Lara St. John - Letter To A Former Owner

Letter to a former owner of Lara's Guad

July 5, 1984

Dear Mr. Engelman,

It is my pleasure to tell you what I know of the history of your J.B. Guadagnini violin, dated 1779 (but known to be of a later date), ex-Salabue and ex-Harry Ben Gronsky.

This violin, I, and my father before me, have loved and admired above all others ever seen, yes, including the works of Stradivarius and Guarnerius.

My father first saw the violin some fifty-six years ago when it was presented to him by Mr. Roy Gronsky, who had been searching for a suitable instrument for his extremely talented son, Harry Ben Gronsky. Mr. Gronsky said only that he had found a violin in Long Beach and wondered what my father, Abraham Koodlach, thought of it. At one glance my father pronounced it to be the most beautiful violin he had seen in his life, equalling if not excelling the great masters in craftsmanship and varnish. Needless to say, Mr. Gronsky purchased it immediately, never revealing who the previous owner was. (Only recently, reading the history of the violin in The Strad magazine of August 1971, page 542, did I learn that gentleman was a Mr. Chapman, a name unfamiliar to me.)

Harry Ben was fifteen years old at the time and he used the violin from then on. He was close to our family and came to our modest home in Los Angeles from Pasadena, driving with his father in a big, tall Lincoln car, every Sunday afternoon for coaching with my father ... I can recall them working together on the G minor Bruch concerto, especially. He also studied with more famous teachers, Kalman Lubovitsky and the illustrious Efrem Zimbalist.

The highlight of his career was his performance of the G minor Bruch concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in the Hollywood Bowl. My father and I attended that memorable concert. Harry Ben played magnificently and the sound, so beautifully rich and full, that came forth from the Guadagnini has never been surpassed, in my opinion.

Harry Ben Gronsky seemed to be a rare gift from Heaven to our Earth. His character and spirit were truly angelic, as was his talent. It is difficult to describe the radiance and purity of the boy and his musicality; in any case, this Guadagnini violin was the perfect instrument for the expression of his Art. Unfortunately, Harry Ben contracted tuberculosis of the kidney and died in 1931 at the age of eighteen. Brief as his life was, he was so unusual that his memory remains vividly alive to those who were fortunate enough to know him.

After Harry Ben's death, I sold the violin to a very fine violinist in Los Angeles, Erno Neufeld, who later sold it again. From then on I heard no more of its whereabouts until last New Year's Eve (Dec. 31, 1983), when this same Erno Neufeld, at a party in Palm Springs, happened to mention that Mr. Ted Marchetti, of Columbus, Ohio, was offering it for sale.

I was ecstatically happy to learn that the violin has remained in a perfect state of preservation. No misfortunes had befallen it, nor had it strayed into the insensitive, ignorant hands of callous owners or repairmen, who might have injured or destroyed its beauty and quality with unnecessary tampering and repairs.

Now this work of art, this love object, rests in your care. I hope you will enjoy the responsibility and privilege of its ownership and preserve and protect this great violin with utmost and tender loving care.

Sincerely,

Benjamin Koodlach

Benjamin Koodlach, Inc.
RARE VIOLINS - BOWS - APPRAISALS