The Inconceivable "Truth" to a

Violin's Past is Revealed

by Rhiannon Schmitt

It was a dark and stormy night. A feeble old

man's hands shivered with excited anticipa-

tion as he carved away the last curled shav-

ing from the ancient piece of maple.

"Magnifique!" he exclaimed at his master-

piece as he caressed it like a mother with a

newborn child. He kissed the smooth wood

then gently hung it from a wire attached to

a gold-gilded chandelier.

The shapely object swayed

gently above the master's

head. Flickering candle-

light danced with the ox-

hair brush as the violin re-

ceived its first of more than

twenty fine coats of hot oil varnish.

The violin was completed and labeled at the poign-

ant stroke of midnight on the start of the year 1912

in Lyon, France. The year would later be known

for other historic events such as the establishment

of the Republic of China, the discovery of the

South Pole, and more notably, the addition of

prizes to Cracker Jack boxes.

All these events are shadowed by the creation of a

violin that would someday find its way to me.

My violin's rust-brown varnish had just finished

curing when it was wrapped in fine silk and sent

away in a wooden case. Due to highway conges-

tion, ferry lineups and no available carrier pigeons

(Continued on page 2)

Fiddleheads Violin Shop & SchoolFiddleheads Violin Shop & SchoolFiddleheads Violin Shop & SchoolFiddleheads Violin Shop & School • www.fiddleheads.ca • Phone (250) 833-5626 • Send Chocolates: Box 49, Canoe, BC V0E 1K0

In Colour at

www.fiddleheads

.ca

Volume 7 - Fall 2006 - Number 1

“Our Violin & Fiddle Community Newsletter”

This Issue Celebrating Eight Years in the Shuswap

My Red Violin 1, 2, 4 The Muzak Code 3, 6 Violin Purchasing for Newbies: Advice 4, 5 Violins for Sale 5

Fall Specials 6 School News 7 Violin Society News 7 Free Sheet Music: Mozart’s Mirror Duet 8

Inside This Issue of the Gazette

My Very Own Red Violin

(Continued on page 2)

Published by Rhiannon Schmitt of Fiddleheads Violin School

and Fiddleheads Violin Shop

In Full Colour at www.Fiddleheads.ca

Title Page Violinist: Rory Cleveland (13) was the first Salmon Arm

FVS student at our start-up in 1999. She and FVS are both celebrating our 8th year

making music together in the Shuswap.

Submissions & Comments: info@fiddleheads.ca PO Box 49 • Canoe, BC V0E 1K0 • Canada

The Fiddleheads Gazette

Vol. 7 • Fall 2006 • Number 1 Copyright © 2000-2006 Fiddleheads Violin Shop & School

2

The Prism Bow Sale Continues Tabary’s popular Prism carbon-fibre

violin bows in 12 colours are on sale for only

$145 CAD taxes in, reg $165 plus tax.

Viola, Cello and Bass Bows also on sale.

Free Shipping in Canada.

www.fiddleheads.ca · 250-833-5626

French aviator Henri Seimet was asked to deliver the violin and made

the first non-stop airplane flight from Paris to London in three hours.

The violin's first owner was the great-grandson of legendary violinist

Nicolò Paganini who suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The

violin's astonishing tone helped auditioners overlook the player's af-

fliction and earned the him a gig with an 8-man band on a cruise ship.

The Atlantic voyage was uneventful, unless you consider that last bit

when the "Titanic" stuck an ice shelf and sank.

The violin's last tune with the band that night was a jolly rendition of

"Roll Out the Barrel" before it was laid to rest in the coffin case, its

owner saying a final goodbye. The ship went down in a fury of bub-

bles and miraculously the case came up out of the vessel with an in-

fant sleeping peacefully on top. When the rescue ships arrived several

hours later, infant Eva Braun and violin were in the care of another

survivor on a nearby lifeboat: Margaret "Molly" Brown.

