Rosin

Rosin - 18th c. Italian recipe - by Aquila
String King Rosin Aquila String King Rosin Aquila

INTRODUCTION
Not for the scant historical information concerning the rosin used on 16th and 17th century string instruments, we rely essentially on Hans Gerle's treatise ('Musica Teusch', Nuremberg,1532) and Marin Mersenne's ('Harmonie Universelle', Paris, 1636). These documents refer to the use of colophony in its pure state, i.e. not mixed with other resinous components and not subjected to specific technological treatments.
Before the mid 18th century do we find recipes that give precise details of the delicate (and often laborious) processes for making the finest rosin: i.e. those best suited to the mountings used on contemporary instruments (which generally had higher working tensions than we find today).


String King Rosin Aquila
The Francesco Galeazzi's 1st recipe (Rome 1791)