Books › The violinist, 1900 › scan 47
Scan 47
The violinist, 1900
43 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1do not like, he seems to be always dealing in the proprieties."
3These are my opinions also in comparing violins of these two masters, I mean, of course, the genuine Strads and Josephs, not the innumerable fakes and counterfeits which are flooding the country. I do not believe that there are in the United States today, two dozen genuine, well authenticated Strads. I do not believe that there are one dozen genuine Guarneri. This may appear to be a dogmatic statement, but I have seen too many genuine instruments, both here and abroad to be too credulous.
5Many people offer their opinion on these instruments who have never had the opportunity of examining real specimens and are not competent to judge between the genuine and the copy. During my thirty-five years' experience with old and new instruments, both in this country and abroad, I have only seen three well authenticated violins by Gaspara da Salo. I may state that I include violas when speaking of violins. Da Salo's violas are more numerous than his violins. I do not believe there is a single well authenticated Da Salo violin in the United States today. Ole Bull's concert violin is the only one I have ever seen, and this violin is acknowledged by all the experts abroad to be genuine. The best authorities abroad concur in the statement that only about one-half dozen genuine Da Salo violins are known. I presume that some owners of Italian instruments supposedly genuine works of Stradivari or Guarneri may take exceptions to my statements. If so I cannot help this, as my long experience in examining a large number of these old masterpieces has given me at least sufficient cause for making the assertion that 95 per cent of the old Italian violins bearing the names of Stradivari and Guarneri are not genuine well authenticated works of these masters.
7HARVARD.
9A CURIOUS VIOLIN
11A French collector is the owner of one of the most curious violins known. It formerly belonged to Paganini and at first sight merely presents the appearance of a misshapen wooden shoe. Its history is curious. During the winter of 1838 Paganini was living in the maison de santé called "Les Néothermes," at 48, Rue de la Victoire, Paris. One day a large box was brought there by the Normandy diligence, on opening which was found enclosed two inner boxes, and, wrapped carefully in several folds of tissue paper, a wooden shoe; also a letter stating that the writer, having heard much of the wonderful genius of the violinist, begged as a proof of his devotion to music that he would kindly play in public on the oddly constructed instrument enclosed. At first Paganini felt this to be an impertinent satire and mentioned the facts (with some show of temper) to his friend the Chevalier de Baride. The latter took the shoe to a violin maker, who converted it into a remarkably sweet toned instrument. Paganini was pressed to try the shoe violin in public. He not only did so, but performed upon it some of his most difficult fantasias, which facts (in the handwriting of the great violinist) are now inscribed on the violin.
13WORK IT OFF
15A MESSAGE TO VIOLINISTS, BY N. E. BAKER
17If you're suffering with sadness—
18 Work it off.
19If you're on the verge of madness—
20 Work it off.
21If your brain is in a mix.
22And your fiddle's out of fix,
23And you're crosser than two sticks—
24 Work it off.
26If the pegs will not stay stuck—
27 Work it off.
28It is just the fiddler's luck—
29 Work it off.
30If the strings all want to snap,
31And you feel you need a nap,
32Don't just sit around and gap—
33 Work it off.
35If the rosin sticks like glue—
36 Work it off.
37If the bridge falls over, too—
38 Work it off.
39If you want to sit and muse
40Of the things you'd like to choose,
41That's just where you're sure to lose—
42 Work it off.
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