Collector Scries

OLD VIOLINS

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MlNUTURES

OLD
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EDINBURGH

JOHN GRANT
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MLS02-.

CONTENTS
CHAP.

Prelude
I.

....
.

PAGE

Violin Genesis

15 22

II.

Violin Constitution
Violins at Brescia

III.

30
42 60
91

IV. Violins at Cremona

V. Violins at Cremona (continued)

VI. Violins in

Germany
England

VII. Violins in France

VIII. Violins in

104 118
146

IX. Violin Varnish

X. Violin Strings
XI. Violin Bows
XII. Violin Tarisio
XIII. Violins

153
161 171

at

Mirecourt,

Mittenwald,

and
186

Markneukirchen
XIV. Violin Treatment
Postlude

XV. Violin Dealers, Collectors, and Amateurs

Dictionary of Violin Makers
Bibliography
Description of Plates

.....
....

198

214
237

239
281

287

241573

OLD VIOLINS
PEELUDE
What
is

the secret of the violin?

Why

is

it

that

when a

great violinist appears all the other soloists

?

have to take a back seat

The answer

is:

the fascination of the violin

is

the

fascination of the soul unveiled.

the human voice hardly excepted the emotions in such provides such a rare vehicle
No
instrument
for
is

close touch with the molecular vibrations of thought

and with the psychic waves

of feeling.

But whilst the

it

violin equals the voice in sensibility far transcends it in compass, variety,

and expression, and

durability.

Consider the singular completeness and perfection of

this

instrument as a sort of physical and vibratory

counterpart of the soul.

limit

The four

strings

no doubt

and define

its

compass, and only in the quartet

it

and

collectively, is
;

capable of extended effects of

complex harmony but as a tone-producing instrument

and within

its limits it is

perfect

every gradation
is

of

sound between tone and semitone no other instrument can

attainable,

and

for

this be claimed.

OLD VIOLINS
Next
I observe that the violin possesses a trinity in
it

unity of power which invests

with a quite singular

and

felicitous completeness of its

own

(1) Accent

and

in

staccato

passages

almost

the

accent of percussion.
(2) Sustained

sound

to a degree
voice.

far

beyond the

capabilities of the
(3) Modified tone
tion, that the

human

and

in such refinement of grada-

melting lines of the spectrum can alone

supply us with a parallel or analogy.

Your piano
soft or loud,

possesses accent, but once strike a note,

it passes beyond your control The piano has little sustained and no modified tone. Your organ has accent and sustained tone, but in a very imperfect sense modified tone and a brief survey
;

and

of all musical instruments

now

in use will convince the

student of acoustics that nowhere but in the viohn do

we

find to

anything Hke the same degree, that trinity in

unity of power
modified tone.

summed up

in accent, sustained sound,

But the
of

half has not yet been revealed.

The

trinity

power

in the violin is placed

under the immediate

control of two hands

of

ten fingers, each hand funcis

tioning differently.

The hand on the finger-board

;

engaged in pressing the strings

but drives,

the other hand wields

the bow, and not only sets the strings in vibration,

tears, plunges,

caresses, checks, prolongs,

magnetises and regulates, in an altogether marvellous

fashion, the outpourings of sound,

which are

in reality

the outpourings of the musician's soul,

and further

PRELUDE
Has
it

9
reader,
for the

ever occurred to you,

my
or,

how

diffe-

rently the same piece of music,

that, the

matter of

same

violin,

sounds in the hands of two

different players?

few of Paganini's solos were written down, and

Sivori,

who passed

as his only pupil,

;

was

in the habit of

playing some of them

yet no one was ever wrought

to frenzy or melted into a

passion of tears

by that

elegant performer.

have often

heard

him.

The

gentlemen in the orchestra remained calm, and listened

with admiration and approval.
played, the

But when Paganini

shook with

drummer on one
and Professor

occasion so

excitement that he was utterly incapable of playing his

part at
first
all,

Ella, then a violinist at the

it

desk,

went up and did

lost in

for him, whilst the other

violinists

were so

wonder that they could hardly

at

concentrate their attention sufficiently to come in

the " tutti."

When
down on
sound

Paganini raised his bow on high,

his four strings with a crash.

it

came
it

What made
drawn

like

thunder

It

was the thunder

in his soul
out,

When
why

his violin wailed with sweetness long

did the tears roll

down

the faces of hardened

orchestral veterans, and even great virtuosi like Lindley

and Dragonetti
fits

Why

did the people just go off into

seized the prodigious

of laughter

when a comic vein

Maestro in the midst of his variations on the Carnival

de Venise
I
?

have

heard Wieniawski

play his

since

much

hackneyed "Legende"

it

may have

been somewhere

10
in the sixties.

OLD VIOLINS
I never heard

anything so weird

voices

in

the twilight

the
I

wail of lost souls

one

spirit

positively

saw

ghosts.

have heard the " Legende " a

I have never again

hundred times since by Neruda, Nachez, Sarasate, and

I

know not how many more, but

seen ghosts.

What was

it ?

It
is is
is

was the mystery

the

of

touch.

The

language of touch
language of touch
perfection of touch

but half understood, but the

language of

soul,

and the

reached when a sensitive finger

controls a vibrating string or nerve

and sends

its

own

psychic

thrill

along the waves of sound or sensibility.

is

The same no doubt

though in a
less

true of the pianoforte touch,

degree, because

a percussive touch

can never have the power of a sustained and modified

pressure.

Eecent science has thrown some curious sidelights

upon

this

same sense
of

of

touch.

It affirms

that

the

trained

fingers

the

blind

actually acquire

from
filled

exercise, practice,

and adaptation, new nerve-cells

the brain

with grey matter exactly similar to the thinking and

feeling grey nerve matter of
fingers of

in

fact,

the

the sensitive musician

have the power of

thought and emotion delegated to them; and just as

thinking matter
is

not confined to

brain

cells,

but

extends

all

down

the medulla oblongata, which responds

is

to stimulus,

even when the head

cut off

so we now

know

that brain cells

may

be acquired, I had almost

said cerebrated,

and used even by the fingers. Now, supposing we bring these thinking, pulsating

PRELUDE
finger-tips

11

and wed

their subtle pressure to

waves

of

sound,

who

shall say that these special

sound waves
through the

may

not be so impregnated with brain waves as that

sound thus charged with soul

may convey
is
?

auditory nerve to other souls the passion, the emotion,

the sorrow, the joy, and whatever else the heart and brain of the musician
inconceivable than thought-reading.

generated in
'Tis

not more

This goes far to account for the personal fascination

which players exercise through their waves becoming brain waves,

whatever
is

art.

