Righteo so, I was just having a look at my fiddle the other day and I noticed that on the back of the head the words "Conservatory Violin" were engraved in the wood. My fiddle is a smallish full size and the back piece of the main body is made out of one piece of wood instead of two. My fiddle teacher told me that it is roughly aroun 80 years old. Ive tried looking inside it for the sticker that is usually on fiddles but there is none.
I was just wondering if anybody else had a fiddle like it or if there was any significance to the words "Conservatory Violin?"
My guess is that your fiddle used to belong to a music conservatory and was lent to students. This way, nobody could claim it was their own, or secretly switch it with another instrument....
The one piece back can be a nice distinctive feature, not particularly unusual. If the length of the back, (excluding the "button" under the heel of the neck,) is 340-350mm then it's a 7/8 size. Some that size are really nice instruments.
My fiddle is a "Conservatory Violin". The name isn't engraved on the back of the head on mine. Its stamped in ink but under the varnish there.
Its back is two piece.
If there was an inside paper label in mine, its long gone.
I don't think mine is a "smallish fullsize" but then I'm smallish enough myself to make eveything look regular fullsize by comparison.
I picked mine up about 25 years ago at a luthier's store in Oak Park Illinois, USA. It was a rescue. An earlier owner had taken the tuning pegs off and put tuning machines on it.
I bought it assuming the wood was better than what I'd find in a modern factory violin and had the luthier take the tuning machines off, put tuning pegs back in, and do a bit of regluing to get it playable again.
Over the years I've seen two "Conservatory Violins" up for sale on the internet but without much history. The owners guessed they were made in the first couple decades of the 1900s in a German violin factory.
"Very old German import Strad copy violin. Is labeled "Antonius Straduarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1729" inside and "Conservatory Violin" stamped on the scrool. This is a Strad copy imported between 1900 and 1910. It is in excellent condition, with a few very minor scratches and only one small crack near the chin rest. The workmanship on this violin is excellent, and it has a deep, rich sound. Violin retails for $4,000, I'm asking $3,000. Buyer pays shipping, contact me for details."
I just received a violin as a gift, with no lnterior label, but "conservatory violin" is engraved in the back of the scroll. Its very clean, so I put new strings on it and it plays beautifully. Another unusual thing about this violin is that it has metal tuning pegs with white handles and a white tailpiece. It has a two piece maple back and a two piece spruce top. The dimensions are similar to a Strad copy, probably made in Germany around 1900.
My grandmother has a violin that has that too either stamped, carved or burned in on the scroll "Conservatory Violin" on it.
The violin belonged to her father- my great grandfather and he received it as a gift from a man in the mid to late 1940's. The man told my g-grandfather that the violin had been hanging in a barn that his family owned and it had been in there for years from his own family. So we don't know how old the violin is. The lable on the inside - yes it is partially there, barely reads 17 something, "Joseph Guarnerius" and more words underneath the name but has been ripped.
Plus who ever owned the violin before my grandfather and the man, hand wrote on the inside something with these letters "R or B and then "acon", so it could be a name of the person Bacon or Racon.
Anyone else have more Conservatory violins out there?
Hey I have one too. It was my grandmother's, who presumably bought it in Buffalo, NY, circa 1910-1920. Inside a label says "Copy of Antonius Straduarius, Made in Germany." Two-piece back.
My violin was German made Stradivarius copy, pre-world war II.... it has a beautiful sound and has Conservatory Violin engraved on the back of the head..... I heard rumors that people with a Conservatory Violin engraving on their violin had all of its identification on the underside of the front of the violin. Saying the maker, year made, and others
My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
Righteo so, I was just having a look at my fiddle the other day and I noticed that on the back of the head the words "Conservatory Violin" were engraved in the wood. My fiddle is a smallish full size and the back piece of the main body is made out of one piece of wood instead of two. My fiddle teacher told me that it is roughly aroun 80 years old. Ive tried looking inside it for the sticker that is usually on fiddles but there is none.
I was just wondering if anybody else had a fiddle like it or if there was any significance to the words "Conservatory Violin?"
Thanks
# Posted on April 30th 2006 by galway-fiddle
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
My guess is that your fiddle used to belong to a music conservatory and was lent to students. This way, nobody could claim it was their own, or secretly switch it with another instrument....
