Show V SEEK ORIGIN OF VIOL l. l V Ancient Luthiers V Neglected d Basses I N No o. o S Stradivarius tra d. d S Specimens Sped Sped- men mens Have Been Bee Found Fould D Despite spite Old Legend V Sergei oget conductor of the Coston oston Symphony orchestra and a a. virtuoso of the double-bass double gave a concert earlier In the se seasOn season sea sea- son upon his chosen Instrument t. t The concert aroused consid considerable rable inter interest st In the pedigree of ot this this' neglected f neg eg- eg m member of the viol family The following article was was was' written by the man who assembled the Wanamaker collection of old Italian instruments me ts i By ALEXANDER RUSSELL Prof Professor of Music Princeton University V The actual origin of the violin is shrouded In the the mists of history but patient patent research has resulted In upon Gasparo da Salo its Its' present form The Tile origin of the double bass is lost in a dense fog tOg despite the efforts of ot certain historians historians his Ills to attribute its invention also also to Da Di Salo Very probably it was was' the logical development of and nd the the- successor to the the low bass instrument of f the viol vlot family Even the uses to which the double bass was put in tho those e early days isa is isa isa a matter of conjecture although Jt t doubtless served to double the notes of th the cello much as It does today Indeed the relative unimportance of the double bass was such that luthiers did not trouble to put their names name's inside It Is even do doubtful if certain pf the foremost luthiers made double basses A legend has persisted that Str Stradivarius made a afew afew afew few but the utmost efforts effort of expert experts ex ex- pert and coll collect collectors rs' rs have never been able to establish the truth of or the story If Stradivarius rius did make double ba basses ses he never put his name Inside inside In Inside In- In side and the instruments It they ever actually existed lave have long Jong since disappeared As a a. rn matter of fact tact a a. genuine double pass bass from th the hands Of a master luthier is a rarity Those which can be identified Identified Iden iden- dhave have in many cases been cut down dow l or otherwise altered to meet the the demands of present-day present music For or th these se reasons the group of double basses assembled by the late Rodman Wanamake Wanamaker for the collection collection tion of rare Italian instruments with which he thrilled music lovers of New York and Philadelphia in 28 1926 are of ot unusual interest to the connoisseur of master lu- lu therie because all of them are gennine genuine genuine gen gen- nine and fully authenticated specImens specimens specimens spec spec- of the craftsmanship of mastee master master mas mas- ter tee luthiers and not copies or mod mod- els Not since the days of the first great collector in all pr probability probability ability has such a group of ot fine double basses been brought together In in orie one collection I T The le actual number of these basses like the actual number of the violins vio vie lins Uns violas and cellos in this unique collection co has baa n never Ver been been- given to S the public At a unique concert given last season in In the Metropolitan Opera house of New York City by Mr Wanamaker the combined stringed sections of tim the Philadelphia and New York Philharmonic orchestras Played upon upon instruments from this collection under the baton of Tullio Tul- Tul lio Io Serafin A o line double double basses stretched across the back of the stage like grenadiers on parade Many 1 of these basses were ere from the collection Tile The program called attention to instruments by Amati Gagliano Ruger Grag- Grag mami and three Carlo Carlo It Antonio Paolo Paoo Antonio and Carlo Joseph which Joseph which dated back as far as 1675 Among these ponderous giants of worthy of ot special special music several were cial note A Nicola Amati was among mon th them m a rare specimen a a. I Ruger ot of particular r int Interest rest but most interesting of ot all aU one fash fath- fashioned fashioned ined by Jean Baptiste l late latO t tin In the seventeenth century one of three basses found in the effects of Luigi the traveling expert and first great collector ot of violins violas cellos cello and nd basses whose combination of strange genius busness business business busi bus ness ness cunning and a a. nomadic career career of ot salesmanship s served to scatter throughout Eur Europe pe the the- choicest treasures treas s of of Italian and amassed for him a fortune After f fr r death his house in Italy was found to be filled from cellar to garret with other similar simBal treasures treasures treas treas- ures the existence Of ot which he had managed to conceal even even from his closest acquaintances Here the French violin violin vio yb- lin un maker and collector f found und the three basses and became becam the owner of the big ted Roger floer From e it passed over the channel channel chan chan- nd nel to England w where ere It remained i in baa a a private coll collection cUon until the Indefatigable in indefatigable m- m Rodman todman Wanamaker brought it across the water as the commander command r of the double bass b bri bri- bri i- i gade V ten double A group of ot eight t. t of ot basses of average avera e good tonal qualIty quality quality ity even if It of doubtful authorship Will under the determined fingers and bows bowS' ot of expert players give fundamental bass forth a splendid for ah an orchestra But nut genuine au authentic authentic au- au basses made by mas ma's master er makers such as those assembled by ly Mr Wanamaker er are are able to pour of liquid golden tone forth a flood not only to support the which seems tonal superstructure above but butac actually actually ac ac- to lift the thO whole mass mass' Into regions where the sound literally floats in the air If these old masters could comeback come comeback ha back lt to earth and listen to their once despised handiworks In the roles assigned them in modern or orchestras orchestras orchestras or- or acrimonious what a Jealous scrambling and ond push pushing In would take place as each one one rushed to Instrument and claim his own own owr Po proudly sighed signed hi his Darnel J |