Violets and Violin Strings, Part II [pp. 489-498]

THE
OVERLAND MONTHLY
DEVOTED TO
THE DEVELOPfMENT OF THE CO UNTRY.
VOL. I 3. -DECEMBER, I 874.-No. 6.
VIOLETS AND VIOLIN STRINGS.
IN TWO PARTS.-PART II.
From Leo Otto Bergholz to his Friend,
Carl Zimmerman.
NEW YORK, October -th, i8-.
EAR CARL:-Much has happen ed since I wrote to you last. I
have now more than I can do at even
what would seem fabulous prices to us
in Germany. I feel sometimes as if I
could not be living a real life-that it
must all be an Aladdin's dream, from
which I shall be rudely awakened; especially do I feel this when I think of
the low prices our dear old professor received. I have changed my room now
to the first floor. I have an elegantly
furnished suite of apartments opposite
Herr Hahneman's. I found that it was
necessary for me to do so, as I have violin pupils coming to my rooms at all
hours of the day. My evenings are always occupied. If I do not play in the
orchestra, I am usually invited to some
private musicale. You see, dear Carl,
there are very few fine musicians here;
music is not, as with us, a passion,
though nearly every family has some
kind of an instrument. The great masters, who are so honored and revered in
Germany, are strangers here. The people never have those great musical festivals which are the bright spots of every year with us. Latterly there has
been a great deal said about classical
music. Americans have what they call
rages for everything- I do not know
how exactly to express my meaning in
German-but classical music is now the
rage. I first came to play at these private musicales through Violetta. Everything comes to me through her. I
had given her five or six lessons, when
she said to me, "Professor Bergholz, I
am going to ask a favor of you." I
bowed, thinking she was merely going
to ask me to play, as usual, after we had
finished the lesson. "We are going to
have a little party to-morrow night" (she
smiled), "which we are presumptuous
enough to style a musicale. There have
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year i874, by JOHN H. CARMANY, in the Office of the
Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
VOL. z3.-32.