OLD VIOLINS.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18368, 29 April 1925, Page 11

OLD VIOLINS.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PBESS. Sir, —The "discovery" (sic) of a Stradivarius (labelled) violin at Kangiora Las led others who own fiddles so labelled to anticipate a sudden acquisition to fortune therein. Needless to say, they are due for disappointment. The fact is (and is well known to experts the world over), that for every genuine Stradivarius known to exist, there are probably at least 20,000 forgeries, or, rather, copies, in which are stuck facsimilies of the well-known Stradivarius label. Some copyists are honest enough either to put "eopie dc Stradivarius," or to attach labels of their own in addition, or to put the country of origin, "Made in Germany/' etc., as auxiliary labels, and to these copyists, less, or perhaps, no blame is attachable. A year or two ago I saw in a pawnbroker's window a fiddle to which was attached a large cardboard sign—"Genuine Stradivarius" —300 years old! Although obviously a "trade" fiddle—even as viewed from the footpath, curiosity as to the extent of the vendor's duplicity —or ignorance—impelled me to ask to see the "Strad." It was handed over with a voluble description as to how it came into his possession, its history, and, incidentally, a free gratis account of the life and'work of Stradivarius—all totally wrong, by the way! When I pointed out to him that his "Strad" was a self-confessed "Made in Germany" trade fiddle—for which he had previously, stated he had refused £IOO, he got quite angry, and retorted that "German Strads were as good as any other; in fact, he had it on the best authority they we're the best!"

"Well, Sir, when a dealcv—who would be presumed to know at least, a little of the subject—would talk like this, is it any wonder that private ' citizens (who"make no claim to knowledge on the subject) arc apt to jump to wrong conclusions? Trade fiddles (which generally bear the Stradivarius label, by the way) range in value from to, sav, £7 10s, and when it is known that 'the "Betto" Strad recently changed hands to an American collector for £30,000, that Kubelik's "Emperor" Strad is valued at £IO,OOO, and that the "Salubao" and "Messiah" Strads are worth anything up to fivefigure sums, the difference is a little considerable, and the chance* of any locally "discovered" Strads being genuine, roughly, about one in twenty thousand, at least! —Yours, etc., THOS. W. DENT. 6 Brett's road, St. Albans. April 28th, 1925.

TO the editor OT "the txess. '

Sir, —I'sec in your morning's paper you have heard about two Strads: one from Bangiora and the other from Redcliffs. I might say that I had one dated exactly the same in every respect about fourteen to fifteen years ago. I paid ten shillings for it, and I thought that I had got a bargain when I saw the name printed inside. At the same time Kubelik, the great violinist, was here, so I made a special appointment with him to test the genuineness of the instrument. He examined it all over with a smile, with his interpreter, played a tunc, said the tone was nice, and then told me straight out that the instrument was valueless. So I advertised the violin for sale, and got fifteen shillings and sixpence for it. Perhaps one of the two you have heard of belonged to me. Please don't let your correspondents think that they have got a good thing on till they have them thoroughly tested. —Yours, etc., April 28th. .'.■'.

TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir, —In your Friday's,issue 1 noticed that a Rangiora lady was writing about an old violin. I, having an old.one, went and examined it, and found it to be: "Andreas Guarnerius, Fecit, Cremona. Sub titulo, Santa Teresia, 1707." The seventeen is printed in and the nought and seven are written in ink. It has been in our family since 1798, and has had only three owners. — Yours, etc.,

GEORGE HARRISON". Anama R.D., April 27th, 1920.