TheJr soul

float out,
if

charged with
is

in the musician

and

there

nothing in

the musician, as not unfrequently happens, they float

out charged with nothing

The witchery
more
don't play,- and

of the violin for collectors is

perhaps
fanciers

difficult to explain.
still

Very

often these
to

more often they seem up

have an

objection to other people stringing

their treasures

and playing on them.

It is the construction, not so

much
of

the sound of the violin, that deprives the collector

his senses; but

we ought
extant

to be

very thankful to

these monomaniacs, for without

few masterpieces

still

them there would be through them the violin

rest.

goes into a period of Devachan, or enforced

all events, it

At

cannot be worn out, or chipped, or rubbed,

or trifled with
cabinet.

by repairers whilst in the

collector's

All the finest violins are

known and

carefully stalked
;

the

health of their owners watched

and when the

to

time comes, they either find their

way

the open

12

OLD VIOLINS
dealers,

market or are picked up briskly by the great

sometimes for fabulous sums.
specimen of Strad.

Mr

Hill of

Bond

Street

thinks nothing of a thousand pounds for a really fine

select

Watch the collector exhibiting company after lunch. You

his

treasures

to

a
is

will soon see

he

not the daft creature

whom

the uninitiated

who only

want

to hear the fiddle are apt to suppose.

He knows

the influence which that old Gasparo or Maggini had

upon the Cremona

Brescian models
the old

school.

He marks

with admiration

the emergence of the Amati and Guarnerii from the

him even the quaint long//'s of makers stand in lovely contrast with the more
;

for

graceful but

still

pointed sound-holes of Joseph or

of

more rounded ones

of viol

the great Antonius.

To him
an

that ancient viola cut

down from

a larger-sized model

now

extinct,

and placed

side

by

side with
of

Amati

tenor, is as interesting as the

study

com-

parative

anatomy

to a scientist.

Then your
survival of

collector is never tired of

dwelhng on the

perfection of those forms which slowly emerged as the

the

fittest in

that exciting quest for the

of

sensitiveness, sweetness,

and sonority

tone which

occupied the lifelong meditations of Nicolo Amati and

Stradivari.

Anon he

will call

your attention excitedly

and sympathetically

to the grace of the curves, the sur-

face never flat or board-like, but full of a variety of

a fine human body. You might almost believe that a whole system of muscle
levels like the satiny surface of

a very

living organism

lay beneath the

"

back

"

and

PRELUDE
belly,

13 with swelling and

of the varnish like

which

to his eyes are alive

;

undulating grace

and then think

a sheet of thin jasper, at once shielding from decay,

whilst revealing as years roll on the transparent

fila-

ments

of the mottled

maple or sycamore and the pine,

fibres

and crossed between the

resonance

with millions of tiny

rays which betray the desiccated cells

now

fit

for

through

which the sap once flowed

I only

But

must not anticipate matter which more prowish to

perly belongs to violin manufacture.

affirm, in justification of the existence of players, hearers,

and
I

collectors alike, that the violin

charm has

its

own

rationale.

may

perhaps be pardoned

if

I close this prelude

with some words which I used before the Koyal Institution in 1872.
"

The

violin is perennial.

It

grows old with

it

its

per-

petual youth.

There

is

no reason why

should ever
genera-

wear
tions.

out.

It sings over the graves of

many

Time, that sometimes robs

its

it of a little varnish,

has no power over

"

anointed fabric.
in silicate-like

The hard durable substance steeped

varnish has well-nigh turned to stone, but without

sacrificing a single quality of sweetness or resonance.

"

The

violin is the only fossil

life

which stiU

lives,

and

lives

with a fulness of

and a freshness that contrasts

bruise or
It is
j

quaintly enough with the fleeting, sickly, and withering

generations of man.

Even should mishap

it

break never

its
fit

beauty

it
;

can be endlessly restored.

for death

survives a thousand calamities

'

14
nay, even

OLD VIOLINS
when cut up and dismembered,
live
its

several

parts, scattered

through a dozen workshops and three

hundred years,
in

on with a kind of metempsychosis

still

new

forms, and

cling strangely to their indivi-

duality, so that
'

men taking up
is
!

a patchwork violin say,

is

It is fine
is

the front

poor, the head

tame, but see

here
"

a Stradivarius back
in its

Thus human

power and pathos, superhuman

in its immortal fabric, the violin reigns supreme, the

king and queen of

all

instruments

and,

in the

hands

of a Paganini, a Joachim,

an Ernst, or a Sarasate, the

joy and wonder of the civilised world,"

CHAPTEE

VIOLIN GENESIS

To me

it

has always appeared

unimportant and not

"

very interesting to answer the question,

Were

or

were not the ancients

Babylonians,

by

which we usually mean

Greeks

Egyptians, or

and

Eomans

acquainted with the fact that stretched strings could

be set in tonal vibration by means of horse-hair, reed

or

some other fibre?"

They knew most

are only

things,

and

how much they knew we

discover.

now

beginning to

not

At one time we thought know that water rose

that even the

to its level,

Eomans

did

but they were

well acquainted with the fact.

We

pride ourselves upon the

triumphs

of

modern

surgery, but

we now

find that the

Egyptians were also

great surgeons and operated successfully for calculus.

The wonders modern

origin,

of electric telegraphy are doubtless of

but the Greeks were at least aware of

the attractive properties of amber, which they called

"Electron," though

they made no use of

electricity,

and they may

plucking, a
16

very likely

have been acquainted with

the principle of rubbing, as they certainly were of

string in

tension to produce a sound

16

OLD VIOLINS

without ever elaborating the idea in an instrument for

musical purposes.

Both Fetis and Vidal deny that any instrument

slender grounds

of

the viol tribe existed in antiquity, apparently on the

that the few fragments of pottery,

papyrus, or mural decoration

yet revealed the fact.

known
it

to us

have not

I think

probable that these

savants are wrong.

Like the use of the wheel, bow

for drilling holes, the

and arrows, bow and string

or something like
likely,
it

bow

employed

for musical purposes is

of

on a priori grounds alone, to be

immense

antiquity,

and at

least as

old as

the knowledge of

percussion instruments such as the drum, or of wind

instruments such as the pan-pipes.

I don't lay

any great

stress

upon pictures

of stringed

instruments with

something like a

bridge taken to
if

prove the existence of a bow, especially

the

bow

happens

to be absent

guitar has a bridge but no

bow, so has the zither and the bandohne, which are

plucked with the fingers or a plectrum.
talked-of Canino

The muchof

Vase

(fig.

103, vol.
Italiani),

iii.

