GeorgeH

All of the above. Regardless of set-up, I find that good synthetic strings lose responsiveness as they wear out and die compared to when they are fresh and broken-in. One of the joys of fresh new strings in re-gaining the violin's innate responsiveness.

Also, the octaves in measures 26-28 are optional. They add some color, but just the top note is fine, too.

Hi Rue, I am very happy that you like this piece. I just love it. It is richly expressive. Thanks for pointing out my typo on the name. I edited the name and also added my current fingering in the post above. The reason I choose the fingering is because I think the first part sounds best when played mostly on the G-string and the second part sounds best of the A and D strings. I think the timbre of the piece sounds better when played like that, and I also think it is a somewhat romantic piece and slides when shifting are really nice in places. I have continued to evolve my fingering (see above) to shorten shifts.

Interesting, and I am curious why you prefer Bovedas to Strettos. I also did not know that they were rechargeable.

And just who are "these people?" More than a little. Strings are expensive, and it is interesting to read about others' experience with different strings sets on their violins. I like Eva Pirazzi's, and suggest trying them.

I use Strettos in all my violin cases. They work great to maintain humidity in cases. I recharge them by soaking in water every 7-14 days depending on the room dryness. (Hint: If they dry out completely, soak them overnight. They will fully re-hydrate.) I also use a Sensorpush gateway and sensors to monitor humidity levels when I am away. None of my cases are airtight. I don't have anything against attractive silk bags, but I can't see how they could possibly work to keep an instrument properly humidified.

It is likely that fiddles put in silk bags was an indication that they were generally looked after better by their owners. I can’t see how one could conclude silk bags were a primary cause of reducing humidity related issues.

The certificate seems to have either disappeared or never been issued. Perhaps the buyer did not pay the invoice in full.

Charles Rudig, the former head of the Musical Instruments Department at Sotheby’s, also says that "These [Duiffopruggar violins] became famous and sought after all over Europe to the point where many different makers in different countries made these." https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/season/4/toronto-on/appraisals/duiffopruggar-style-violin--199906A22/

In case anyone else is interested, here is my transcription for violin of Op. 40, No. 1: "A Moment of Despair" by Mykola Lysenko.

Sometimes they need to check with the consignee.

There is a quality of jewelry to fine bows.

The corners and rib joins on the Smithsonian example don't look like yours. The Derazey rib joins are neatly squared-off, angled in the French style, and set well-back from the edge. The corners are also much more square than the corners on your violin.

Here are the Derazey corners and rib-joins:

The rounded corners and pinched rib-joins extending to near the end of the corners look more Markneukirchen than French to me. It is quite different than the Derazey in the Smithsonian. But better pictures would help.