Eva was reunited with her family and would grow up to make poor

decisions in politics and boyfriends. The violin, however, belonged to

no one and was donated to a music society as a tax write-off. Joe

Dawson, an eccentric race car driver, purchased the violin (also for

tax reasons, though historians dispute this fact) and won the first Indi-

anapolis 500 race with the violin in the trunk for good luck.

Soon afterwards Dawson lost his bet with Woodrow Wilson that the

latter would not win the Presidential election; the winner took the

violin. Wilson gave the violin to former ice hockey teammate Igor

Stravinsky, who composed many of his best works using the violin. A

year later, in 1913, the premiere of "The Rite of Spring" was poorly

received and fights broke out in the audience. Stravinsky himself was

so upset due to its reception that he fled the theater in mid-scene, leav-

ing the violin behind in his haste.

Historians believe this is when my violin received extensive damage

to the lower bout at the end-pin. The facts that follow are fuzzy due to

poor documentation, but it is believed the violin was discovered in the

theatre rubble and taken to a medicine man in Cuba who repaired the

violin with guar gum and papyrus extracts. The dear violin spent the

next forty-nine years passed from village virtuoso to virtuoso, who

played for dignitaries, millionaires and other ridiculous individuals.

This happy holiday in the violin's life ended in 1962 when one village

violinist, fearing the worst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, hid the violin

in a fall-out shelter behind 200-cans of extra-juicy pork and beans. In

2005 the canned food's expiration date came and as the cans were

being disposed of the violin was discovered again.

A compulsive gambler working with the fallout shelter's janitorial

service stole the violin and put it up for auction on EBay. It was won

by my cousin's dog groomer's babysitter's nephew for fifty pesos. I

(MY RED VIOLIN Continued from page 1)

(Continued on page 4)

A soothing digital bell chimed gently as

a 10-foot high cylindrical glass elevator

opened its doors. The soft glowing or-

ange lights on the cold inside panel

alerted Richard Lingdin to his ominous

fate: thirty-two stops on the way up to his

final destination, Level 65.

The thick, bullet-proof glass doors shut

and spontaneously a sensor inside the

stainless steel jam triggered a remote

computer thousands of miles away,

which started an irreversible automated

sequence.

The computer code on a terminal in a se-

cret vault fifty feet below the Rosslyn

Chapel in Scotland read “Line 401: Com-

mencing mind control sequence.”

Dread hit Lingdin in the gut. A moment

later he almost sensed his brain cells dy-

ing as the muzak blared from the speak-

ers surrounding him in his glassy tomb.

Like a stewardess wishing a terrified

claustrophobe with fear of heights a

“happy flight” and offering up a feebly

small bag of stale peanuts to “calm the

nerves,” the management of the world

thought muzak would make the queasy

trip to abnormal heights trapped in a

glass box hanging from a cable more en-

joyable. Or were their intentions far more

sinister?

“It's a soprano sax solo,” Lingdin cringed

as a few more cells turned to grey mush,

“the worst possible assault to the human

psyche.”

The sax was a chainsaw shredding notes

as they flew past in a desperate attempt

to escape its wrath. Iron Butterfly's In-a-

Gadda-Da-Vida was played to a chipper,

bossa beat complete with xylophones,

clarinets and silken strings.

Without thinking Lingdin forced his hands

to his ears in one jerky movement, bump-

ing elbows with another nerdy passenger

in a tweed blazer, who had also assumed

this position. Judging by his pocket pro-

tector and treble clef clip-on bow tie he

was obviously a musicologist as well. The

men's eyes met and a knowing sympathy

was exchanged as both wondered who

would crack first.

Two other passengers at the back of the

glass death chamber seemed unaware of

the torture wrought upon them, and the

one in the “Where's the Beef” T-shirt was

even humming along. “They're too far

gone,” Lingdin thought. “I'll bet they even

listen to The Backstreet Boys.”

He was reminded of a lecture he gave

just last Spring to his Advanced Music

Harmony class: the yearly session where

he tries to enlighten the few brilliant

minds who crave the truth and moreover

loses all respect from the rest who cannot

fathom the horrible reality: Muzak

is mind control.

