Scan 4
Musical Courier 1909-06-02: Vol 58 Iss 22, 1909
32 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE PARTELLO COLLECTION OF VIOLINS.
2CONCLUDED.
3BY ARTHUR M. ABELL.
5After the general survey of last week, we will now give our attention to the individual instruments, beginning at the left with the top row and taking them in order as they come.
71. The Spanish Stradivarius, Cremona, 1723. This instrument is a remarkable specimen of Stradivarius' handiwork. It is entirely covered with a coat of rich red varnish and is one of the best preserved violins of Stradivarius' in existence. It formerly belonged to one of the Kings of Spain; above Stradivarius' original label is an inscription in Spanish, stating that the violin was in Cadiz, Spain, in the year 1800. This is one of the most remarkable toned violins in the world; it has a tone of honeyed sweetness and of extraordinary purity. It is of a golden quality, such as I never heard from any other violin, not even from the best Amatis.
92. Royal Edinburgh Strad., Cremona, 1721. When the late Duke of Edinburgh, also known as the Duke of Coburg, died, Mr. Partello was Consul General of the United States at Coburg, and he purchased direct from the Duke's widow, the Duchess Maria, who is aunt of the present Czar of Russia, the entire Edinburgh collection, consisting of nine instruments and seven bows. This Strad. was given to the Duke of Edinburgh by the late Duke of Cambridge at the request of his mother, Queen Victoria, and during the past twenty years the violin has frequently been referred to in the London Times as having been played upon by the Duke on shipboard, when he was admiral in the English navy, and at the Lordon smoking concerts. The violin is a magnificent robust specimen of Stradivarius' work; it is fourteen and one-eighth inches long, is in a state of perfect preservation and has varnish of a rich golden color. The violin is referred to in Hill's life of Stradivarius as having belonged to the Duke of Edinburgh.
113. The famous 1690 Strad. is a violin of marvelous workmanship, being one of the most remarkable specimens of the great Cremonese luthier's early work in existence. It is of the same period as the celebrated Tuscan Strad. It has a tone of wonderful brilliancy and sonority. This violin has an interesting history; according to early records it was found in Venice in 1801, and it is recorded in the books of Crasby, a distinguished London dealer of the early part of the nineteenth century, that it was on the flagship of Lord Nelson in the battle of Trafalgar in 1804. It has a bright golden varnish and is in a remarkable state of preservation.
134. The famous Ludwig Strad., Cremona, 1724. For tone this is one of the most noted Strads. in the world; indeed, many authorities have pronounced it the biggest toned Strad. in existence. It took its name from its former owner, Professor Ludwig, of London, who was one of Joachim's most distinguished pupils; it was his solo instrument for a period of fifteen years. The style of this violin is very much like that of the Sarasate contemporary, was made the same year as Paganini's famous Guarnerius, which is now in the Municipal Museum at Genoa. It is a very characteristic specimen of this remarkable maker's work, having big, bold outlines, the peculiar fishhook F holes, and a very powerful head; the varnish is of a rich orange color. The streak running along the right side of the top, so characteristic of most of the Guarnerius instruments mentioned in Hart's book on the violin, is very plainly marked. The tone is of the peculiar Guarnerius quality, and is wonderfully powerful and brilliant.
155. Carlo Bergonzi, Cremona, 1740. This Bergonzi, for tone, is probably the most marvelous violin in existence today. For richness, penetrating power, volume and brilliancy, it excels any Stradivarius or Guarnerius I ever heard, including the five wonderful instruments mentioned above in this collection, marvelous specimens of the luthier's art though they be. When Ysaye inspected Mr. Partello's collection and played for three hours on all of the principal violins, he selected this Bergonzi as his favorite, declaring that he had never heard any violin to equal it in all his experience. As to value, it is priceless. About the year 1795, Banks, the Englishman, and later, Lupot, Pique, and other violin makers of note, conceived the idea that the old Cremona violins were too thick in wood and they scraped out the tops, thus ruining a large number of these valuable instruments. None of the violins owned by Mr. Partello has suffered in this way, as he would not tolerate in his collection anything that had been tampered with or that was not exactly as it left the maker's hands. This wonderful Bergonzi might have been made yesterday, so perfectly preserved is it. The model is very flat; it cannot compare in beauty of workmanship with the Amati violins, of which a description is to follow; it is more bold and rugged in outline, but it has the characteristic marks of its maker, including the long scroll ears of Bergonzi's latest period. Bergonzi died young and made few violins; not more than forty of his instruments have an authentic existence today, and not one of them approaches this violin in tone qualities. The instrument was formerly in various noted collections, including that of Adam, and it was also in the Brandt and Perkins collections, and was at one time the companion of the celebrated Dolphin Strad. In early times it was the property of Lord Falmouth, a well known collector, and in Hill's catalogue it is mentioned as a model for their new instruments.
176. Nicholas Amati, Grand Pattern, Cremona, 1648. This is a unique specimen of Amati's work, and stands in a
18(no line here) one of two readings
20THE PARTELLO VIOLINS. one of two readings
21In this picture the characteristics of the various instruments are more easily discerned, as the grain of the wood shows up better than in the front view, which appeared last week. one of two readings
23Strad., used by the famous Spaniard during the early part of his career. It is covered with a rich red varnish and is heavy in wood and perfectly sound in every respect. one of two readings
255. Joseph Guarnerius del Jesu, Cremona, 1742. This violin, which is of a late period of Stradivarius' great one of two readings
27Photo by Albert Meyer, Berlin. one of two readings
28L. Siegel. D. J. Partello. E. Ysaye. A. M. Abell. one of two readings
29MISS PARTELLO. one of two readings
30THIS INTERESTING PHOTOGRAPH, WHICH WAS TAKEN TWO YEARS AGO AT MR. PARTELLO'S HOME, ALSO SHOWS THE GREAT CREMONA QUARTET OF VIOLINS. one of two readings
31Mr. Partello is holding the Ludwig Strad, his daughter has the Guarnerius del Jesu, Ysaye the Bergonzi and Abell the Grand Amati. one of two readings
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