The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-29

the walls Of q librsFy~room IN u'stoIicai
house In Cambridge have not yet ceased re.
yerberutIng. Tho Benvenuto Ceilint mas
been taken out Of IFS case. inclined my
ear TO Il. and am satisfied that u
responsive, for some Of the notes played
on the other violin II has sympa'
shsxcd With, and 1t sends out magicaily
its music IN spontaneous way. we task
yiolins. recall TO Ole Bull how long ago
itwas when be made ne think, as a lad, how
beautiful a thing was violin. ] tell bin
how first saw him fondIe the dismembered
portions Of his instrument a, Mickle's, 10
Market street, philadelphia. and, though
thiriy.fvc years have passed away since
then. he remembers q disaster which befell
h,s Gaspar di sale at about that time, though
he has forgotten me.
al was twenty-four years old-it was In
lS34--wben I fist heard that Gaspar az
Salo In Venice" Ole Bull tells me. cit
belonged 10 Amtmann ZolIer. ] tried 1t,
and fell In love with 1t ut once. i had an
Anal then that thought great deal OF,
and | told musician, friend OF mine,
how much finer ! thought the Gaspar al
Sa,o was than my Amats. sThen why DID
you not offer to buy 1t OF himY, asked
the musician. Because replied,
should bate to deprive him OF IT.
But do you want itY 'Of course
1 dc.' sTben ! will speak to him.
sDo n, then, careIulIy,' said. Next
morning Zoller came to me In towering
passion. sWhy did you not say to me your
self that You wanted the violinY Why did
Won send go-between?' pacified him all
i could, and invited him to breakfast with
me next day. He had good breakfast.
When 1t was over he said 10 me, have
yood-for. nothing son who Is 'celloplayer.
Now | am seventy years OF age. i can't
play any more. IL there Is anybody who
ought to have the violin 1t Is you, Ole Bull.
Give me what paid for II, which is two
hundred louis DOR Il have not that
much money! replied-'t that is, about
me--but viii bring it to-day.' did SO,
and carried II to him all in gold. remem-
Der some Of the gold was little worn, aud
he objected to taking certain pieces. When
the violin was mine felt like mother who
has found a lost child. Now, as the violin
was mine, knew its peeuiarities. There
was a fountain OF sound, but the gushing
OF the water was little clogged. made
M my mind that the violin had TO be
opened. The bar was very strangely placed,
and | knew 1t was too thick. / went to
Florence, and when gave it to a
workman, and be saw II, he Just cried. 81
was born in SaIo,' said the man, 'and II
ANYBODY Will take good care OF that violin
am the man, He opened that violin, and
found livery thick 10 the wood-not enough
air ia Il. Some work was then done on 1t,
and IL was brought up to its present condi-
ton. Ii has never been touched since"
"And the history Of the Gaspar di Salo
violin, with the Benvenuto CelIini orna-
mcntatiOns ?".
"Weli, in 1889 l gave sixteen concerts at
Vienna, and then Rbehazek was the great
violin collector. saw at his house this
violin for the first time. l Just went wild
over It. will you sell it?' l asked.
Yes.' was the reply-'for oDe.quarter
OF all Vienna Now, Rhebazek was
really as poor as church mouse.
Though he had no end OF money put
out Ia The most valuable instruments. he
never SOLD any OF them unless when forced
by hunger. invited Rhebazek to my con.
certs. wanted to buy the violin so much
that made bin some tempting offers. One
day he said TO me, See here, Ole Bull, IL j
do sell the violin you shall have the prefer
ence at 1000 dpcats.' Agreed l cried, |
though knew II was big sum.
"That violin came str0lling. or paying !
rather, through my brain for some years. |
1t was In 184l. i was In Leipsic, giving |
concerts. List was there. and so also was |
Mendelssohn. One day we were all dining |
together. We weye having splendid time.
During the dinner came an immense letter |
with seal-an official document. Said |
Mendelssobn, Use no ceremony; open |
your letter. What an awful seal!
cried List. with your permisslon,'
said ], and opened the letter. 1t was |
from Rbehazek's son, for the collector was |
dead. His father bad said that the violin |
49, a. 30 NJ he ,.rsn ho had
mentioned. told List aud Mendelssohn |
about the price. You man from Norway. |
you are crazy,' said List. 'Uuheard.of |
extravaganza, which only fiddler is capa-
be off, exclaimed Mendelssohn. 'Have |
you ever played on it? Have YOU ever tried |
iii' they both inquired. Never | an |
swered, for II cannot be played on at all |
Just now
II never was happier than when felt |
sure that the prize was mine. Originally |
the bridge was of lockwood, with two |
fishes carved on it--that was the Zodiaca |
sign OF my birthday, February-which was |
good sign. oh, the good times that violin |
and have had AS TO its history, Rheha.
EEK told me that 10 1869, when Innspruck |
was taken by the French, the soldiers sack
ed the town. This violin bad been placed |
10 the lnuspruck Museum by Cardinal Aldo.
brandt at the close OF the sixteenth cen.
fury. A French soldier looted it, aud sold 1t |
10 Rhebazek for trife. This is the same |
violin that played Oh, when first came TO |
the United States, in the Park Theatre.
That was on PRECAUTIONARY, 1S43. went |
20 the Astor House and made joke; l am
quite capable OF doing such things. 1t was
the day when John Bull went out and Ole
Bull came In. remember that at the very |
,irst concert one of nv strings broke. and |
mad to work out my piece on the three
strings, and 1t was supposed did 1t on pur-
pose" i
Ole Bull has Just PLAYED a sonata for me |
under all those circumstances which would
render It the most impressive, for am his |
guest; aud, though the storm beats With
out, beside bis hearth stone, which is all In
a glow, 1 bask; and as the evening brings |
darkness TO the room l hear the violin In
an absorbed way. for nothing can divert |
my thoughts. The lady pianist who accom-.
panies him follows sympathetically each |
shading OF the music. Then around the
fireplace, with many cigar, my host tells
me the history Of his early life.
my uncle was publisher, and had a
quantity OF acknowledgements and so
on. He played the violonceIlo, and he
bought me my first violin. 1t was lemon
colored violin, and so sour-so sour!
played for the cats, and absolutely drove
them away from their food. am sure that
the cats got III over Fiorilio's studies. They
kept clear OF little summer-house where
used to play. When was eight years old
] PLAYED the first violin ia quartette
Of Pleyeps. When l was nine years /
used to play with some very good ANA.
q milf a.