Ole Bull Part 16

[20] The violoncello was given by Ole Bull to this same friend.

From Wiesbaden, July 2, 1865, he wrote his son:-

I am to leave Hamburg by the Sat.u.r.day steamer for Bergen. This coming Wednesday I am to give a concert in the Theatre, for the benefit of the actors' fund, and leave Thursday, going direct to Hamburg. I long to see you again, and to pa.s.s two months in quiet at Valestrand. I am much benefited by the baths, and it was well that I could give the time, as the same old symptoms of chills and fever had returned. I am now almost well, and hope, with the friendly action of the fine Valestrand air, to be entirely quit of this oppressive burden. I have in hand a work on the violin, which I hope to finish during my summer rest-and to go out again in the autumn with new vigor. I trust you will think that I look better.

I pa.s.sed some days with the Duke of Na.s.sau, at his palace in Weilburg, and he courteously gave me the Adolf cross; he claims a special value for it, since it was never before given to an artist.

But think, Alexander! I have been so foolish as to buy a delightful Gaspar da Salo,[21] which is now my favorite. It has a much more majestic and n.o.ble tone than my other violins, and is adapted for concert purposes.

[21] This instrument was used by him in his concerts from that time.

After invitations and messages to friends and relatives to visit the new house which he had built, but had not yet seen, he continues:-

I sent 2000 willows from Amsterdam. You have planted them by the stream, the best place for them? Have you bridged the brook and filled the slope, and remembered the poor birchtrees, which must have lived only on hope and air? You have papered some of the walls; we can pother and putter about these for a change, can we not? Serious conferences shall be held, and furnish us amus.e.m.e.nt....

I hope the low land by the lake looks well with its crop of oats.

Their movement is so light and billowy as they are swayed by the wind, that they remind me of

[Ill.u.s.tration: [22]]

[22] A Norwegian melody.

and they break the monotony of a s.p.a.ce without trees near the water....

I am now going to the musical festival at Coblentz, and am to return this evening. I breakfast with the Prince of Holstein (the highest in command), and am to sup with Mayor Schott in Biebrich....

P. S.-We should make some excursions to the interior of the island this summer, with the fiddle on our back.

This extract from a letter to his son, in Paris, dated at Bergen, September 4, 1866, is interesting for its prescience of political events:-

Take care, Alexander! political events are following closely on one another; the French have an enemy in the United States not to be ignored [since the affair in Mexico]; they must also beware of Germany; their fleets and finance would soon be ruined by a war.

The times have changed, and the turn has come for Prussia to play the master in Europe. She has a solid basis, a sound exchequer; while in France all is unsettled and can easily fall out of equilibrium. The French are to be banished from Rome, too; and they must create new surprises and new _gloires_ in time, or fail.

The great man [Napoleon III.] is seriously ill; France knows it, and is silent; but events will speak. Be careful,-never take part in political discussions, I pray you!

Ole Bull was an eager reader of the newspapers, and kept up always with the daily telegraphic news. In the war between Germany and France he was an enthusiastic advocate of the German cause as against the imperialism of Napoleon. A fortnight before the event, he predicted to a friend in Wisconsin the compulsory resignation of McMahon as president of the republic and the election of Grevy, and, with almost faultless accuracy, the members of Grevy's cabinet. He had a personal acquaintance with leading men and workers in every country of Europe, and this, together with his profound sympathy with the thoughts and aspirations of the people as a whole, enabled him to arrive at his own conclusions.

From St. Petersburg he wrote his son, April 17, 1867:-

These lines to tell you in haste that I have determined to visit Paris as soon as possible. Tomorrow to Warsaw, where I am to give two concerts, and then direct to Paris....

I have just composed a fantasy on a Russian air, "The Nightingale,"-my adieu to Moscow,-and was obliged to repeat it. It has no great musical worth,-only effective. Perhaps you will like it; there is a sad thought running through it. I will rewrite it at Valestrand. My "Gaspar da Salo" is full of joy, and bears its virtuoso like an Arab; it is really matchless since I had a bar of sevenhundredyears'old wood put in by Weihe; and I have discovered a new method for measuring and placing the bar in its relation to the building and playing of the violin.

Greet our countrymen in Paris most cordially....

