Remembering Violin Dealer Charles Beare (1937-2025)

May 4, 2025 at 06:43 PM · Wonderful guy, one of my mentors.

I visited his shop something like 50 years ago when I was still a youngish lad. He knew of me from his having been a judge at the Cremona Competition in which I won a gold or silver medal or something like that, and my being employed at the Weisshaar shop may have engendered some trust as well.

Anyway, he took me in the elevator down to his vault, which must have had about 100 million worth of instruments in today's dollars, including a number of Strads and Guarneris, left me there alone, and told me to come back up when I was ready.

May 4, 2025 at 07:31 PM · He sounds remarkably generous and kind!

Did you get to play any of the instruments in the vault?

May 4, 2025 at 07:48 PM · Margaret, I could have, but didn't. There was already too much to take in.

I've spent a little time around two of his sons who have continued the business, Peter Beare and Freddie Beare, and they seem like wonderful people as well.

May 5, 2025 at 02:36 AM · As From ~ Elisabeth Matesky, Carrier of Heifetz - Milstein Violin Art & Mentoring Legacy {#4}

~ So Sad hearing of Luthier Expert Charles Beare's Passing on Saturday, 3rd of May 2025 ~

With much to remember and say, I will return shortly after changing the 'Audience' setting for my FB Intro on the Piano Trio Recital to take place here in Chicago's Symphony Centre Thursday 7. 5. 25 with Trio Members in Beethoven and Tchaikovsky Piano Trio's including Star Violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter; Pianist, Yefin Bronfman & new to Chicago audiences, Violoncellist in his Debut, Pablo Ferrandez ~ I'm quite sure Ms Mutter and by now, young Mr. Ferrandez were regular visitor's to the Shop of Charles Beare & Sons, Ltd., and in 'The Old Days' back in the 1990s, 2000's and in the past 25 Years thus far. I also used to stop in Beare's on Wardour Street, London W1, and not far from the forever location on New Bond Street, London W1, of William E. Hill & Sons, Ltd, always delighted to visit with Andrew Hill, son of Desmond Hill, and a Shop Greeter plus British Violinist colleagues when first living in London, and later on studying with Sascha Lasserson, a platinum name in Greatest Violin Mentoring, RX'd by my First Epic Violin Mentor, GOAT Violinist, Jascha Heifetz, when Mr. Heifetz learned his pupil, 'me-self', had received the Fulbright Scholarship to London, congratulating me and saying: "Liz, Lasserson in London!" {When Jascha Heifetz spoke, All Listened!} and once in London, settled in a glorious Flat, I began my quest to locate Sascha Lasserson, whom Mr. Heifetz thought of in platinum terms having been Leopold Auer's Authentic Assistant at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with fabled pupils, Heifetz; Mischa Elman; Efrem Zimbalist, Sr; Toscha Seidel; Nathan Milstein; Sascha Lasserson; Kubelik; Kathleen Parlow; Cecilia Hansen and One Lone American, Eddy Bauer ~ all of whom were to become Immortal due to Auer's great talents in mentoring Geniuses with most becoming globally renowned due to their individual exquisite playing yet none sounding remotely like their marvel others!!! This in and of itself was truly remarkable for The Jascha Heifetz Immediately recognisable Sound was miles from The Milstein Sound so lush red wine velvet in texture and rare notes without vibrato and used deliberately, so that decades later I would learn Why and How Mr. Milstein changed his vibrations on specific notes to honour their colours and subtle messages early on in the specific Violin Concerti Scores NM selected to fuse with his own Soul and Personae publicly ... Once finding Mr. Lasserson and playing for him, being accepted as his American 'Heifetz sent pupil from Los Angeles', we would sometimes over a period of several years go to Hills to visit one of the Hill Family, either Father, Desmond, Son of William E. Hill, or Son of Desmond Hill, Andrew, young and more relaxed than his fabled father and whom Grandest Violinists, Heifetz, Milstein and David Oistrakh, plus Menuhin early on went to for finest exams of their Strads - aka Milstein and David Oistrakh, and Guarneri del Gesu's, Jascha Heifetz, {and whom I recall purchased his feited Heifetz Guarneri del Gesu, from Desmond Hill or his Father, William E. Hill when most young playing in London's Queen's Hall in the 1930s even prior in the Roaring '20s!!