Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1889-12-18

Instruments Used by some Experts.
If poor old Antonio Stradivarius could
come TO life again and see the thousands
of violins now bearing his label, I feel
sure the old gentleman would be sent
once more to his grave with shame and
modification. The same could be said
of the several Guarneri, chief Of whom
was Joseph (del Jesu), and likewise of
.Amati. Bergonzi. Ruggieri, Stainer,
Guadagnini, Gagliano, Maggini and
many others.
For many years the manufacturers of
common tiddles in Germany, which sell
in the United States at from 81 to
$50, have labeled them "Stradiyarius,"
"Guarnerius, etc. Yet they must know
that any one acquainted with the merits
and value of the violins of these two
great makers would not buy them for
such, and if they are made for farmers,
sailors and cowboys, or for class who
never heard of either Stradivarius or
Guauerius, the manufacturers must
know that the labels of these two and
other great makers do not help to sell
them. Yet they continue to make them
and paste in these labels ad ibitum
PITFALLS FOR AMATEUR BUYERS.
This is not so serious grievance,
however, for the price asked generally
indicates the character of the violin, but
what is really in the way of one desir-
ing to purchase fine violin made by
any of the Brescia, or Cremona, or even
French, German or English makers, is
the traffic in labels practiced so much
today by European dealers, and were it
not that we have in New York some
fine judges OF violins who do not so by
labels, many artists and amateurs in
this country and city would have fallen
victims to the practices Of the many
dishonest dealers throughout Europe.
There are hundreds of violinS in this
city alone made probably by makers con-
temporaneous with the Cremona makers,
who initiated their more skillful breth-
-zSd, which are bought for and labeled rs
coming from the workshop of the great
makers. There are also several so called
'sStrads' in this city and throughout the
world for which large-in fact, enormous
sums have been given, the commences
of which is doubted by able and compe-
tent critics.
There are hundreds of fine violins
throughout Europe and America which
have genuine Stradivarius or Guane-
RUS or Amati top or back, and the rest is
either initiated or made up of other old
violins by Italian makers.
There are thousands of fine old violins,
Italian, French. German, Tyrolean, etc.,
both in Europe and America, which can
not possibly be identified as having been
made by any particular maker, no mat
ter how good the expert may be. If you
want TO hear differences of opinion"
borrow violin and go to the scores of
dealers and makers in this city and it will
repay you, for unless it has a very promi-
nent and marked characteristic of some
maker you will most probably have no
two opinions alike This is not intended
to reflect on their judgment, but simply
to show the difficulty Of placing or at
tributing the many old violins of today.
FoRGEEIES N RIDDLES.
have seen and heard many of those
nameless violins which were finer in
tone, both as to power and quality, than
many of the Amati, etc, really anthem
ticated, and for which five times the price
had been paid. I have seen old Italian
violins, beautifully modelled, we'll made
and of superb tone, labeled "Guarnerius
Amati," and even "Stradivarius," and
attributed to these makers ten or fifteen
years after they were dead, and some as
having been made by them several years
before they were born. So the question
naturally arises, how can one tell or who
can tell a real ''Strad" or Guarnerius
or an Amati or a Ruggieri or a Bergonzi
or a Maggini or Gagliano or Sanctus
Seraphino or Montagnana or a Gasporo
da Salo?
No one can tell "Strad" if he has
never seen one knowledge must be
based on having seen not only one, but
several, as all "Strads" are not alike. In
deed one must be familiar with all the
great and authenticated "Strads" now
extant to be an expert. for there are many
resembling each other. There are no two
alike. The eye must be cultivated to
know them, as an expert in painting
knows a Corot, or a Daubigny, or a
.Vibert, and so thoroughly versed in the
minute characteristics Of the constituent
parts of the violin as to detect fine imi-
tation from real one, to say nothing of
the superb varnish used by the Cremona
makers, the manufacture Of which isyet
lost art, notwithstanding the many so
called discoveries of its secret.
And in the same way only can the
,violins Of the other great makers be
known, identified and distinguished from
the really fine limitations of today and of
the past. Therefore, to be familiar with
the works of the great makers in minute
detail one must travel, see and study the
great v;olins of the world in the hands of
collectors, artists and amateurs.
1t may interest many "fddlers" to
know that Paganini played on noble
specimen of a Joseph Guarnerius and
now owned by the city of Genoa, to
whom he willed it. Sivori plays on
copy of this violin by Vuillaume, noble
instrument, for which, it is said, he has
refused $4,000. The immortal Joachim
plays on "Strad," or I should say on
,"Strads," for he owns several Of them.
Sarasate also plays on ''Strad." Viii
helmi plays on Lupot and a "Strad,"