“The conspiracy starts with the invention

of muzak,” he began. “Wikipedia.com ex-

plains muzak as an innocuous invention

by Major General George O. Squier. In

1922 Squire patented a system for the

transmission and distribution of back-

ground music from phonograph records

over electrical lines to workplaces.”

At this he'd already lost half of his audi-

ence, but plowed on. “Squier was in-

trigued by the Kodak trademark name

and was inspired to verge the Greek

mus, the sacred feminine muse, and the

ak from Kodak to name his invention:

Muzak.”

“Squier discovered workers and shoppers

were more productive and calm when

soft music was played in the background.

The system was unquestioned and was

installed in shops and office buildings

around the globe. Soon enough it was

being played in elevators and on phone

lines when customers are on hold.”

“It became such a powerful empire, some

call it a cult, that even the style of music

played, the sappy cover tunes played by

101 Strings and jazz school drop-outs,

became known as the muzak genre. The

music had been carefully formatted to

(Continued on page 6)

RHIANNON SCHMITT’S

THE MUSAK CODE: SCREAMING FOR SILENCE

A Parody Sequel of “The Da Vinci Code" Exposes the Sinister Conspiracy Behind Elevator Music

The Fiddleheads Gazette • In Colour at www.fiddleheads.ca • Page 3

The greatest challenge for any new

violin player is the hassle and stress

of finding a good instrument. We’re

not born with an “instrument-seeking

gene” and most people don’t know what

to buy and where.

My first violin was a plain but overpriced

3/4 size student outfit. My mother and I

didn’t know any better and the music store

made suckers out of us. As a teacher and

violin shop owner now I frequently en-

counter players who were also poorly

advised on their violin purchase.

The best place to start on the purchase of

any instrument is through your teacher or

a specialist in your instrument’s field.

Even if you plan to teach yourself, it’s still

wise to consult a seasoned player on

what to look for and avoid in an instru-

ment.

Building a trusting relationship with such a

person is invaluable as you advance mu-

sically and invest in higher-level instru-

ments. Your expert can provide sugges-

tions and tips before you start

your search.

To start, prospective violinists should

know that bowed string instruments are

scaled in various sizes for children ages 2

and up.

For example, a six-year-old could range

from 1/8 to 1/2 size. Players 12 and up

typically play a 4/4 or full size, though

some 10-year-olds manage fine on a 4/4.

Since people come in unique shapes and

sizes, a teacher or violin expert is the best

judge of what instrument you need and

can save you buying the wrong size.

Take your instrument search a step fur-

ther and ask your expert to assess a pro-

spective instrument you have located.

You may discover, with an expert’s help,

that the Stradivarius copy at the flea mar-

ket is not worth an inflated price.

You may not be so interested in that

“great deal” when repairs will cost more

than the instrument’s worth. Once you

replace the strings, bridge and bow hair (a

$160 investment) you are not any further

ahead on a $200 “outfit.” (An outfit is

when you get the violin, bow and case

together.)

That’s another thing: you need to speak

the lingo. Words like “purfling,” “ribs,” and,

believe it or not, “frog,” will spring up in

your violin hunt. Some simple researching

and asking questions will certainly help.

Start by learning the various parts and

components of an instrument, and then

decide what you find most desirable in an

instrument.

For instance, an ebony fingerboard is a

better choice over rosewood and a horse-

hair bow beats out any synthetic hair.

Some carbon fibre (fiber) bows play better

than wood bows and they are far more

resistant to warping and other damage.

Having a quality instrument is tremen-

dously important and often overlooked by

beginners. As a teacher I see players

develop rapidly and enjoy playing more

when they play a superior instrument.

Unfortunately, as soon as you talk quality,

you talk price. There are ways to get what

you want in an instrument without putting

(Continued on page 5)

heard via Instant Messenger there was a

violin in the family and traded the guy an

old lawnmower (he needed the wheels for

a go-cart) for the violin, which is now

safely in my possession and care.

