Books › The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925 › scan 37
Scan 37
The reminiscences of a fiddle dealer, 1925
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 13. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Italian Tone
3French fiddle that Mr. Clark will put an Italian name to if you ask him." Ask him I did, and he said it was the long Strad. of Mr. Thompson, for which he had that day offered a hundred pounds, but Mr. Thompson refused it. "Then he was the bigger fool," quoth Mr. Eadie, wrathfully, "and your best friend," he added, "not to take your daft offer seriously." "Is this then really a genuine Stradivarius violin," I asked. "Undoubtedly," said Mr. Clark, "and a well-known one, too."
5I was convinced of two things by this discovery. First, that I could recognise the Cremona tone, even when heard in widely different places, such as a crowded concert hall and a private room. Second, that I utterly failed in my playing to produce the peculiar ping which I had so admired in the playing of Vieuxtemps. The explanation of this was, of course, that he could play and I could not, as playing the violin had been his life study, while I, like most amateurs, only practised in leisure moments.
7I could not hope to possess a Strad. yet, and Mr. Eadie looked out for a violin which he thought would suit me and finally got one which, he said, was "far beyond yon silly thing you were in such a state about at Clark's." Though I could not quite agree with him, I was highly pleased with the one he got and appreciated greatly the kindness of heart which prompted my master to give it to me.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.