But perhaps it is easier to judge of the new trend in fiddle-playing by observing the common or garden variety of players than by thinking always of the outstanding exponents of the art. Great achievements are necessarily less affected by environment, by the general climate, than run-of-the-mill playing is; for that reason it is pertinent to evaluate any kind of playing that comes our way. If we were to listen attentively for snatches of violin tunes in popular music recorded around 1906 or 1907, and compare these with violin-playing in the sound track of a present-day Hollywood musical or in one of the ultrasophisticated commercial broadcasts with their glistening and lush fiddle tone, it would make this point clearer than any attempt at analysis. Or to give another example: we unfortunately do not know how a Strauss waltz was played by Johann Strauss and his band, but those of us who are as familiar with the playing of the Vienna Philharmonic as with the humble fiddlers in “Schraml” ensembles still have some sort of link with the playing style of those far-off days, and we can imagine how strangely unsophisticated and unglamorous the genuine article would sound here in America after certain Sunday afternoon broadcasts of popular music. << less