Under the year 1658 he informs us that: “Tho. Baltzar, a Lubecker borne, and the most famous artist for the violin that the world had yet produced, was now in Oxon. And this day (July 24th), A. W. was with him and Mr. Ed. Low at the Meeting house of Will Ellis. A. W. did then and there, to his very great astonishment, heare him play on the violin. He then saw him run up his fingers to the end of the finger-board of the violin, and run them back insensibly, and all in alacrity and in very good tune, which he nor any in England saw the like before. A. W. entertained him and Mr. Low with what the house could then afford, and afterwards he invited them to the tavern; but they being engag’d to goe to other company, he could no more heare him play or see him play at that time. Afterwards he came to one of the weekly meetings, at Mr. Ellis’s House, and he played to the wonder of all the auditory; and exercising his fingers and instrument several wayes to the utmost of his power. Wilson, thereupon, the public professor (the greatest judge of musick that ever was) did, after his humoursome way stoope downe to Baltzar’s feet to see whether he had a huff (hoof) on, that is to say, to see whether he was a devil or not, because he acted beyond the parts of man.”
“About this time it was, that Dr. John Wilkins, warden of Wadham Coll., the greatest curioso of his time, invited him and some of the musitians to his lodgings in that Coll. purposely to have a consort, and to see and heare him play. The instruments and books were carried thither, but none could be persuaded there to play against him in consort on the violin.
“At length the company perceiving A. W. standing behind in a corner, neare the dore, they haled him in among them, and play, forsooth he must, against him. Whereupon he being not able to avoid it, took up a violin and behaved himself as poor Troylus did against Achilles. He was abashed at it, yet honour he got by playing with and against such a grand master as Baltzar was.”
“Mr. Davis Mell was accounted hitherto the best for the violin in England, as I have before told you, but after Baltzar came into England, and showed his most wonderful parts on that instrument, Mell was not so admired, yet he played sweeter, was a well bred gentleman, and not given to excessive drinking as Baltzar was.”
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Baltzar occupies a twofold prominence, he was one of the earliest German performers, and the first to give any real impetus towards the popularity of the violin in this country. He is also stated to have been the first to introduce the practice of “shifting.”
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During the reign of Charles I, and also during the Cromwellian usurpation, music was practically at a standstill. Instrumental music in churches was prohibited, and the theatres were soon after shut up. Indeed, as a previous historian of the art has observed, “nothing but syllabic and unisonous psalmody was authorised or even permitted in the Church. Organs were taken down; organists and choirmen reduced to beggary, and the art of music, and indeed all arts but those of killing, canting, and hypocracy, discountenanced, if not prescribed. The only demand made for the fiddle was in the performance of low class music as an accompaniment to the bacchanalian orgies, in favour during this profligate period.”
However, with the restoration of Charles II, came the restoration of music in this country. The musical taste of this monarch having been formed in France during his sojourn there, he was naturally anxious to introduce the French style into this country, and as we have seen from the writings of A. Wood, he emulated the French King, Louis XIV, by employing a band of twenty-four violins. From this period, and with this impetus, the epoch of violin playing in England may be said to date.
The leader of this band of twenty-four violins was Baltzar; he was succeeded by John Banister, who was really the first English violinist of any note.