Booth Stradivarius
Encyclopedia
The Otto Booth; Cho-Ming Sin Stradivarius of 1716 is an antique violin
fabricated by Italian luthier
Antonio Stradivari
(1644-1737) of Cremona
. The original label of the instrument was "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis faciebat Anno 1716". The Booth Stradivarius has a two-piece back and has a body length of 35.4cm.
The Booth receives its name after a former owner, Madame Wilhelm von Booth who purchased the instrument in 1855 for her son Otto van Booth to be played in a Stradivari quartet.. Otto van Booth sold the instrument in 1889 to George Hart, an instrument dealer in London, and the instrument has since been used in concerts. In 1930, Booth was sold at an auction by the American Art Association, New York to Rudolph Wurlitzer Company
and played by the renowned Ukrainian-born violinist Mischa Mischakoff
from 1931 to 1961.. After 1961, the instrument became a part of the Henry Hottinger Collection
in New York.. Cho-Ming Sin from whom the instrument received one of her sobriquets
owned the instrument until 1978.
For a time, the instrument was owned and played by violinist Iona Brown
, who after 1998 Tokyo performance of The Lark Ascending
, returned the instrument to its case declaring: "It was received so rapturously by the audience that I went back to my dressing room, put my violin in its case and said: 'I'm not going to do it any more.' I felt it was best to go out on a high note." (The Lark Ascending
ends on one of the highest notes on the violin). She has never played the violin again, citing her arthritis and age. She sold the instrument in 1999.
Since 1999, The Booth is owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
and loaned to distinguished violinists.
After Iona Brown, the German violinist Julia Fischer
played the instrument from 2000 to the summer of 2004, until when she purchased a 1742-made (1750-reworked) Guadagnini
. . After Julia Fischer, the Japanese violinist Sunshké Sato played the instrument.
The Booth is currently loaned to the German violinist Arabella Steinbacher
.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
fabricated by Italian luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
(1644-1737) of Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
. The original label of the instrument was "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis faciebat Anno 1716". The Booth Stradivarius has a two-piece back and has a body length of 35.4cm.
The Booth receives its name after a former owner, Madame Wilhelm von Booth who purchased the instrument in 1855 for her son Otto van Booth to be played in a Stradivari quartet.. Otto van Booth sold the instrument in 1889 to George Hart, an instrument dealer in London, and the instrument has since been used in concerts. In 1930, Booth was sold at an auction by the American Art Association, New York to Rudolph Wurlitzer Company
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to simply as Wurlitzer, was an American company that produced stringed instruments, woodwinds, brass instruments, theatre organs, band organs, orchestrions, electronic organs, electric pianos and jukeboxes....
and played by the renowned Ukrainian-born violinist Mischa Mischakoff
Mischa Mischakoff
Mischa Mischakoff was an outstanding violinist and concertmaster for 70 years, from the age of ten until the age of eighty....
from 1931 to 1961.. After 1961, the instrument became a part of the Henry Hottinger Collection
Henry Hottinger Collection
Hottinger Collection - formed in New York by Henry Hottinger .Henry Hottinger was a founder and member of Wertheim & Co., a firm of Investment Bankers, who was also very much interested in Musical Instruments and subsequently he amassed the best-known collection of rare violins of the mid-20th...
in New York.. Cho-Ming Sin from whom the instrument received one of her sobriquets
Sobriquet
A sobriquet is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. It is usually a familiar name, distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation...
owned the instrument until 1978.
For a time, the instrument was owned and played by violinist Iona Brown
Iona Brown
Iona Brown, OBE was a British violinist and conductor.Elizabeth Iona Brown was born in Salisbury. Her parents Antony and Fiona were both musicians...
, who after 1998 Tokyo performance of The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending is a work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name about the skylark. The work was written in two versions: violin and piano, written in 1914; and violin and orchestra, written in 1920. The orchestral version...
, returned the instrument to its case declaring: "It was received so rapturously by the audience that I went back to my dressing room, put my violin in its case and said: 'I'm not going to do it any more.' I felt it was best to go out on a high note." (The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending
The Lark Ascending is a work by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, inspired by George Meredith's 122-line poem of the same name about the skylark. The work was written in two versions: violin and piano, written in 1914; and violin and orchestra, written in 1920. The orchestral version...
ends on one of the highest notes on the violin). She has never played the violin again, citing her arthritis and age. She sold the instrument in 1999.
Since 1999, The Booth is owned by the Nippon Music Foundation
Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation is an organisation under the supervision of the Arts and Culture Promotion Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education...
and loaned to distinguished violinists.
After Iona Brown, the German violinist Julia Fischer
Julia Fischer
Julia Fischer is a German classical violinist and pianist.-Biography:Julia Fischer, born in Munich, Germany, is of German-Slovakian parentage. Her mother, Viera Fischer , came from the German minority in Slovakia and immigrated from Košice, Slovakia to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1972...
played the instrument from 2000 to the summer of 2004, until when she purchased a 1742-made (1750-reworked) Guadagnini
Giovanni Battista Guadagnini
Giovanni Battista Guadagnini ; was an emiliano luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history.-Biography:...
. . After Julia Fischer, the Japanese violinist Sunshké Sato played the instrument.
The Booth is currently loaned to the German violinist Arabella Steinbacher
Arabella Steinbacher
Arabella Steinbacher is a German classical violinist.-Biography:Steinbacher was born in Munich on November 14, 1981, to a German father and a Japanese mother. When she was three, her mother read that a German violin teacher had recently returned from Japan after studying the Suzuki method. ...
.