The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-07

Il W8b AOuuu " nave Iu0 name n
Stradivari in it. The on
lon Of the local fiddlers was soliet,.
ed and they seconded the view ths,
It was indeed = genuine Str,S
One Of them even got himself an.
liked by offering the family oal,
$500 lfor the instrument. New 4
the marvellous find spread about IL.
town, and the family came to be q.
garded as potentially rich. T1s,
scquired new, expensive house s..
nishings and an automobile Oh n.
security o ftheir Strad. MANY IN
eral offers for the violin were "a.
jected, but, as it turned out, tAev
waited too long. For one evening
q friend brought a we'll known CON.
cert violinist to the house, who t0ld
them that their wonderful Stf,d
was only, a cheap. German COPY not
even worth the cost of repairing
Injuries Do Not Improve Violins
There is also a widespread sam.
erstition to the effect that a violin
is often improved by being injufel
and having its injury repaired. ger.
planned the violin expert. "Nothine
could be more absurd, Of course
but it is easy to see how the idea
must have originated. People Vho
have had their violins cracked take
them to an expert to be repaired
In mending the crack, he often dis.
covers several other defects as sel,
and also corrects them. As a result
the instrument often does sobnd
better than it did before. But Il n
not the damage which improves tbe
violin; it is the repairing-the sub.
situation of new parts for old, or
the altering of the size and thick
ness of certain parts.
mot only is a violin not im-
proved by injuries, but the value
of Cremona violin is greatly en.
HANGED if it is in good condition
The condition of the varnish is "a.
pecia1ly important. I recall at least
one instance where an ignorant y.o.
hin repairer ruined genuine
Guarnerius violin by scraping on
all the original varnish and apply.
ing b thick coat OF the modern Va
rietN"
It is remarkable how well IRE
served are some of the old vioIjns
in the possession of collectors. One
made by Gaspard da Salo and
gorgeously ornamented, so it is
said, by the great Benvenuto Gel
lini himself, is today in almost as
perfect condition as when it left
the makers hands. 1t was once
owned. by the distinguished Swed-
ish artist, Ole Bull, who had large
collection of violins, and at his
death in this country it passed into
the possession Of a wealthy ANA
teur' AS Gaspard da Salo is cred
tied by most authorities with being
the inventor of the first violin some
Etime about 1850, this is probably
1.-THE most aged instrument in exist
ence. Needless to say, it is worth
a fortune, although it's chief value
is as curiosity and not for the
quality of its tone.
The majority of the Stradivarius
| violins in existence, however, have
a practical as well as an aesthetie
value, standing the strain of con.
slant use by some of the world.
most celebrated violinists. The
cheapest unchanged Strad is val
ued at $4,000, while even thu
=, cheapest damaged instrument turn
ed out by the greatest violin make
who ever lived is worth $1,000. 1
EgenuiAe Strad in excellent cond:
ton recently imported from Euron'
to this country was valued at $50,
900.
The average commercial violin o
modern make, on the other hand
sells for $50. The reason for thi
difference in price is not the mer,
matter of age but of workmanship
In spite of occasional alleged proof
to the contrary, it is impossible 10
modern makers to equal the super
craftsmanship of the Cremoni
school of the 18th and 18th centur
les, whose instruments are eagerl
sought by connoisseurs on accom-
OF their richness of tone, which e1
perts attribute largely to the flexi
bility Of the wood used in thei
construction.
j That is, some of the experts dc
Others contend that the supremac
OF the old Italian violins rest
chiefly on the varnish, the secre
formula for which remains one o
: the great medieval mysteries, lik
the unknown pigment which wa
used in the stained glass window
of the early cathedrals.