to consider it a very excellent choice when 20 in a stock of 30 [strings] are usable. The strings, which are said to have come from Nuremberg, Augsburg, &c., are scraped unevenly that where the gut has been taken too much, the string is wrong, and where it has been spared too much, the string becomes crooked and crooked. In addition, the strings are too aggressive, so that if the string is not carefully oiled, it bends so tightly that you can probably wind a dozen (especially in the violin fifths) before you find a clean and durable one.”

— [German] Magazin der Musik (Magazine of Music) - Unattributed. 1783 *

“As early as 36 years ago, the famous Leopold Mozart complained in his Violin School that most gut strings are not the same thickness, but are stronger at one end than at the other, which means that the intervals of the tones that two strings are supposed to produce are never produced purely. As unpleasant as this error, which comes from the carelessness of the maker, is to the player of fine hearing, it can still be avoided on the violin and those instruments that have no frets, but not on those provided with frets, such as the guitar. It is annoying, however, that one can now obtain strings, no matter how high the price, which not only have the indicated defect but hardly last the day, if they don't even snap off when being wound up, or when playing. It is nevertheless worthwhile to investigate the cause of the current bad quality of the strings.

[…]

The Italian strings, especially the Romaner strings, were long preferred to all others because of their durability, and the purity of the tone they gave off. Should this come from the quality of the sheep or goat casings there? — It would be possible that the finer lining also gives finer intestines; but this cannot be essential because half a century ago in Munich, Straubing and other places strings were made which are not inferior to the first. — So how is it that they are no longer so good? — that they are so brittle, give off a repulsively screaming sound? Whence her frailty? I cannot believe that the new string manufacturers intentionally make them so bad in order to increase consumption and thus sales, and since the strings are almost universally bad, there must be an agreement between them that is not good is conceivable.”

— [German] Neues Kunst und Gewerbblatt (New Art and Trade Journal) - Unattributed. 1823 *

“In addition to strength, you also have to pay attention to the quality of the strings when buying them. There are Italian and German strings. The latter, however, are much worse than the former and cannot be used at all for solo play. The Italian strings are also of unequal quality and, as a rule, the Neapolitan ones are preferable to the Roman ones and these to those of Padua and Milan.

The external characteristics of a good string are: white color, transparency and a smooth surface. However, the latter must not, as with the German strings, be brought about by grinding with pumice stone, since closed strings are always loud and wrong in tone.”

— [German] Violinschule: mit Erläuternden Kupfertafeln (Violin School: With Explanatory Copper Plates) - Louis Spohr. Haslinger/Vienna, 1833 *

“The intestines, dried into wormlike strands, are softened in potash, unraveled on a table, and repeatedly cleaned of their slimy coating. The girls engaged in this work have a title against which they should object emphatically, they are called ‘slime girls.’”

— [German] Wissenschaftliche Beilage der Leipziger Zeitung, Nr. 97, vom 2 Dezember (Scientific Supplement to the Leipzig Newspaper, No. 97, December 2) - Unattributed. 1860 *

"Italian strings have the reputation of being the best, while some German writers insist upon it that equally good strings are made in Germany. I am inclined to believe that many of the so-called Italian strings were never south of the Alps."

— Brainards' Musical World - January, 1873

“The English intestines, however, seem of late to have been declining in goodness and value. This is partly due to the lack of suitable, clean air cleaning places, which are very scarce in London in particular and are not even tolerated. The greatest culprit, however, is the increasingly careless treatment, in particular the cleaning that often takes place too late of the intestines […] It is to be lamented, of course, that a large proportion of Russian guts, in spite of the originally good quality, are spoiled by poor treatment during cleaning and can therefore only be used for small and medium-grade strings. Properly cleaned intestines can only be achieved with certainty if the Vogtland string makers go to Russia themselves to oversee the cleaning.

[…]

Simultaneously with the growing supply of raw material from Russia, the export of gut strings to America increased so significantly from year to year that it is hardly exaggerated to say that this export 20 years ago was not [a] 20th part of the present represented. It is to be regretted that America only ever reacts to the finest, i.e. to the appearance whitest, but not always the strongest types of strings.

[…]

As far as the French strings are concerned, it should be emphasized that although they surpass the Vogland strings in terms of cheapness, they are by no means equal in terms of quality and beauty.”

— [German] Die Fabrikation Musikalischer Instrumente: und Einzelner Bestandtheile Derselben im Königl Saxon Vogtlande (The Fabrication of Musical Instruments: and Individual Components of the Same in Royal Saxon Vogtlande) - Theodor Berthold and Moritz Fürstenau. Breitkopf und Härtel/Leipzig, 1876 *

[Conversation with John F. Stratton & Co. junior partner, Mr. Parsons.]

