Continuing the legacy; The ‘Schneeberger’ Stradivari

For nearly all of its known history, the 1731 ‘Schneeberger’ Stradivari has been in the hands of exceptional musicians. Most recently, it was in the possession of the celebrated Swiss violinist Hansheinz Schneeberger who owned the instrument for more than sixty years. Earlier this year, Tarisio Private Sales sold the ‘Schneeberger’ to an anonymous patron for the long-term use of Arnaud Sussmann.

By Jason Price December 6, 2024

Born in Bern in 1926, Hansheinz Schneeberger studied with Walter Kägi, Carl Flesch and Boris Kamensky. In 1958 the 32-year-old Schneeberger was chosen to give the world premiere of Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1. From 1958 to 1961 he served as principal concertmaster of the NDR Symphony Orchestra in Hamburg until Paul Sacher invited him to teach at the Schola Cantorum in Basel where he remained for the rest of his life. Schneeberger formed a string quartet, taught many students and performed as a highly respected soloist and chamber musician. He was a vocal proponent of new music and premiered numerous works including Frank Martin’s Violin Concerto and Tempora by Klaus Huber. Many consider him to be Switzerland’s finest violinist of the late 20th century. He leaves behind a substantial discography of recordings made on this violin.

Hansheinz Schneeberger with David Oistrakh in c. 1965

Schneeberger purchased the 1731 Stradivari through Pierre Gerber in Lausanne. The violin’s previous owner was Jean-Jacques Mercier de Molin, a Swiss businessman and patron of the arts. Mercier had bought the violin in 1915 from the German violinist Hugo Heermann. A student of Joseph Joachim, Heermann was an accomplished soloist, chamber musician and teacher who was based in Frankfurt for much of his career and taught at the Hoch Konservatorium. He was first violinist in the Museums Quartett and was briefly concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Heermann obtained the violin in 1889 from Carl Zach, a dealer in Vienna.

We are fortunate to have several early audio recordings made by Heermann including these recordings of J. S. Bach’s E major Partita and H. W. Ernst’s Nocturne. It’s impossible to say for sure but it’s very likely that Heermann used this 1731 Stradivari for these recordings.

Receipt from Hugo Heermann to Jean-Jacques Mercier in 1915.

According to the Caressa & Français archives this violin was purchased in 1844 by Ernest Eugène Altès, a French violinist who studied under Habeneck and later served as director of the Paris Opera Orchestra. Altès’s brother, Joseph Henri, was a flutist in the orchestra and was depicted in Edgar Degas’s 1870 painting, L’Orchestre de l’Opéra.

This 1731 Stradivari was known to W. E. Hill & Sons and Arthur Hill mentioned the instrument several times in his diaries. In their 1902 monograph on the maker, the Hills refer to the violin as “the excellent instrument of that distinguished artiste, M. Heermann” (p89).

The violin is sold with certificates from Tarisio, Beare Violins Ltd, Caressa & Français and Pierre Gerber.

A dendrochronology examination dated the latest annual rings for the treble and bass sides of the top to 1725 and 1722 respectively. Significant cross matches were found with the 1718 ‘Szekely’, the c.1732 ‘Président’, the 1731 ‘Lady Jeanne’, the 1733 ‘Rode’, among others.