Micali's

Storia Degli Antichi Popoli

showing appasort

rently a sort of instrument with apparently a

of bow, has been held by some to be conclusive that something like the violin tribe was known to the

Etruscans.
that
it is

Possibly

Personally I
all

am

not satisfied
is

a musical instrument at

which

figured
rattle

on that same vase it or a torch to a broom or a dust-pan.

point
in its

might be anything, from a

The strongest
is

favour as a musical instrument

not the

VIOLIN GENESIS

17

rough image on the vase, but the fact that a musician,

astronomer, and doctor, by
beside
it.

name

Chiron,

is

seated

We

probably see the descendants of any such in-

struments as

may have

existed in those times in the

Eavanastron, which has been recognised by some as

the oriental precursor of the occidental fiddle.
Altogether, I think that, from the musical point of
view, too

much

time,

and a surplus

of

barren anti-

quarian

lore,

have been bestowed on the origin of the

viol tribe.

Our business begins not even with the building up

of the viol out of the "

Eebek, Crouth, and Eotta (see

382), but with the

Music and Morals,"

p.

emergence
of

of the violin tenor, violoncello,

and double-bass out

that confused, tentative, and often grotesque crowd of

viols
still

and

viol

da Gambas, specimens of which are

exhibited behind glass in our Art

Museums and

Loan Collections. We have little to do with them. They are of no more living account than the Egyptian

mummies
gleam

in

the British

Museum.

few retain a

of practical

importance for the violin collector,

because they have been cut

wise used

down
last

for tenors or other-

up during the
like

three hundred
of

years
to

by

violin

makers: the others remain

interest

musicians only;

the bones of fossil crocodiles,

they are curious studies in the comparative anatomy,

not
is all.

of

reptiles,

but

of

musical

instruments,

that

No,

it is

with the distinct evolution of the

violin,

by

18

OLD VIOLINS
I

which
bass

mean

the violin tenor, violoncello, and double-

types,

from the nondescript, dusky, tubby, un-

gainly machines, muffled in sound and dubious in form,

that for

me

at least begins the history

and the interest

of the violin tribe.

The genius

of these elect types is inseparably con-

nected with song

sacred song.
When
the singing-schools of

Viols were used in churches to play chants in unison

with the monks' voices (probably also to assist their

defective musical ear).
Italy
tenor,

arose and

divided the voice into treble, alto,

suitable viol

and

bass, a

was

told

off as

the

companion
cadence,

of each voice.

Soon

after this

the modern

divisions, the octave

laid

and the discovery

of the perfect

the

foundation of

the art of modern

music (Monteverde, 1570).

The

violin emerged.

The endless discussions as to exactly when the violin proper made its appearance, or the tenor proper, or when the viol da Gamba got modified into the current
violoncello size
agitate those

and shape,

will probably continue

to for

whose minds have a special aptitude

such researches.

very general statement will pro-

bably satisfy general readers, and even special lovers of

the violin.

The name
period,

of Duiffoprugcar

haunts this dim transition

and although the

violins extant

under his name

have

all

been discredited, and not always distinguished

forgeries, I

from Vuillaume's clever

the
j&rst

remember one

of

judges in Europe,

who was
showing

certainly quite

alive to the tricks of the trade,

me

a reputed

VIOLIN GENESIS

19

Duiffoprugcar (hung and labelled in the South Kensington

genuine.
viol tribe;

Museum), which
It

he

then

believed

to

be

had

lost the

tubby characteristics

of the
violin,

it

was, in

fact,

an early Brescian

linen-lined, but its

claim to be a Duiffoprugcar was

withdrawn.
Duiffoprugcar was born in 1514 at Fussen, in the

Bavarian Tyrol.

He was an
to

inlayer and mosaic worker.

He

is

now known
at Lyons.

have visited Paris, and to have

is

worked

There

fine

portrait of

him

etched by the engraver Wariot in 1562, and a curious

viol is extant

the back, once

by him, with a map of Paris inlaid at owned by Vuillaume, and within recent

years secured for the Brussels Conservatoire

Museum

by

its

intelligent

curator,

Mr

Victor Mahillon,
is

Mr

Donaldson's beautiful viol da

Gamba

the only other

is

known specimen
violin,

of

his work.

There

no evidence
call

that Duiffoprugcar ever

made what we should

and very good negative evidence to the conIn a curious old print exhibiting his portrait,
of

trary.

a copy

which

is

owned by Messrs

Hill,

amongst the

various viols represented no such instrument as the

violin appears.
It
is

easy to see

how

inevitable

was the
first

differentia-

tion of

the violin tribe

from the

moment
of.

that

a vocal quartet

came

to be

conceived

First the
is

viol is selected to double a part,

next a viol

made

in a modified

way

to suit the part,

and very soon the

modification assumes the forms and proportions

as violin, viola,

known

and

violoncello.


20

OLD VIOLINS

But in the early days of violin genesis the instrument was quite subordinate to the voice it only gradually
;

conquered
string

its

independence with the emergence of the

string
quartet.
It

trio

and

would

happen

thus

Two

people would meet to sing, and

the missing
;

tenor or bass voice would be supplied by a viola

three would meet

or

would occur

to

who could not sing at all, when it them that the vocal parts might be
to.

played instead, and with even more accuracy perhaps

than the very average voices would attain

The instrumental
into being.

trio

and quartet thus

at once

came

Next, music would be written independently for such

combinations, and the voices would be egged out altogether,

and presently the treble or

violin

would show

a tendency to throw the others into the shade, and

at last be thought

worthy

of a solo all to

itself,

and

thus the independent position of the instrument would

quickly be established.
All attempts to date exactly the stages of
differentiation
of this

the violin tribe are

likely

to

be

misleading.

You cannot
covered or

say exactly

when
so

perspective was disItalian

painters,
it

rediscovered

by the

developed gradually;
gradually, born of

and

the violin

developed

new musical needs and new musical

knowledge.

In the midst of the old chaotic world of viol noises

that preceded
it,

the struggle to displace the old viol

"

VIOLIN GENESIS

21

players and the slow disappearance of the whole clumsy

craft is aptly

at the

summed up in the words of one who moment of transition. He writes

' In former days we had the viol in Ere the true instrument had come about But now we say, since this all ears doth win. The violin hath put the viol out.

lived

CHAPTER

II

VIOLIN CONSTITUTION

One

of the subtle

charms

of the violin is that it

may

be called bisexual.
It unites in itself

and welds together the masculine

bisexual.

and feminine
Its

qualities.
is

very fabric

The

soft, easily

moved

vibrations of the swelling front are controlled, checked,

and yet excited by the slower and harder pulsations

of

the maple back.

The porous deal and the

close-

grained maple or sycamore thus thrill together, and

each supplies the deficiency of the other, both blending

in

harmonious and sympathetic union, the

sound-post, poetically called

ribs

welding

the back and the belly into an organic whole, whilst

the

by the French the

quick

soul of the violin (I'dme

du

violon), collects the

and slow

vibrations,

and fusing them, produces the

subtle resultant of violin tone.

