The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-13
A MINNEAPOLIS CELLO
WITH "A PAST HISTORY
Valuable Instrument Owned BY Carlo Fischer and Played Him to the
Delight Of Northwestern Audience-I Past Full Of Interest
Heinrich Hoeves Pet VolnTwo Other Instruments Of Great
Value and Merit Make Minneapolis Their Home

student-Hans Reudel. He was lad
with a lot of genius and, Of course, no
money. He was an invalid, as well as a
consumptive His teacher was one of my
old professors, DR.. Cossman. The poor
young fellow died just as he was begin
ming to amount to something, and his fam
lily had to sell the cello, tho they didn't
get half what it was worth. They told me
to look out for it, and that's how came to
take it SO quickly when I found 1t at last
in Old Keller's shop.
1.-THE Boston man said that one Of the
two violins Of the original quartet has
disappeared, that the other is owned by
sarasate. the Spanish violinist, and that
the viola is in Boston. So that old Italian
family is just a bit scattered"
Heinrich Hoeveps Love.
Heinrich Hoevel, the violinist, is an
other local musician blessed with an in
heritance from the poetic woodworkers of
old Cremona. His violin was made early
in the eighteenth century, by a distin-
guished pupil of Stradivarius-Joh Bap-
fist Guadanini The instrument was
bought by Mr.. Hoevel at Aix-La- Chapelle.
Germany, about ten years ago. He Sc
cured it for the comparatively small sum
of 81, 900.
"See the F'-holes, how perfectly they are
curved" exclaimed Herr Hoevel yester-
day. "And the head-what a scroll that
is. But the real wonder is the tone; it is
so true and 50 individual In the old violins,
just like the voice of living woman!
Yes, Mr.. Fischer was right when he said
that the Amatt instruments have delicate
notes-exquisite for a parlor but scarcely
to be heard in a large concert hall. Yes,
the Strads are always brilliant, snowy, but
heartless, 50 to speak, like very worldly
woman. And then a Guarnerius is SYM
| pathetic and tender, like gentle girl.
won't say how my violin sings to me-
you might think was preiudiced
! "But this much Is surely true-the old
makers all had the soul of a musician
and his ideals With each new instru-
ment they tried to attain some standard
of tone, not to make the violin as cheaply
or as quickly as they could: They would
spend months in work that would take
the modern maker many days, perhaps
I should say hours. And then the old var
nish--- just look at it!' Mr.. Hoevel rubbed
theoretically at a bit of the cherry
brown enamel upon the back Of his instru-
ment. Soon the thick varnish glowed and
prepared to melt. Yes, that's the way
it shines, the old italian varnish When
free from dust it looks as If it had not
yet dried, after nearly two hundred years.
And even when the outer coat is quite
worn off, the exposed wood still glistens
with the varnish absorbed into the pores. I.
When modern varnish is dry it looks dry.
When it comes off it leaves the wood bare
as a bone. But, especially, the modern
sweeten the tones from the strings.
Bogus "strads."
''Yet the old models are constantly imi-
tated. At Mark-N eukirchen, in Saxony.
the best italian models are reproduced
exactly, so far as measurements go. Each
part is made by the hands of a different
workman, and thousands of Strads and
!; GuarnerI are turned out every year, all
bearing the old makers names and even
the dates of the Instruments coined
That's why people are always discov-
| ering wonderful old violins worth mint
I of money. This country is full of Strads,
} called. One of them was sent in to me
, the other day by express from South Da-
kota. The owner said he had advanced
t several hundred on it. He wanted me
$ to price it. He had got 1t from a fellow
who said it had been in his own family
for more than ninety years. I wrote back,
Your Cremona should be marked-Made
3 in Germany; price, $10!'
e Several years ago two Minneapolis
: lawyers, one q friend of mine, were trying
2 a case down in Worthington. The land
lord of their hotel played that evening for
a dance. He had violin that one of the
4 lawyers happened to look at. He made
out thru the F-hole those wonderful
names, Stradiva -Cremonae,'' etc. He
saw chance, he told me afterwards, to
r. make $4,000 easy He scratched together
:, all the cash he had with him and borrowed
, everything the other lawyer could spare.
; They offered the landlord SIS and got the
:. old violin that same night. Coming up on
the train, they held the instrument across
: their laps for fear it might get hurt. AS
- soon as they arrived they put it in safe
:, at once. They wanted me to look at their
s find I telephoned, Bring it up! But,
= dear me, they couldn't think Of such a
. thing Take a delicate treasure like that
, into crowded elevator So had to go
= down where the safe was. I heard their
ee story. I gave glance at the treasure.
Is Yes I said, there was a big profit In that
/, DEAL They looked delighted. About
$780, added, for the hotel man."
:. A Genuine Amatl.
a An Amati violin that delights the con-
8 noisseurs is played by Mrs. James o. Gil
e fillan OF Tenth avenue Sc, formerly Miss
d Ethel Snider.
: Carl Riedelsberger Of this city is an
>. other violinist whose instrument was per-
j. fected by the lost art of the eighteenth
(. century. He has a violin made by
e Landolf of Milan, one Of the last Of the
e Italian experts. With Landolf died the
Is secret Of compromising the "Cremona
Is varnish.''
II Mr.. Riedelsberger's violin is inscribed:
o. "Carolus Ferdinandus Landulphus Fecit
y Mediolani In Via s. Margarine Ammo
i 1850" (Charles Ferdinand Landolf made
,e it in st. Margaret street, Milan, in the
Is year 1909
l. This instrument was many years in the
lg possession Of a famous French artist
al From Paris it was taken to Dublin where
h. it formed part Of a collection Of rare In
re strurnents. The collection was sold and
10 the Landolf was sent to Boston. Thence
re the violin travelled to Des Moines, where
as 1t became the property Of w. H Heigh-
In ton. MIR. leighton presented the instru-
III ment nine years ago to his frient, Mr.
st Riedelsberger.