Over this past year I have pondered over

the mysterious label inside the violin,

"Lyone 1912," and the spider-

like cracks around the endpin that seem to

be so expertly repaired using methods

unknown to local luthiers. Hence I took it

upon myself to extensively research the

history of my violin and learned what

little I could about the violin's past, which

I have presented here truthfully to you.

Strangely, the people I've shared my

flawless findings with have been disap-

pointed as they're only marginally glam-

ourous or mysterious. Sometimes the

truth is pretty boring. I wish it could be

more than that.

Now when people ask for stories about

my violin's past, I lie and say my violin

was found in Elvis' dead grasp in a Vegas

hotel bathroom. That should keep them

interested in the dull lives of violins. a

www.fiddleheads.ca

(MY RED VIOLIN Continued from page 2)

Violin Purchasing for Newbies A Professional Violinist, Music Teacher and Violin Shop Owner Offers Advice

By Rhiannon Schmitt of www.Fiddleheads.ca

4

Special Order Electric Violins & Cellos

by Wood Violins

Featuring the Stingray Violin The custom-made, 4-string Stingray comes with Schatten pickups, your choice of natural wood or red stain and free gig bag. Optional frets, custom finishes and exotic woods, upgraded pickups and 5th string.

Perfect entry-level instrument for players seeking quality and comfort.

Other new and used instruments available in shop.

5 (250) 833-5626 • www.fiddleheads.ca

Robert Ervine 1913

Unlabeled German E. Martin Wargar

E.L. Stone (3/4) Charotte Millot

a second mortgage on your house. Maybe that $100

unstrung violin and hairless bow looks shabby, but

an expert may see underlying potential and value

beneath the dust.

If you are concerned you may not take to the violin,

consider borrowing one from a relative or instrument

bank until you have saved up for your own.

With low priced student outfits you can sometimes

save by buying used rather than new. A used violin

will have a few dings and isn’t “shiny new,” but

someone else paid the depreciation and “broke it in.”

Be warned that a used student instrument may need

work, sometimes a new bow (cheap brazilwood

bows are prone to warping) and definitely new

strings. This can end up costing like buying new.

The “new vs used” issue varies depending on the

instrument and price. There are benefits and draw-

backs in each which should be considered.

Most important to buying used or damaged instru-

ments is that you have a repair person you both trust

and who does exceptional work for the right price.

Too many people claim to be good luthiers (violin

repairers) but they can wreck a beautiful violin unin-

tentionally. I have first-hand experience in this.

A few more words of caution: Realize that many

shops pay teachers a commission, typically ten to

twenty per cent of the selling price, for sending their

students in to buy an instrument. This practice is

viewed as highly unethical by myself as well as most

other teachers and shops, but it still occurs.

Make sure you're not buying the most expensive

violin in the shop just so you can line a teacher's

pockets. Feel free to ask if the teacher earns com-

missions from the shop and never let any salesman

bully you into a purchase. Take the violin home for a

trial and walk away from a deal if it feels fishy.

As for shop owners, it's best to buy from someone

who actually plays the violin well and understands

the subtleties in tone and feel. Many salesmen will

insist a violin sounds great, but they can’t even play

professionally, let alone scrape a tune!

Also, if you are unsure of the violin's origin ask about

its history, if they know, so you’re not buying some-

thing stolen or relabeled. I know of salesmen who

re-label and re-varnish old junky fiddles then ask a

small fortune for their “authentic antiques.”

Heavy topics aside, enjoy the anticipation and thrill

of this exciting first step towards making music. Con-

sider this one of many wonderful experiences you

will have as a musician. Good Luck. a

(VIOLIN PURCHASING Continued from page 4)

Special Order

• Electric Violins & Cellos by Wood Violins • Cellos, Basses, Mandolins, Guitars and more • L.R. Baggs Pickups & Electronics • Music books by request

We also carry

• Carbon Fiber Bows in 12 colours • CDs/DVDs • Rosin • Humidifiers • Cases • Electronics

15% discount for music teachers and 10%

discount for FVS students, current and former.

suit the precise mood businesses wished to convey.”