# Posted on April 30th 2006 by heike
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
The one piece back can be a nice distinctive feature, not particularly unusual. If the length of the back, (excluding the "button" under the heel of the neck,) is 340-350mm then it's a 7/8 size. Some that size are really nice instruments.
# Posted on April 30th 2006 by TomB-R
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
My fiddle is a "Conservatory Violin". The name isn't engraved on the back of the head on mine. Its stamped in ink but under the varnish there.
Its back is two piece.
If there was an inside paper label in mine, its long gone.
I don't think mine is a "smallish fullsize" but then I'm smallish enough myself to make eveything look regular fullsize by comparison.
I picked mine up about 25 years ago at a luthier's store in Oak Park Illinois, USA. It was a rescue. An earlier owner had taken the tuning pegs off and put tuning machines on it.
I bought it assuming the wood was better than what I'd find in a modern factory violin and had the luthier take the tuning machines off, put tuning pegs back in, and do a bit of regluing to get it playable again.
Over the years I've seen two "Conservatory Violins" up for sale on the internet but without much history. The owners guessed they were made in the first couple decades of the 1900s in a German violin factory.
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by hyldemoer
OLD GERMAN CONSERVATORY VIOLIN 1900-1910
"Very old German import Strad copy violin. Is labeled "Antonius Straduarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno 1729" inside and "Conservatory Violin" stamped on the scrool. This is a Strad copy imported between 1900 and 1910. It is in excellent condition, with a few very minor scratches and only one small crack near the chin rest. The workmanship on this violin is excellent, and it has a deep, rich sound. Violin retails for $4,000, I'm asking $3,000. Buyer pays shipping, contact me for details."
Source:
http://www.sell.com/223FJB
Hope this helps a bit...
Murrough
# Posted on May 1st 2006 by Murrough
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
I just received a violin as a gift, with no lnterior label, but "conservatory violin" is engraved in the back of the scroll. Its very clean, so I put new strings on it and it plays beautifully. Another unusual thing about this violin is that it has metal tuning pegs with white handles and a white tailpiece. It has a two piece maple back and a two piece spruce top. The dimensions are similar to a Strad copy, probably made in Germany around 1900.
# Posted on September 25th 2007 by asparanay
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
My grandmother has a violin that has that too either stamped, carved or burned in on the scroll "Conservatory Violin" on it.
The violin belonged to her father- my great grandfather and he received it as a gift from a man in the mid to late 1940's. The man told my g-grandfather that the violin had been hanging in a barn that his family owned and it had been in there for years from his own family. So we don't know how old the violin is. The lable on the inside - yes it is partially there, barely reads 17 something, "Joseph Guarnerius" and more words underneath the name but has been ripped.
Plus who ever owned the violin before my grandfather and the man, hand wrote on the inside something with these letters "R or B and then "acon", so it could be a name of the person Bacon or Racon.
Anyone else have more Conservatory violins out there?
# Posted on September 14th 2008 by KSten
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
I just bought a violin which has
CONSER
VATORY
VIOLIN
stamped on the back of the top part. It also has a label dating it to 1927 Farotto Celestino. Milano
Will show it to our local Geigenbauer (Luthier), who will not be slow to tell me what the story is.
# Posted on October 18th 2008 by lugboy
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
Hey I have one too. It was my grandmother's, who presumably bought it in Buffalo, NY, circa 1910-1920. Inside a label says "Copy of Antonius Straduarius, Made in Germany." Two-piece back.
# Posted on December 8th 2008 by saranac
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
I'd pay good money for a bodhran that was stamped on, carved, and burned. But for a fiddle, what's the difference?
# Posted on December 8th 2008 by GaryAMartin
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
I have a full size and there is a 3/4 one for sale in our area here in chico on craigs list.
# Posted on November 19th 2009 by Yoshie
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
search: 1875-1899 National music museum Markneukirchen or Schonbah Luby ca 1880-1910
# Posted on November 19th 2009 by Yoshie
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
My violin was German made Stradivarius copy, pre-world war II.... it has a beautiful sound and has Conservatory Violin engraved on the back of the head..... I heard rumors that people with a Conservatory Violin engraving on their violin had all of its identification on the underside of the front of the violin. Saying the maker, year made, and others
# Posted on February 14th 2011 by violinhugger
Re: My fiddle, anybody else got one like it?
Mine is stamped with "Vuillaume a Paris"
A full sized french style conservatory violin.
# Posted on February 14th 2011 by Toppish