Books › The violinist, 1900 › scan 51
Scan 51
The violinist, 1900
25 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1I was beginning to get desperate about a violin. Have been doing orchestra work exclusively and had an instrument suited to that kind, but am going to do concert work beginning next spring and had to get another. I have had three bunches of old instruments sent to me during the past year, but none came up to requirements; one very high priced one I literally played out in a month's time. Expect you will have a chance to send another out here soon. One of the leading teachers and players here expects to purchase in a short time and he was certainly taken with my purchase.
3Am enclosing New York draft in payment; and, by the way, the E string on the violin was mighty fine. Send me a dozen lengths of them, advise me as to cost and I will remit for same.
5I will be a booster for the "Goss violin" and I hope some day to meet the maker personally, for I know there is a fine personality back of such a beautifully made instrument.
7Yours, for the best,
8RICHARD B. HALL.
10Sale of a Guarnerius
12Albert Spalding, who is spending the holidays at the Spalding villa in Florence, Italy, has recently purchased a rare violin. The instrument is a Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu, and bears the date of 1735. This was the celebrated master's best period.
14A European connoisseur has sent out the following description of the violin: "Here we have a Guarnerius violin in a wonderful state of preservation. No instrument ever showed the masterly workmanship to better advantage. This surely was one of the instruments that gained for Stradivarius' great rival the title of 'golden-voiced violin maker of Cremona.'" The tone combines the mellowness of a rich alto with, in the upper ranges, an ethereal flute-like quality.
16"For a hundred years, the violin has been the delight of experts. It was brought from Italy early in the nineteenth century, by Tarisio, who was regarded as the most eminent connoisseur of his time.
18"The history of the violin from the year it was acquired by Tarisio is easily traced. The Italian violin enthusiast brought the instrument to Vuillaume who sold it to the Marquis de Sers. Later the nobleman sold the instrument to Gaillard, the violin maker of Paris, who subsequently exchanged it for an Amati violin and a large sum of money, the new purchaser being the Count d'Armaille. He, after a few years, resold the instrument to Koechlin, and then it was next owned by Gand & Bernadel, a firm urged to part with it, for a great price, by the celebrated collector, Colonel Maitre. It was rebought by Caressa & Francais (successors to Gand & Bernadel) and resold in a few days to Albert Spalding."
20The American artist feels very happy over the opportunity to acquire the kind of violin for which he has been on the look-out for years. There are many so-called old Italian violins, held for sale in Europe and America, but few perfect ones are to be had at any price. It is said that not more than thirty Guarnerius del Gesu violins are in existence and only five or six of these possess the attributes which are counted dear to the artist and connoisseur.
22The Youth's Companion Calendar for 1914
24The publishers of The Youth's Companion will, as always at this season, present to every subscriber whose subscription is paid for 1914, a calendar for the new year. It is a gem of calendar-making. The decorative mounting is rich, but it is subordinated to the main purpose to produce a calendar that is useful.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.