In November, 1867, Ole Bull again visited the United States. He went directly to the West, giving his first concert in Chicago. In the Northwestern States were some 300,000 of his own countrymen, and they received him everywhere with rejoicing. In many towns they met him with torchlight processions and speeches of welcome, and he often left substantial proofs of his sympathy in gifts to their churches and libraries.

One evening in Milwaukee he played Paganini's "Second Concerto" with so much spirit that his audience caught the enthusiasm of the player. On leaving the stage he whispered to his son: "I believe Paganini himself would have been pleased tonight, had he heard me."

A Philadelphia writer, speaking of this visit of Ole Bull, says:-

It is probable that the artist was never in his life so acceptable to the American people as during his concert tour of 18681869. But no kindliness of fortune could prevent the constantly recurring incidents and accidents of this extremely interesting life. In the autumn of 1868 Ole Bull was a pa.s.senger down the Ohio River, when a collision between two steamboats occasioned a terrible accident, which involved the loss of many lives. "On that evening," as he narrated afterwards, "without having any reason for what I did, I put on my coat and overcoat and went up on deck with my violincase in hand. It was then past midnight." Soon afterward the shock occurred. One boat had a quant.i.ty of petroleum, which, igniting, poured out upon the river and surrounded both vessels with a circle of fire. He was obliged to spring overboard, but reached the sh.o.r.e with violin and person alike intact, and after a tough struggle up the precipitous and clayey bank of the stream found a firm footing at the top. He was obliged to walk till daylight before he found a shelter.

There was enough music, fortunately, in the violincase for immediate use; and although the company had lost all their luggage, only one concert was given up. The second night after the accident Ole Bull performed in Cincinnati as announced, but was obliged to appear in his traveling dress.

In the summer of 1869 he gave his services to the great Peace Jubilee in Boston, conducted by Mr. P. S. Gilmore, and this so delayed his departure for Europe that he could make only a flying visit to Norway.

He returned again in the autumn. The winter following, he gave concerts and traveled constantly. He was everywhere warmly received by the public, both East and West.

In April, 1870, he sailed for Norway. The New York _Tribune_ made the following mention of his departure:-

"Herr Ole Bull, from the N. Y. Philharmonic Society," was the inscription upon a beautiful silken flag presented to the great violinist, yesterday, on the deck of the United States revenue cutter, which conveyed him from the bargeoffice at the Battery to the steamship Russia. The flag was the Norwegian colors, with the StarSpangled Banner inserted in the upper staff section. The committee of presentation were Messrs. Hill, Schaad, and Doremus, the latter being the spokesman. Ole Bull was accompanied on board the steamer by quite a large number of friends, among whom were Miss Adelaide Phillips, Miss Alide Topp, Mrs. Belknap and sister, Dr. and Mrs. Doremus, General Banks, Senator Conkling, Mr. F. S.

Appleton, and others. Dr. Doremus's presentation speech, happily conceived, was responded to in the warmhearted and impulsive manner peculiar to the artist, whose impulsiveness has ever characterized the products of his genius, and whose warmheartedness is known to hundreds who have blessed him for his generosity. Senator Conkling and General Banks also made appropriate speeches. As the cutter left the steamer, the company waved together their regrets and their farewells; and the form of the fine old gentleman, bareheaded and swinging his hat, was seen as long as forms could be distinguished in the distance.

This beautiful flag was, according to Ole Bull's promise on its acceptance, always carried in the 17th of May processions in Bergen, and floated on the 4th of July.

A beautiful silver vase presented by the N. Y. Philharmonic Society that season, a piece of silver plate given by the Young Men's Christian a.s.sociation of New York city, for whom he had played, and a very rich and beautiful gold crown given him in San Francisco, were among the mementos which he carried home to Norway.

A still closer tie was soon to bind him to the United States, the country which seemed already his by adoption. In Madison, Wis., in the winter of 1868, Ole Bull first made the acquaintance which resulted in his second marriage. He took a kindly interest in the musical studies of his friend there, and later in New York. To others this delightful relation of teacher, adviser, and friend seemed the only one permissible; but he wrote: "Other than human powers have decided my fate.... The sunbeams I shut out, but the sun itself I could not annihilate."

The marriage was delayed in deference to the wishes of others for some months, but without resulting in a modification of their fears concerning the disparity of years and other conditions. It was later decided to have a private marriage. This was consummated in Norway, and publicly announced and confirmed on the return to the United States, three months later, in the autumn of 1870.

