MUSIC: A Stradivarius Dream

By Thelma Mejía Reprint | | Print |

Thelma Mejia

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 15 1994 (IPS) - For 83-year-old Arnulfo Aguilar and his family it seems like a dream: the violin which for years has hung on a wall in their humble home could be an original Stradivarius – worth as much as two million dollars.

It all began when Aguilar, former musician-turned-barber and masseur, decided to sell the violin which he had owned for more than half a century. A local salesman from his hometown Azacualpa, in the western department of Santa Barbara, came to Aguilar for a massage after he hurt his ankle and took an interest in the violin on the wall.

Aguilar explained that he had hung up his violin nine years ago, “because I used to drink a lot when I played, and my wife threatened to leave me…so I left the music scene and dedicated myself entirely to therapeutic massage and cutting hair.”

Originally from El Salvador and now a nationalized Honduran, Aguilar studied music at a conservatory and, in 1941, bought the instrument from a violinist who was in urgent need of money. Over the years, he has delighted many people with his music, including current Honduran President Carlos Roberto Reina.

But he never really examined his instrument as to where it was made saying “those are things we don’t pay much attention to, especially then, when I had bought it for next to nothing, maybe 100 lempiras (then worth about 15 dollars).

Aguilar sold the violin to the salesman for 1,000 lempiras, (about 100 dollars) Half the price was given as a down payment, with the rest was to be paid in installments.

Soon after the sale, the Aguilar family heard the salesman was considering selling the violin as an antique. Upon learning of this, Carmelina, one of Aguilar’s daughters, decided to reclaim the instrument. A lawyer helped the family, and they managed to buy it back for 500 dollars – five times the purchase price.

According to Carmelina, “we examined the violin meticulously when we got it back, and discovered an inscription that read ‘Stradivarius…1736’.”

“It is a musical antique more than 250 years old, and according some experts, the instrument may be worth nearly two million dollars,” she added enthusiastically.

Currently, the family is awaiting a formal expert evaluation of the instrument’s authenticity.

Antonio Stradivarius, or Stradivari, was born in Bergamo, Italy in 1644 and died in 1737. He made some 1,000 instruments in his lifetime, of which some 600 violins, 50 cellos, 12 violas, a guitar, a zither and a harp dated 1681 are known to survive. (MORE)

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