The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-03
OF RARE OLD VIOLlNS.
FEW GENUINE STRiDIIARIUS
RIDDLES IN AMERICA.
Single Well Authenticated Case OF One
Being Found Here-Age Not Always
Proof OF Modern Makes That
Equal the Old Time Italian Instruments.

single we'll authenticated case or One
Being Found Here-Age Not Always
Proof OF value-Motern Make That
Equal the Old Time Italian Instruments.
There has been a calm in the Stradivarius
market of late. Several days must have
passed since one Of these rare old instru-
ments was found in a trunk or closet where
it had for years ain UNDECIDED. OF
course every old violin thus unearthed
Is a Strad. No other violin maker is as
well known, so for this reason Amati, Guar
nerius and other famous Italians are never
suspected of having manufactured these
q, neglected iddles.
These ~violins. II they we're examples Of
the work of Stradivarius. would be worth
from IS 900 to $4,000. This famous maker
of Cremona turned out his last Instruments
during the first quarter of the eighteenth
century, although he continued to work
down to 1880. He was for a while a work.
man with Niccolo, most celebrated of the
Amatis, and the Guarnerius brothers also
served their apprenticeship under the
same maker. Stradivarius had his two sons
to help him, sothey turned out many violins
To-day the Stradivarius pieces are more
valuable than those of any other makers.
Io" many Renuine otTdulNdTlus VlOllnS
are there in existenceP' repeated August
Gmuender, the expert and maker Of ~violins.
We'll, about 200 in thisc country and Europe.
1t is said that there are as many as 500 in the
world, but | am sure that cannot be true.
There are about twelve genuine, accredited
Stradivarius violins in the United States
1T is a wonder to anybody acquainted
in the slightest degree with musical matters
that the newspapers could be deceived
every week into printing articles about the
discovery of a Stradivarius violin. Such
a thing never happened but once. The
Hauser S~tradivarius, as it is called, was
found in an old Southern homestead. How
it got there was never fully explained, al
though one of the stories was that it had
been sold by Vieuxtemps on one of his visits
to this country. Before the war the majority
Of the valuable musical Instruments in
this country were in the South. This
violin, which proved to be a genuine Stradi-
varius beyond any question, was bought
for 5000 by the late Gordon Mckay, who
lent it to Leonora Won Stosch as long as
she remained or the concert sta &c. never
knew what became Of it after Mr.. McKay's
death.
THAT was the only Strad ever found
in this country. Not a day passes without
bringing me by express from all over the
country some kind of a violin to be appraised.
The circumstances are nearly always the
same. The violin has been found hidden
away somewhere after long years OF disuse
or it has been inherited from some relative
who in turn never used it or knew ANYTHING
about 1t. The w~riter-for most of these
instruments are sent here from a distance
s usually certain that the fiddle is a Stradi-
ivarius.
"Not three Of these violins out OF a nun
dred have any value. They could be bought
to-day for less than they cost originally.
Most Of them are OF French or German
make, There is rarely an Italian violin
Of any make whatever among them. There
is no possibility whatever of finding a
Stradivarius under such circumstances.
Among all the violins of this kind in the
world-I place the number at about 200
not more than a dozen are authenticated
by documents that date from the time Of
Stradivarius. These fiddles we're sold to
men of title or great wealth and the doou-
ments were handed down with them from
generation to generation.
@The qualities OF a Strad, as Of other
violins. can readily be told by an expert:
but the number of violins authenticated by
documents is very small"
just as a traveller may AVE his bag
covered with hotel labels in European cities
without leaving New York so can a dealer
put n Strad mark into any violin. The
motto of the maker was, "Antonius Strad-
ivarius Cremonensis. Fecit Ammo -.
ASA This inscription printed on faded
yellow paper may be bought by the dozen
and pasted inside a violin.
Mr.. Gmuender was asked how there hap
pened to be 80 many old fiddles stuck away
to be discovered suddenly and proclaimed
Strads to a world already growing a little
weary OF such frequent repetitions.
"Men played the violin as q diversion
more in the past than they do to-day" he |
said. when the old instruments crop up
somebody remembers a family legend TO
al--N--k eA.A IL L~A rA- -n-A - -