The University Museum

FIDDLE

The fiddles/violins shown here were built by two different violin makers and have variations in their physical appearance. However, the fiddle and the violin, in reality, are one in the same instrument. The difference lies in the techniques used to play it and the repertoire played on it, not in its physical construction.

The instrument displayed to the left is a fine example of the careful work of a local luthier. The late Mr. Jack Batts of West Frankfort, Illinois, constructed this violin in 1980. Batts had a master's degree in sculpture, but found it hard to make a living as an artist during the Depression. While he made and repaired shoes in Johnston City to make ends meet, he also began to learn the art of violin making and repair. This eventually became his life's work. His wife, Mrs. Geneva B. Batts, donated this violin to the University Museum after her husband's death in 1988.

This example of a "rustic" fiddle, shown on the right, was handmade, according to a 1971 newspaper article, "by a recluse who guarded his privacy in a shelter on the big Muddy River bank." The information on the inside of the instrument is handwritten on a piece of newspaper, and reads "Made by Arlie Tann April 17th, 1931." There are figures inlaid over the entire instrument, including a stylized moon, star, and flower.

The Pinkneyville Democrat. A Rustic Violin. 8 December 1971.