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). ''Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari: 1644 – 1737''. Published by the author, Goodkind, Herbert K. (1972) Larchmont, New York. of 1716 is an
antique
An antique () 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 to describe any object that i ...
violin fabricated by Italian
luthier
A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments.
Etymology
The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...
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 Latinisation of names, Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', a ...
(1644–1737) of
Cremona
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...
. 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 Madame may refer to:
* Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French
* Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel
* ''Madame'' ( ...
who purchased the instrument in 1855 for her son
Otto van Booth
Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', '' Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity".
The name is recorded fro ...
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
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
and played by the renowned Ukrainian-born violinist
Mischa Mischakoff
Mischa Mischakoff (April 16, 1895 – February 1, 1981, born Mykhailo Isaakovych Fishberg) was an outstanding violin, violinist who, as a concertmaster, led many of America's greatest orchestras from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Mischakoff was born ...
from 1931 to 1961. After 1961, the instrument became a part of the Henry Hottinger Collection 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 ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...
s owned the instrument until 1978.
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 bo ...
, 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, s ...
'', 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. She sold the instrument in 1999.
Since 1999, The ''Booth'' is owned by the
Nippon Music Foundation
The (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 is to develop internat ...
and loaned to distinguished violinists.
After Iona Brown, the German violinist
Julia Fischer
Julia Fischer (born 15 June 1983) is a German classical violinist, violist, and pianist.Guadagnini. WQXR interview on 4 January 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 ...