} Grand Artists also included Ambassador Henryk Szeryng; Christian Ferras; Arthur Grumiaux; Oscar Shumsky; Rodney Friend (a bit later on when Leader of the LSO); Erich Gruenberg, a well known British Violinist; Ida Haendel, Grand Concert Artist and famed Italian Violinist's names of whom escape me currently but when they come back to my memory I will name several, and American Leaders of major US Greatest Orchestras, Joseph Silverstein; Jozef Gingold of the Cleveland Orchestra, Concertmaster under George Szell; and hosts of other major known Violinists many of whom Samuel Applebaum and wife Sada, wrote about in their Great Violinists Book Series, "How They Play," which was one of the most successful Books on Great Violinists ever published including Violist's about Michael Tree, Son of Sam & Sada Applebaum, The entire original Juilliard String Quartet and many more when later travelling more to London and Europe to Concert Tour!!! The Charles Beare & Sons Equation entered in the 1980s when rumours were UK swirling about saying fabled Hill & Sons, Ltd, were leaving 'inner' London for further out of London in town of Havenfields, which created a buzz throughout London Music Circles traveling 'across the pond' to American Luthier Instrument Shops in NYC, and to other major US Cities with Grand Luthier's and Bow Experts which would later lead to the Founding of Bein & Fushi, with Robert Bein, the most eminent Bow Authority in The world newly located here in Chicago's "Loop" in the Shop named Bein & Fushi, where Geoffrey Fushi and Robert Bein began building an Empire of Very Rare String & Bow Instruments in America outside of NYC and where Rembrandt Wurlitzer of NYC had Reigned for Decades with The World of Great and well known Violinists being their faithful Clients!! Also a major part of the Equation of grand Violin Houses were the Fabulous Luthier's, aka, Repair Experts and Wurlitzer's in NYC claimed Sacconi, whom Every Grand Solo Violin Artist went to have the magical skills of Sacconi going over their rare Strads/del Gesu's and Guads plus other Italian rare violin makers not quite as well known yet Known by finest violinists The World Over!! Charles Beare in quiet Wardour Street in the earliest times of my loving residing in inner London, was considered a sort of 'Second Choice' Violin House after the dazzle of Hill & Sons, Ltd, and when going there I sensed Mr. Beare somewhat in the shadow of his eminent neighbour over on New Bond Street not far from BBC Official Broadcasting House just a few doors down on Bond Street, fabled in London for Mayfair Chic finest shops!! The Story of Charles Beare, IMHO, really began with the shock departure of Hill & Sons, Ltd, from Bond Street which was a Jolt to the String Playing World in London spreading to the US major Capital Cities where Grand Violinists congregated and News of Hill & Son's became more and more difficult to obtain being so far out of Inner London and suburban London, it began to 'fade' so to speak and Beare's began to come into its Own! This was to become a bonanza for Owner, Charles Beare both in his Violin Shop business and internationally with his expertise about violins and Bows growing by leaps and bounds to the point where now 'at the Top' Charles Beare would Move his long located in Wardour Street Mayfair Shop to Wigmore Street just doors down from the British equivalent of our Carnegie Hall in NYC, *Wigmore Hall and a gloried concert hall more for Recital's than major orchestras or even chamber orchestras due the intimate stage and smaller size of the Hall itself but so beautiful and acoustic's to 'die for' it still holds the Title of Greatest Recital Hall in All Great Britain!