That tone

is

the offspring of neither back nor front,

all

nor ribs alone, but of

surfaces, collected

these differently vibrating

and made musical in the "soul,"

of life

and poured forth as the breath

holes as out of
violin.
22

from the

//
the

the very

mouth and

nostrils of

Surely the children of the violin are nothing

VIOLIN CONSTITUTION

23

but the sweet and subtly compounded sounds that

it

utters.

The bisexual
and
strings.

figure holds
is

good even to the bow

The bow

the male and the strings

are the female element?.

They can only vibrate when

touched

swept
own

into a tempest of emotion or caressed

into tender whispers.

They wait and pine

for their

for this

magic touch, and long

are so sensitive that

fulfilment.
to

They

they respond

the

lightest

feathery kiss of

the

powdered and
they
only
sigh,

anointed

horse -hair

they

murmur,
sometimes

they scream, they weep, they laugh, but

smitten,

when

coaxed

or

agonised,

almost torn, at others calmly and masterfully swept

whilst the finger-tips, pressing out the vibrations and

generating those magnetic thrills which go forth charged

with the musician's very thought and feeling, aid and

abet the masculine power of the bow.
ministers; without

They

are its

them the might of the bow itself would be impotent; without them the very strings
would be unable
to yield their infinite variety of tone

and
is

inflection of
all

meaning.

Yes, certainly the violin

of

instruments the most human, personal, and

is

sympathetic, for the violin

It is

truly bisexual.

also a miracle of art, strength,

and simplicity

we may say
as a horse.

at once, as light as a feather It is

and as strong
but,

composed

of thin sheets or slips of

wood, only about a fragment of an inch thick;

by the simplest and soundest mechanical construction, these are so

put together as to

resist

a strain

24
of

OLD VIOLINS
about a hundredweight upon the belly, neck, and

tailpiece,

from the tension

of the four strings.

Six sycamore ribs and twelve internal blocks and

linings suffice to hold the back

and belly together.

lifts

The neck
its

carries

the ebony finger-board and

or

characteristic scroll

head

so
its

expressive that

makers can almost be recognised by

physiognomy.

The neck
glued
it

is

let solidly into the ribs

and fastened

against the lower part of

is

the belly.

When
it,

firmly

extremely

difficult to

detach

and once

only in

my

experience has the neck of a violin proved

it

unequal to support the enormous pull made upon

the strings.
It

by

was

in Ceylon.

The heat was intense and

at Colombo.

moist.

I had borrowed a violin for experimental purposes

in
of

one of

my

lectures

In the middle

an attempted passage the neck quietly doubled

the strings
liquefied,
fell

up;

in

loose
fiddle

cluster.

The glue
to pieces in

had

and the whole

came

my

hands.

What no
effect

time nor wear and tear had

been able to

had been suddenly achieved by

the peculiar hothouse, vapour-bath treatment of the

tropics.

The early viol-makers no doubt at first selected their wood empirically but it soon became an established rule to take a soft wood for the belly and a hard wood
;

for the back.

If

all
;

were
all

soft,

the sound would be

muffled and tubby

if

were hard, the sound would

be metallic and light; neither must the thickness of

back and front be uniform

each

must be thicker

VIOLIN CONSTITUTION
towards the middle, but how thick or

25
thin

how

must

depend upon the relative densities

problem was
best vibrate together

of the wood.

The

to find the relative densities

which would
in timber
feel of the

a cunning connoisseur
by the
will
affect

can judge
wood.

of

these den3ities even

Of course the densities

the tone

yielded by the
difficult

wood when
that

set in vibration,

and

it is

to believe

Stradiuarius and

his

school

were unacquainted with some exact technical method

of testing the acoustic properties of these woods.

Monsieur Savart's experiments with specimen

of Stradiuarius backs

strips

and

bellies

showed that in most

between

cases tested there

was the

difference of one tone

the belly and the back.

1717 and a 1708 Strad

back both yielded a

bellies

F|

a 1724 and a 1690 Strad

gave the interval, so that Stradiuarius worked

his backs

and

bellies

on some regular principle.

On

examining specimens
that his best were
;

of

Joseph Guarnerius,
full

it

was found

made with only a

tone between

back and belly but occasionally the interval was greater.

The sound-bar is a subtly proportioned strip of pinewood running nearly all the way down the middle of
the belly inside.
pitch has

The increasing tension

it

of the
all

modern
the old

made

necessary to strengthen

violin sound-bars, as the increasing

demands

for execu-

tion

have compelled the lengthening

of all their necks.

It is needless to say that the sound-bar readjustment

is

a delicate surgical operation, more difficult than the

substitution of a long violin neck for a short one, for

the neck no more affects the tone than the screws in the


26
head.

OLD VIOLINS
But any blundering with a sound-bar
;

is fatal

to

the nervous system of the violin

the wolf

may

sud-

denly be evolved

that

horrid dull growl which sets

the teeth on edge, and which, once generated within the

violin, is so difhcult to

diagnose or to cure.

The best

old masters finished everything inside their violins as

carefully as the purfling and the joinings which would

meet the

eye,

and

this

although a century might elapse

before those tiny smooth blocks in the angles, or that

carefully-cut close lining of

wooden

strips fitting neatly

to the bellies as a glove to the hand,

might chance

to

be seen at

all.

Many
of the

forgeries

have thus been rudely unmasked, the

forger only having troubled to

make

clean the outside

cup and

platter, whilst within

you

find the

dead

men's bones of his slovenly dishonesty.

only to
sell,

He worked

and

to sell

by deception (not because he

as

cared for his craft or respected his instrument), and his

works do follow him

"

But

Mr

Lowell says

Men
Yer

as

But bad work

worked thorough is the ones that thrive, follers you as long as yer live
;

can't get rid on

it,

just as sure as sin,

'Tis allers askin' to

be done agin."

The finger-board
it

is of

black ebony

in the old fiddles said about

it

was often

inlaid.

There need be

little

except that the old masters would be puzzled to

know

what a player could want with our long finger-boards, and still more would they have been puzzled could they
have heard the extraordinary and complex
effects

we

VIOLIN CONSTITUTION

27

manage to produce with our extended compass and phenomenal shifts, in spite of the absence of frets to
measure
intervals.

The Finger-board must be kept smooth and even,

or
it

will not be possible to

"stop"

fifths or

any other

chord in tune.
strings have

You

will notice in old finger-boards the

of course

worn deep channels, which

mar
of

the vibration.
finger-board

The height

of

the strings above the

of fancy,

is to

some extent a matter

and

course depends on the height of the bridge.

or

child

young

girl

would soon be discouraged with attempt-

ing to press strings raised too high above the fingerboard, and of course the higher you ascend the harder

must be the

pressure.

