Part 6 (1/2)
In exploring Paris for the purchase of a new violin, he accidentally made the acquaintance of an individual named Labout, who fancied that he had found the secret of the old Cre it on modern-made violins, the instruments would acquire all the tone and quality of the best old fiddles of the days of the Stradiuarii and Amati The inventor persuaded Ole Bull to appear at a private concert where he proposed to test his invention, and where the Duke and duchesse de Montebello were to be present The Norwegian's playing produced a genuine sensation, and the duke took the young artist under his patronage The result was that Ole Bull was soon able to give a concert on his own account, which brought him a profit of about twelve hundred francs, and noscenti_ of Paris Of course every one at the tianini , and opened the way toward getting a solid footing for hi the incidents which occurred to him in Paris about this ti on his life Obliged to s on account of the death of the landlord and his wife of cholera, a disease then raging in Paris, Ole Bull was told of a noble but impoverished family who had a room to let on account of the recent death of the only son The Norwegian violinist presented himself at the somewhat dilapidated mansion of the Comtesse de Faye, and was shown into the presence of three ladies dressed in deepesthis errand, haughtily declined the proposition, when the irls said, ”Look at hierness as to startle the ancient dame
Ole Bull was surprised at this The old lady put on her spectacles, and, as she riveted her eyes upon hied suddenly She had found in him such a resemblance to the son she had lost that she at once consented to his residing in her house So irl who had exclaimed, ”Look at him, mother!”
With the little o to Italy, provided with soave his first Italian concert at Milan in 1834 Applause was not wanting, but his performance was rather severely criticised in the papers The following paragraph, reproduced from an Italian musical periodical, published shortly after this concert, probably represents very truly the state of his talent at that period:
”M Ole Bull plays the nani, and others, without knowing the true character of thea color of his own It is inal, poetical, and inality he is himself unconscious He has not formed himself; in fact, he has no style; he is an uneducated musician _Whether he is a diamond or not is uncertain; but certain it is that the diamond is not polished_”
In a short time Ole Bull discovered that it was necessary to cultivate, more than he had done, his cantabile--this was his weakest point, and a most important one In Italy he found reat quality of the violin, and from that moment his career as an artist was established The next concert of any consequence in which he played was at Bologna under peculiar circureat violinist appears to date from that concert De Beriot and Malibran were then idolized at Bologna, and just as Ole Bull arrived in that ancient town, De Beriot was about to fulfill an engageiven by the celebrated Philharement had been ian artist there was so out of aand a remark of the marquis which had wounded the susceptibilities of the other The consequence was that on the day of the concert De Beriot sent a note, saying that he had a sore finger and could not play
Marquis Zampieri was in a quandary, for the time was short In his embarrassment he took council with Mna with her husband, the illustrious co was in the same palazzo, and M artist's violin in his daily practicing; her curiosity had been greatly aroused about this unknown player, and noas the chance to gratify it She told the noble _entrepreneur_ that she had discovered a violinist quite worthy of taking De Beriot's place
”Who is it?” inquired the marquis
”I don't know,” answered the wife of Rossini
”You are joking, then?”
”Not at all, but I aes close by here,” pointing to Ole Bull's apartment ”Take your net,”
she added, ”and catch your bird before he has floay” Theartist soon concluded an engagement which insured him an appearance under the best auspices, for M at the sa before a distinguished audience in the concert-hall of the Philhar the pieces he played, all of his own composition, was his ”Quartet for One Violin,”
in which his great skill in double and triple harreeted the young virtuoso, and he was escorted hoer and noisy adreat success, though he had played in France and Gerenerous appreciation, and their deiven him a reception of such unreserved approval as warmed his artistic ah annoyed at the lorified another at the expense of De Beriot, was too just and a artist, and De Beriot himself, when he was shortly afterward introduced to Ole Bull, treated him with most brotherly kindness and cordiality
Prince and Princess Poniatowsky also sent their cards to the now successful artist, and gave hiuished people which wore of great use in his concert tour His career had now become assured, and the world received hi year, 1835, contributed a catalogue of similar successes in various cities of Italy and France, culrand concert at Paris in the Opera-house, where the ave their war faun to illustrate a new field in s of his native land His specialty as a coenius was for the picturesque His vivid iination, full of poetic phantasy, and saturated with the heroic traditions and fairy-lore of a race singularly rich in this inheritance froned to eendary wealth Ole Bull's violin coorousin depth of science, as shallow and sensational, are distinctly tone-pictures full of suggestiveness for the ian to iave Ole Bull a separate place by hie of eave one hundred and eighty concerts in England during the space of sixteen months By this time he had becoe audiences
Subsequently he visited successively every town of iolden opinions everywhere For a long time our artist used a fine Guarnerius violin and afterward a Nicholas Amati, which was said to be the finest instrument of this make in the world But the violin which Ole Bull prized in latter years above all others was the famous Gaspar di Salo with the scroll carved by Benvenuto Cellini Mr Barnett Phillips, an American _litterateur_, tells the story of this noble old instrument, as related in Ole Bull's words:
”Well, in 1839 I gave sixteen concerts at Vienna, and then Rhehazek was the great violin collector I saw at his house this violin for the first time I just ild over it 'Will you sell it?' I asked 'Yes,' was the reply--'for one quarter of all Vienna' Now Ehehazek was really as poor as a church h he had no end of money put out in the most valuable instruer I invited Rhehazek to my concerts I wanted to buy the violin sooffers One day he said to me, 'See here, Ole Bull, if I do sell the violin, you shall have the preference at four thousand ducats' 'Agreed,' I cried, though I kneas a big su rather, through iving concerts Liszt was there, and so also was Mendelssohn One day ere all dining together
We were having a splendid ti the dinner came an immense letter with a seal--an official document Said Mendelssohn, 'Use no ceremony; open your letter' 'What an awful seal!' cried Liszt 'With your permission,' said I, and I opened the letter It was from Bhehazek's son, for the collector was dead His father had said that the violin should be offered to me at the price he had mentioned I told Liszt and Mendelssohn about the price 'You man froance, which only a fiddler is capable of,'
exclaimed Mendelssohn 'Have you ever played on it? Have you ever tried it?' they both inquired 'Never,' I answered, 'for it can not be played on at all just now'