The Washington times., 1902-09-07
TO REGISTER PEDIGRBBS
OF CRBMONA VIOLINS
Collectors of Rare Instru-
ments Desire Protection.

. Amati and Stradivarius Counterfeit
Numerous The Genuine Articles
, Also Turn Up Row and Then.
J The restoration few days ago of tn
bott Stradivarius to the widow of Jea
bott, the old musician who died from
grief over it's loss, has excited discus
sion over the question of how to protec
the owners of valuable violins.
1t has been proposed that an interna
tional registry. including photographs
measurements, and the most accurate
description possible of each instrument
known and indorsed by eminent 'authori
ties as a genuine "Strad" or Cremona
be kept, and in this way check pu
| upon the work of violin thieves. Johr
Friedrich. of Cooper Institute who's,
evidence guaranteed the identity of the
recovered Bott violin. did not. however
exactly favor such scheme when seen.
| Ihere are very few. even among
really good musicians" said MIR. Fried
rich, who can tell a genuine 'Strad
One man In thousand among them
perhaps, has the keenness of vision and
the experience that will enable him ia
speak positively on such question
With the rest it will be guesswork.
Il have been working among violins
| and occasionally handling the most val
liable instruments for the past thirty
years In Germany and in New York. I
know at once the relative value OF an
instrument. In most large cities you
will find someone capable of pronounc-
ing positive opinion as to value
Would It be impossible to dispose of
a stolen violin OF value without detec-
tion?''
Suppose you want to buy a valuable
violin. you do not look for 1t on the
street. of some itinerant, or in pawn
shop You go to a firm of responsible
dealers in old yioIins, as lady came
10 me recently. who paid $4,000 for
Stradivarius, and you make your ar
'rangements for genuine article with
responsible concern. No sane person
would pay more than nominal price
for violin under any conditions, how
ever good it might seem to be-
often sold to wealthy amateurs for
large sums. and would not system of
registration prevent such frauds. and
are not interiors of valuable violins
sometimes taken out and mediocre parts
substituted for them?'
'Oh, yes; such things are undoubt-
edly done; but in such cases the VIC
tins are mostly to blame for dealing
with non-reputable dealers That is
their own affair. They want to dc
things cheaply, and pay dearly in the
end
Other authorities when spoken to on
the subject were inclined to favor the
idea of registering valuable violins.
There are doubtless many valuable
Stradivariuses floating around yet unac
for said one of these men. a
well-known expert. whenever one
comes to the surface, it should be ex-
amined by the best authorities and, if |
found to be what is expected. it should /
be listed and registered. The pedigree !
of valuable violin should be as pre-
cious as that of 4 blooded animal.
when valuable violin is stolen the
thief not infrequently takes it to a
pawnshop as the most likely place to
get good sum on 1t, and also so to dis
pose of it that the instrument can be
recovered when the excitement conse-
Iuent upon it's loss has blown over and
here is a chance of disposing of it safely
1t a good figure.
"A case of valuable violin coming
nysteriously to light in New York which
anne under my notice occurred in this
,ity. While the violin may have been
to America in the manner de-
cribed by its Italian owAer, there Is a
hic
lands in another way.
Residents of New York and Brooklyn
nay remember swarthy- skinned but
looking old man who for years
wandered around the streets earning a
wing as an itinerant violinist. The
IAN was not musical genius, but he
layed very well and used to make a
wing by his art
"One day when he was playing in front
I rO6taurant on South Street one of {
hose haunting Italian airs that his fin
ers knew so we'll how to draw from the
1strument, the owner of the place, him
elf music lover. stepped out and Of 7
cred to buy his fiddle The Italian
,oked at the instrument lovingly for a
Wv moments. but he needed money +
adly and was tempted. He told the
keeper, who knew little OF p
lie value OF instruments, that he could ;
ave the violin for s27.
In his broken pat0is he informed the
urchaser that the instrument had be- r
'nged 10 mis- grandfather in Italy ana | y
as regarded as a wonder He also u
atea that for playing in the street he
anerally used a heavier instrument
hich he had at home, and that he had !;
ersonally owned the violin in question r
II twenty-seven years.
The restaurant keeper. anxious to Z
,ssess good fiddle, paid the S27 and u
ok the instrument. AS it was not in
,od repair. he carried IL to dealer to Y
I'VE it looked over. di
when ne inquired ii it would be
orth putting in order. he was informed s.
at the violin could not be worth less Vt
an $500. After repairing it the dealer C,
Id him that he would have been fool
h not to have spent few dollars on S.
e violin. rs II was undoubtedly worth di
.0o0-New York Times.
AGAINST MURDER.