Kubelik Sells His Favourite Violin

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1932, Page 18

Kubelik Sells His Favourite Violin

Jan Kubelik, the famous musician, has been compelled to sell his favourite violin, a St'radivarius. He states that he has lost nearly the whole of his-for-tune by unlucky 'speculation. Twenty years ago he bought this "Straa." in Leeds for £10,000. It had not been played on for a century.

Kubclik, deploring the financial difficulties of to-day, has admitted haying earned more than £750.000 since he wont to London in 1900, a twonty-year-old boy prodigy whose name was already on every tongue* The musician's affairs were lately, examined in the-civil Counts at Vienna. The liabilities of Ms wife and himself ■were est mated at £30,000, ana their assets at £23,000. In March bailiffs entered his hotel room at Vienna and seized part of his belongings. It is only a. few months since Kubelik made a tour of English concert halls. His extraordinary rise to fame was

one of the most dramatic stories of the early part of thiscentury. The son of a Bohemian market gardener, young Kubelik, at the ago. of twenty, startled the capitals of Europe by his amazing virtuosity on the violin. Ho was feted everywhere, toured America and,other countries, including New' Zealand in 1908, in triumph, and married a Bohemian countess. ' ■•■■'.

When he appeared in London Kubclik used a bow which bore a diamond on ip^JJL . Hi? t fingers were, insured for £40,000, lie travelled everywhere with a, large personal suite, he chartered a special train when'in a hurry, he bought Prince Hohenloke's Silesian castle.for £160,000, ho sold it and bought Prince Otto Windischgraetz 's Hungarian castle for £200,000, and he refused an offer of £50,000 ."for. his,. "Strad." . And now with the changing times the great musician has had to sell his beloved instrument to pay his debts.