The unfinished violin

Around the time Oxford violin maker, Roger Claridge, was repairing my violin ten years ago, a much better violinist than me, Sam Sweeney, went to his workshop in search of a new instrument. He fell in love with this one which, it turned out, Roger Claridge had finished making the previous day from pieces that he'd bought at auction. 

Research revealed that the pieces had been cut in 1915 by Richard Howard, a music hall performer who had been called up to fight in the First World War in 1916 and was killed in Flanders in 1917.

Sam Sweeney, who I last heard at Bellowhead's final gig, is touring the album he made of music that this violin might have played, had it been finished by Richard Howard. He has adapted First World War songs, regimental marches and other music that was played at the time.

I enjoyed the gig but was especially fascinated by his talk beforehand where he told us more of this history and played recordings of the music he'd found and his own adaptations.