FAMOUS VIOLINS UNDER GLASS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 14 June 1907, Page 4

FAMOUS VIOLINS UNDER GLASS.

Li a violin intended more for the ear tfoan for tlie eye? 1! so. then the bequest by the late Mr U J. Oldham of a quartet of Stradivarius violins to the British Museum seems even less intelligent than the average man's method of disposing cf his surplus wealth. Mr Oldham directs that these famous old violins should bt "prosferved for ever enclosed in a. suitable glass <■&*-'" "It is my desire and request/' le wrote, "that tlie said collection of musical instrumentsViall be undivided, tuid as such bo deposited in some safe and suitable position in the British Museum, such ; as snail be consistent with their safe, convenient and proper exhibition to the pub lie, and that they shall enclosed by themselves in a suitable gilcss case, bearing a brass plate with the words: "Bequeathed by Charles Oldham, F.R.C-b.j ! tegibly inscribed thereon. Tho newly ac quired Ant: nius Stradivarius, the 'Tuscan.' |to be offered for sale at £3500. If, after a ! reasonable neriod, no puiclwser sliall come j forward at that price, or a lower one of I 30C0 guineas, the said violin to go with ! the others upon a like trust." At first glance this looks about as sen-, sible as turning a fortune into bank notes and then locking Uiom up in the British Museum "foT ever." What on earth is the usie of a viol;n if nobody is allowed to use ?t and exhibit the beauty of it.i tone"' And yet, curiously enough, expert musical opinion is by no means unanimous on the j subject of Mr Oldham's bequest. Some rogaul the locking up of the violins as al most OrhmnaJ, <-r at least as an act of passive vandalism ; but others welcome the opportunity it affords students and others to examine magnificent and historical sped m?n-i of the art of violin making. While many lovers of ttrads end their affection upon the tone, others arc as mud), or more, attracted by the co'or, the lines, the scroll of the-master craftsman's , handiwork. That even Stradivarius himself intended hie instruments to he seen 05 well as Iteard is quite obvious from the extreme care lie took over Iks serous and from the richness of tlw ivory ornaments lion of some of his violins. In the case of the OMham quartet. three of tho instruments are inlaid, and are indeed good to look at, and so from a nntsfum standpoint are most, desirable, white from the, players' point of view they are not so valuable as those not fnlaid. That they will lose their precious lives by incincr.i- 1 tion within the four walls of the British : Museum is purely fancy, for if looked aftowith proper caw they will quickly wakel fii>m their sleep on l)eing played ujxm at any hme. Dr Oldham. he it noted, says, nctfer r. word to forbid the occasional p l av-, ing upon tine quartet. As a writer in the London Telegraph observes, there is cer- j tainly leea of loss to tho community in placing eo valuable a set of instruments : wheio they can bo seen and their form ! studied than in offering them, as so frequently happens, io playc*s already ir. the | p.ossessii-n of others, who keep t!ve instra- j ments in tho gloomy s&dufiion of the violin ! oaae. |