Introducing
the Scandal Sheet
Why
bother with controversy anyway?
A Letter from
the Editor
From the beginning the violin
trade has been plagued by scandal, from fraud and deception to trickery,
conspiracy, theft, shoddiness, in both expertise and workmanship, and
just plain ignorance. Some of this may indeed be evil and intentional,
but the rest may be due to human error, carelessness or
oversight. Brian Harvey wrote an excellent book on the subject, revised in
1998 with the collaboration of Carla Shapreau, Violin Fraud: Deception,
Forgery, Theft, and Lawsuits in England and America , but it is three
and a half years hence, and new history continues in the making. Rumors
abound, the Press constantly mines the field, lawsuits are threatened or
filed, settlements are made and punishments meted out in the name of a
sometimes dubious justice. Still, the ethical, moral and legal issues
remain as murky and challenging as ever. The rush to judgment against the
trade, indeed against anyone selling anything to anyone, belies that
cornerstone of our legal system, the presumption of innocence, and while
injustices may sometimes be righted by the action of the courts, they
seldom are in the court of public opinion. At the same time, hapless victims
deserve to be recompensed for their losses, and charlatans and criminals
must be driven out of the business in order to maintain the public’s
respect and confidence. The future of the trade depends upon it.
It is important to illuminate the issues behind violin scandals thoroughly, not only in order to understand them, but to use them as a guide to the continuing refinement of our ethical system. New issues arise, opinions change, old issues appear in a new light, thanks to the uncovering of new data, and new scientific tools and methods reveal the mistakes of the past. Ethical and moral standards change, as well: the idea that women had rights, or that Caucasians should be made to live in military barracks with African-Americans was once unthinkable. We must glide over these shifting sands, creating a definition of moral behavior for ourselves as we go, and our success at doing so depends upon constant reexamination of the issues. To be a moral absolutist, with unwavering principles is to be at risk of painting oneself into a corner. I once watched a friend’s mother kiss his dog, rather than his bride, following their marriage ceremony. She did not approve of her new daughter-in-law, and her absolute principles demanded that she declare the fact and not pretend otherwise.
It is also important to study the resolutions of violin scandals, both satisfactory and unsatisfactory. By following past problems through to their conclusions, we may be able to gain important insights which will help us to evaluate present and future problems, and to anticipate their outcomes. There is currently a wealth of information obtainable by the consumer which was formerly accessible only to the trade. The details of how grievances against unscrupulous or careless dealers have been pursued and resolved are another important body of data which deserves its place in the public domain. We are committed to making it as widely available as we can.
We feel that
some of
the best people to inquire into violin scandals are those closest to the
trade, and on both sides of the cash box. We have already reported on an
online purchase that went sour, ( Winter
2001,) and on
the ongoing Messiah Strad controversy, ( Winter
2001.) We
intend to continue in this vein as the news breaks. Scandals are by their
very nature sensational and sexy, and this sometimes leads to an
exaggeration, exploitation, or obfuscation of the truth. We hope, through a
careful, sober, and thorough examination of the facts, to stay closer to
the core of the truth. ###
Melanie Hersh