The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-27

tlstA L was 50 CDJUSe As not TO detect at
once the exquisite gradations of the
graceful curves. After a short time the
names Of Anati. Ruggieri, Guarnerius,
hlotZ. SJainer. etc, grew qultetamlllar
TO me; and as l went through the streets
l would peep into the pawnbrokeTs and
other windows with tiddleS in them,
hoping to pick up a treasure for few
shulIngs. Two or three | did buy, but
my friend laughed so heartily at my
purchases that | gave up the pursuit
lie told me he had for u long while been
looking for a genuine old Stradivarius.
but as yet, had not succeeded in finding
the one he wanted. lie had been offer
ell many .purpOTting TO have come origi-
ually from the great makers hands but
probably they We're all pretenders, as he
was not vet suited.
One evening when | visited Luigi I
found him with all his musical treasures
arrayed around him. He was putting
them in order. he said. | must amuse
myself as best l could until he had fin
ished. | turned idly from one case to
another. wondering how any experience
could determine the build OF any par
ticular violin, all of which, TO my un-
tutored eyes, appeared alike. Presently
/ opened one case which was closed and
drew the fiddle it held from its snug.
red-lined bed. | did not remember hay
ing seen this one before. so took it in
my hand to examine it-holding it. aft
er the manner of cOnnOlSSeuTs, edge
ways before my eyes to note the curves
and shape of it. 1t was evidently old
my little knowledge told me that; and
as. even though protected by the case,
dust lay uIOr it. l could see it had not
been used for long. long time. More
over. all the strings were broken. Curl
Ousiv. each one was severed at exactly
the same pOint-just below the bridge
as if some one had passed a sharp knife
across, and with one movement cut all
four.
/ Holding the ill-used instrument To-
ward Luigi, l said:
This one seems particularly to want
your attention. Is it a valuable one?s
Luigi, who was engrOsSed by the deli-
cate operation of shifting the sounding
post of one of his pet-weaponS some IEs-
iinitesimal part of an inch to the left oe
to the right. turned as | spoke, still
holding his ends of string i'll each hand.
! As soon as he saw which violin | had
taken up, ne let fall the one he held be-
ween his knees, and, to my great sur
prise. said hastily:
Put it dOWn-put it down. my friend.
/ heSeech YOU not to handle that violin"
Rather annoyed at the teSty way in
which my usually amiaDle friend spoke,
l laid it down. saying:
is it so precious, then. that YOU are
Fafraid of my clumsy hands damaging
All, ii is not that" answered Luigi;
cit is something altogether different.
did not know my man had brought
Nthat fiddle in. | never intended it should
have left Italy"
1T looks like an old one. Who is it
That is a real old Stradivarius-the
acme OF mortal skill-the one thing hui
man hands have made in this world per-
feCt-perfect as a flower, perfect as the
sea. A STadivarius is the only
thing that cannot be altered-cannot be
improved upon"
why do you never use it,"
81 cannot tell yOu-you would not be-
lieve me. There is something about
that fiddle l cannot explain. L believe
it TO be the finest in the world. It may
be even that Aanfredi played upon it
to B0cCheTini's cello. 1t may be Kruger
led with it when the mighty applause
rang Through the karntnerthor, shak-
ing 1t from floor to roof-tree, but which
he. the grand deaf genius, Beethoven,
could not even hear. Who can tell what
hands have used it? and yet, alasl L
dare not play upon it again.
Rendered very curious by Luigi's
enigmatical words and excited manner,
/ ventured to take the violin III my
hands again, and examine ii with inter
est. [ looked carefully at the belly and
the back, noting the beautiful red but
/ translucent VarnlSh, known alone TO
StradivariUs. with which the latter was
coated. | peeped through the rs, to
ascertain if any maker name appeared
inside. If one had ever been there, it
was completely Obliterated 10y a dark
/ stain, which covered the greater portion
OF the inside of the back. Luigi offered
no remonStrance as | took the fiddle for
the second time. but sat silent, watch
ing me with apparent interest.
And now astange thing occurred to
me-let who can explain it. After hold
ING that fiddle for a few minutes, | felt
a Wish-an impulse-groWlng stronger
and stronger each moment, till it be
came almost iTreSistible-tO play upon
J it. 1t was not a musicians natural
itching to try fine old ylolIn-lndeed
I am no musician. although fond of list
ening to the music. and at times ventur
! ing 10 criticiSe: neither have / learned
nor attempted to learn the art of per
| forming on any instrument. from the
: Jewsharp to the organ And yet, say
as my fingers were round the neck-a:
soft as silk it was-Of that old violin
! not only did | feel a positive yearnlnl
l | to pass the bow across it. but somehow
! | / was filed with the conviction, odd a.
: it was. that all at once | was possessed
of the power of bringing rare musit
: forth SO strong, so intense was thl
2 feeling, that. needless of the ridicult
| from my companion TO which ! shoult
$ expose myself-heedless, indeed, of hi
: presence-I cuddled the fiddle unde
5 my chin, and took up one of the severa
g bows living on the table. My left fin
L gers fell instinctively into their proper
5 position on the strings. or rather. wher
: the strings should have been: and theI
7 l remembered the ruined state thos
strings were in, and, with all my new
born skill, knew that no miraculous in
/ | SDiratlon. even If it produced fiddler
7 could bring forth music from WOO
0 alone. Yet the impulse was on N
1 stronger than ever; and. absurd as
: may seem. / turned to Luigi with tn
request on my lips that he would Te
: string the useless instrument.
q Luigi had been watching me atten
: lively; no doubt he had studied ever
e motion, every vagary of mine since
d again began to handle the fiddle. See
e ing me turn toward him, he sprun
{ from his seat, and before | could speai
q snatched the fiddle from my hands, re
: placing it at once in its case; then clos
+ ing the cover, he heaved a deep sigh c
: relief. | had no time to entreat, re
: mOnstrate. or resist; but as he took tn
a fiddle from me, all wish to distinguis
( myself in line that was not my ow
|, | left me. and | almost laughed aloud q
e the folly and presumption of which
; had been mentally guilty Yet 1t wa
u strange-very strange.
e %Ahl" said Luigi, as he placed the fit
II die ont of sight under the table, so yo
e felt it also, my fTiend!'
u ~Felt what
u ~The-I don't know what to call it
Is the power. the sorcery of it.
Il felt-don't laugh at me-that ha
IS the strings been there. /, who neyf
II played fiddle in my life, could hay
E drawn exquisite music from that on
"a What does it meang'
ie Luigi returned no answer to my Il
auirY. but said. as If thinking aloud:
le $50 it was no dream of mine. He, II
De cool. collected Englishman-he felt
es also. He could not resist the impuls
IT was no dream-no creation of II
es fancy. Would he see it. wonderYs
Y: See WHAT" [ asked. curious to kno
IN what his wandering sentences meant
g, 4 cannot tell you. You would n
believe me-
Id @But what you mean by the sorcel
IS, of the fiddler
be @Did / say sorcery? Well, know i
'e. other word that can describe it. A
though NHli you DtIcto tls<t luulc
en- the finest in the world. have only pla
as ed upon il twice. and the second time
Al drew nv knife across the strings, thai
ad might never again be tempted to pl;
OF ur0n it without due consideration
EN- what is its history, then? Whe
Is did YOU get it," ] asked. by this tin
id thinking my friend was suffering fro
of some eccentTicity that genius occasio
ay ally exhibits
he 1T was sent me originally from Lo
ed H. fr-1,,~, r Fr,,,,5 r1,,t IFS eocraf