During the years 186769 Ole Bull had worked on his improvement of the pianoforte. This attempt to build a piano outside a manufactory would have been a very doubtful experiment even if the principle of construction had not been itself an experiment. He would not permit the use of any of the old means for strengthening and sustaining the soundingboard, which necessarily in time destroy its power of giving out a good quality of tone. His princ.i.p.al effort was to sustain the board at the ends, leaving the sides free, not permitting the board to be pierced for the insertion of screws to unite the upper and lower framework, as is generally done. The wooden strips employed to strengthen the great surface of the board should, he thought, be made to help the tone as well, on the principle of the bar in the violin; the whole to be so adjusted that the wood might grow better with use and age.

The first instrument was made under very great disadvantages. The workmen had it in hand while Ole Bull was absent on his concert tour. A telegram would announce to him the breaking of the frame, which he would try to remedy by suggestions sent by telegram or letter. This instrument cost some $15,000. Not satisfied with this, he commenced another, and met the same old difficulties in the frame, or new ones quite as serious. John Ericsson learned of his trouble, had him explain his idea, made a frame of the right weight and strength, only insisting upon one condition,-the acceptance of it by Ole Bull as a present. This second piano proved satisfactorily that the theory was sound and practicable.

Ole Bull had hoped to perfect his invention and introduce the instruments to the public. This would have given him the greatest satisfaction; for even the best pianos give only for a short time a musical quality of tone, and necessarily deteriorate from use, not only because of the wear in the action, which can be replaced, but also on account of the destruction and breaking down of the woody cells and tissues of the soundingboard itself, under the improperly distributed strain brought to bear upon it.

The opportunity never came to Ole Bull of doing more than to satisfy himself that his theory could be realized. Two pianos only were made; but these proved the possibility of doing away with the objectionable features in the present construction of the instrument, which, in time, must destroy the vitality of the soundingboard and its power to produce a pure tone. It is well known that none but new pianos are used by professional players; and an instrument which has been used for any length of time positively vitiates a musical ear.

No friendly service ever touched Ole Bull more deeply than the generous helpfulness of John Ericsson, whom he admired and loved. It is with a sense of grateful recognition that the following letter is now given in concluding this mention of the piano:-

NEW YORK, _December 13, 1880_.

MY DEAR MRS. BULL,-In adverting to the fact,-when I had the pleasure of addressing you last week,-that everything connected with Ole Bull's memory is dear to me, I omitted to refer to his admirable conception of securing the strings of pianos to a separate frame, composed of metal, so formed that it may be applied to any wooden stand more or less ornamented. It was my privilege, often, to listen to my lamented friend's disquisitions relating to the violin, showing his clear mechanical conceptions of the laws which govern the construction of that most perfect of all musical instruments. The great violinist possessed a singularly accurate knowledge of the necessary relations between the capability of resisting the tension of the strings, and the elasticity requisite to admit of a perfectly free movement of the soundingboard, and other parts of the delicate structure, indispensable to produce infinitely minute vibrations, the control of which by his master hand created tones which enabled him to charm his hearers as none of his rivals could.

I regard the independent metallic frame for holding the strings of pianos as an invention which would do honor to any professional mechanician; and I contemplate with much satisfaction the circ.u.mstance that my departed friend intrusted to me the construction of the first specimen of his important improvement.

I am, my dear Mrs. Bull, Yours very sincerely, J. ERICSSON.

Mr. Ericsson had previously written of Ole Bull: "So warm a heart and so generous a disposition as his I have never known." These words, it may be truthfully said, express the sentiment and the judgment of the violinist concerning the great engineer and inventor.

Professor H. Helmholtz, whose works on tone Ole Bull had carefully studied, says of the violinist in a letter written in May, 1881:-

I saw that he was thoroughly well informed as to the mechanical problems concerning the violin, which came in question.... I was much impressed by his personal character; he was at the same time so enthusiastic and so intelligent, interested in all the great problems of humanity.

The pleasantest incident of his concert tour in the season of 187172 was a visit he made to his friend, Mr. William H. Seward, in Auburn, N.

Y. The two delightful days spent at Mr. Seward's house relieved the tedium of the whole trip.

The summer of 1872 he was in Norway, and in the fall returned again to the United States, giving some seventyfive concerts, with his usual success, during the winter. The last concerts announced were given up, on account of the illness of his infant daughter.