"How do you compare the so-called Italian strings with the American?" Inquired the reporter.

"I will tell you. There is a general notion among musicians that 'Italian' strings are the best in the market. The fact is, that very few of the strings called 'Italian,' ever saw the sunny skies of Italy. The name 'Italian' is tacked on to everything in the way of fiddle strings — even the cheapest. It is true that Italian gut makes a fine string so far as tone goes. The only trouble is that it is too delicate for this damp climate; and furthermore, the strings are too dark and speckled for the American market."

"Then the color of a string alters its value?"

"Yes; it may seem strange, but it is true. The Americans must be pleased through their eyes, as well as their ears, and therefore the whitest and most costly strings suit the American market."

[…]

"There is another kind of string I have not mentioned — the American string. The making of strings in American is an experience which has been repeatedly tried, and has always failed, for the following reasons:

"First — The American stock is not equal to the foreign — that settles the quality.

"Second — The Americans don't know how to finish a string — that settles the appearance.

"Third — The Americans are not willing to work all day and nights, including Sundays, for $2 per week — that settles the price."

"The most recent enterprise of the kind," Mr. Parsons continued, "was started not long ago in Chicago. I received samples of these strings some months ago and examined them carefully. They were said to have been made of beef gut, and it was claimed for them that they were remarkably strong, of which fact one smell was sufficient to convince the most skeptical. Aside from their value as an article of perfume, they did not strike me as a success, as they were greasy and dirty in appearance, and possessed very little tone or durability."

— The Music Trade Review - June 28, 1879

"A correspondent sends the following for our new music column, but our critic says it is out of place: 'Cat Song.' Mezzo soprano. Edward Mollenbauer. A thrilling and awakening piece, reminding us of Thomas' 'Moonlight Sonata.' It paints, in heartrending accents, the woes of despised love, and contains a strong protest against 'American unbleached violin strings.'"

— The Music Trade Review - June 28, 1879

[Mr. August Pollman, of No. 58 Maiden Lane, when asked for his opinion regarding the musical string business, "he having been brought up in it."]

"The strings of which we sell most," he said, "are manufactured in Germany."

"These strings," he continued, "as I suppose you know, are manufactured from lamb and sheep gut, which is brought to Germany from England, Denmark and Russia. The finest gut is to be had in Italy, but the process of manufacturing in Italy is not as good as that of Germany, so their strings are more uneven, and do not sell as well as the Germany strings, and are much darker in color, which is also an objection to them. Some musicians, however, will use nothing else, and so we are obliged to keep them on hand all the while."

"What is your opinion with regard to American unbleached strings?"

"I had rather not express an opinion," said Mr. Pollman.

"Do you think they will ever be able to compare favorably with the imported string?"

"I don't think they will ever be able to make them stand if they do. They can certainly sell them cheaper, as beef-gut is much less expensive than sheep-gut, but I fear they will never be able to make the thing a success."

Mr. Zoebisch, when interviewed, said: "I have been in business for the past thirty-eight years. Was born and brought up in the place in Saxony where all the musical instruments and fine strings for this market are made, and am thoroughly conversant with the process of manufacturing violin strings. Have often purchased Russian gut in large quantities ourselves in order to get the finest which could be had. These we worked up into strings. I see quite considerable has been said lately about Russian gut.

"This is nothing new. We have had them for the past twenty years, and yet we see people advertising them every day as something new. The German strings take the lead, although a great many musicians prefer the Italian strings."

"How about the American unbleached strings?"

"I don't know enough about them to express an opinion; but, from what I hear, do not think they will ever compete with the imported strings."

— The Music Trade Review - July 5, 1879

"We publish below three out of about one hundred inquiries with regard to the American unbleached strings. There are so many conflicting opinions with regard to these strings, that for the present we shall be compelled to let the public decide for themselves as to their merits.

Boston, July 6, 1879.
To the Editor of The Music Trade Review:
What are these American violin strings, that there is so much fuss made about them? Are they good for anything?
— P.

Baltimore, July 7, 1879.
To the Editor of The Music Trade Review:
I see considerable interest is manifest among the trade with regard to violin strings. What are these American Unbleached strings of which there is so much said? I have dealt in strings for years, but have never seen one.
— Subscriber.

St. Louis, July 8, 1879.
To the Editor of the Music Trade Review:
I have used some of the unbleached violin strings, and was pleased with them.
— L. S."

