AN OLD VIOLIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 282, 29 November 1927, Page 8

AN OLD VIOLIN.

MAY BE WORTH THOUSANDS.

GIVEN FOR A CRICKET BAT.

AUCKLANDER'S PLEASANT

SURPRISE.

Although he always knew it was valuable, Mr. Hugh Smith, of Cooper Street, Grey Lynn, did not realise that the violin he had owned for the last 50 years was possibly worth thousands. Half a century ago, when he was a young fellow on Kawau Island, he had a friend named Wallace, who had a violin with a particularly beautiful tone. Young Smith had always admired the instrument, and when he was going away Wallace made him a present of it. Not wishing to accept it lor nothing, Mr. Smith offered him a £5 note, but this was refused, the only stipulation the donor ■ insisted upon being that the violin should not be sold. Both young fellows were fond of cricket, and Mr. Smith at last got his friend to accept a favourite old cricket bat.

Ever since, Mr. Smith has played and treasured his violin. If you look through the left-hand "i" you can Bee stamped on the inside of the back the inscription, "Guiseppe Guarnerius, 1702, fecit Cremona., J.H.5.," and just above the "J.H.S." is a cross. Mr. Smith thought of this inscription when he read recently about a remarkable discovery of a valuable violin in Christchurch, "which might be worth £2500." This Christchurch fiddle, which is owned by a Mr. Charles Hornrblow, of Woolston, originally belonged to a Frenchman who came out to New Zealand suffering from consumption and died here. It is said the violin was raffled to pay the expenses of the funeral, and eventually came into the possession of Mr. Horniblow. The inscription inside—where the makers always put their signatures—is "Guiseppe Guarnerius, fecit Cremona, 1670, J.H.5.," and on the left-hand side there is a cross. In the violin owned by Mr. Smith the cross is on the righthand side of the inscription. Obviously this stands for "Jesus Hominium Salvator," with the usual cross that accompanied this pious addition to the signatures of artists in those days.

There were three mqmbers of the Guarnierius family that used to make glorious violins in old Cremona —Andrea, the father, 1630-1G95; Guiseppe, his son, 1680-1730; and Guiseppe Antonio, a nephew of Andrea, 1683-1745. The nephew was the most famous of the name.

Many professionals have cast envious eyes and hands on the Christchurch violin, and on one occasion the law had to be invoked before one of its would give it back to the present owner. Mr. Smith has never had thai difficulty with his Guarnierius, but a number of well-known professionals have inspected and handled it, and all admired its wonderful tone.

Whether it is worth £2500 or not Mr. Smith offers no opinion whatever, but he treasures it, and strictly keeps to the injunction of the man who gave it to him: "Never sell it." The Guarnierius is not the only valuable instrument in the Smith family. One of the

sons, who is a medical missionary in I far Bolivia, has a Clotz. One day a German who had heard about it made a special journey to the mission station to have a look, and when he had tried it he offered £150 for it there and then. But he was told it was a treasured family possession. The fiddle was bought in Auckland for £24. Still a third violin in the family is one made by Hewitt, of Auckland. It cost £50, and Mr. Smith says the model is better than some of the old masters.

Naturally, to hear Mr. Smith talk, and to see him handle his violins, you would suspect he was a musician pure and simple. He gets quite poetic when talking about the great violinists he has heard. He places Kubelik first without the slightest hesitation. But that is by the way. Mr. Smith's business is farming, or was until eight years ago, when he retired, much against his inclination, and came to live in town. He used to breed pedigree shorthorns up in the Whangaripo Valley, and if it were not for advancing years he would be doing so still, for he thinks there is nothing in the world to compare with making two blades of grass grow where one grew before—and breeding some aristocratic cattle or sheep to crop it. It is not every husbandman who in his old age has such a solacing hobby as music or such valuable violins.