Herman Lowendall 1920s Berlin, Germany 4/4 Violin
According to the Purchaser’s Guide to the Music Industries [John C. Freund, Milton Weil, Music Trades Corp. 1963, p.189] Herman Lowendall violins were imported to the US for decades by the same company that imported other high quality violins (including G. A. Pfretzschner, G. F. Heberlein and Andreas Morelli along with a limited number of even more refined Wilhelm Durschmidt and Kurt Guetter violins). In the late 1920s and 1930s, Herman Lowendall Strad models sold for just under $100.
Today, Ideal Musical Merchandise Company in New York imports Herman Lowendall violins (as well as Ernst Heinrich Roth, Roman Teller, Helmut Mayer, Andreas Morelli, G.F. Heberlein, G.A. Pfretzschner, Karl Hauser and T.G. Pfretzschner) to the US. Ideal imports for sale to musical instrument wholesalers.
Over the years, Herman Lowendall violins have consistently been high quality instruments.
This violin, branded "Herman Lowendall - Berlin" in an oval.
The violin also has a paper label that reads: "Made expressly for the students of the New Haven Institute of Music," an entity that operated in the 1920s and 30s.
This violin is in excellent condition with no repairs and only very small indications of use.
The solid carved spruce top has moderately tight, even grain.
The solid carved maple back, ribs and neck has nice, moderately tight flame.
The varnish nice red-brown, antiqued to allow amber highlights show.
The fittings are ebony.
The tuning pegs have large mother-of-pearl French eyes.
The strings are Evah Pirazzi.