— The Music Trade Review - July 12, 1879

An "Unbleached" Fable

"Many, many years ago," says old Æsop, "there dwelt in the State of Illinois an aged but respectable fox, whose only weakness was an ungovernable appetite for Spring chicken."

It so happened that an inhuman farmer, who had occasionally met with some trifling loss in the poultry line through the amiable weakness above referred to, determined upon revenge, and forthwith put up upon poor Reynard what might be called a "snap game" in the way of steel trap.

We all know the tragic sequence.

The poor fox saved his life but lost his tail, which was cropped short — never to grow again — just back of his ears.

Any but an American fox would have been discouraged at this disaster, and would have made an assignment and gone through bankruptcy without another word. But not so in this case.

He at once set himself to work with a will to change his misfortune into a fashion, by inducing his brother foxes in the first circles of society to dispense with their tails also as useless and inconvenient appendages.

That his attempt to overcome a prejudice which had existed for centuries was a failure is not to be wondered at, but who can help admiring the pluck with which he struggled against adversity?

We have never seen but one case of business enterprise which equalled it, and that, strange to say, occurred in the same part of the country.

A party unknown to fame conceived the idea of grasping both name and wealth at one bound by making violin strings in America.

If, by paying a low price for common beef-gut here, he could avoid paying the enormous price charged for the fine sheep-gut which has heretofore been used for the best strings, and which can only be obtained in limited quantities in remote parts of Europe, he would at once save not only the principal part of the first cost, but also the entire expense of transportation.

The prospect was dazzling, the strings were made, but

Alas ! their appearance was greasy and rough,
Their texture and quality "awfully tough,"
Their beautiful color — decidedly snuff,
And their odor — good gracious ! 'twas beastly enough.

There is no discouragement in this result, however, for a truly American spirit. Not a bit.

All he has to do, if the goods do not meet the present fashion, is to change the present fashion to suit the goods. Convince the world that instead of the fine, endurable, sensitive, beautiful clear Russian gut strings, it prefers a dark, coarse, dirty colored beef string, and success is achieved.

Of course it will be up hill work at first to do this, but we are confident that if a fortune is judiciously expended in advertising it will be found that in two or three hundred years considerable progress has been made. — Musical Monitor.

— The Music Trade Review - August 16, 1879

The Lost Tail of the Monitor-Man

I.

Oh! Oh! Charley dear, no use in your fox-ing,

And trying to hide your anxiety thus,

The truth will come out, despite all your hoaxing,

That the "unbleached" have kicked up a nice little mus.

The "beef-guts," your sensitive feelings so fear,

May be "greasy," but yet you say they are "tough;"

You know very well that naught is more clear,

If the fiddlers hear it, 'twill be enough.

You are confident, also, that "beef-gut" will win,

If money and years are not spent in vain,

And you show that your "pluck" is surely "too thin,"

To stand upon "color" or "odor" again!

II.

'Tis hard to make out, in the "fable" you wrote,

Why the tenses are so unrhetorically mixed;

The analogy also, 'tis well to take note,

Is not very clear as to how you are fixed.

Your rhyme does you credit — just try it again,

Touch gently the harp with the "endurable" string;

Call on all your Russians to join the refrain,

They are "sensitive," "clear," but not the right thing !

And now, Charles, my dear, good bye for this time,

Don't allow you are jealous of beef-guts — oh, no !

And when you compose your next little rhyme

Be sure to conceal your own "weakness" — just so !

— Morrisania.

— The Music Trade Review - August 23, 1879

“The use of the intestines of animals in making all manner of strings for bowed instruments is very old. The horse and the sheep have the privilege — if it be a privilege — of having their intestines used for that purpose. The Chinese, to be sure, made quint-strings [chanterelles] from silkworm filament; but although these do not snap as readily as gut strings, they also do not have their mellow tone.

[…]

Italy supplied not only the best violins but also the best strings, although in our time the finest are manufactured in France and Germany — except for the quint-strings, which are still made best in Italy.”

— [Dutch] De Belgische Illustratie (The Belgian Illustration) - Vol. 15, 1882-1883

“That sausage making should have much effect on the musical instrument trade would hardly at first sight be supposed to be a possibility, yet such does really seem to be the case. The catgut string makers of Markneukirchen are at their wits' end to obtain a sufficient supply of the raw material required for their trade, more especially that used for the commoner sorts of strings. Of course no one cause alone has caused this dearth, but among reasons is ascribed the fact of sausage making in America having assumed such huge proportions that the gut is being daily more sought after by the pork butchers, and less is left for the use of violin string makers. Not only do the slaughters obtain nearly the same price from the sausage maker for the gut, but the latter does not require anything like the same care expended on the raw article as the string maker does. This may perhaps lead to other and cheaper material being found out by the sausage makers, for it seems an unheard-of anomaly that the followers of Paganini should be placed at the mercy of the pork butchers.”

