Re: historical question

The chinrest was introduced around 1815-20 by Ludwig Spohr. It was a small
device by today's standards that attached to the end button and was
positioned over the tailpiece. Most violinists continued to play without
them until the second half of the 19th century. As for shoulder rests, no
one used them because most violinists learned how to hold and balance a
violin. Today it's simply clamped in place for giraffes. Heifetz began using
the steel E early on in his career but stayed put with the A and D strings
which were plain gut.

Richard Walz
"William Mutch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> facilile repros of the Sears catalog for 1904 show chinrests on
> the bass lower bout and a single E string fine tuner on some outfits.
> Fat plush pads under the bout or over the chinrest were popular.