Inheriting a violin is wonderful. But what if it comes with instructions that it must be played? And you resorted to violence as a kid to get out of playing? Then what?
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If you’re lucky enough to inherit something from someone you really love, that’s usually a good thing. But everyone once in a while, it’s not so simple.
What happens when you inherit something that was loved by the person who gave it – but maybe you don’t feel quite the same way about it?
That’s the puzzle we try to solve as we consider the fate of two violins I inherited a few years ago from my father. One of them came with a heartfelt note he wrote, asking for it to be played daily and kept in the family forever.
That’s a tall order. Especially for me, considering that I studied the violin for 10 years as a child to please my father. And secretly committed acts of violence to try to get out of it.
To determine what to do with my father’s violins, I needed expert help. So I consult Diane Mellon, the manager of David Segal Violins, a wondrous stringed instrument purveyor in New York City. Not only has that shop serviced several genuine Stradivarius violins, but they also have provided violin consulting for top performers like Midori, Joshua Bell and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.
To get a different perspective, Sally and I also consult Rachel Kuklinski, a cousin of mine who, like me, was persuaded to play the violin as a child. But she rebelled much more openly than I did.
Why is music so important to some families? And why the violin? Can anyone learn to make beautiful music? And what should I do with my father’s violins – along with stacks of sheet music and other mementos of musical events?
If you played an instrument as a child, the conclusions we reach just might be helpful to you too. Listen and find out.
Watch a video of 96-year-old David Small playing his violin and see photos of treasures mentioned in this episode on the website for I Couldn't Throw It Out.
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