My relationship with Charles Beare was friendly and respectful on both sides due his respect for my Mentor's known by all London Violin & String Cousin Professional's, most of whom had studied with Mr. Lasserson, and who had built British String Playing so far up All Major Big Five London Orchestras were recognised as serious contender's for Best London Orchestra and then on a plain with the Greatest German Orchestras including even mention of the LSO at one point with the fabled Berliner Philharmoniker of Herbert von Karajan, many of whom began visiting due absence of Hill & Son's, Charles Beare & Sons in their new location on Wigmore Street in Mayfair very close to the again, Gloried Wigmore Hall and having performed there on special occasions in Recital and one's official London Debut with All Major Newspaper Critics there to (I suppose) hear an original 1 of 7 pupils of Heifetz!!!

Part of the Business of Major Violin House's is and was to Covet the greatest violinists/violists /violoncellists and Dble Basso's known & revered recognised in glowing critical terms and by word of mouth of those Iconic String Artists whom All the World revered ... There was another aspect to the growing beyond a '2nd Take' Beare & Sons; the issuance of Credible Violin Authenticity Papers which until leaving inner London, Hill & Son's, Ltd, was King! Again when Hill & Son's left, Beare & Son's became more eminent and well recognised which gave many Papers of Testimonial on various Rare Violins/Cellos/Violas/Dbl Basso's becoming evermore respected and sought throughout the world !!! It was & became Charles Beare's Time with Fame then knocking at the Door of Charles Beare & Sons, when he was later contacted by the Milstein Family to study the Milstein Strad of 1716, so remarkably famous due to its then late Owner, and my private mentor of 3.5 Years twice weekly in his Chester Square Townhouse, cum Studio for a minimum 4.5 hrs or 5 + each session or Tutorial with Mr. Milstein and on all Concert Violin Rep including a review of All Bach Unaccompanied Sonatas & Partitas for Violin, and whom frequented former Hill & Sons, as I noticed {going with NM} like a relative rather than an Owner of his cherished Stradivarius which the luthier of Hills poured his heart forth and skills acclaimed to make sure the NM Instrument Loyalist to Owner Milstein was in perfect repair and Olympic Shape for concerts upcoming and for his mentoring of 'me-self' his self-proclaimed "First Guinea Pig Heifetz Pupil!" and whom he, Nathan Milstein, also told me in April 1969, after hearing me honour play Bach's Chaconne, "and whom I can now violinistically experiment!" Quote, my mentor and close friend of 24 years, Nathan M. Milstein!! Veering off I must come back to the relationship of Charles Beare to fabled Violinists including Mr. Milstein yet After NM's Passing on 21.12.1992. I do know the Milstein Strad was lovingly looked after by a Member of his Family and following the passing of Mrs. T. Milstein later in the 1990s, having a Last Visit with her when over for my EM Invited by Director of TCM/ London, Derek W. A, O.B.E., to present an EM Comprehensive Series of Master Classes in Violin; Solo Bach; Chamber Music Violin w/Piano Duo's; String Quartets, and Twenty First Century Musician preparation in an EM Class from the American Perspective and a short speech on my Grand Mentor, Nathan Milstein, at the conclusion of the EM Comprehensive VMC Series in Barbirolli Hall and in 1 other at TCM, {Trinity College of Music/London} with Video Camera's taping to keep some Video of my Classes in London for a professional Profile showing in the future! During coaching and more informally in Ch. Music Duo's for Violin & Piano, many British and European Continent pupil's asked me many questions about both my Mentor's seeming very attracted to all 'Tips' I offered from either of them on left hand technique alla Heifetz, and Bowing alla Milstein, Master of The Bow, and which gave one tremendous Faith in The Future to be then in late 1990s, with some pupil's coming to my rare glorious rental in a Mews just 1 Block from famous Shopping Giant Store, Harrods!! There was a hint of growing optimism about the coming Twenty First Century Then and the pupils at TCM were truly respectful and full of questions about my own playing and global travels plus the 'secret's' handed down or passed on to yours truly by both Mister's Heifetz & Milstein over a total of 25 years knowing JH, and 24 Years knowing NM which gave me hope for the future of grandest violin playing Art going into the Twenty First Century which was just years away! Charles Beare's Shop was always welcoming to me and Mr. Beare himself forever a kind and helpful Head of his by then Fabled House of Violins!! Seeing him at then 'Celebration of Life' here in Chicago for having passed Robert Bein, in Symphony Centre Grainger Ballroom inside Orchestra Hall with Musicians and Great Violin House Owners flying in from Around the Globe to honour then late Robert Bein and whom had long admired Charles Beare's Expertise in Bow Discernment and rare Violins and String Cousins, I realised Charles Beare of Wardour Street starting out in London had Then Arrived at a Pinnacle of Violin and Bow Expertise Globally and going up to say Hello, we had a warm chat about my goings on and also of Mr. Milstein's Playing well into his 80s 'Like God' with Charles Beare stunned as All Others in the World of Violin with a Curtsey in my Heart and Mind when speaking of a Last Time Nathan Milstein walked into his Violin House recalling it with immense Joy and sincere Nostalgia for "Those Great Days"!!! And it is here that all of us now Look Back and do realise if one went to Beare's in the Twenty First Century, one experienced a hushed respect for The House of Charles Beare & Sons, Ltd which had been realised by Mr. Beare, by then long established due his lifetime curiosity and love of Grand Violins and Bows having been asked for help to negotiate the sale of the gloried Strad of Mr. Milstein, and a Violin I knew most well due Mr. Milstein's Invites to play his Strad at some of our Tutorials to "hear my violin away from my own Ear to Hear it as a listener, dear Elisabeth," and happening quite a few times when honour studying privately with Master of The Bow and of Concert Artistry forever renowned and My Friend for 24 years who 'Liberated' one's bowing from Franco-Belgian bowing to NM rare rounded bowing due his DNA at birth physique which was born to Play The Violin "His Way" ... Forgive my several mentions of Mr. Milstein but his relationship with Charles Beare is significant to the adulation Mr. Beare did finally experience later in his Career as a Fabled Luthier in London at Charles Beare & Sons, Ltd, when Standards meant Everything!!! May the NM of Violin Expertise now RIP with fellow musicians 'Up There' ...

~ ~ ~ 'In Memoriam' ~ Charles Beare ~ ~ ~

........ Saturday, 3rd May 2025 ........

With Immense Sympathies to The Beare Family including London & UK Colleagues ~

...... Elisabeth Matesky in Chicago, US ......

Composed Sunday, 4th of May, anno 2 0 2 5 ~

Fwd ~ dmg {#4}