Auction offers unique opportunity to acquire rare musical instruments from aficionado’s collection, untouched since the late 1950s
June 28, 2006
WOKING, Surrey - A remarkable and eclectic lifetime’s collection of early and rare musical instruments, ceramics, books and furniture formed by a past president of the Newbury ( England) Symphony Orchestra will be sold by British auction house Ewbank on Thursday, July 6. Live Internet bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com in association with eBay Live Auctions.
The collection, which was formed over the years by Peter Davies and his wife Ann, has not been added to since the late 1950s, and all the instruments have been kept in the same location in the UK since then. Their provenance is impeccable.
Mr and Mrs Davies were dedicated musicians, Mr Davies in particular being an aficionado of early music. He was born in Newbury in November 1918 into a musical family, an influence that was to remain with him for his entire life. His grandfather was a founder member of the Newbury Amateur Orchestral Union, now the Newbury Symphony Orchestra, and Mr Davies was president for many years. The NSO is the second-oldest amateur orchestra in Britain, founded in 1879.
Mr Davies started his musical career as a chorister at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and went on to become a choral scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, where he gained an M.A. in History. A gifted musician, his main instrument was the cello, and his beautiful instrument is one of the important lots in the sale. He was involved in the NSO for his entire life, and started an impressive madrigal group, the Enborne Consort, which he continued to run until he died in 2003. He was also one of the earliest members of the Galpin Society, formed in 1946 for the publication of original research into the history, construction, development and use of musical instruments and so named in commemoration of the pioneer work in the field by Canon Francis W. Galpin (1858-1945).
Mr Davies’s widow, Ann, has played the viola and violin for her entire life, and her children’s orchestra was well known locally, with perhaps 30 children playing tiny violins together. She introduced many players to the instrument at an early age, some of whom went on to become world-famous players.
Speaking of his late father, Nicholas Davies said the family had been immersed in music throughout his life. “Family string quartets were an everyday event,” Nicholas said. “The earliest photograph we have of some of the family playing music together is of my father, aged 40, on the Serpent, and me, aged 3, playing the flageolet – both cherished instruments that will remain in the family.”
Nicholas, also a cellist, followed in his father’s footsteps, and in 1963 also won a music scholarship to St George’s before gaining a Bachelor of Music degree at Birmingham University. Mr Davies’s eldest daughter, Nini, is a singer, flutist and harpist, and sings regularly in early music groups, while youngest children, Tim and Emma, also love music.
Mr Davies’s commitment to history was legendary. Not only did he major in History at Cambridge, but he was also a founding member of the Newbury Society, dedicated to preserving buildings of historical note in that town. He also directed the music for the famous Aldermaston Nativity Plays for many years. During the Second World War, he was posted to Cairo with the British Council, where he had the task of organizing concerts for the troops. He made the most of his time there, going on expeditions into the desert with the likes of the renowned archaeologist Sir Flinders Petrie, learning Arabic, and becoming immersed in Middle Eastern culture.
Auctioneer Chris Ewbank said he was delighted to have been chosen by the family to sell this important collection. “This is a unique opportunity to obtain rare and early musical instruments which have been so lovingly cared for, and we anticipate considerable interest in the auction, both from this country and worldwide,” he said.
Mr Davies’s cello is likely to be one of the most valuable lots in the sale. Dating from the 18th century, it was made in Paris by either Louis Guersan (1713-1781) or Jean Baptiste Salomon (fl.1730-1771), both of whom are renowned for their beautiful instruments. The cello is expected to sell for $12,500-$18,000.
The rarest – and earliest – instrument in the collection is a Renaissance cornettino, made about 1600, and today an exceptionally unusual survivor. A member of the early brasswind family, this descant instrument of the cornet family is made from wood covered with leather and has a mouthpiece similar to the trumpet. The instrument was used in sacred vocal music to play in unison with tenor voices but an octave higher and in later large scale Masses and cantatas. Its top players commanded higher fees than any other musicians in a 17th century orchestra. It is believed Mr Davies’s cornettino may have been used as a prototype to make accurate and authentic reconstructions by the highly respected Christopher Monk, who was one of the pioneers of reviving interest in early musical instruments. The cornettino is estimated at $10,000-$14,000.
The collection also includes a very beautiful bass viola da gamba – a precursor of the cello – by London maker Thomas Collingwood which dates from circa 1680. One of only a handful to survive by this maker, the instrument has been painstakingly restored by the highly respected Dietrich Kessler and is also estimated at $13,000-$18,000. A rare English cello by William Forster made in 1795, the same year in which he made a ‘cello for George III, is ripe for restoration and estimated at $7,000-$12,500.
The Davies collection also features an important and extremely rare set of Irish bagpipes circa 1825 by Kenna of Dublin which are in excellent condition and estimated at $3,500-$5,300, but the most unusual instrument is a curious collapsible travelling violin which dates from circa 1875. By the Paris maker Jules Grandjon, the finely made instrument is constructed to allow the neck to be pulled from the body so that it can be carried in a smaller case. In miraculous condition despite its age, the instrument is estimated at $1,400-2,000.
Elsewhere, the collection includes a selection of string and woodwind instruments to suit musicians of all ages and skill levels. The ceramics section includes collectible Wedgwood, Minton, Derby and commemorative ware, notably a Martin Brothers stoneware vase decorated with peonies (estimate $1,000-$1,600. A highlight in furniture is a good early 18th century walnut chest on stand ($3,500-$5,300) and among a small selection of books are two works bound as one volume, the first titled “The Costumes of China”, by GH Mason, written in English and French with colored engravings, published in 1800, the second titled “The Punishments of China”, published in 1801 and illustrated with 22 gruesome engravings. The volume is estimated at $1,400-$2,100.
View the fully illustrated catalog and bid absentee or live online through www.liveauctioneers.com.
