Scan 6
Musical Courier 1927-01-06: Vol 94 Iss 1, 1927
43 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE WALHALLA OF VIOLINS
2The Wurlitzer Vaults
4WORK OF THREE GENERATIONS
5About seventy years ago, Rudolph Wurlitzer, Sr., the founder of the great House of Wurlitzer, dealers in musical instruments, began to collect rare old violins. Unlike most collections, this one is permanent, though its individual parts change from time to time. No sooner did a connoisseur or soloist become the owner of one of the treasured instruments in the Wurlitzer vaults, on went the search to replace it with ever better and a greater array of Master Violins, so great and persistent was the ambition of the House of Wurlitzer to make this collection the greatest in the world. These facts make it quite plain that it is no accident that the son of the founder, R. H. Wurlitzer, who inherited his love for violins from his father, was sent to Joachim at the Hochschule in Berlin where he studied with the greatest of all teachers. Today there is not a celebrated soloist who ever visits America but he soon makes his pilgrimage to the Walhalla of Violins in the Wurlitzer vaults. Since the war the collection has been greatly enriched with instruments that are recognized as the finest specimens ever seen in America. So it was only natural that the MUSICAL COURIER turned for information regarding this interesting subject to J. C. Freeman, for thirty-five years an undisputed, internationally known authority on old master violins and cellos, and for the past ten years at the head of the Old Violin Department at Wurlitzer's, New York.
7TWELVE IN A ROW
8At present the Wurlitzer House has twelve Stradivarius violins, each one a representative example of the great master's work. These violins range in price from $10,000 to $50,000. The Wurlitzer House also has three very fine Joseph Guarnerius del Jesu violins and some fine examples of the great Cremonese, Venetian, Milanese and other Italian masters. In addition to these, there are instruments from the best French, German and English makers.
10According to Mr. Freeman, during the past five years the Wurlitzer Company has handled eighty-five Stradivarius violins, many of them world renowned. At the head of this list is the great Betts Strad, which is known to violin enthusiasts the world over as probably the best of all the Strads. This instrument has been immaculately preserved. It was made in the year 1704 and comes in for an extended description in Hill's Life of Stradivarius. Hill describes the beautiful formation of the long and relatively slender corners, and says "the uniformity of the outline presents the perfection of symmetry; the full, rounded model swells away from the edge with but a semblance of hollowing around the purfling; the 'F' holes, cut with masterly decision and placed in a comparatively upright position, seem to fall naturally into complete harmony with the surrounding features . . . ; the back and sides are of handsome maple, the front of pine."
12Hill's work is a fine book of its kind. A search through the work brought to light the fact that a Strad, perhaps this Betts Strad, was sold to Arthur Betts in about 1852 for five hundred pounds and a picture of it in Hill's book is marked, "In possession of R. D. Waddell." The Betts family were the foremost dealers of violins of their day. It will perhaps be of interest to American readers to know that George Astor, a brother of John Jacob Astor, also kept a music shop in London at the same time. It appears that the Betts Strad was brought over to England by C. D. Meier, an amateur, and that Vuillaume, the noted French luthier, bought it in London afterwards and sold it to Mr. Wilmotte.
14KING OF VIOLINMAKERS
15It is interesting to note that after the death of Stradivarius, other violin makers, notably the Amati and Stainer, dimmed for some time Stradivarius' name. However, the crown was soon restored to him, and ever since Stradivarius has been a king among violin makers.
17Hawkins' History of Music, 1776, says: "The violins of Cremona are excelled only by those of Stainer, a German," an opinion, which of course has ceased to have any value today. It is merely quoted to show what was no doubt the general opinion in 1776. Possibly a better estimate of the value of the Strad is to be found in the following passage quoted from a letter from the Reverend Thomas Twining to Dr. Burney, dated May 4, 1791: "When I take my Stainer up after the Stradivarius it sets my teeth on edge. The tone comes out plump all at once; there is a comfortable reserve of tone in the Stradivarius, and it bears pressure, and you may draw upon it for almost as much tone as you please."
19Mr. Freeman, of the Wurlitzer House, explained that this noble quality of the Stradivarius violins is largely, if not entirely, due to the varnish used by Stradivarius. It may better be said, to the means invented by Stradivarius for the application of the varnish. According to Mr. Freeman, there appeared to be a preparatory coating of varnish on the Stradivarius violins which has not worn off even with constant usage. To most people, it seems rather a mystery and certainly no other violin makers have discovered the means by which this could be accomplished.
