The Christmas Fiddle

Subject: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST,FORTUNATO
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 08:23 AM

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST,FORTUNATO
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 09:00 AM

This is a true story...

It was Christmas Eve, 1977. I had made up my mind to buy my wife a fiddle, but my funds, as always, were limited. I knew nothing about violins; I still don't. But I knew the difference a decent guitar can make to a new player and so I was a bit discouraged by the the fiddles I had found for the price I could afford...

On that Christmas Eve I was chatting with man on the subway about Christmas and presents, and he asked me if I had been to Weaver's Violins downtown. I said, no, I'd never heard of it. I've been looking in the folkie places, the places I knew best. After work I took the subway up and found Weaver's, I think it was on 13th Street then.

Well, it was a violin shop all right. It was the sort of violin shop, however, where the violins cost more than houses in the suburbs. I was ignorant of course, so I strolled up asked the price of the violin in the case in front the older gentlemen standing there. He looked me over, and answered rather flatly, "$35,000". He was, I found later, Mr. Weaver himself, and he turned away to help another customer whom he seemed to greet as an old friend. Clearly I was in the wrong place. I began to circle the shop as if actually looking at the violins, keeping up appearances, but I was headed for the door.

On my way out I passed the repair shop and peeked in. A young man looked up from the violine he was working on and smiled and asked if he could help me. I said thanks but I'm afraid I'm a bit out of place here. He asked me why and I told him that I was looking for a violin for my wife but not one as expensive as they sold. He asked if I played, and I told him about my folk music and that my wife had expressed an interest to learn the fiddle. I hoped, I told hime, that we would be able to make music together.

While we talked I was watching him change the bridge on a violin and I asked about the different shape of the bridge, and I sat down on the chair opposite him while he explained. We chatted for a few minutes about the difference between the setup for fiddling as opposed to violin playing, but finally I rose to leave and was about to say goodbye, when he said,

"Wait, how much money do you have?"

"Well, I only have $200 dollars."

He looked at me for a moment, and then he went to a nearby shelf and brought back a violin and handed it to me. It was gorgeous. It felt well-balanced, the wood was lovely and the finish beautiful.

"Could you play it for me?" I asked, handing it back. He did so. It had a beautiful tone.

"You'll need a bow as well."

I'm sitting there speechless as he puts the violin in a case along with the bow he had used, and then he motioned for me to follow and led me back out into the shop. He lcrossed to where Mr. Weaver stood, handed him the case, and said,

"$200.00."

Mr. Weaver looked at him and then at me, and then opened the case.

"You're giving him this violin. Why?"

"It's Christmas."

And he did. So you see there is Christmas magic. It happened to me.



Merry Christmas to all my Mudcat friends. with affection. Fortunato

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From:
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 10:17 AM

Beautiful story. Thanks for sharing it.

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: CapriUni
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 10:26 AM

Thank you, Fortunato! What a beautiful story... and a beautiful present to al of us!!

Where's Áine? This story needs to go onto the Mudcat Storytellers' Page!

O-o-oh, Áine!!

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST,Frank
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 10:37 AM

What a wonderful story! It's like a dream. Somehow the repairman knew that the recipient would be appreciative of a fine instrument. Somehow we always get what we deserve in one way or another. This story made my holiday. Frank

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: Mark Clark
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 12:36 PM

Wonderful story, nearly restores my faith in humankind. Still, I hope Frank is wrong in thinking that we always get what we deserve. If he's right, I'm probably in big trouble. <g>

      - Mark

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: oombanjo
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 12:47 PM

great story ,It warmed my heart.

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 01:02 PM

What a lovely, lovely story; isn't it wonderful that people can be so very kind?!

I almost expected it to end magically, with you going back to thank the young man & the shop having mysteriously disappeared.

Thanks for sharing; I hope you & your wife have been making beautiful music together ever since!

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: katlaughing
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 01:31 PM

Thanks for the beautiful story! On a smaller scale, one year I didn't have the money for a Christmas tree and had a young man at a store where they were selling them, give me one and it was beautiful.

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: Ditchdweller
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 04:09 PM

(my Dad said I could write this!) Very lucky person, well done. I have a £500 Saxon fiddle, cost my Dad £45, and £105 to restore!! The man who sold it was happy to see it go to a fiddle player, and not to see it stuffed and mounted on a wall.

Phillip (12½)

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST,fortunato, Christmas Eve.
Date: 24 Dec 01 - 05:29 PM

Merrrryyy Christmas, Phillip! Regards, Fortunato.

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 10:14 AM

Well? Did she learn to play the fiddle?

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 26 Dec 01 - 10:30 AM

I wondered how you came by your handle, Forts!

Beautiful story. Wish it would happen to me. Bill kindly lent me one of his stock instruments to learn, back awhile, and I've kinda fallen in love with it. He played it at a session the other day, and declared that he'd forgotten how beautiful it sounds, and maybe he'd like it back soon!?!

Skipjack

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:15 AM

Thanks for hooking this one up, Carol! The next instalment is now ready for publication.

I had noticed a beautiful fiddle that Eric (Not the Viking) Twigger brought to our Sloop session, which I played very scratchily on one occasion. I was jawing with Eric on the telling bone, and he asked if I'd given Bill his fiddle back. I said he hadn't, but I felt he'd called last orders, and Eric amazed me by offering to lend me his wonderful violin. And it is a violin, too, as it didn't like my slidey clutching when we first got together (which was one week ago). Of course, I fell in unconditional love with it straight away, and wondered how this beautiful friendship would end. It yielded to my uncouth, un-classical demeanour. After a trip to Liverpool, which culminated with a drunken rendition of 'Leaving Of' on Paradise Street at 3am, I returned home with ill-fitting brain that alcohol induces, and immediately pounced on the fiddle case for some therapy. I opened it to find a birthday card from my wife that said "It's yours, happy fiddling!"

It is a wondrous instrument, and I have had discourse with Sorcha on the matter of its fake label, creditting the work to some geezer in Cremona, Anno 1721, but it has raised my game already, and promises to take me much further.

Thanks Eric, and thanks Missus. I am blessed.

Skipjack

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: CarolC
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:23 AM

That's wonderful, Skipjack! Happy fiddling indeed.

And a Happy Birthday to you, you young pup!

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: Skipjack K8
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:26 AM

Not too young to have me sap rise at the sight of you in that mucky calendar!!!!!! Can an accordion ever have been so lucky!

Skipjack

Subject: RE: 'THE CHRISTMAS FIDDLE'
From: CarolC
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:28 AM

*G*