cello

The Musical Instrument Fund purchased this cello in 2017 from a Dutch dealer thanks to a donation from a private foundation. That foundation made it possible to purchase several instruments, all of which are part of the “Willem G. Vogelaar Collection.” Cellos from the workshop of this prominent family of violin makers in The Hague are renowned for their exceptionally high quality. At international auctions, extremely high prices are sometimes bid for Cuypers cellos. Johannes Bernardus, like his brother J. Franciscus, worked in his father’s (Johannes Theodorus) workshop. Before the Musical Instrument Fund decided to purchase this cello, a large number of carefully selected cellos were subjected to a comparison of their tonal qualities in a concert hall. Among those cellos were instruments from England, France, Italy, and, of course, the Netherlands. The two Old Dutch cellos included in the (blind) tests were rated the highest. Emma Kroon was selected by the Musical Instrument Fund to play the cello to be purchased. Since both cellos were found to be of equal quality and differed only in tonal character, Emma was allowed to choose the cello that best matched her own ideal sound.