Books › John Askew, the Stanhope violin maker, 1914 › scan 132
Scan 132
John Askew, the Stanhope violin maker, 1914
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 102. See the scan on archive.org.
1LAST DAYS.
3Mr. Albert Smith, Violinist, in a letter dated May 30th, 1913, writes as follows of his friendship and connection with John Askew. He had for some time one of Mr. Askew's medal violins—
5"He was a very clever man, and I had the pleasure of knowing him well. He told me that he made all his violins with the use of his cobbler's knife, and even put the purfling in with it. His workmanship was a masterpiece and his modelling perfection.
7I well remember the evening before he died when I called to see him for the last time.
9The shades of evening were setting in, as I climbed up the old stair-case to his bedroom to try and cheer him for the last time as I knew well. I remember his glad but deathly look at me when I entered his bedroom. We talked together for a little while about the wonders and beauties of the old violin-makers, and he loved to hear me tell him of what I knew and of some of the great violinists I had heard.
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