A cello has its life

I have owned 5 cellos and borrowed one since I started learning it in med school days. Each one is memorable to me in its own way. At around 50 years of age, when I was doing my job at stable pace for my own clinic after the hectic days to start and establish it, I found sometime free, divided between duties. I wanted to spend that time for something away from studying at the office. It was cello playing. I had played it only infrequently, possibly, onece in a week or even in a month since I graduated the med school. It won't take too long to be occupied with it at my room of the office almost every day. 

At first, I have replaced my old one with the front board badly cracked to a new one. A German instrument. Not high end but very healthy and well crafted one. Moreover, it was easy to play with the height of each string small enough without any noise. The only deficit was relatively conservative volume of sound, especially on the lowest C string. 

I have spent a few years to look for a better one. I had made a mistake to purchase another German instrument, which turned out a failure for my purpose. Then, in a few years, I have run across with the present instrument made in Italy. It is an instrument by a single luthier. Even if it is not a perfect one, it has satisfied me a lot.  The D string range sounded mellow and deep. Loudness of the sound is difficult for the player but I have been told it was good enough. I have brought it for orchestras or ensembles at various places. It has been like a buddy for me.

In 3 years after purchasing it, we had the big earthquake here. It was laid on the floor of my room at the office as usual when the earthquake hit the area. Everything has fallen on the floor, books, audio system or even TV. When I opened the door, it was too messy to step in at first. The cello has survived the quake only with a few injuries on the front board. I felt it was a miracle that it had been almost intact in that heavy quake. Ever since, I thought it was my duty to keep it as a treasure which should be delivered to the next generation. Musical instruments, I believe, have the inherent span of lives. I should have it live long enough as a responsibility of the owner even if it is not a Stradivarius.    
  

The following clip is interesting. It shows an instrument has its capability when it is crafted. But it depends on the performer how it works. I believe the last cellist from Spain has drawn its capability most. Tchaikovsky is not a favorite for me. I still love this piece.  

A new cello played by 3 different cellists; 

https://youtu.be/d9EiA9cAJjg

I should consider how to deliver mine to the next cellist soon. For a while, I would try to have it sing until that time. An old anecdote says I have sung in the woods with breeze blown, now I sing by a cellist.