SOURCES Of JOYCE HACKETT'S DISTURBANCE OF THE INNER EAR:
THE KING CELLO (ANDREA AMATI, 1572)
THE KING CELLO (ANDREA AMATI, 1572)
The Savant, the cello in Disturbance, is based partly on this instrument, one of the three oldest cellos in existence. "The King" was made by Andrea Amati sometime between 1538 and 1574 in Cremona, Italy, where Amati lived and established the great line of cello-makers that included his grandson, Nicolo, and also Stradivarius. The paintings, gildings and mottoes on the cello relate to Charles IX, King of France, who ordered 38 instruments from Andrea Amati. Nearly every surface, even the peg box, is decorated (the peg box and scroll on this cello are original). On the centre
of the back, over the royal coat of arms, is a crown. To the right is a figure of a
woman and further to the right, a column, with a crown on top, and still another
crown near the bottom of the instrument. On the left side, the figure is no
longer visible, and only a portion of the column remains. The figures stand
for Piety and Justice.
On the sides of the cello were the words Pietate and Justicia.
On the bass side, above the K which stands for Charles (Karolus) is a crown, surrounded by other decorative figures on the middle bout. In each of the four corners of the back is a fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the royal family of France. There is also a fleur-de-lis at the back of the peg box. On the peg box is a fifth peg hole that may or may not have been there originally. (There were five-stringed cellos up to the middle of the eighteenth century.) The instrument has obviously been knocked about a little, but it has been beautifully repaired and is in a healthy condition today. The overall colour is of amber. The voice of this cello is remarkable. It possesses a beautiful, full-throated sound, vigorous enought to be heard in a concerto. The King has been cut down to the size of a modern cello (it was a bit bigger originally). In Disturbance, The Savant resembles the King, physically, in every way, but it is a cello that for some reason was originally made to modern proportions, thus never cut down, and so even more valuable.
On the bass side, above the K which stands for Charles (Karolus) is a crown, surrounded by other decorative figures on the middle bout. In each of the four corners of the back is a fleur-de-lis, the symbol of the royal family of France. There is also a fleur-de-lis at the back of the peg box. On the peg box is a fifth peg hole that may or may not have been there originally. (There were five-stringed cellos up to the middle of the eighteenth century.) The instrument has obviously been knocked about a little, but it has been beautifully repaired and is in a healthy condition today. The overall colour is of amber. The voice of this cello is remarkable. It possesses a beautiful, full-throated sound, vigorous enought to be heard in a concerto. The King has been cut down to the size of a modern cello (it was a bit bigger originally). In Disturbance, The Savant resembles the King, physically, in every way, but it is a cello that for some reason was originally made to modern proportions, thus never cut down, and so even more valuable.