No subject

even
when getting out of a cab =97 which, he said, in a later conversation, =
was his
usual practice.=20

That is what many musicians do.

=93I can=92t leave it for a minute in public,=94 said Pinchas Zukerman, =
the
violinist and conductor. =93The first thing I do when I get home is put =
it in
the same place. It=92s so attached to me. I=92ve never felt it=92s =
anything but a
third arm. I can=92t imagine leaving it anywhere.=94 As he spoke by =
cellphone,
Mr. Zukerman was sitting just outside the cafeteria at the Colburn =
School in
Los Angeles. His violin, a 1742 Guarneri del Ges=F9, lay five feet away, =
next
to a friend at a table.
Mr. Zukerman said that when he puts it on the ground, he usually keeps =
in
physical contact, often with his toe. Sometimes he does leave the violin =
in
his hotel room, but he puts a =93Do Not Touch=94 note on it.=20

Roberto D=EDaz, a viola soloist and the president of the Curtis =
Institute of
Music in Philadelphia, said he made sure that his instrument had passed
through the security scanner before he himself went through the metal
detector. In restaurants, he puts his viola, an Amati dating to 1570 =
that
once belonged to the great William Primrose, on the floor, his foot =
lightly
upon it.
Just to be safe, when asked whether his instrument is a saxophone, he =
says
yes.=20
Mr. D=EDaz said he was amazed that anyone could leave behind an object =
so
integral to one=92s identity. That could be the very reason, though, =
that it
happens. Familiarity leads to thoughtlessness. His theory is that our
multitasking age has created distraction overload.
Flutists, as players of one of the smallest instruments, may be the most
vulnerable. Robert Langevin, principal flutist of the New York =
Philharmonic,
said he kept his instrument in a briefcase, which has become second =
nature
to carry. =93The times that I go places without it, I really feel like =
I=92m
missing something,=94 he said.

Bein & Fushi of Chicago, a major dealer and restorer of string =
instruments,
is working on another solution. It plans to introduce tracking devices =
for
instrument cases, which could be located through global-positioning =
systems,
much like stolen cars. The cost would be about $500, plus $20 a month =
for
the service, a pittance for an instrument valued in the millions.
There may be a market for such a device. In an informal poll on
violinist.com, 36 percent of participants said they had left their =
violins
somewhere by accident. Of the 93 who said where they=92d left the =
instruments,
18 percent said in classrooms; 16 percent in restaurants; 12 percent in
cars; 12 percent in practice rooms; 9 percent on trains; and 2 percent =
in
the bathroom. Three percent said in taxis.
Forgotten-fiddle stories abounded on the Web site. One musician drove =
away
with a violin on the roof of the car. Another drove over it. A violist =
left
her instrument in an open trunk during a night of rain.=20

In Mr. Quint=92s case, the incident had another layer of complication: =
the
Strad did not belong to him. It was on loan from Clement and Karen =
Arrison,
a philanthropic couple in Buffalo. The loan was brokered by Bein & Fushi
through its Stradivari Society division, which arranges such placements. =
As
part of the deal, Mr. Quint had to return the violin to Bein & Fushi for
inspection after its taxi adventure.=20
In the end, its recovery may lead to a permanent separation from Mr. =
Quint.=20
The barrage of publicity troubled the Arrisons, and Ms. Arrison said =
they
were still weighing whether to return it to him. =93We really don=92t =
like the
idea of people knowing where the violin is,=94 she said.

=93Philippe is an excellent musician,=94 who draws a beautiful tone from =
their
instrument, Ms. Arrison continued. =93He=92s a decent guy. There is no =
malice on
his part.=94 And he has cared well for the violin. Those factors are all =
in
his favor.=20
On the other hand, Mr. Quint did leave the violin in the cab =97 =
violating a
condition of the loan that it stay in physical contact with him at all =
times
while he is traveling, Ms. Arrison said. The agreement has plenty of
strictures, like requiring the case to stay closed while the violin is =
in
it, and forbidding others to play the violin.

=93Once things calm down =97 if we can get them to calm down =97 and =
when the
violin has a chance to rest, we=92ll be better able to make a =
decision,=94 she
said. =93You have to be grateful for the big stuff, and the big stuff is =
we
got the violin back, and it was in good condition.=94
Mr. Quint, a good-natured Russian, said he understood. =93It is their
instrument,=94 he said. He called the Arrisons =93extremely =
understanding.=94
Meantime, he has the use of a violin from an anonymous patron: a =
Guarneri.
And he expressed no worries he would leave it anywhere.
=93This is like lightning,=94 he said. =93I don=92t think it=92s going =
to strike the
same place twice.=94


http://www.nytimes.com/


toncremers at museum-security.org
http://www.museum-security.org
http://www.museumbeveiliging.com
http://www.handboekveiligheidszorgmusea.nl=20