On

the other hand,

is

if

the strings

are too close down, the touch

heart's content
;

no doubt light to your

but you cannot get a sufficiently full

suffer.

vibration,

and your tone will

!

The Bridge
with
its

had almost said the

tale.

asses' bridge, for

indeed thereby hangs a

The hard-wood
its

bridge,

whimsical perforated visage, and

two slender

feet clinging closely to the

smooth belly

of the violin,

has been sometimes treated with scant courtesy by

writers,
its

and even makers do not

all

seem

fully alive to

importance.

I notice repairers will

send you back

if

your violin with a bran-new bridge, and no apology,

they happen to have mislaid or broken yours.

But the

bridge not only exercises the most important and indis-

pensable functions of carrying the four strings under a

combined pressure

of seventy pounds, but it is in closer

and more intimate contact with the instrument than

28

OLD VIOLINS
of its appendages.

any other
the

It is so squeezed
it,

upon
so

wood

as to be almost pressed into

far

more

than the finger-board or the

blocks and linings.

tailpiece, or

even

the

It is charged with the

primary

vibrations from the strings

tions of the belly, ribs,

and the secondary vibrain the violin walls

it,

and back; nothing goes on in and possibly

that wondrous air

column enclosed

without the bridge taking cognisance of

hindering or aiding and abetting
the sound-holes.
I this
its

successful exit from

am

aware that

have been thought fanciful in

matter, but an

experience of
is

many

years

has

convinced

me

that

it

not easy to get a bridge that

suits a violin perfectly,

and most dangerous

to trifle

with the close and quasi marital relations which exist

between the violin and

bridges.
I love old ones
;

its

bridge.

dislike
all

new
raw

and why, when

the rest

happens

to be old, is the bridge alone to bring the

sap of youth to vex the mellow and desiccated repose

of

melodious age

The
your

position of your bridge, like that of your soundof

post, the adjusting

your screws, the thickness of

strings, belongs rather to the

management than
seem
to

to the constitution of the violin.

The only further

character of
its

details

fit

to be noted here

be the button supporting the tailpiece, which has a

own, in

its size,

material,

and

fixture

and the

far less

important

tailpiece, to

which we may

add the purfling and other occasional inlaying.

The Tailpiece,

of course, is strictly indispensable,

VIOLIN CONSTITUTION
but
it

29

does not

much matter what

it is

made

of,

or

how

it is

decorated.

The PuEFLiNG, although occasionally resisting damage to the outlying edge, is chiefly ornamental,
and consists
and
of three thin strips of

wood

two

ebony

or whalebone, and one of white

inlaid.

wood
last

glued together

In the purfling

we have

the

survival

of

the
will

inlaying as applied to musical instruments.

notice that the further you go back the
rately inlaid are the viols

You

more elabowas thought

in those
fitly

and

violins.
little

It

that the instrument, which

was

more

days of rudimentary music than a toy, might

exploited to
skill

be

show

off the conceit

;

of

artists

and the

of cabinet-makers

but as music developed and

tone was reckoned all-important, every detail likely

to interfere

with this new development gradually disin the hands

of

appeared,

till

the Cremonese makers

the faint

memory

of all the gorgeous mother-of-pearl,

ebony, ivory, gold and silver embossing, survives only

in the

narrow three thin

lines of

the purfling which

strike the contour of the instrument

to its form.

and give piquancy

And
nuded

thus the perfect sounding violin, though deof

all

superfluous decoration and meretricious

adornment, yet remains a miracle of art

of beauty

"a

thing

and a joy

for ever."

CHAPTER

III

VIOLINS AT BRESCIA

The

violin

proper

is

an Italian creation.
Stainer,
it is

It

comes

from the north

of Italy.

true, is

an early
is

maker, and he bore a German name, but his date

after all 1621-83, whilst that of

Maggini

is

1590-1632

and

if

you

visit the frontier village of

Absam, near

the town of Hall, where he lived, you will observe that

he dwelt on the high-road between the Tyrol and

Italy,

and that
Italian.

his training, his talent,

and his market and

were

But Brescia was

there
of
is

really the

home

of the viohn,

possibly something in the heavy salt seasoning

specially favours

the Tyrolean pines which

resonance,

that
for

peculiar

sensitiveness,

and durability

which the Brescian and Cremonese schools are famous.

The name
real name),

of

G-asparo
chiefly

di Salo (Bertolotti

was

his

now

famous

for his

double-basses
as the

and

violas,

must ever be revered by students

master of the great Maggini, who was in reality the

father of the violin, in the sense of having clearly, at

once and for ever, differentiated the instrument as a

distinct type.

Salo

is
30

a lovely spot on the shores

of

the

lake of

VIOLINS

AT BRESCIA
It

31

Garda, in the province of Brescia, and about twenty

miles from the big town.
culture.

was early famed

for its

Foreigners

went there

for the sake of its

schools,

and the Corporation records show that sacred

there.

music especially flourished

It is

now
his

certain

that Gasparo migrated thence to Brescia and worked

in that

town.

Maggini was as certainly

pupil.

This

is

proved by a legal document, dated 1602, which

has lately been discovered, bearing the joint signatures

of

Gasparo and Maggini, who

is

termed his "garzone,"

or apprentice.

Gasparo's share in violin-making proper could not

have been very great, as the

earliest violin orchestral

music appeared in Italy in 1608, and Gasparo died in

1610 or thereabouts

fact which, taken in connection

with the extreme rareness of any Gaspardian instru-

ments which can be called

violins,

seems

to

argue that be

the piccolo violino which was presently going to

master of the situation was only just creeping up.

I have seen
violin, the

and played on one very

fine

Gasparo

property of Lord Amherst

D and A strings
is
still

rich

whole the tone

and pure, 1st and 4th rather muffled, but on the is mellow and j)owerful.
bulgy, but

This almost unique Gasparo violin

a great
is

improvement on the old

viol build; the

head

long and quaint-looking, but lacks that finish and

character which later masters put into their scrolls.

Gasparo's basses are

still

much sought
as the

after,

and

Dragonetti possessed more than one.

A giant

specimen,

known

Duke

of Leinster's

32
bass,

OLD VIOLINS
may still be seen
is

at the

South Kensington Museum, Eoyal Institution in 1872.

his tone is

and

I exhibited it at the

His work

heavy and lacks refinement, but

grand and full-bodied.

Gio.
age,

Paolo Maggini was the

child of his father's old

and born

at Botlicino, near the

town

of Brescia,

which afterwards became the family headquarters.

Brescia was at this time a strongly fortified place,

and a print as
notion of what

late as
it

1764 probably gives us a

fair

looked like between 1560 and 1632.

