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SOUNDPOST: Letters to the editor LETTER OF THE MONTH |
Letter of the month wins a full set of Thomastik-Infeld Dominant violin strings. For more details about Thomastik-Infeld's full range, visit www.thomastik-infeld.com |
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MAIDSTONE MYSTERY
I was fascinated by the ‘From the Archives’ item on the news pages of The Strad’s July issue. Both the Maidstone classes and the instruments used during them are part of an interesting story. The violins were called ‘The Maidstone’ and were, in my estimation, well made and of a sensible size. I used to own one, and once at a festival I heard a young man playing what was evidently a nice instrument that turned out, on enquiry, to be a ‘Maidstone’. They came as part of a complete outfit, including a wooden case, a bow, and a tuition book. Luthier William Luff told me that scrolls for the instruments were made in the East End of London by German families. I imagine that this would have been up to about 1914 when London had a significant German population. He also told me that the outfits cost 2/6d (twelve pence) per week. He did not say how many weeks it took to buy the outfit. But until I read your archive story, I had no idea that mass education was taking place long before Suzuki’s teaching innovations, let alone that the town of Maidstone was involved rather than simply being the name. If there are any readers of The Strad who have further knowledge of the Maidstone classes or instruments, I would be interested to find out more. D.P. O’BRIEN Durham, UK |
UNSUNG BASS HEROES
I was dismayed to read the reprint of a 1908 article from The Strad archives (‘Some Virtuosi of the Double Bass’, July). Your writers (both now and then) are truly out of the loop when they claim: ‘There has never been a very large number of performers on this instrument.’ The original author clearly didn’t do their homework, as they missed some hugely important names in the history of the double bass. Just a few of these are: Johann Sperger (1750–1812), Friedrich Pichelberger (1735–1813), Serge Koussevitky (1874–1951), Josef Kämpfer (1735–after 1797), Ignaz Woschitka (fl.1758–after 1785), Johann Georg Schwenda (fl. 1761–1765), Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (1708–1763), Antonio Domenico Dall’Occa (1764–1847), Isaia Billè (1874–1961), Bonifazio Asioli (1769–1832), Theordor Findeisen (1881–1936), Frantisek Cerny (1861–1939), Achille Gouffé (1804–1874) and Wenzel Pichl (1741–1805). Furthermore, the modern-day players whose names Maggie Williams drops in the Modern Masters sidebar are not undeserving of a mention, but there are so many others whose careers and achievements went unacknowledged. Those who are unaware of the number of great players of this versatile instrument need to get out more often!
JOELLE MORTON Toronto, Canada
NOT QUITE THE HOLE STORY
I was pleased to see the photo on this page of the May issue of musicians with whom I have played in Poland. Although the picture you published of a cellist playing his instrument (known locally as the ‘basy’) while standing up illustrates the topic well, the Polish folk instrument was in fact quite different from the c.1600 Brothers Amati cello with a filled-in hole in its back that inspired the original letter. There is no hole drilled through the back of the Polish folk cello. Instead there is a leather strap attached at the top nut and the endpin. Secondly, the ‘basy’ only appeared for the first time in the 19th century. Before this the instruments played in the Polish Tatra mountains consisted mainly of shepherds’ pipes, bagpipes and fiddles that often looked rather like pochettes.
JACEK WESOLOWSKI London, UK
I was dismayed to read the reprint of a 1908 article from The Strad archives (‘Some Virtuosi of the Double Bass’, July). Your writers (both now and then) are truly out of the loop when they claim: ‘There has never been a very large number of performers on this instrument.’ The original author clearly didn’t do their homework, as they missed some hugely important names in the history of the double bass. Just a few of these are: Johann Sperger (1750–1812), Friedrich Pichelberger (1735–1813), Serge Koussevitky (1874–1951), Josef Kämpfer (1735–after 1797), Ignaz Woschitka (fl.1758–after 1785), Johann Georg Schwenda (fl. 1761–1765), Johann Gottlieb Janitsch (1708–1763), Antonio Domenico Dall’Occa (1764–1847), Isaia Billè (1874–1961), Bonifazio Asioli (1769–1832), Theordor Findeisen (1881–1936), Frantisek Cerny (1861–1939), Achille Gouffé (1804–1874) and Wenzel Pichl (1741–1805). Furthermore, the modern-day players whose names Maggie Williams drops in the Modern Masters sidebar are not undeserving of a mention, but there are so many others whose careers and achievements went unacknowledged. Those who are unaware of the number of great players of this versatile instrument need to get out more often!
JOELLE MORTON Toronto, Canada
NOT QUITE THE HOLE STORY
I was pleased to see the photo on this page of the May issue of musicians with whom I have played in Poland. Although the picture you published of a cellist playing his instrument (known locally as the ‘basy’) while standing up illustrates the topic well, the Polish folk instrument was in fact quite different from the c.1600 Brothers Amati cello with a filled-in hole in its back that inspired the original letter. There is no hole drilled through the back of the Polish folk cello. Instead there is a leather strap attached at the top nut and the endpin. Secondly, the ‘basy’ only appeared for the first time in the 19th century. Before this the instruments played in the Polish Tatra mountains consisted mainly of shepherds’ pipes, bagpipes and fiddles that often looked rather like pochettes.
JACEK WESOLOWSKI London, UK
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