William Meredith Morris
He was born Aug. 30, 1848, and is the son of William and Margaret Cooper. He manifested a great interest in the manufacture of musical instruments at an early age. At sixteen he made a small harmonium, and some years later he built a two manual pipe organ with pedals.
His first violin was made seven years ago, and for the last five years he has been engaged professionally as a violin-maker.
He has made, up to the present, fifty-four violins, on the models of the ” Sainton,”” Strad, and Joseph (Del Gesu), from drawings published by Mr. William C. Honeyman.
In some instruments the measurements of the ” Sainton ” copies are slightly modified, as will be seen from the following figures : —
Length … 14 1/8ins,Width across upper bouts . . . 6 21/32ins,Width across middle bouts . . . 4 15/32ins,Width across lower bouts … 8 1/4ins,Length of C’s … 3 1/8ins,Length of sound-holes … 3 3/32ins,Depth of ribs at bottom … 1 1/4ins,Depth of ribs at top … 1 3/16ins,Distance between sound-holes at top 1 3/16ins,
Mr. Cooper uses excellent wood, which is well-seasoned. He cuts his back on the various methods, according to the nature of the wood. He has a decided preference for close-grained pine. In some instances the ” reed ” is of uniform distribution, and about one thirty-second in width.
The workmanship is excellent. The scroll is thrown with a firm, florid hand. In matter of detail, it is strictly-conventional, except that the first turn starts from a point opposite the apex of the volute and leaves the boss very suddenly. In effect, the scroll is novel and picturesque.
The button is feminine — perhaps a trifle too much so, because everything else about the Cooper fiddle is of a masculine conception. It forms exactly three-fourths of a circle, and is rather under medium size. The sound-holes are original in outline and position. Near the upper turns they are perceptibly drawn towards the inner bouts. This gives the portion of the table between them a sense of solidity and boldness. They are set nearer the edge than was customary with Strad. Their position is a sort of a compromise between the Strad and the Bergonzi sound-holes.
The purfling is evidence of Mr. Cooper’s thorough mastery of the tools of the craft. And here, in the fine finish of matters of detail, one is reminded that the maker is a trained jeweller and watchmaker, as well as a violin-maker.
The margin is one-eighth wide, and the edges nicely rounded. The latter are not so substantial as is usually the case in modern British work. A strong, rounded edge is the sign-manual of the modern British school, and when one occasionally comes across another method, the result is all the more noticeable. The varnish is Whitelaw’s light, and dark brown, well laid on, and beautifully polished. The tone is firm, bright, and penetrating. Facsimile label : —
HUGH W. COOPER, Maker,75, DUMAS STREET, GLASGOW.