Swift brooklets ran

down

the streets, and outside the

walls were spreading woodlands and

ploughed

fields.

It boasted of a splendid brick palace, the Broletta, and

a massive belfry of rough stone (Torre del Popolo), a

Castello,

and an old

Duomo

the streets were adorned

of

with frescoes.

The Cathedral

San Pietro de

Dom
full

was famous
orchestra.

for its music,

and had an organ and

The viol-makers and the monks were then,

it

as they have since been, in intimate relations, and

was a couple
sadly needed

of

monks who befriended Gasparo when

he was down in the world in health and fortune, and

it.

The princes
great patrons

of Italy at this time (1512-1630) of

art,

were

letters,

and

especially

music.

Brescia in 1600 was under Venetian rule.

or fortress

The town

was from

its

very position constantly in the

midst of wars and rumours of wars, and was appropriately

famed amongst other things

and armour.

for its

manufactory

of swords

It is surprising

how

little

mihtary commotions seem

VIOLINS
to

AT BRESCIA

33

have

affected, either at Brescia or at

Cremona, the

manufacture

of

musical instruments.
viol

There seems to

have been an uninterrupted line of

lute

and cither and

makers at Brescia from 1300 and onwards.

it is

But when

remeniijered that war does not inter-

rupt the functions of religion or diminish the importance of the clergy (nay, often enhances both),

we can

understand that the musical instrument makers might

have been as much in demand, in the stormiest times of

the Visconti and Medici, as druggists, soothsayers, or

mountebanks
friend or foe
to pay.

and they probably made impartially

for

for

any

one, in fact,

who

could afford

Up
of this

to within the last

few years very

little

was known

man

Gio. Paolo

Maggini

Magino

or Magicino.

As he put only
on his labels
it is

the

name and

place, but not the date,

(all

dated Magginis are therefore frauds),

not easy to assign fixed dates to any of his instru-

ments, and the personal information to be squeezed out

of

them
;

is of

the meagrest description.

He worked

in

Brescia

few of his instruments survive.

His violas are

that new-

as rare as Gaspare's violins, but he distances all other

makers

in the attention that he gave to

fangled and suspiciously regarded instrument,, the true

violin.

His handwriting, some

of

which survives, would lead

one to suppose that his education was very moderate,

but the signatures of illustrious princes of this period
are no better.
of Brescia

Eecently, however, the State Archives

have revealed some interesting gleams of C

34

OLD VIOLINS

information which enable us to show him in his work-

shop with one apprentice, Franchino, and a young

wife, aged

nineteen,

Maddalena Anna, who brought

children.

him a dowry, and afterwards

A picture of
storeys,

his house in the

lies

Contrada del Palazzo,

It has but

Vechio del Podesta,

before me.

two

and the family lived

floor to

upstairs, surrendering the

ground

the violin business.

In a woodcut by Jost Anian, Zurich (1539-91), we

have an authentic picture of such easy,

workers as Maggini.

leisurely,

calm

There

is

the rude substantial

bench, the tools, the

in

glue-pot, the planks

fiddles

and the wood

blocks, bits of

and

strips of timber

hung up on the

walls

the

aproned

artificer is carefully trying

a lute as he

sits

on

his three-legged stool.

What

sunplicities

Were we

to enter in

imagina-

tion the studios in

which the greatest pictures in the

of superfluous

world were being painted about this time, the same

meagre appliances and absence

luxury

would doubtless have greeted our eyes.

But our gorgeous modern

spoils of the East,

studios

hung with the

and iridescent with precious pottery

and curiously worked metals, our modern workshops

with their exquisite mechanical appliances and
of labour-saving machines,
all sorts

somehow

fail

to

rival

in

quality of production those old masters

who

sat

on

three-legged stools, ground their

their their

own

pigments,

made

own glue and own wood.

varnish,

and chopped and

chiselled

VIOLINS
If

AT BRESCIA

35

you consider Maggini's period (1560-1632) you

will see

how

exactly the direction of his genius was

conditioned by the demands of his age.

The singing-schools

of

Naples had resulted in a

call

for stringed instruments in increased

numbers, but the

to

old viols were seen to correspond

times,

ill

the altered

and the need

for

an instrument which would

felt

render leading melodies effectively was

proportion as such melodies

just in

became multiplied with

the rise of vocal music, sacred and profane.

Most
for

writers on the violin

life

seem

to

have a passion

cutting up a maker's

into periods, as though

man

could rise one morning and say, "

Go

to

now,

let us enter

upon period number

so,

three, in

which the

back shall be sloped

thus,

and the belly brought down

and the curve

of the bouts tilted, contracted, or

is,

elongated thus."

All that can be safely said

after

such and such a time Maggini or Amati dropped or

adopted this or that feature as a

infer that a

rule,

and we may
influences,

maker came under such and such

to

and

80 forth.
I

Now

come

speak of Maggini,

will

trace

roughly but clearly what

may

be called his continuous

development, rather than any so-called three periods.

Naturally at
Gasparo.
scale.
size,
first

the pupil

made

like

his

master

His violins suggested big viols on a small

;

They had a heavy look they were of large which makes the sides seem lower than they are,
than those of

for in reality the ribs are not higher

the Amati,

36

OLD VIOLINS
The heads look rough,
because, with
the

reduced

size,

no increase

of

refinement or delicacy has yet

been reached; now, they are cut without symmetry;

now, the fluting

of

the scroll

is

not smoothed, even

is

the grooves for the purfling are not neat, nor

purfling itself sharp,

the

Maggini's early backs, sides, and bellies are cut on

the slab

that

is,

across the grain.

in

Then Gasparo's sound-holes have got narrower

credit for

the hands of his pupil, and Gaspare has probably got

some
are

of

the improvements of

Maggini, as

there can be

little

doubt that some violins labelled

Gaspare
Stradivari

the

work
are

of
in

his

pupil, just

as

early

violins

existence

signed

Nicolo

Amati.
If I

may

hazard the remark, in

my

opinion Maggini

did not copy so

long or so seriously the work of

Gaspare as did Stradivari copy Nicolo,

is

The reason

obvious.

The

stride

between Gasparo and Magdied

gini is far greater than that between the late Nicolo

and the Strad,

individuality
lost.

By
to

the time Nicolo

that

the violin

had already risen

supreme and independent

it

and dignity which

got the violin

has never since

Stradivari

all

ready made;

it

was

Maggini's glory to have assisted at the individualisa-

King " type. Presently we become aware that Gasparo is dead and The Maggini bellies now cease to be cut on buried. the slab, but show the long parallel grain lines of the
tion of the "

VIOLINS
wood
as in the

AT BRESCIA
;

37
selection for

Amatis

the art of

wood

sonority and sensitiveness seems already to have reached the 1650

delicate,

Cremona
but
still

level.

