stacking mutes for violin and bass

Mutes for violin family instruments are placed on the bridge of the instrument. By dampening the vibration of the bridge, they reduce the volume of the instrument’s sound. These innovative mutes were designed to be used singly or stacked on top of each other. This offered the player a range of dampening possibilities and also the potential to alter the instrument’s timbre or tone color. Promotional material in the packaging of the mutes declares that ‘string players are astonished when they hear the variety of tonal effects’ and includes a quote by Rembert Wurlitzer: ‘we know of no other mute which gives a varied choice of tone qualities in a stringed instrument…’. These mutes illustrate the quest for novelty and innovation that extended to accessories as well as to instruments themselves.


Mutes for violin as follows:

One set of three mutes made of brown wood (rosewood?); shape is traditional with three legs that slide onto the bridge of the violin. The mutes can be used singly or stacked one on top of each other to provide different degrees of sound dampening and tone color change. One set of three mutes made of ebony, form and function per above. Three sets of metal ‘add-a-mute’ mutes, one in aluminum, one in brass, and one in an unidentified non-ferrous black metal. There are three mutes in each set. Each mute has two groves at opposite corners. One grove can be slid over the bridge. The other grove can accommodate the addition of further mutes. The mutes can be used singly or interlocked with each other to provide different degrees of sound dampening and tone color change. One ‘add a mute’ set survives in an unopened plastic packet with description/advertising material. The packet includes a quote by Rembert Wurlitzer: ‘we know of no other mute which gives a varied choice of tone qualities in a stringed instrument…’ and declares that ‘string players are astonished when they hear the variety of tonal effects’


Mutes for bass as follows:

An incomplete set of stacking mutes for string bass (two mutes are present, a complete set comprised three) made of brown wood (rosewood?). The shape is traditional with three legs that slide onto the bridge of the bass. The mutes can be used singly or stacked on top of each other to provide different degrees of sound dampening and tone color change. One mute is stamped as follows:

D.SHUMAN/ PAT.PEND. The other mute bears writing in pencil on upper edge (not legible).

Bradley Strauchen-Scherer