— Music and Drama - January 20, 1883

“Genuine Italian strings are the only string fit for a Banjo Artist to use. Genuine Italian strings are manufactured in Germany, but there are some cheap imitations made in Italy, which all Banjo Artists should take care to avoid. The best Italian strings are made of horse hide, soaked in cod liver oil, taking care not to boil to a greater intensity than 70°."

— S. S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal, June/July, 1885

“…knotty strings, bought fairly cheaply as a rule, produce an uneven, broken sound, and the excessively thin ‘fifths’ and ‘seconds’ [upper strings], kept at a high pitch, make the sound shrill besides. But neither the ‘musician’ himself nor his listeners attach special importance to these shortcomings, firmly believing that ‘a capable musician will play even on a fire-poker’.”

— [Russian] Dudar and Music - N.Ya. Nikiforovsky. Moscow, 1892

“[…] Gut strings are made in Italy, Germany, France, and England. The Italians take first place. Its merits appear evident in the three main requirements for strings: fine workmanship, great durability, and purity of tone. There are factories in Rome, Naples, Padua and Verona. These individual manufacturing locations differ significantly from one another in their products. The Roman strings are extraordinarily hard and shiny and show a little roughness of the work. The Neapolitan are smooth and softer than the Roman and whiter in color. The Paduan ones are very shiny and durable, but often wrong. The German strings take the next place after the Italian ones. Saxony is the seat of manufacture. They are very white and smooth. The better varieties are very durable. Your main fault comes from too much bleaching, and that is why mistakes in the tone are often written!? The French take third place. Your strings are carefully made. The stronger ones respond well, but the weaker ones leave something to be desired in terms of durability. The English manufacture all qualities, especially the cheap varieties. They are durable but made unevenly and have a dark appearance.

[…]

In Markneukirchen, this [Italian] process is known and they imitate both the production from whole intestines, as well as the way of twisting, as well as the characteristic bad smell of Italian strings, partly for the purpose of export to Italy, so that they can be shipped from there as Italian strings partly in order to satisfy the prejudice of some musicians in Germany regarding the Italian strings, of course, through this method of imitation one also trades in the disadvantages of Italian manufacture.”

— [German] Die Geige, der Geigenbau und die Bogenverfertigung. Eine Anweisung zur Herstellung der Verschiedenen Geigen und Ihres Zubeho rs, Eingeleitet Durch eine Darstellung der Darauf Bezu Glichen lehren der Physik (The Violin, Violin Making and Bow Making. An Instruction for the Production of Various Violins and Their Accessories, Introduced by a Presentation of the Relevant Physics) - Paul Otto Apian-Bennewitz. B.F. Voight/Weimar, 1892 *

“In 1882 and 1883 there was a shortage of raw [gut] material and, in connection with this, a considerable increase in the price of the same. The reason for this phenomenon lay partly in the great expansion which sausage manufacture was experiencing at the time, not only in Germany but also in other countries (e.g. America) where formerly the Germans' fondness for sausage products was ridiculed.”

— [German] Die Volkswirtschaft im Königreiche Sachsen. Historisch, Geographisch und Statistisch Dargestellt (The National Economy in the Kingdom of Saxony. Historically, Geographically and Presented Statistically) - Heinrich Gebauer. Dresden, 1893 *

“One of the latest fakes coming under our notice is an advertisement of a banjo string, under the high-sounding title of the 'Beau Ideal' strings. The following interesting bit of literature is called from one of the envelopes in which the 'Beau Ideal' hides himself. Read it: It is Funny: 'Not very funny, but pretty funny:'

'The gut is cultivated in the southern part of Russia, where the climate is mild; hence, its character is similar to that of the Italian gut, with the excception that is has the advantage of being much stronger, (more durable) than the latter.

The gentleman who gathers and selects this gut, from which the Beau Ideal Strings are made, is stationed at Odessa. He was a practical violin maker of high repute in Germany, and a master of the instrument in every respect, when ill health obliged him to seek a milder climate.

For the Beau Ideal Strings, only the very whitest gut is selected; hence, they are naturally a beautifully creamy white, instead of being bleached white by chemical means, as is the case with many ordinary strings.'

What a time the 'gentleman' mentioned must have, looking for this gut. Hunting bull-frogs 'ain't in it.' Fancy him, in swallow-tail coat and kid gloves, searching over hill and dale, scrambling over rocks and creeks, on purpose to get hold of this nice white gut.