The sound-holes are more

a little quaint; they are invariably

bevelled inwards, a practice entirely discarded by the

Cremona masters.
Sir

Joseph

Chitty's,

and

Mr

Sternberg's,
of

and the
first

Dumas' tenors are good specimens

Maggini's

independent work illustrating the above characteristics.

The Dumas family were

enthusiastic admirers of

friends of

Beethoven, and

Maggini's work.

They pos-

sessed at least one valuable " chest " of his instruments.

chest

is

described by an old writer as " a large hutch

it,

with several compartments and partitions in

each

lined with green baize" (we have since gone heavily

into velvet

and plush).
they do not vary in their proportions.
of

There are only about eight violas or tenors of Maggini's

known

The model

the

Dumas

viola is

of

the master's

most arched type

feature
It

much
is,

exaggerated

by
this

Stainer and his followers.

like

almost

all

master's specimens, adorned with double purfling, set

close to the edge, with

the usual Maggini

it

bevel at

the corner joints.

These corners give

a special phyto the

siognomy

they are short, and

make no appeal

eye like the later Cremonas.

upright, short, and liroad
;

The tenor's// holes are

curves as usual larger than

they are higher than in the

same maker's

violins, the top

the bottom ones, the back and belly both in two pieces

the bass bar and blocks inside have been strengthened

38

OLD VIOIJNS
mark on the wood
;

the rough tooth of the well-known Brescian plane has

left its
is in

inside.

The Dumas tenor

is

exquisite condition
it

the varnish

unlike the old

tints.

Gasparo brown,
type
is

glows with rich golden

;

Its

admirably defined
is

no one in looking at
and

this
is

tenor can say, " This

little violoncello," or "

it

This

a big violin." type for

all

It is a distinct viola type,

set the

succeeding violas.
it,

The Cremona makers

worked on

but they did not re-create the tenor;

they could not.

The Dumas-Maggini
tion
;

violin is in equally fine condi-

it

looks so

new

that

some have supposed

it

that,

although eighty years before Stradivari,

must be a
it

copy made by Strad of the older master, but

absolutely authentic and genuine.

is

Before Maggini died,

we

notice

that

a very high
to

standard of finish has been reached,

in his earlier days, or, as
for

unknown

him

the matter of

that, to

any

of his" predecessors.

Observe the improved purfling,

intention,

the bouts and mitres cut with clear

but

never so marked in physiognomy as the Amatis, the

sound-holes quite as sharp as theirs; but, above
the arching has at last
so early given,
all,

come down

this

true

hint,

was not at once adopted by Maggini's

Stradivarius at last fixed
later
it

Cremonese successors.
regulated
it

and

in a

model from which no

maker

has found

it

safe to depart with the exception of

Duke

and Klotz, who obstinately adhered

bellies

to the Stainer high

with deep side grooves.

Maggini's later varnish runs out of the old Gasparo

VIOLINS

AT BRESCIA

39

brown into orange and golden yellow, as luscious as

anything to be found in a Joseph or a Strad.

Although Maggini adhered

there are specimens of his
it
;

to

his double

purfling,

work

in exhibitions without

and at

least
is

one curiously but not carelessly made

the purfling at the back

instrument
is

known where
lines.

neither

double nor even inlaid, but merely drawn

black

sharply in
violin,

very

fine

single-purfled

formerly in the collection of Prince Caraman

in the possession of

Chimay, now
sesses

Mr

Antonietti, pos-

an unrivalled tone of the Maggini timbre.

Many

of his violins retain the old taste for other inlaid orna-

mentation.

He

does not run into

maps and

portraits,

but a graceful clover-leaf pattern

is

often found at top

and bottom
purfling,

of his backs, twisted, as it were, out of the

trefoil

and a sixfold
the back
is
;

sometimes occupies the

centre of

but an acute observer has noted

trefoil

that there

no instance of the central

com-

bined with the clover-leaf pattern.

Not

less

remarkable than this great maker's definition

of the violin
violoncello.

and

viola types

was

his conception of the

The Maggini

'cello is

not the son of the

It is

double-bass, but the father of the tenor.

much

more
not

like a large tenor than like a small double-bass

it

the proportions are, as

were, enlarged from the tenor,

flat-backed
direction
bass.

reduced

from

the
in

Maggini's
the

bent was

entirely

the

of

smaller

violoncello pattern.

The
too

early and

even the later Cremona

is

'cellos

were
the

large,

and there

very

little

doubt

that

40

OLD VIOLINS

powerful influenco of Maggini can be traced in the

evolution of those perfect but moderately sized Strad
'cellos

which date mostly after 1700.

of

The tone
rather

Maggini
biting

is

full,

mellow, and plaintive,

bell-resonant
like

than
soft

like

Stainer,

Strad, or

and sensitive like Nicolo Amati; but

like

great

players

Vieuxtemps, Ole

Bull,

Leonard,
if

and De Beriot have found him

have not extolled Maggini,
it

sufficient,

and

more

may

be on account of

the rareness and inaccessibility of his instruments.

It has been said

by a competent authority that not

more than

fifty

extant Magginis are known, and in

England at present (1897) about thirty violins, ten violas, and but two violoncellos and one double-bass.
Maggini died at the comparatively early age
one.
of fifty-

All researches

made
it

in the archives of S. Lorenzo,

his parish church,

have failed to reveal the date of his

is

death, and the worst of

that the registers of that

church prior to 1700 have disappeared.

We

hear plenty about his wife,

Anna

Foresti,

who

died 1651, aged fifty-eight, and was buried in a neigh-

bouring parish.
It is

more than probable that Maggini himself was

interred, or, dying at the Pest

a victim to the plague which raged at Brescia in 1632,

and that he was hastily

House, no
taken.
official

note of his death

may have

been

At any

rate, in

1632, the year of the plague,

his son describes himself as " filius

quondam Johaunis
1626, and he

Pauli

"

the son
last

of the late Gio. Paolo.

is

His

income-tax return

dated

VIOLINS
was dead
1632, and
fifty-one.

AT BRESCIA
must have died

41
at latest in

in 1632, so he

therefore could not have

been more than

off,

Maggini was doubtless well

and out
of town, of far

owned con-

siderable property in
of six children, and,

was the father

what was

more importance,

the father of the

modern

violin.

CHAPTER IV
VIOLINS AT

CREMONA

Ckemona
of

Artiati

two words making melody with their

still

very syllables, and a deeper harmony

music, from

for the lover

the association

of

ideas which

they

excite.

With
Brescia

the assumed immigration

of

makers

from

the

emergence
is

of

the

Amati

family (the

name
and

of

Amati

not found in the Brescian archives),

their final residence at

Cremona
strife,

begins the
"

classic

period of the violin.

