The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-27
THE SEC RET
OF TIE
STRADIV ARLUS

BY HUGH C0NwAY.
/ Nv friend Luigi is reckoned one Of
/ the finest violin players Of the day. Jus
wonderful skin has made him famO's,
and ne IS we'll known and honOred Ior
( his talent IN eyery capital in Europe.
+ II in these pages | call him by name
{ other than the one he has made famous,
I il is solely on account OF a promise he
exacted from me, in case l should ever
feel tempted 10 make the following
4 strange experiences. we Shared together
public property. Tam afraid. ueyertle-
5 less. that too MANY VIII readily identity
the man himself win the portrait / am
obliged 10 draw.
+ Luigi-leaying his professional great
+ ness out of the question: would have
been a noticeable 8au IN any company.
a man at whom people would look and
ask not only. Who is hes' but w nat
+ has he done in the wU3 iaf' knowing that
men Of his stamp are seldom sent upon
this scene to live an ordinary everyday
I life. In person he was very tall. stand
ing over six feet. His figure was grace
, flIl. some have called it 5 iEht, thereWas
breadth Of shoulder enough to tell if
] was the figure OF a strong man. \ face
with pale but clear complexion; darb
deep-set eyes, with Is sort Of 1lr-cItay
/ expression in them, black hair. worn
long. after the manner Of geniuses OF
his kind; a high but rugged forehead: d
Well-shaped nose; a dropping musLache;
d hand whose long and delicate fingers
| seemed constructed expressly for theiI
| particular Observation-Disclosures.
Picture all these characteristics. and
! if you enjoy the acquaintance of the
musical world, or even il you have been
l,ff sf Fn4qfiif,Cr concerts here
! stars OF the first magnitude condescend
to shine, | fear, in spite OF nay promise
of cOncealing his name, you VIII too
easily recognize my friend.
Luigi'S manner in ordinary life was
very quiet, gentlemanly. and repOsed,
/ He was. in his dreamy sort of way
| highly courteous and polite TO strangers.
Although, when alone with meOr other
! friends he loved. he had plenty to say
| for himSelf-and his broken English
was pleasant to listen to-in general
company he spoke but little. But let
: his left hand close round he neck OF 2
| fiddle. let his right hand grasp the bow,
! and one knew directly for what purpose
! Luigi came into the world. Then the
man lived and reyeled, as it were, in g
! life Of his own making. The notes ms
| craft drew fOrth were like bracing all
| to him; he seemed actually to TeSpiTe
| the music. and his dreamy eyes awOkC
| and shOne with fire. He did that rare
| thing-rare indeed. but lacking which
no performer can rise TO enduring fame
threw his whole soul into his playing
| His manner. hisverv attitude as he com
menced, was a complete study.
| Drawing himself mp to every inch Oi
| his height, he placed the viOlln-neSb-
| ling it, | may say-uuder his chin, and
then taking a long breath of what ap-
peared to be anticipatory pleasure
| swept his magician'S wand over tAe
/ sleeping strings. and waking them with
| the charmed touch. WOYe his wonder
| ful spell OF music. The moment the
| horsehair came in contact with the gut
/ the listener knew that he was in The
| presence OF master.
| Luigi had come to London for the
! season, after much negotiation and per
| suasion, accepted an engagement at {
| long series of some of the best. if cheap
| est and most popular concerts held II
| London. It was his first visit to En-
| gland: he had ever disliked the country
| and believed very little in the natiOua
| love for good music. or in our power OF
! appreciating it when heard. He dislik,
/ ed. also, the tTumpeting with which the
| promoters of the concerts heralded his
! appearance. Although his fame was al
/ ready great throughout the Continent, ,ht
! dreaded the effect of playing to on un
| sympathetic audience. Ills fears were
/ however, grOundlesS.
Whether the people liked and under
stood lis music and style of playing OF
not, they at least appeared to 90 so:and
| the newspapers. one and all. unable tC
! do things by halves, went into raptures
over him. They compared him with
| Paganini, Ole Bull, and other by-g0nt
masters. and their comparisons were
very fattering. Altogether, Luigi was
| a great success.
/ met him on two occasions at tht
/ houses Of some friends of mine, whC
are in the habit of spending much time
trouble and some money on that tStrangt
sport. hon-hunting. His concerts were
held, think, on two evenings in every
week; SO he had timeat his disposal, anC
was somewhat sought after. We wer'
introduced. and | took a liking to thu
quiet, gentlemanly celebrity, who, dlf
ferent from many others whose name
/ are in the mouths of men. gave himsel
no airs. nor vaunted, by words or man
ner, the "arist0cracy of talent"
/ / could make shift to converse witt
him fairly enough in his own soft Ian
guage; so that upon my meeting hin
the second time. he expressed his pleas
IRE at again enc0untering me. n fey
days afterward we met by chance III th
street, and was able to eXtTicate hin
from some little difficulty, into whicl
his imperfect knowledge of Englisl
ways had betrayed him. Then our ac
quaintance ripened, until it becam
friendship, and even at this day | reck
on him among the friends hold tn
dearest.
| saw a great deal of Luigi during hi
stay in London. We made pleasant lii
tie excursions together to such object
of interest as we wished to visit. W
: spent many evenings together, nights
! should rather say, for the small hour
I had sounded when we parted, leavin
. the room dim with the smoke from N
cigars and his cigarettes. Like man
of his countrymen, he smoked slmpl
whenever he could get chance; an
when alone with me, | believe the onl
cessation to his consumption OF tobacc
2 was when he took his beloved fiddle i
) his hand and played for his own plea:
! ure and my delight.
II He was a charming companion-u
> deed what man who had seen sue
,, varied life as he had, could be Other
wise when drawn out by the confidenc
that friendship giyesy / soon foun
D that under the external calmness of tI
4 man lay nature full of poetry, and ne
!. free from excitement. | was also muc
I amused to find vivid vein of superst
5 tion and belief in the supernatural run
f ming through his character: and bl
heve it was only my merrimento on mai
ing the discovery that hindered hil
0 from expatiating upon some ghostly e.
periences he had himself gone through
n instead of darkly limiting at what
could reveal. 1t was in vain / apOlI
gized for my ill-tImed miTth, and wit
a grave face tried to tempt him.
only said: You, like the rest of yol
= cold-blooded, money-making race, a
skeptical, my friend. | viii tell ye
nothing. You would not believe: yC
would laugh at me-and ridicule
:, death to me-"
Il Another thing about which he W;
Il yerv tenacious was showing his SIX
e when invited out. He invariably
It clined to do so, seeming quite puzzle
le by the polite hints thrown out by son
se of his entertainers.
s @Why can they not come and hear I
+e in publicg" he asked me. ~Or can it
= that they only ask me to their hous
= for my talents, not for my society?"
/ told him / was afraid their motiv
{, were rather mixed; so he said quiet
@Then l shall not go out again. VIII
= do not play III pubilC 10 earn my llNli
ID / play for myself alone"
Sc He kept his resolve as well as he cou
a declining all of his many invitation
4 save those to few houses where
knew he was valued, as he wished to
for himself.
But when was alone with him. VIII
; visited him at his rooms. then he "
: not chary in showing his skill: and.
!. though blush to say so. at times | b
violin-playing Gd naaseaDs- A surfeit
; sweets-a safety of music. / oft
u wonder if it has ever been any mai
IA lot to hear such performances as l {
Is In those days when. grown careless
IS the good the gods wonld send me. ]
,r at full length on Luigi's sofa; and
!. master of the magic bow eypound