Books › Violins, old & new, 1887 › scan 17
Scan 17
Violins, old & new, 1887
2 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1magnificent violins of which he has made so many. He is certainly not aware that we are referring to him in illustration of our statements, unless he has accidentally recognised the allusion made in the former article. A more enthusiastic lover of the violin it has never been our pleasure to know, and we have known many. Fiddles are scattered about in almost every room in his house, and all of his own making. He has travelled far and wide to procure his wood, and paid high prices for it. One of his violins occupied considerably more than a year in making, and as he took that instrument from its velvet nest, he said to us, "No money would induce me to part with this, because no money could 'replace it.'" In this opinion we agree with him. It is without hesitation, therefore, that we affirm our belief in the possibility of American makers producing violins equal to those of the best Cremonese makers, because we believe it has been done in England. Whether this opinion be accepted by others or not does not affect the issue; it is certainly our opinion, and we do not see why it should not be so. The Cremonas will still be as good in quality, though their equals may be made; but their price has, we think, reached its meridian, and will steadily decline when people are convinced—as they may be without much difficulty if they want to be—that violins equal to them have been made in London, Paris, or New York.
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