The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-04
SOME FAMOUS vIoLINs.
c-smouas That are Worth Their Bulk
in Coin.
From the Ne,c York Star

.an necessarily, that anything more imam
.iirss are sold and made. Shops of the
st makers you may count up in one row
|, sgures. But yet New York is the violin
20 of America, ranking not SO far behind
Z" great musical centers of London and
Tsnna In the saops and private hou es lie
NV OF the wonderful old Cremona in
Irnments. But it needs an exploring party
y and them all out. jealousy guarded,
ssey are kept from pubic eye and ear. only
- tbe owners intimates are they shown.
I'd the public, hearing that famous in
4s+,ment has arrived in America, then loses
n III. tT6eA violins of New York; said Old
c,rnoissaur. Eyes, they are here, if you
onlv know where to find them. But don't
| Ssieye everything you're told. Sift the
..ories down. Don't trust in every little
Innkaener who tells you what wonderful
iStrad, he has. There's more deception in
collins than anything else, Even the con-
roisseurs get fooled. And the $25 fiddle
.a,IS for the genuine classical violin. You'll
End alleged Cremonas on every block.
T,'ar,J connosseur will tell you that he ONLY
e a ,1dge Every maker will swear that he
onlv has the right system of violin making.
You Just go ahead, and sift what you
hear.
collection
~ Hartford. Conn. 1t was formerly, and
onlv RECENTLY. of New York, however, the
oronertv of John B. Waters, whose present
Possessions will be spoken of later on. In
I'll there are ten or fifteen violins, each
,.a3,resenting an especial model of its class.
The total value is about $4,000. A Joseph
Guarnerius is the gem of the collection. 1t
is krown as the King Joseph-that is, the
finest Guarnerlus existing-a title disputed
or1voafitnr-fho Kipor Tccar1fn
If Collector Laurie of Glasgow. The
violln is not to be bought 1t passed from
the Goding collection into that of Charles
r Powden. Thence it came into Waters
hands. Hawley has also Stradivarius,
with its varnish pretty well rubbed off, aud
valued at $1,000.
The name of Gemunder is a notable one
in vioin-making. Father, son and brother
4 carry on three separate establishments.
The most famous of the trio is George
Gemunder, Sr. He occupies quaint little
house on the outskirts of Astoria. and,
seated in his workshop, gray-bearded, with
4 his velvet skull cap and great wooden apron
Il of dark green, conveys somewhat of a hint
of the oldtime workman. But he is not a
collector and has few musical treasures to
show.
The son. George, Jr, has workshop on
Union square. ''Violin making to-day" he
q
outward characteristics go. But more
body and power is required now than the
classical violin ever had. Very few, even
of the Cremonas. are capable of filling our
tremendous concert halls. So the violin of
to-day has a much greater pitch. Thus,
while in varnish and model we initiate the
classic violin even to the point of decep-
ton, we constantly better the inner con
struction. Because the pitch of the old
Ttalf viz los fha
made shorter than they are now. Hence we
find genuine violins with the original necks.
The heads are retained and a new neck
grated on to the length requisite for our
pitch. Sometimes the original neck is
frightened out by an inserted piece"
His collection of violins is, perhaps, to
laynan, the most Interesting to be seen.
The most curious of all is an old Tryolean
violin-a Klots, worth, as violin, but $50,
but, from its associations, UNNECESSARILY
more. 1t is duly authenticated as George
Washington's, and as such was exhibited
while ago at the Hahnemann fair. 1t is of
a lightish brown, of a very fine grain,
rather bare of varNish, and lies in a worm
eaten old wooden case, which opens at the
top. Other violins are an unvarnished
Stainer. 1908, of very high swell. valued at
$780, Guadagnini, of a golden yellow,
800; an Amati, 1878, of the famous Grand
pattern, and of an orange color. An old
instrument here is a viol d'amour, 1928, of
Eberle. 1t is half as long again as the ordi-
nary violin and of twice the thickness. 1t
has sixteen pegs and a double row of
strings, eight Of gut and of covered wire
running over the bridge, and eight of wire
underneath. The under strings are tuned
in unison with those above. There is not
the sweetness of the violin about it, but
rather melancholy tone. sit is played
nowadays" said Mr.. Gemunder, Sin the
opera of The Huguenots,' the especial in
Strument for certain solo passage in the
orchestra. don't know of its being used
at any other time"
In the possession of August Gemunder
are Maggini, Stainer and an Amati,
not a Nicolas but an Antonius. and each of
these he values up in the thousands.
Herman KONG is the famous violin re-
pairer of New York, or rather of the
country. Up to his curious and cldtime
workrooms hundreds of violins come every
year. KONG is a maker, but with broken
violin he is in all his glory. The
rooms, the man and his methods are all liz
harmony-all Old-World. His violin
treasures are four in number-an under
sized Gaspar da Salo, $500 to 5000; a Mag
glnl, $l.5OO; an Amati, $500; and another
Gaspar da Salo, valued at 81, 900, for which
81. 800 has been refused
Z. Tubbs Of the Bowery, brother of the
famous bowmaker, James Tubbs, of Lon
don, and himself somewhat of celebrity
IN that line, has some fine old ms -ruments
!here Is Magglni, two Rugeri, and two
AInatls, to mention only his best.
IL Is the connoisseurs and the makers that
own the finest and the most of the old
vlollns. Leaders and professional musi-
cans cannot, as a rule, afford to spend the
thousands Of dollars that these instruments
cost SO they buy the very best of
modern make. And, indeed, there
are lew Of the old intruments, however fine
tnelr tone may be, that can stand the wear
ana Tear OF concert playing. But there are
certain exceptions to this Eldelyi Naczi,
Ieaoer at the Eden Musee, has Guarnerius
~hlch he paid $1,000 for. He has also a
Tuadagnini, valued at 81 200, of which it
mas peen said: sit has the handsome
Varnlsh have ever seen, and its tone is
equal to its varnish." The Guarnerius is
nls concert violin his Guadagnini be uses as
SUBSTITUTE and for practicing.
Richard Arnold of the New York Phil
harmonic Club has Rugerius which he
Saiues at more than 81 600. He also owns
VOL glamour worth about $500. William
=; Alexander, director of the New York
college OF Music, has a fine Peter Guar
Hefius bought from the musician Edward
nolenhauer. Joseph Mosenthal is the
owner OF an Amati, and musician by the
name Of Budd has ''Strad" which, mended,
tion.
A ten-thousand-dollar .sStrad,n with a
history and q reDutafion ia tha r1ronerfv of