He went on. “Technology became more sophisticated

over time and at one point muzak generated more traf-

fic on Bell phone lines than anything else! Now it is dis-

tributed via satellite and is referred to as audio archi-

tecture.”

Lingdin lowered his voice to a whisper. “What the un-

suspecting public was not aware of was sinister hidden

messages embedded in each note of the music. It's

brainwashing us, killing our minds,” he said soberly.

At this several students gasped, some mocked their

professor with laughter and one girl in glasses nodded

her head in sad agreement, as if this truth reverber-

ated in her gut.

“'Purchase our products at full price' is hidden in the

music at the shopping mall, 'Ask for higher interest

rates' oozes from the bank elevator speaker and 'Just

hand over your money' is crafted into the phone lines

for the Internal Revenue Service.”

The room grew quieter at this news. Nobody likes pay-

ing extra tax.

“Some whistle blowers came forward in the 1950's and

even challenged muzak distributors in court, accusing

them of brainwashing. Despite this uproar, President

Eisenhower introduced muzak to the west wing of the

White House. NASA even played muzak on shuttle

missions to soothe astronauts during periods of rest.”

Lingdin thought of the astronauts who were forced into

believing the moon landing really happened. He de-

cided not to open that can of worms today.

The elevator jerked to a halt and Lingdin stirred from

his trance. He was alone in the elevator; “65” glowing

on the panel.

“How long have I been here,” he asked himself grog-

gily. His head throbbed and his shirt collar was soaked

with sweat, but he was happy to have made it up alive.

The glass doors opened slowly and Lingdin timed the

careful removal of his hands from his ears to stop the

doors closing in one swift movement. He escaped the

vertically moving box of death and only caught a few

bars of “Moon River” played by kazoo and timpani en-

semble before the doors closed again.

Lingdin smoothed his shirt with his hands and made

his way to his Parisian hotel room, opting for the sixty-

five flights of stairs the way down. a

Read, Rate and Comment on Rhiannon’s Writings at www.ezinearticles.com. (Search “Rhiannon Schmitt”)

Your positive ratings & comments are appreciated.

(MUZAK CODE Continued from page 3)

(250) 833-5626 • www.fiddleheads.ca

“Nurture Your Potential”

Fiddleheads Violins Fall Specials

Intelli Parksons IMT-202: 3 in 1 Metronome/Digital Tuner

Why buy a tuner and a metronome when you can have both in one? Smaller than a pack of cards & versatile.

On Sale only $39. reg $48

All Music Books 10% off

• Blues Violin, Beginner Violin Theory & more

• 2006 Edition RCM Violin Series, $10 and up.

• Violin Wall Charts (3ft x 2ft) $9 incl tax

6

Start Lessons with New Strings

Corelli Crystals outlast and outplay Dominants.

Retail $54, sale price $40 includes free install

Also available: Strings by Thomastic-Infeld, D-Addario, Pirastro

It’s recommended to change your strings once to twice a year.

Bon Musica Shoulder Rests

• The best shoulder rest available • Excellent adjustable design makes the rest suit the individual and playing is ergonomic

and comfortable. Made in Germany

Save $5 this Fall: Violin $55, Viola $60

Celebrating Eight Years

In 1999 I moved to Salmon Arm to marry

Mason and opened Fiddleheads Violin School.

Now my son is almost 6 (he starts Kindergar-

ten this fall at North Canoe) and my business

has won awards and expanded to offer sales.

My very first Shuswap student, Rory Cleve-

land (see cover) recently received First Class

Honours in her RCM Grade 6 Violin exam.

Okanagan Music Awards Nominee

I’ve been nominated for Classical Artist of

the Year in the 4th Annual Okanagan Music

Awards & Musicians Bash to be held at the

Vernon & District Performing Arts Center on

September 26, 2006. Wish me luck and hope

to see you there.

www.scorpionentertainment.ca

Fee Increase

Due to the rising cost of lessons in the area as

well as the extremely high demand for lessons

with me, fees have been increased to $36/hour

($18 per half-hour, $27 for 45-minutes). A

trimester of ten 30-minute lessons costs $185.

