Kathleen Schlesinger

“ In some cases the base of the body was left open, and in others there were sound-holes. The bridge, from its curiously irregular shape, was known as the “shoe”; it was thick and high at the one side on which rested the string, and low and narrow at the other which was left loose so that it vibrated against the belly with every movement of the bow, producing a trumpet-like timbre. It is to this feature, in conjunction with its general resemblance in contour to the marine speaking-trumpet of the middle ages, that the name of the instrument is doubtless due. ”

“ There was at first but one string, generally a D violoncello string, which was not stopped by the fingers in the usual way, but played only in harmonics by lightly touching it with the thumb at the nodal points. The heavy blow, similar to that of the violoncello, is used between the highest positions of the left hand at the nodal points and the nut of the head. ”