THE HAUNTED VIOLIN.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 16 October 1922, Page 3

THE HAUNTED VIOLIN.

AN AMAZING FEAT. » \ A " ." ' _ A representative of The Strad inte»--' viewed the artist who, under the tide of "The Haunted Violin/ is giving an original act at the london musio halls Mr. Charles Edmonds first plays a composition, showing at once that he is no mean performer on his instrument but wlien he lays it down on an ordinary music desk and from a, distance of several yards finishes the performance without touching the strings with his bow, it certainly strikes one as beinc more remarkable than most of the xemarkable things already familiar to violin players. This performance is later varied by an even more astounding achievement, when, standing on the stage himself and commencing the performance of any well-known work in violin literature that may be suggested by his audience, he continues various sections of it without the slightest break on two other violins which are held by two lady accomplices, who walk among the audience holding the violin in both hands, and from whence the tones directly emanating may be distinctly heard. The idea of electric connection by wires from the jperformer standing on the stage is at once confuted by the fact that the ladies walk freely among the audience, while the performer walks not only up and down the stage, but down in front of the orchestra and among the stalls, while | still controlling and continuing the performance alternately on the violins held by his accomplices. The violin tones are quite clear and distinct, and after hearing the original performer the phrasing and style are at once recognised as identical with the performer's | original production. The suggestion of I gramophone records or any similar arti- ' fecial reproduction is quite impossible in view of the fact that the selections ■ are introduced almost as rapidly as the

audience can call them, and as they range from a call for Bach's "Chaconne" to a Harry Lauder lilt, it will be readily granted that no mechanism could give immediate response to such | entirely unanticipated calls. ' Mr. Charles Edmonds was perfeetlv frank m admitting that his violins, although m no way differing from the ; ordinary instrument in outward appear- : ance, were toned, treated, and possess- ' ed of certain equipments which rendered them sensitive to his mental control, but even so the performance still remains one of the most remarkable that has appeared on the music hall stage for a long time, and one which will be extremely interesting to the violinists of whatever town Mr. Charles Edmonds may visit. We understand that he will -ba shortly converting this remarkable act into an historical scene, in which Stradivari and Paganini are impersonated, and it will therefore become an item of interest that no violinists should miss.