Fees are due by the 2nd week of each term.

www.fiddleheads.ca/school/policies

Student Discounts in Shop

Introducing a new program: All FVS students,

current or former, receive 10% student dis-

counts on most items in my shop.

Other news: we now carry Electric Violins!

Fall Calendar & Breaks

The first of three trimesters runs September

18 to November 23 (except Monday students

who start September 11).

There are no Monday lessons on Oct 9

(Thanksgiving). Lessons are still on for

Monday, Nov 13 (Remembrance observance).

The FVS Calendar is always available online

at www.fiddleheads.ca/school/calendar

Fiddle Contest Results

FVS students cleaned house at the Shuswap

Violin Society’s Fiddle Contest in May.

1st: Beg Small Fry - Jamé Wonacott

2nd: Beg Small Fry - Beth Ralston

1st: Int Small Fry- Colin Robinson

2nd: Int Junior A - Taylor Robinson

1st: Int Junior B - Mary Ross

2nd: Int Junior B - Krista French

3rd: Int Junior B - Taylor Bahen

2nd: Int Junior C - Charlotte Moores

3rd: Int Junior C - Elise Vanderhoek

1st: Beg Teen - Thea Mongerson

2nd: Int Teen - Katerina Karding

1st: Int Adult – Mindy Buchanan

Fiddleheads Ensemble

The Fiddleheads Ensemble rehearses this

November and December starting Nov 10,

cost $40. Minimum 6 members required.

We’ll perform carols at the local malls and our

Christmas recital on Friday, December 16 at

the SAGA Art Gallery (starts 7pm).

Our Musical Europe Trip

Mason and I travelled England, Belgium, the

Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzer-

land and France last June.

The highlights for me were seeing a collection

of instruments in Venice used by Vivaldi’s

students and several real Stradivariuses in

Rome. I visited a German violin maker in

Heidelberg and played a 300-year-old violin.

Photos of our trip are at www.schmitt.ca

FVS Student on Stage

16-year-old FVS viola student Thea Monger-

son starred a lead role in Shuswap Theatre’s

“Sowing Seeds in Danny” last July.

Rhiannon’s Writings Published

I’m now a regular contributor with Australia’s

Music Teacher Magazine. I’m also online at

www.ezinearticles.com (search for Rhiannon

Schmitt) where you can read, rate, comment

on and send any of my articles.

Your high ratings (click on the five stars at the

bottom) and positive comments will hopefully

lead to my syndication in other magazines.

Prayers for Frieda

Our thoughts are with FVS student Frieda

Marttunen and her family during her illness

and recovery.

info@fiddleheads.ca

Instrument Bank

SVS Instrument Bank applica-tions are accepted on an ongoing basis. Call Joan Cleveland at 832-0157.

Please contact the SVS to loan/ donate an instrument or would like to contribute funds.

AGM and Election

AGM and annual election will be held in October. On the agenda: past year in review, coming events and election of officers. Individuals wishing to be involved as directors or members encouraged to attend.

Scholarships

The Nunn Family Trio of Salmon Arm and Kate Parnell of Armstrong were recipients of scholarships last June.

In only three years the SVS has raised and given out $4000, an impressive feat!

Fiddle Workshop

The SVS is currently making arrangements for a fiddle work-shop/masterclass with a high profile player. The workshop funded by a grant from the Shuswap Foundation.

www.violinsociety.ca

Shuswap Violin Society News in Brief

7

The Fiddleheads Gazette • Volume 7, Number 1 • Fall 2006 • Page 8

Copyright © 2006 Rhiannon Schmitt and Fiddleheads Violin School. Notated in1999 by Fred Nachbaur, Rhiannon's late father. Confused? Play this from opposite sides of a table: Violin 2 is read up-side-down.

Free Sheet Music