'Martin Burrage...who first performed the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Op.1, has had an 1895 HC Silvestre of Paris'

[ABOVE: José White - Shown here after he received the 1st prize for violin at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1856. Bibliothèque Nationale de France; Wikipedia BELOW: Live-A-Music, comprised of five members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, released a limited-edition CD in 2001. The program consists of Coleridge-Taylor's Fantasiestucke for String Quartet, Op. 5, and his Quintet for Piano and Strings, Op. 1.]

José Silvestre White (1835-1918), aka José Silvestre White y Lafitte, was an Afro-Cuban composer, violinist and professor who is profiled at AfriClassical.com, where his works are listed by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com

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On December 31, 2009 AfriClassical posted: “José Silvestre White, Afro-Cuban Composer & Violinist, Born December 31, 1835.” Hilary Burrage commented on July 8, 2011: “I wonder if he was related to the Silvestre luthiers (P, and then HC) who lived in Paris at that time? Seems very possible..?”

Later the same day, after the first comment was published, Hilary Burrage wrote: “Thanks Bill. Slightly oddly, we knew about the Silvestre luthiers because my other half, Martin Anthony (Tony) Burrage, who ‘discovered’ and in 2001 first performed the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Op.1, has had an 1895 HC Silvestre of Paris as his concert instrument for the past 40 years! Will be interesting to learn if anyone knows whether there may indeed be a genuine connection somewhere here. Very best, Hilary”