During the fame of Ole Bull he played one night before the
students of Princeton College. It was a wonderful exhibition.
They marveled, as so many had marveled before them, at the
strange things which he did with the violin. They heard the
birds as they warbled among the trees of the forest; they heard
the storms as they hurled their thunders back and forth among
the crags of the mountain. Then the tones became so soft and
sweet they could almost believe a mother was singing her babe
asleep. When he had finished they gathered about him and said,
“Tell us the secret.” Ole Bull answered, “It is not in the
instrument nor the bow, tho I use the best that money can buy.
It is not primarily in the hand that wields the bow, nor the
fingers that press the strings. If there is anything to tell, it
is this: I never play until my own soul is full. Then the music
is the overflow of the musician’s soul.”
(3017)