El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-16

y ton over a hundred years ago,
has not only failed to improve, but has
descended from an art TO an industry,
from being the work of a master hand
to that of a machine. Hundreds OF
thousands of instruments are now turn
ed out by machinery, many of which are
later sold as zone of the few remain
ing Strads.'
With the aid of a carefully copied
label, and the powers of eloquence
and persuasion. the gullible collector or
the amateur is continually taken in by
these frauds.
Although it rs claimed by many that
there are no good violin makers IN
America, there have been a few, who,
both in Europe and this country, have
been recognized as being among the
most scientific makers who ever lived
( One of these was George Gemunder
| of Astoria, New Terk, who died few
| years ago, and whose son now ranks al
most as high as his father.
Not An Industry Here.
Violin making never has reached the
| point of being an industry in the United
States. What instruments are made
! here are for what might be termed
select" buyers, and in the majority OF
cases these bring good prices There
are practically no factiries which are
devoted solely to the making of vio-
Inns, and few that turn out any large
number.
However, the country is full Of ANA
teurs, expert repairers and others who
make violins. There are several ANA
teurs in Portland, Oregon who have
produced specimens that have been fav-
orably commented upon by judges.
1t is said that the principal reason
for the lack of violin factories in this
u IL Of CO
here, also the cheapness of the German
Instruments Although the duty on
these articles is 45 percent, they can
nevertheless be imported into this coun-
try and sold for less than 1t would
be possible to make theme here But
the United States has improved In
string making until today it stands as
a powerful rival to Europe in this
matter. Chicago, the great place OF
slaughter, is where the best strings are
made.
The Lost, Varnish.
It was about the year 1850 when the
secret of the famous italian varnish
was supposed to have been lost, and
along with 1t the varnish itself. This
varnish, which it is believed gave the
violins what is known as the Italian
tone" recognized as the finest, has
been the object of constant search
by violinists and has been the
means of keeping numberless chemists
awake nights in an attempt to redis-
cover it. Time after time a hue and
cry has been raised by some who
claimed to have found the cherished
article but always with the same re-
sult-failure.
The most recent instance of this. so
far as known is the varnish discover
ed by a wealthy violin collector in
Baltimore. This varnish has been ex-
perimented with and Instruments which
were once harsh have been turned in
to sweet toned ones. The theory Of its
finder is that it IS the expensive var
nish formerly used on the gondolas OF
Venice.
After the law was passed decree
ing that all gondolas should be paint
ed black, the demand for the magic
varnish fell off. and its secret persisted.
A tradition in Venice says that in
reply TO solicitations on the subject
Venetian varnish dealer said: My sup
ply is exhausted, 1 know not what 1t
is, nor where it came from"
Priceless YiOlins.
Whatever the cause may have been.
all those violins made by the Italian
makers have, since about the beginning
of the 18th century, gradually risen
in value Until today they are almost
priceless. One made by Joseph Guar
nerius was sold in New York a few
years ago for the record price Of $12,-
600, while a Stradivarius brought s15.-
600. 1t is claimed that there have been
violins made by StraGivarius which
have sold in Europe for as high as
$4,000, and that $4,000 has been re-
fused for great specimens of this mas
ter's work. Violins made by these two
masters which were bought for $4,000
80 years ago. now bring from $4,000 to
$4,000 each.
/ 1t is estimated that Stradivarius
made over 1000 instruments during his
lifetime, which he used to sell for $40
apiece. At that rate his instruments
aggregated sum Of $4,000, an amount
which would not buy more than three
of them today. These violins have been
given the highest place among their
kind. and have been used by many of
the worlds greatest performers.
Violin Collecting.
The habit of violin collecting is
steadily growing. 1t is claimed that
the majority of the best specimens of
Italy's art in this line are now in the