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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
334
ALBERT WEBER.
A CHAPTER ON OLD FIDDLES.
A NECESSARY AND BRILLIANT FACTOR IN SOCIETY AND
THE MUSIC TRADE.
CARL LANZER EXPRESSES HIS PREFERENCE FOR
INSTRUMENTS.
A
Carl Lanzer came into the Harlem Office of the
World the other day and said :
" I want to show you my new violin. Mind you, I
don't mean an old violin which I have just bought, but
a spick-span brand new instrument."
The reporter to whom these words were addressed
had been taught from his earliest youth that of all in-
struments of music an old violin is the sweetest and a
new one the worst.
" Professor," said the newspaper man, " you don't
LBERT WEBER is one of the best-known and
best-liked men in New York city. Those who
have the pleasure o( his acquaintance do not
require to be informed of the reason of this. H is per-
sonal qualities are of the first order of merit. He
is bright, sociable, amiable, and clubbable. To quit
his society is to be afflicted with temporary gloom.
His buoyancy is equally observable in business, at
the festal board, in the social circle, and during
travel. On every occasion upon which you meet
him his cheery smile and elastic
step call to mind the words of
Milton:
" Hence, loathed melancholy,
Of Cerberus and blackest mid-
night born."
Considering the vast business
interests of which he is the chief
custodian, the value of such a
temperament is obvious, particu-
larly when possessed in conjunc-
tion with the calm judgment and
the equable temper which are
likewise characteristic of Albert
Weber. He is the distinguished
son of a distinguished sire, and,
despite his charming gaiety is
impelled by the purest of family
pride to uphold the honor of his
famous house. He is the person-
ification of energy. His power of
mastering detail is phenomenal.
He is the microcosm, so to speak,
of the kingdom over which he
rules. No one can tell better than
he whether or not the intricate
mechanism of a piano-forte is
constructed with due skill, or put
together with the requisite exac-
titude and accuracy. Should any
of his numerous agencies give
signs of deterioration, he himself
is on the spot with startling sud-
denness, probing into the reasons
of the falling off in business, sug-
gesting practical and well consid-
ered means of remedy, and. if
necessary, appointing new agents.
Here, moreover, it is due to Al-
bert Weber to say that no agent
was ever removed by him with-
out being convinced of the ne-
cessity of the change; and to-day
not a single former representa-
tive of the Weber firm bears
towards Albert Weber any other
feeling than that of unaffected
and unadulterated respect.
The fervent and active man-
ner in which Mr. Weber upholds
the reputation of his firm and of
the Weber piano is matter of
common knowledge throughout
the country, and the results of
his high-minded and honest en-
deavors to place that noble in-
strument in its proper rank in
public estimation are seen in its
vast and still-increasing popular-
ity in every section of the United
States. Steinert & Sons alone, through their various
agencies, sell no less than 400 Webers per annum, and
from thirty to forty thousand are now rejoicing Amer-
ican homes and public institutions. This single fact will
give some idea of the magnitude of the interests com-
mitted to the charge of Albert Weber. That he dis-
charges his high and responsible functions with spotless
integrity and statesmanlike ability is as clearly appar-
ent to his friends, his customers, and the public at large,
as was the head of Governor David B. Hill when that
celebrated New Yorker doffed his hat to his admirers
during last Tuesday's military parade.
Send copies of this Centennial number of T H E MUSIC
TRADE REVIEW to yourfrietu/s.
Twenty-five cents each.
Original photographs of the piano celebration also on hand.
NEW
mean to risk your reputation by playing in public on a
new violin."
" Why not ? Let me tell you, my young friend, that
the preference for very old violins is a senseless pre-
judice. America not merely leads the world in the
matter of wheat and dressed beef, but she can turn out
violins equal to the work of the Italian masters. You
don't believe it. Now, let me show you something."
He gently unfastened and raised the lid of a little
black box like a child's coffin and disclosed the new vio-
lin in a shroud, of old silk. The varnish on the instru-
ment was bright and fresh.
" My father made this," said Prof. Lanzer, "and fin-
ished it only day before yesterday after a month of
hard work. He used only American wood. Listen."
With the gentlest touch in the world he drew the bow
across the strings, then dashed into brilliant variations
on a theme from " Faust." Then he played the familiar
" Funeral March of a Marionette " and a scrap of De
Beriot's " Concerto Militaire." The tone of the instru-
ment was rich, clear and sympathetic.
" I have succeded in convincing many sceptics," said
Prof. Lanzer, " that a violin can now be made that is
vastly superior to any old one. The craze for old in-
struments is not so great as it was years ago. The
reason is that some violin makers in this country, in-
cluding my father, have continually opposed the idea
that a violin must be old to answer all requirements.
When we consider that an old violin has been in con-
stant vibration for a century or more, we must, I am
sure, come to the conclusion that there cannot be any
possible strength in the wood
after that time. It has had more
vibration than it can endure.
This is the reason so many old
violins have lost their power and
brilliancy of tone. An old violin,
in perfect condition, will still
possess the smooth, even qual-
ity ; but if it is forced the tone
relaxes. The different notes will
not sound distinct, especially on
the G and D strings. The violin,
being the instrument nearest in
tone to the human voice, may be
compared to a singer who had
a powerful, sympathetic voice
when young — one who could
easily sing in the largest concert
hall, because his voice had great
foundation. Then imagine him
old ; he still possesses the sym-
pathetic voice, but can only sing
in a small hall with success, be-
cause his voice has lost its foun-
dation through age. The same
reason holds good with an old
violin, and still soloists persist
in using old instruments in public
to their disadvantage.
" Take a case in point : A vio-
linist makes his first appearance
in public. The next morning's
papers say that the performer
was perfectly acquainted with his
instrument, but it did not possess
much tone. The critics, of course,
believe the fault is with the solo-
ist. Frequently this is not so.
The fault is with the instrument,
which is weak in tone, but it must
be played, and he considers it
first-class, as it is an Italian in-
strument, made by a famous
maker, and cost thousands of
dollars. It is the fashion, but a
poor one, for soloists to play old
Italian instruments ; they would
find it greatly to their advantage
if they would play modern instru-
ments of American make. As a
violinist of eighteen years' exper-
ience, I desire to say that most
old violins are too short in meas-
urement from the bridge to the
saddle.
"They should be longer by half
an inch or more to give vibration
to the strings, which is necessary,
I believe, in playing the double
harmonics, so seldom played by
even expert or classical violinists, of Paganini's works.
This new violin, made by my father, has a pure, clear,
sympathetic quality of tone, and is powerful, because
the wood has not been in continual vibration for sev-
eral centuries. Such an instrument will stand any
amount of pressure. There are more imitations of old
Italian violins sold than of the genuine. Many violin-
ists imagine they possess a genuine relic, but most of
the instruments are imitations. Many books are written
about Italian violins and their makers. Very few truth-
fully describe the different qualities of tone these
makers produce. It is always the outline, swell, scroll
and varnish they describe. I think, after due considera-
tion, they will admit that the art of violin-making is not
lost, but that the instruments made by my father to-day
are preferable to the old ones."