The ''Otto Booth; Cho-Ming Sin Stradivarius''The sobriquet of this instrument is referred differently in various sources. While Doring (1999) and Henley (1961) referred it as "Booth", Goodkind (1972) referred it as "Booth; Cho-Ming Sin" probably in an attempt to name the then owner. See: Doring, Ernest N. (1999) ''How Many Strads?'' - Our Heritage from the Master Enlarged and expanded edition by Robert Bein & Geoffrey Fushi Bein & Fushi, Inc., Chicago, Illinois: 1999; Henley, William (1961) ''Antonio Stradivari - His Life and Instruments''. 1961, Amati Publishing Ltd., Brighton (England). Goodkind, Herbert K. (1972) ''Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari: 1644 - 1737''. Published by the author, Larchmont, New York. of 1716 is an

antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

fabricated by Italian

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloq ...

(1644–1737) of

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) 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'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

. 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 35.4 cm., www.cozio.com/Instrument.aspx?id=57 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 Rudolph or Rudolf may refer to: People * Rudolph (name), the given name including a list of people with the name Religious figures * Rudolf of Fulda (died 865), 9th century monk, writer and theologian * Rudolf von Habsburg-Lothringen (1788� ...

and played by the renowned Ukrainian-born violinist

Mischa Mischakoff Mischa Mischakoff (April 16, 1895 – February 1, 1981) was an outstanding violinist who, as a concertmaster, led many of America's greatest orchestras from the 1920s to the 1960s. Mischakoff was born in Proskuriv (today Khlmelnytskyi), Ukraine a ...

from 1931 to 1961. After 1961, the instrument became a part of the

Henry Hottinger Collection Hottinger Collection – formed in New York City by Henry Hottinger (4 February 1885 in New York, NY – 19 March 1979 in Stamford, CT). Henry Hottinger was a founder and member of Wertheim & Co., a firm of Investment Bankers. Hottinger's i ...

in New York.
Stradivarius 1716 violin " Booth ", Instruments owned by the Nippon Music Foundation. Cho-Ming Sin from whom the instrument received one of its

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

s owned the instrument until 1978.Goodkind, Herbert K. (1972) Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari: 1644 - 1737. Published by the author, Larchmont, New York. For a time, the instrument was owned and played by violinist

Iona Brown Iona Brown, OBE, (7 January 19415 June 2004) was a British violinist and conductor. Early life and education Elizabeth Iona Brown was born in Salisbury and was educated at Cranborne Chase School, Dorset. Her parents, Antony and Fiona, were b ...

, who after a 1998 Tokyo performance of ''

The Lark Ascending "The Lark Ascending" is a poem of 122 lines by the English poet George Meredith about the song of the skylark. Siegfried Sassoon called it matchless of its kind, "a sustained lyric which never for a moment falls short of the effect aimed at, so ...

'', 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 anymore.' 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 never played the violin again, citing her arthritis and age.
"Iona Brown", The Telegraph, 11 June 2004. Retrieved on: 02.03.2011 She sold the instrument in 1999.
Obituary: Iona Brown, The Guardian, 10 June 2004. Retrieved on 02.03.2011. Since 1999, The ''Booth'' is owned by the

Nippon Music Foundation The Nippon Music Foundation (NMF) 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. Established 3 March 1972, its stated purpose ...

and loaned to distinguished violinists. After Iona Brown, the German violinist

Julia Fischer Julia Fischer (born 15 June 1983) is a German classical violinist and pianist.Guadagnini Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (often shortened to G. B. Guadagnini; 23 June 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history. Reprint with new introduction by Stewart Pol ...

.
, Embracing the Eternal, Strings magazine, May 2006, No.139.
WQXR interview on January 4, 2006 After Julia Fischer, the Japanese violinist Shunske Sato played the instrument. The ''Booth'' was later loaned to the German violinist

Arabella Steinbacher Arabella Miho Steinbacher (born 14 November 1981) is a German classical violinist. Biography Steinbacher was born in Munich to a Japanese mother and a German father. When she was three, her mother read that a German violin teacher had recentl ...

., Interview with Arabella Steinbacher.

References

{{reflist

External links

The list of instruments owned (and loaned) by the Nippon Music Foundation
1716 works Stradivari violins Stradivari instruments

See also

References

External links