21HAPPY OWNERS OF STRADS
22Besides the Betts, Mr. Freeman mentions the following other Strads which have passed through the Wurlitzer Company in recent years: The Woolhouse; Lipinski, Soil, 1708; Archinto; Smith, 1714; Comte de Sauzy, better known as the "Titian," which belonged to Zimbalist; the Russian Strad, 1709; and very recently the Lord MacDonald Viola, 1701, sold to Felix M. Warburg with the "Titian." Mr. Warburg also has a Strad cello, 1725, the ex-Vaslin, known as "La Belle Blonde." Another outstanding viola is the Medici, which belongs to the famous Herbert N. Straus Strad Quartet, including the Soil, Archinto and the Leveque cello, 1690, identical with the date of the Medici viola. The Medici was one of a set of five instruments made for the Duke of Tuscany. There were two violins, two violas, and a cello. One of the violas was a very large size, the body measuring 18 7/8". This instrument is now in the museum at Florence, Italy. The Straus viola measures 16 5/16"; the Lord MacDonald viola measures 16 3/16". It will be seen that the first American boys to lose his life in the war, had a Strad dated 1737. Edgar H. Sittig, of the Sittig Trio, owns a Goffriller cello, while Hugo Kortschak has the first strad owned by Joachim. It is dated 1698. The instruments here enumerated were all at one time or another part of the great Wurlitzer Collection.
24SOUL OF A VIOLIN
25Mr. Freeman pointed out that there is scarcely anything else known to man that has been preserved in such perfection for 200 or 250 years as these old violins. They seem, he says, to be almost imperishable, and he quoted a case of one of them which was run over by an automobile and broken into fifty or sixty pieces. It was repaired by Hill & Sons of London at a cost of about $650, came back almost as good as new, and was later sold for $15,000.
27Mr. Freeman very kindly provided the MUSICAL COURIER with photographs of a number of instruments either at present in the Wurlitzer Collection or which have been a part of the collection in the past. A comparison of these various instruments is very illuminating.
29But infinitely more fascinating and inspiring is the privilege to spend some time in the midst of these treasured violins and cellos. A fleeting thought of the dreams of their makers who worked with so much love and painstaking care on these frail wooden shells, and a bit of musing over the hopes and struggles, failures and successes of the hundreds of violin virtuosi who were the owners of these wonderful instruments, soon make one forget the "fabulous prices paid for them. Rather is one stirred by the dramatic and poetic roles allotted to these beautifully formed creations of man in the Eternal Play of Life.
31Klenau Signed by Columbia
32LONDON.—Paul von Klenau, noted Danish composer, conductor, who created a small sensation at his London début two years ago with his directing of Delius' Mass of Life, accepted an invitation, on his return visit to London last spring, to conduct a number of records for Columbia. The records were issued a short while ago and, according to the unanimous verdict of the press, number among the finest orchestral records ever made. "Here," the London Times says, "a consistently high standard is attained, not only in note and phrase values, but in the presentation of the subtle atmosphere created by color nuances." The Observer states: "Charming and richly colored is the Philharmonic Orchestra's reproduction of Debussy's 'L'apres-midi d'un faune' under the direction of Paul von Klenau, who so strongly impressed us when he conducted Delius' Mass of Life last year." Of the same record, the Weekly Scotsman relates that Klenau "manages to instil into it a truly pastoral atmosphere so often lacking in renderings of the delightful work." "The ethereal charm of Debussy's piece is successfully captured," according to the Musical Standard, "by Paul von Klenau, distinguished Danish conductor. A delightful performance and a subtle definition of tone color make it a noteworthy record." The Yorkshire Post calls it bluntly "the best of Columbia's Instrumental records." As a result of his notable success Columbia has secured the exclusive services of the Danish artist for its records.
34A Musical Festival in Vienna
35VIENNA.—In connection with the exhibition to be held in Vienna from May to July, 1927, a musical festival is to be given there between June 5th and 19th, which through its unique features is likely to attract musical enthusiasts from all over the world. The works of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and others will be performed in the exact historical setting and at the same places where they were first heard by the public in the life-times of the composers. Some of Mozart's works which were then conducted by him at the Augarten Palace, the Palace of Schönbrunn or in the baroque hall of the National Library, will be performed there, and the same applies to other Austrian composers.
37Smetana's Librettist Dies
38PRAGUE.—Eliska Pechova, Czech writer, better known under the name of Eliska Krasnohorska, died at the age of seventy-nine years. She was the librettist of several of Smetana's operas, and the author of novels, poetry and plays, also the translator of a good deal of English, German, Polish, and Russian literature. one of two readings
39PRAGUE.—Eliska Pechova, Czech writer, better known under the name of Eliska Krasnophorska, died at the age of seventy-nine years. She was the librettist of several of Smetana's operas, and the author of novels, poetry and plays, also the translator of a good deal of English, German, Polish, and Russian literature. one of two readings
41Next Biltmore Musicale
42The artists for the fifth Biltmore Musicale, Friday morning, January 7, will be Moriz Rosenthal, pianist; Queen Mario, soprano, and Dorothea Flexer, contralto, the last two of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.