Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-19
OLE BULL.
Death of the World-Famous violinist.

Death of the World-Famous viollnist.
A writer in Lippincott's Magazine, pub
lished several years ago, said Among
the living violinists Ole Bull represents the
bizarre type of which Paganini was an ex-
emplar, without, however, possessing the
supreme power that dignified even the &C.
centricities of that artist. Yet he is man
Of unquestiOnable genius and has trOdden
closely in the footsteps of the wizard whom
he sold his last shirt to hear in his youthful
days. His career has been long romance,
such as no novelist would dare to
depict for fear of being charged with i'm
probabilities. Born in Norwegian Win
ter. sixty-four years ago (1S16). he had
the ardent temperament OF the sunny
south. His early artistic aspirations were
thwarted by family and friends, and even
the great violinist, Sphor, with whom he
wished to study, gave him such chilling
reception that in a moment of fdespondency
he gave up music for the law. Returning
to his first love, an unfortunate duel, i'll
which he mOrtally wounded his antagonist
compelled him to leave the country.
In Paris, where he next went,
poor and unknown, he was &c,
| duced to great cXtrcmities, and at last,
being robbed Of everything he possessed,
including his violin, he attempted suicide
by jumping into the Seine. Rescued from
a watery grave, his condition excited the
sympathy of an old lady, widow of Comic
Paye, who recognized in his features 4
| striking resemblance to her dead son.
| Taking him into her house, she assisted
! him SO liberally that he was enabled to
make his first appearance in public us a
viOlinist, and the romance was completed
| by his marriage to her daughter. The
| most brilliant successes soon awaited him
inssItaly, where lie received Pagganini, and
was embraced by Malibran on the
stage at Naples. He afterwards made
frequent and successful professional tours
through Europe, and had an enthusiastic
reception in this country. These musical
expeditions were varied by "A campaign in
Algeria against the Kabylcs, and the es.
tabl;shment of 4 theatre in his native Ber.
gen. He cherished plans for the advanced
culture Of his countrymen, and among
them cndcayorcd to establish a school OF
literature and art, but his prospects were
blighte. by the introduction of pOlitica
sentiment into the performances ut this
theatre that brought him into collision
with the police. These troubles resulted
in serious losses, which, together will
the death of his wife, led to his revisit
ing this country in 1862, and forming il
Pennsylvania the Norwegian colony, whose
failure again sent the unfortunate artist
into the world to repair his shattered for
tunes. He met with great success in hi:
1854, the New York academy of music an(
undertook the management of Italian opera
The disastrous result of this enterprise
caused him to return to Europe, where
he acquired enough to enable him t.
settle down in this country, where III
has passed some of the most cventfu
years Of his life. Among the testimonial:
| which he has received during his long
career, one of the most interesting is q VIC
lin which he exhibited ut conversations
Of the musical society Of London in Jan,iar!
1862. The celebrated instrument was
made by Gaspar di Salo, the most distin
gushcd of early makers, with caryatidcs by
BcnvcnutO Ccllini, carved by order o
Cardinal Aldobrandini, who present
cd it to the museum Of Innspruck
When the city was assaulted by thu
French in 1909 the museum wa
plundcrcd and the violin carried to vi
cnn:l, where the Councillor RhehaZcl
placed this unique gem in his collection 0
ancient musical instruments, refusing t,
sell it at any price. He left it by will, il
1912, to Ole Bull, who was the first to tes
its powers. The distinguished NOrwcgia,
has another violin by this maker which i
his favorite instrument. The manner o
Ole Bull, says French critic, is that 0
Paganini, whom he has taken for his model
and whose fantasticalness he has often imi
tated he astonishcs more than he touches
A nomadic artist par excellence, he ha
formed no school, nor written anything t.
preserve his popularity"