In Feb 2023 Patagonia Instrument Project was contacted by a family in Llanelli who wished to donate their father’s double bass to a musical charity as a bequest, as he had requested that the instrument go to a child wanting to learn who couldn’t afford to buy one. They told me it was a French Mirecourt gamba-shaped instrument made around the 1860’s, which immediately suggested to me that it would be quite valuable. It needed a small amount of repair work and they had been having difficulty finding a suitable charity to work with, until an instrument repairer in Caerphilly suggested Patagonia Instrument Project.
I went to visit the family and saw that this instrument was better suited to a professional player than a beginner and I said that I would be concerned about damage in transit let alone in years to come in the hands of inexperienced players. I suggested an alternative strategy for the family to consider as a legacy to their father.
This was for us to make a few cosmetic repairs, and then to offer the instrument at auction, on the proviso that all the funds raised from the sale would only be used to buy student double basses in the Chubut Province of Patagonia, where we work. The family discussed our proposal and felt this would be a perfect fit, and an even greater legacy to their father, not only because we would end up buying more instruments, but they would be spread between five children’s orchestras across the whole province, which stretches from the Andes in the West to the Atlantic in the East. They also loved the connection between Wales and this province, dating back to 1865.
The instrument was offered to auction at Gardiner Houlgate auction room – Corsham, and after failing to find a buyer at the first sale, realized a sum of £4,400 in December 2023. We then contacted each of the children’s orchestras and asked them to search in Patagonia for the size of instrument they currently required for their students. Once they had found suitable instruments, we started to organize the grants. The sizes range from 1/8 to ¾, and fulfill those needed by students who either want to learn, or have outgrown their current instrument. Brilliantly, some of the new double basses also have the same gamba shape which has particularly delighted the family, as it feels like there is a stronger connection with their father.
This donation has had a huge impact on musicians in Chubut, not only by helping connect even more the children’s orchestras that have been lucky enough to receive one, but also by learning that a family so far away should value them all enough to even consider making such a donation from their father’s estate, has generated a huge sense of pride, well-being, and gratitude. The impact of such a legacy will be far-reaching, as many children in the future will continue to get the opportunity to learn on these instruments, and who knows what impact this will have on their lives. Only time will tell.
If you are interested in supporting our work in some way in the future, please get in touch.
For more info on the Patagonia Imstrument Project go to www.patagonia-instrument-project.org.uk
