Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-01-11
OLE BULL AND HIS FIDDLE.

Ole Bulbs passion for violins, man
ifested itself at a very early age.
When only five years old, his uncle
"a violinist) bought him very small
fiddle. 70 the surprise of the family
he Immediately played well upon it,
! though he had never received any
instruction. He played a Guartette
of Pleyel's to the assembled club, and
they inquired with astonishment
who had taught the child, for they
knew not that God had taught him,
by process as simple as that of the
mocking bird.
Ole Bull never learned to read mu-
sic by the usual method. From in
fancy he had been accustomed to
hear music, and he knew the sound
of each written note, long before he
was able to pronounce it by name.
AT ten years of age a foreign music
master urged upon his father the ne
cessity of having him taught scien-
tifically. The attempt was accord
ingsy made, but nothing would come
to him by mechanical process. His
genius positively refused to go into
the straight jacket, and when father
and teacher eoaxed and scolded, the
nervous child actually screamed with
agony.
It is this adherence of fetters
which now imparts to his genius that
freshness and over leaping life which
constitutes its greatest charm. Crit
les constantly complain that he pays
no attention to the rules, but the
public everywhere agree that they
don't care for this, so long as the
glow of his mu lc warns and cleo
'',I,ts Ole Bull Bull p ] the four distinct
parts on the vii IN at once. No per-
son who has no tried it can conceive
of the extremS difficulty of playing
at once the distinct parts on each of
the strings. 1t requires muscle as
strong as iron, and elastic as India
rubber. Paganini had sufficient elias
ticity, but not enough strength. Ole
Bull is the only man in the world
who ever did it. When the Parisians
first heard him produce this wonder
full effect, of four violins with only
one, it seemed so incredible that they
could not at first believe it, but
thought that three other musicians
were concealed behind the scenes
playing the other three parts.
The romantic history of his violin
is no fiction. This remarkable in
strument is over three hundred years
old. It was made by Casper de Salo
in Crescia, one of the Oldest violin
makers on record, and it was cOnsid-
cred the best one he ever made. Its
original cost was over six thousand
dollars-now nOamount could buy it.
When Inspruek was taken by NapO-
leon in 1909, it was carried to Vienna
and was sold to RjheaZhek wealthy
connoisseur of stringed instruments.
He was offered immense sums for it
by English, Russian and Polish no
blemen, but to all such offers he in
variably answered by demanding the
price of half of Vienna. About thir
ty years ago Ole Bull gave fifteen
concerts i'm Vienna-Rjheazhek was
enthused by his performance, and
Ole Bull, of course, looked with long
ing eye, on the oldest and best violin
in the world. But the musical anti
Quarian could not bring himself to
sell it, but promised if ever he did
part with it, the Minstrel of Norway
should have it. He died two years
after, and his son sent it to Ole Bull,
then at Leipsic.
The wood of this violin was so old,
and vibrated so thoroughly, that Ole
Bull, for long time, was unable to
obtain sounding post adapted to it.
This post is a small piece of wood,
not as large as mans little finger.
When Ole Bull first performed in
Philadelphia, his delieately sensitive !
ear, at once detected that the double !
bass viol in the orchestra was very |
old instrument. Some time after the !
horse and rider that represented |
"Gen. Putnam's leap down the prec- |
ipicen plunged into the orchestra and |
the old bass viol to splinters. !
As soon. as Ole Bull heard of the ac-
cident he FASTENED to buy the frag- !
ments, with small piece of which
he was enabled to remedy the slight |
{ but to his sensitive ear, great defect |
of his own famous instrument. Its !
upper covering is of an exceedingly |
rare species of Swiss pine, celebrated
in the manufacture of viDlins. 1t |
grows on the Italian side ofthe Alps,
for sunshine and song seem INSOFAR
ably connected, and the balmy at
which makes Italy so rich |
in music, and imparts to her Ian
guage such liquid melody, seems
breathed into her very trees.
The diamonds in his bow-forty-
FIVE in number-were presented to
Ole Bull by the Queen of his own ma
tive land