Case cane, pochette fiddle kit violin cane,
Danse master cane
Danse
master
Danse masters where part of, the instrument player community, in Paris,
where their headmaster was designated as "King of violin", and was controlled by
approuved statuts and confirmed by letters of patent from 1659. It was requiered to pass
an exam, and to pay, to be admited in the brotherhood, danse masters couldn't practise
their work, in giving lessons at home or in the town, whitout to be one of them.
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From there started many proceedings that, during one century,
occupies a quantity of courts of law; the last "King of
violin", named Guignon, juged by the way, in 1773, to renounce to his
suzerainty. From this day, to be a danse master by profession became free. |
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We understood, from that moment, that the so called"pochette fiddle"or kit violin
canes have had a certain popularity in this century.
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Pochette fiddle-cane, so called kit violin or danse
master cane. On the left image the cane is in it case, on the right out of it case.
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Danse
master
The figures nearer shows us the cane from a danse master, this case cane,
was called pochette fiddle because of the small violin that the danse master put
into his pocket, in order to give his lessons in town.
"The kit violin, or kit (Tanzmeistergeige in German), is a stringed musical
instrument. It is essentially a very small violin, designed to fit in a pocket —
hence its other common name, the pochette fiddle. It was used by dance masters in royal
courts and other places of nobility, as well as by street musicians up until around the
18th century." Wikipédia
"The term "kit" is believed to first have been used in the first quarter
of the 16th century, in England where is was mentioned in Interlude of the Four Elements
(circa 1517)."Wikipédia
Here is how we used it: |
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Usage
Unscrew the handle, take off the horn ring; by pulling the bridge hide in flat under the fingerboard, place it at the level
of the soundpost, and, after having removed the bow from the
inside of the musical instrument, screw the cane handleback in order to raise the violin
up to the shoulder.
It could give a sufficient note to accompany chassés-croisés
(set to partners) danse nor steps of minuet .
This case cane from the XVIIIe century is one of M. A. Jubinal's
collection. |
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