FROM THE STRAD 1950 VOL.61 NO.726
The word “Messiah” means many things to many people, but to one who deals in fine violins, plays them and looks upon them as something far more than saleable items, it can only have one connotation. I refer, of course, to the Stradivari of all Stradivaris now permanently housed in the Hill Room of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. This instrument had been known to me throughout my adult life, but despite numerous visits to England, I had never seen it. My failure to view this extraordinary specimen became somewhat of an obsession. While in London this June I broached the subject to Mr. Albert Phillips Hill and a visit was forthwith arranged.
Accompanied by Mr. Desmond Hill, we drove to Oxford with several brief stops for photographic efforts. We were met by Mr. Taylor, Assistant Curator of the Ashmolean Museum, who conducted us to the well-designed glass case in which the “Messiah” is housed. The door was unlocked, and Mr. Taylor indicated that I was free to remove the instrument. Though I have handled valuable violins for many years without the slightest qualm or trepidation, a sudden panic seized me at this moment. Myriad thoughts raced through my mind. “What if I should drop it… People have been known to faint… No amount of money or skill could duplicate this violin…”. Fortunately this feeling of panic passed quickly, and my usual professional attitude returned. Taking the violin in my hands, I focused every critical faculty at my possession on it and began my formal study.