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. In Memoriam Western New York lost a quiet treasure when violin maker Anthony W. Wrona passed away on September 4, 2000, after a long illness. Wrona was born in the Buffalo area of New York on March 13, 1926. As the oldest in a large family, he shouldered the additional responsibilities that come with being first born but found time to work odd jobs and maintain an A average. Wrona took violin lessons when family finances permitted, but otherwise studied on his own. He regularly hung out at violin shops, trying to learn something about how instruments were constructed, hoping he could make something better than the instrument he was resigned to play. Wrona was drafted and served in the Army during WWII. He returned to the United States after a spinal injury left him a paraplegic. During his recovery Wrona met a hospital volunteer who, as fortune would have it, was friends with an Italian violin maker of high standing, Simone Sacconi (head of the Rembert Wurlitzer Company’s fine-instrument repair department). Arrangements were made to accommodate Wrona with a bench and tools, and Sacconi visited Wrona once or twice a week to tutor him and critique his work. Wrona continued working for more than 30 years, making violins and occasionally repairing instruments. Sometimes dealing with difficult medical complications and chronic pain, he maintained a positive outlook till the end. He has inspired those who knew him not to let handicaps getting in the way and demonstrated that you can create great beauty despite obstacles. He will be greatly missed by my mother, Patricia, and me—as well as by his many friends and family. —Michael Wrona Comings and Goings After more than 20 years at its famous Broadwick Street location (and 109 years in Soho), John & Arthur Beare has moved its shop to new premises near Wigmore Hall, at 30 Queen Anne Street, W1. The new shop is part of the Howard de Walden family estate—a family with string-playing roots stretching back more than 100 years. The firm will now focus on its internationally renown expertise and certification business along with sales of high-quality instruments and bows, and restorations; the sale of strings and accessories will be taken over by the mail-order department and will no longer be offered through the store. (Call [44] 20-7437-1293 for mail-order information.) Marcello Armand-Pilon and Nomura Haruko have moved from their old address at via Giuseppina 27 in Cremona, Italy, to via Buoso da Dovara 48, also in Cremona. Several other Italian makers have also relocated in the past year. Silvio Lavaggi, recent winner of several Violin Society of America awards and a fellow Cremona dweller, has moved from via Aselli 7 to via Bonomelli 11. Sandro Soldi recently moved from via Cesare Battisti 7 in Asola to via Bartelesse Fustachi 20 in Milan. Aspiring New Bow CodaBow recently introduced the newest addition to its family of carbon-graphite bows: the Aspire, an affordably-priced performance bow for beginning musicians. I was able to hear the bow played at the recent Violin Society of America convention in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky; the bow had a full, resonant tone, and several other visitors to the CodaBow table commented on its light feel. The Aspire features a polished graphite fleck finish, a mother-of-pearl slide, nickel-silver mounting, and the trademark CodaBow eye. The button screw is made of one-piece nickel silver and simulated ebony and pearl; the grip is made of leather foam with silver thread winding, and the tip is simulated ivory. The Aspire is only made in violin models and weighs approximately 57 grams. For some people this bow may be too light, but the balance and feel make it very fluid and responsive—ideal for beginning and early-advanced players. For more information, visit www.codabows.com, or contact (888) 263-2269. —Heather K. Scott Grove Increases Access As reported here last spring ("Grove Goes On-Line," May/June 2000), the new edition of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is finally hitting the shelves—and the Internet. With the 29-volume print version priced at $4,850, an on-line subscription already looked appealing at $650 per year. Now the publishers have dropped the price and are adding monthly and hourly on-line subscriptions to those who need to access the vast amount of information Grove provides for a short term only. Access is now available for $295 per year or $30 per month. Rates for hourly subscriptions, which will go by the name MetroPass, had not been decided at the time of this printing. Previews of the on-line database are available at www.grovemusic.com. Unlike the print volumes, the digital version of the text will be updated regularly by a team of editors and researchers employed full-time by Grove’s Dictionaries, Inc. An eight-member advisory board will organize and maintain the site and all work relating to it. For more information or to order, call (800) 972-9892, fax (802) 864-7626, or e-mail gdi.orders@aidcvt.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Market-related news items and information on new products, from the U.S. or abroad, are always welcome. Please mail to Heather K. Scott, Market Report, Strings, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979; fax to (415) 485-0831; or e-mail to Heather@stringletter.com.
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