[…]

Of course, if people did not like to be humbugged, there would be no room for such fakes. Some persons cannot be satisfied without being humbugged, and for such pity is wasted. But those who possess common sense must have their attention called to such fakes, in order that they may see the absurdity of them.

This selecting white gut without bleaching is a fairy tale, pure and simple, and the 'naturally beautiful creamy white' does not exist without the process of bleaching. String makers have never yet been able to produce gut strings that were so evenly made as to be true in tone, or of even thickness throughout. Experienced performers, who have used gut strings for years, know that the percentage of true strings to the bundle is small, in even the best and higest priced gut strings sold in this country.

The nearest approach yet made to a perfectly true string of 'creamy whiteness,' is found in the celebrated 'Muller Twisted Silk String,' which may readily pass as a 'gut string' with those who are inexperienced. In fact, so strong was the existing prejudice in favor of gut strings, that when the silk string was first introduced, many dealers took care not to allow the word 'silk' to be used in selling these true strings to customers."

— S. S. Stewart's Banjo and Guitar Journal, May 31, 1893

"France has exerted her utmost to lower the colors of her rivals, and the counterfeit [string] is exceedingly clever, often passing for the real thing; especially is this the case with the thicker strings of the cello and double bass. Strings made in Saxony are recognized by their very white appearance, the result of over-bleaching. The better kinds are durable, though often faulty in tone. English strings are of dark color and uneven appearance; durability is their chief recommendation, for the tone is generally hard and unsympathetic."

— American Art Journal - May 18, 1895

“Obtaining good strings is a very difficult thing for the violin maker to do. Every string spinner, even if it is the worst, advertises its strings as being of the best quality, unsurpassed in durability and purity of tone.”

— [German] Stradivaris Geheimniss: Ein Ausführliches Lehrbuch des Geigenbaues (Stradivari's Secret: A Detailed Textbook on Violin Making) - Carl Schulze. Berlin, 1901 *

"Many strings come to America, and are sold for Italian that are made in Germany. It is also a fact that many strings are sold in Italy for genuine Italian strings which have been first shipped from Germany to Italy, after being especially prepared to imitate the Italian strings.

There are but few makers of strings in Italy, while in Germany their number is legion, and the strings of commerce, or in other words, the strings the jobbers and the retailers use to make money with, are put in attractive boxes and beautiful envelopes, with attractive names by the Germans, while many of these strings are really worthy of consideration as first-class and reliable, the great majority of them fall far short, and below the standard of excellence advertised. Frequently certain brands of strings are put before the buying public with a great blare of trumpets, and a tremendous amount of advertising, and are really what they are represented to be at the start, but gradually the greed of the parties selling them overcomes their better judgement, and the envelopes in which the strings are put will be stuffed with inferior strings. This soon ends the popularity of that particular brand and the owner concludes it is better and wiser to drop it and start over again. It is, therefore, the part of wisdom for the small buyers and retailers, to confine themselves to purchasing from houses of known integrity."

— The Crescendo - November, 1909

“The choice of the raw gut is of importance, if a good [suture] product is desired. The best gut is brown in color; the twists of the gut may be seen, and it is very flexible and strong. White gut, which is bleached by sulphur, seems to get a little harder than the unbleached gut. Gut which is clear and translucent, like violin strings, is not as a rule, good, for the translucent appearance means that the gelatinous portion of the gut has become firmly coagulated, and if, on pinching the gut between the fingers, a white mark or crack appears it is an evidence that the gut contains a lot of fat and will be hard. The most expensive gut is seldom the best. The best gut I have ever had was rescued in a tangled mass from an old drawer in an instrument shop, where it had lain for years, and it was given to me for nothing.”

— An Improved Method of Preparing Catgut Ligatures. A Preliminary Communication. - Ellice McDonald, M.D. The American Journal of Surgery, New York, May, 1910

"Gut strings are usually said to be catgut, but in reality they are made from the intestines of lambs, which is a material that will stand an enormous tension before breaking. No good substitute has yet been discovered. (A good chance for an inventor to make a fortune.)"

— The Crescendo - April, 1921

“The quality of the strings themselves has recently changed so much that it is difficult to say anything definite about them. I only mention that in recent years overspun [gut/metal-wound] D strings have been used by many performing artists. Although it cannot be denied that they are superior to the ordinary gut string in terms of sonority and ease of response, it must be emphasized that they do not have the pleasant timbre of the gut D string.”

— [German] Die Kunst des Violinspiels (The Art of Playing the Violin) - Carl Flesch. Ries & Erles/Berlin, 1923 *