JAVS Spring 2024

recognition to talented craftsmen in the county. 8 One of the ways this goal manifested was through Cade’s support of local instrument makers. Most of the instruments in Cade’s collection are antique German and Italian violins dating back to the 15th century. 9 The collection only has two violas— instrument no. 20 and no. 21, both of which were made by luthiers in Alachua County. According to his daughter, Phoebe, Cade allowed his curiosity to lead his investment decisions; unlike most collectors, he did not buy simply for value. Rather, Cade saw connections between science and art and sought to explore this connection through various iterations of musical instruments. Cade was fascinated by the different sound characters of each violin and how different makers made their violins sound slightly different. 10 According to Dudley Reed’s records, the 16.5” viola (no. 20) appears to have been made on commission for Cade. Such an order may align with large, “Tertis style” violas that, according to local bow maker David Forbes, were trendy at the time. 11 Although we can’t say for sure why Cade ordered and purchased these specific instruments, one can infer that Cade was attracted to the rich timbre of these large violas. It is likely that Cade understood the effect the size of a viola has on sound, which is why he gravitated towards larger violas. Cade passed away in 2007 at the age of eighty from kidney failure. 12 There is no doubt that his legacy has made a profound impact on the Gainesville community. Everyone who knew him described him as an incredibly generous man. Although he saw great success from his invention of Gatorade, he maintained a humble soul. Cade believed that “the more we share, the more we possess.” 13 After his passing, his large collection of instruments was left to his family. Although his children kept a few instruments with the hopes of inspiring future generations of their family, they felt it would be a shame to disassemble the entire collection. 14 In 2009, Cade’s daughter and director of the Cade Foundation, initiated a project to loan the instruments out to students from the UF School of Music. Throughout the past fourteen years, students at UF have benefitted immensely from the family’s generosity. Many students—myself included—begin studying

music in college with instruments meant for amateurs. Although Cade selected instruments based on their unique timbre, rather than their monetary value, they are still an exceptional upgrade for most UF students. Dudley Reed Dudley Reed was an accomplished fiddle maker, professional pilot, and husband. Reed was born in Ohio in 1900 and settled in Florida in the 1940s. Although he experimented with violinmaking early in his life, his professional career centered around aeronautics. He started flying planes in 1923 and worked as a pilot for about thirty years. 15 During his career, Reed taught pilots for the U.S. military, managed an airport, and did most of his own repairs on his planes. 16 In 1947, he moved to Gainesville to be a flight instructor and remained there until his passing in 1974. It was not until Reed was in his early fifties that he decided to retire from the aeronautics industry and start making instruments full-time. From 1953 to 1971, he made and sold violins, violas, and cellos in Gainesville. 17 His first violin was likely made in 1922, and he built well over 275 instruments over his lifetime. 18 More than 200 of these instruments were made completely by hand, whereas the others reflect pre-carved models intended for student musicians. His output of instruments varied after 1967 due to eye problems and numerous cancer operations. 19 Reed’s instruments are known for their deep, warm tone and brilliant resonance. Reed held his instruments to incredibly high standards and strived to create some of the finest instruments available. He once declared, “my instruments must be equal to, or better than, those of every violin maker, living or dead.” 20 Though Reed was primarily self-taught, he studied some instrument making with luthiers John Werchman and Carl Hildebrand. At the time, Werchman was arguably the best-known restorer and repairer of violins made by the old masters of the 17th century, including Stradivarius, Amati, and Guarneri. 21 To improve the quality of his instruments, Reed experimented with a variety of techniques. For example, Reed set aside unfinished instruments for periods of weeks to months to “season” so that the stresses in the recently sculptured wood would have

30

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 40, No. 1, Spring 2024