Guiseppi Verdi (1813-1901)

This 4-inch-high bust sits atop a lovely wooden music box that plays 10-15 seconds of music from "La Traviata." The sculpture of the composer is good, but dull. The music box is made by Reuge a very well known manufacturer. I'm not certain where I got this but probably in an antique shop in Florida in the 1980s.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

This statue of Johann Sebastian Bach reflects a younger Bach, not the tough disciplinarian Bach who stood toe-to-toe with church councils about music in the church. This 9 inch bust is ceramic painted to give it a golden brown patina. It was made by a friend of mine (K.D.) and given to me as a gift in 1976 for coordinating and conducting a state music festival.

Balalaika

This balalaika is only 10 inches long, but I wouldn't call it a toy, it's more like a very fine scale model. It is completely wooden and hand-painted with orange and black details. The three metal strings are very fine wire. Despite its details I don't think it can be tuned. The only evidence of its provenance and origin is a price tag printed in Russian (Cyrillic letters) "bepe3ka" and below the price of 590 rubles(?). I purchased this item in an antique store in Deland, Florida in the 1980s.

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)

This likeness of the Italian master was found in an unlikely place in Florida--Tarpon Springs. This small town on the Gulf of Mexico has been the home of Greek sponge divers for over a century. I never expected to find a bust of Verdi in a city

that was so fundamentally Greek, but I found the reason the merchant had it on display. On the bottom of the 6-inch statue was a sticker that read "Made in Greece."

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

In 1982, while visiting friends in Lauren, Holland, my wife and I found in a quaint music store this lovely 6-inch-tall porcelain bust of Brahms. We were delighted with it and wanted to protect it from breakage. While our friends gave us a tour of the northern lowlands, I placed the fragile bust in the glove compartment for safe keeping. The next morning we left early for Germany and in the rush of saying goodbye and getting to the train station on time, it never dawned on us that we had left Brahms in the car! Finally, after several calls and letters, Brahms was delivered by mail--unbroken--to us three weeks later .

Ludwig von Beethoven (1770-1827)

This 9-inch high porcelain likeness of the great German composer was purchased in 1982 while on a trip to Bonn, Germany. My wife and I were on our way to see Beethoven's house. I expected to find a variety of busts of Beethoven at his house-turned-museum, but found only one small one and it was an abstract sculpture. Disappointed I began searching through music shops and piano stores, but could find no suitable bust in Bonn of all places! Finally we went to a large, downtown department store and there was the bust you see in the photo.