Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-16
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS

TO MUSIC LOVERS
THE United States Government has
l. recently and quite unknowingly been
made particeps crimlnls to one of the
most heinous musical offcnses---that of
violin collecting. Dwight J. Particle,
a wealthy resident of Washington,
died some months ago and, In his will,
bequeathed his collection of violins to
the National Museum In Washington.
The government is, of course, power
less to sell the instruments or TO place
them in the hands of those artists who
would put them TO the use for which
they were designed and therefore
henceforth, four Strads, thirty other
fine Italian violins and few OF
the best French makes will lie
useless in the Museum, while fine
artists must use Indifferent instrn-
ments because of the absurd values
to which collectors like Mr.. Particle
have raised fine instruments. =.
The four Strads in the collection OF
Mr.. Particle were known as the
Spanish the Joachim the Edinburgh
and the Ludwig, the two first being
a pair of the finest viollns of that
great maker in existence, and while the
others were not of the class of the
first named, still they were violins
which any artist in the world would
there were specimens of Guarnerius
(which Guarncrlus does not appear,
but all of them are superb instru-
ments), Bergonzi, GaGliano, Guada-
gnnini, a Niccolo Amati of 1912, be-
sides eighteen Tourte bows. The
monetary value of this collection may
be guessed, when it Is known that a
genuine Tourte bow alone brings in
the neighborhood Of 5000.
THE "art" of collecting differs in
i value according to the medium which
Is collected. \ collection Of illuminated
manuscripts docs no great good nor no
y great harm. because of the relatively
small number of persons who are in
terested in such things and the corre-
spondingly slight competition for spcci-
mems. Such collecting Is really bcne-
fetal. because it frequently saves to the
world beautiful things which might
otherwise be easily lost.
Art collecting, whether of paintings
or of any of the other forms of illus
trative art. if done intclligcntly. which
II seldom is, NAV be made of t.lc great
est value. especially if the collector be-
gins with n definite idea. which again
he seldom does. 4 collection of paint-
ings. for example, showing the gradual
development of one of the great schools
of art. would be of inestimable value to
the student, and this is the kind Of col
lection which should be kept intact and
would serve its best purpose when willed
to responsible institution, where its
perpetulty would be assured. But, un-
fortunately, most art collections are not
made with such an end in view.
The collection of music manuscripts
Is likewise interesting and harmless.
They have a sentimental value only
and. like paintings or other forms of art
In single concrete form. the effect of
seeing them may be enjoyed only by
those persons TO whom they really mean
something. Thus, for example. the
nearly complete collection of the original
manuscripts of the Beethoven string
quartets ia the possession Of the Mem
delssohn Bartholdy family in Berlin,
and which. at least few years ago.
was open to general inspection, could
not be observed by q quartet player
without a distinct feeling of emotion
as lie viewed the mighty works with
which he was familiar. as they first
came from the inmost feelings of the
great master. But to n pianist or
singer they meant nothing.
TNHUS, nearly all collecting is rcla-
L tive-that is. in so far as it per-
tains to particular artistic phase the
results Of which are apparent to those
persons who may physically view its
manifestation. But the collecting Of
musical instruments-and this relates
especially to viOlnS--COmps under an en-
tirely different classification. For every
Cremona, or other violin, which is
locked up in a collection, some artist
~ ustfhntf n Il 20 I,-N
ment.
An almost parallel instance might be
suggested in the case Of a great musical
composition. Suppose, for example. that
the 'Moonlight' sonata of Beethoven
or the Funeral March" from the r.
fat minor sonata of Chopin we're in the
hands of a collector and could be heard
only by those to whom that collector
vouchsafed mn opportunity to do so.
What would be the artistic result n the
music loving world at large: And yet
the permanent locking up of a number
of fine vio,ins is not so very different
In the ultimate consequences
There can be no possible objection
TO nm amateur viol!nist, however
wealthy. owning any reasonable number
of fine violins, 80 long as they are used
and give pleasure to the owner or TO
those of his friends who have the Op-
portunity of playing on them or of
hearing them. So long rs the instru
ments are thus used, they fulfill the
legitimate purpose for which they were
created. But when they are installed
IN collection for the mere purpose of
peing looked at and are thus kept out
of the hands of the artists who would
put them to the use for which they
were designed, they are useless in every
sense Of the word.
GO PLACED, they serve no purpose
~ whatever. They are valueless for
sfndY as u construction for the violin