IMITATION OLD MASTERS
When certain of the more famous old violin makers were still living,
when they had achieved through the splendour of their tone and the
perfection of their model a wide-spread fame, there came into being a
class of fiddle builders who devoted their energies towards copying, as
closely as possible, the work of the great luthiers of their time. It is
only fair to state that the majority of them were honest, and without
desire or intention to create what might be considered a forgery. But
some unknown hand has accomplished the feat for them by removing the
label of the real maker and substituting the ticket of one more famous.
Thus we have many genuine old violins sailing under colours to which
they have no legitimate right, and deceiving--not only the unwary, but
sometimes those who are very wary indeed.
Jacob Stainer inspired more copyists, perhaps, than any other builder,
although Nicholas Amati seems to have been a very good second, while
none of the great makers escaped altogether. As these copies were
manufactured when the originals were new they were not artificially
aged. Time, therefore, has dealt with them just as it has dealt with the
violins of any other maker of old times. Their ancient appearance is
perfectly genuine, and therefore the detection of fraud rendered more
difficult in the close copies--especially as some contain labels which
were removed from authentic old master violins. As to the tone of these
instruments it is sufficient to say that a select few were produced by
makers who were really good regulators and developers of tone. If their
violins had been untampered with and allowed to sail under true colours
instead of false, their repute would have been of no mean order. Others,
however, possess a tone of the meanest description, being merely
unregulated copies.
Another class of imitator consisted of those makers of considerable
reputation, as builders of fine-toned violins, who indulged in the habit
of ageing their instruments by artificial means, led thereto by a keen
appreciation of the fact that a fiddle which has the _appearance_ of age
will sell more readily than one that is frankly new. Connoisseurs have
always condemned this practice, not only because it detracts from the
intrinsic value of the instrument, or because the processes employed
are destructive to tone, but because there is added to the violin that
which is false, and therefore hateful to all lovers of the fiddle, save,
indeed, those for whom these imitations were intended--the
age-worshippers. The makers did not intend these instruments to pose as
old masters. They were produced as honest “fakes,” if such a thing can
be imagined. Most contain the label of the builder, and were
artificially aged merely to hasten their sale. As works of tonal art
they cannot be recommended.
The next class of imitation is composed of those new-old, machine-made
abominations turned out literally by thousands by the German fiddle
factories. Why these should be made to imitate the old is a mystery, for
they deceive nobody--unless it be those absolutely ignorant of fiddle
matters. They are bought by dealers and sold for just what they are;
with “case, bow, instruction book and resin,” all for a sovereign! These
need not detain us, nor need we mention their “tone.”
The last imitations to claim our notice are those intended deliberately
to deceive, and they find victims among that class of fiddle player who
appears ever willing to “take chances.” Some of these forgeries are
clever enough, and well calculated to catch the eye of the novice. No
wonder the pawnshops are festooned with them! From every point of view
they are worthless. Without any pride of ancestry, from posterity they
can hope for nothing. Their forte, if not their purpose, is to retard
the progress of those who struggle hopefully with a splendid but
difficult art; to lay the foundations of failure for many talented
players, and bring the most earnest effort towards tone to an untimely
or unsatisfactory end. It is said that a poor workman blames his tools,
but many excellent players blame themselves when it is the fiddle that
is at fault. These fiddles make them incapable of appreciating fine
tone, and throughout their lives they allow a worthless instrument to
impose its strident voice upon them. Let us close this review of the
imitations with the following quotation from a letter I received not
long ago, written by the head of a world-famous firm of dealers in old
violins: “It is easier to sell an imitation old violin than a _new one
of better tone_.” The italics are mine, but the lesson is unmistakable,
and should be seriously considered by every seeker of tone.