Cremona, ancient city of

very situation (Kpi
imovog, "

which, owing to

its

high rock

and

" alone "),

was the battle-point

of the old

of the

middle ages from the days

to quite

Goths and Lombards down

its

modern
little

times;

Cremona, with

stately cathedral so

known

or visited, yet possessing

two

of the finest red

of

lions couchant, supporting portico

columns
;

one of

the noblest cathedral facades in Italy

its

Cremona, with
life

antiquated back streets,

its

drowsy quiet

gliding

on apart from the beaten thoroughfares

truly,

of

travel

Cremona town

is

a place to set one dreaming

have narrated elsewhere

42

my

pilgrimage to the place

which so ungratefully forgets almost the very tradition

VIOLINS
of the

AT CREMONA

43

Amati, Stradivari, and Guanierii, whose fabrics

it

alone have given

a musical immortality, and whose

like the stars,

names

are

hung up high

which no discords
face with

of the middle ages, sieges, or brawls can ever reach.

Let us

now

try

and come face

settled at

to

these

immortal makers.

Andrea Amati {p^re)

violins

Cremona, and made

from

1520-46.
(not

He
the

brought with
Nicolo,

him

his

brother

Nicolo

great

afterwards

master of Stradivari, Italian, or Stradiuarius, Latin).

Andrea Amati had two

sons,

Antonio and Geronimo,

who made
Antonio
prove.

violins jointly as well as separately.

When
to im-

married, the fiddles of neither

seemed

The brothers ceased

for a

time at least to work

together (there being,

it is said,
;

a period in which there

are no joint reductions)

but as there are

much

later

violins bearing their joint

names,
If

it

has been assumed

trust

that they again collaborated.

late labels

we

some

of these

the

brothers

being born about

1555-56,
it

and one

of the joint violins being dated

1687

would

follow that the venerable artificers were

violins at the age of 136 years,

still

making

which beats Stradivari

himself,

who only worked

till

he was ninety-three.

Geronimo, according to one writer's account of his

labels,

went even one

dated

better, for there is a

if

Geronimo
tolerably

violin

1698

so

this

Geronimo, brother of

Antonio, was
certain,

born about

1556,

which

is

he went on working even longer than Moses,

with his eye undimmed

unabated,

and

his

natural

strength

down

to the age of

148

44

OLD VIOLINS
The confusion has
arisen from confounding Geronimo,

brother of Antonio, with Geronimo, son of the great

Nicolo (born 1649, died 1740).

signed

But

if

there exists a

Geronimo

and
it

Antonio
wovild be

dated

1698,

which
to

seems very doubtful,

believe that, as the

certainly easier

demand

for Italian instruments

by

makers

of repute

had well

set in before 1700, the late

Antonio and Geronimo

label

was stolen from the old

of

workshops
in,

the
;

last

two

figures

16

being
;

filled

and the

label clapped on to cover the fraud

violin dated

whilst

any Geronimo
son of Nicolo

1698 would be by Geronimo,

or at most, one

made up by some

enter-

prising pupil out of the debris of the elder Geronimo's

workshop
Great,

perhaps
his

about the time that

Nicolo the
of

son of

Geronimo and

grandson

Andrea,

was working with

Guarnerii, and
or

his pupils, Stradivari

and Andrea,

own

son,

the

younger Geronimo

Girolamo Amati.

But with
priest,

this

Geronimo Amati, son

of Nicolo (born

1649), and a

certain

Don

Nicolo Amati, an

Italian

we need not

trovible ourselves

beyond recording

their names.

good deal has been said about Andrea Amati and

his violins.

He was
is

certainly the founder of the family,

but not

much

known about him except

his
violins

that he

probably, almost certainly, acquired from Brescia

the

Maggini type, and that

are

somewhat

smaller, arched in the belly, with a varnish that runs

out of the Brescian brown into the mellow and brilliant

gold and ruddy tints

common

to the

Cremona varnish


VIOLINS

AT CREMONA

45

the later Amatis have a

tendency to revert to the

browner hue.

That Andrea made some choice violins for Charles

IX. of France

twenty-four
known
the
political

violins,

twelve large, twelve

small pattern,

as " les petits violons

du

roi "

there can be no
Versailles
in

doubt, but they disappeared

disturbances

from

about 1790.

The arms
backs,

of France,

we

are told, were painted on the

to

and they are

said

have been

of

beautiful

workmanship.

'cello,

"Andrea

Amati Cremonentis
1827.

faciebat,

1572," was sold amongst some others belonging to Sir

WilKam

Curtis,

May

This

is

known
it

as

the

"Bridge's viollo."

Its history is

romantic,

having

been presented by Pope Pius V. to Charles IX. of

France, and surnamed the " King."

The Amati
1596-1684,
of
is

characteristic,

which culminates, along

but a certain

with other qualities of sonority, in the great Nicolo,

sweetness of tone
;

want
string.

power
"

is is

noticeable, especially on the fourth

beautiful, the "

The

A"

E"

soft

and

delicate,

and

the third very full and round

qualities

which are also

conspicuous in the brothers Geronimo.

But
its

if

Amati tone
is

is

of cabinet, not concert quality,

quality

of

a kind

unequalled for charm and

loiid,

sensitiveness,

and although not

some

violins

made

by the brothers have a considerable carrying power.

The Amati heads

plicity

or scrolls retained a certain simafter the finish

left

and antique Brescian look even

of the ])ody of the violin

and form

had

the Brescian

46
school far behind.
also gone, but

OLD VIOLINS
The double
purfling of Brescia
is

the

brothers purfled

very beautifully,

with a bend of perfect regularity and smoothness.

The

violins of

Antonio are better than his brother's,

have been

but the joint violins are the best, and

oftenest forged.

The brothers indeed made

the fashion

excellent

violas, but, as

then was, too large.

Sir Frederick

They have been

Gore Ousely once
and mellow.

sometimes cut down.

had a

fine

specimen, which I remember playing upon

many

years ago at

Tenby

tone very

full

Eichard Blagrove, a brother of Henry Blagrove, the

admirable early

Monday Popular

violinist,
it

was a viola was really a

player, and used a reputed Amati, but

Gagliano.
it

Many of

us (1897) can remember

how

richly

contributed to the triumph of a quartet, of which

Joachim, Eiess, and Piatti were often the other members.

Her late Majesty the Queen had a fine painted Amati, down and Miss Seton's Geronimo Amati is a rare specimen, and from the MS. of Ascenzio, a priest at Madrid, we learn that it was a favourite
unfortunately cut
;

violin of Charles IV. of Spain.

Geronimo, after separating from Antonio, reduced

the arching of his
bellies, but,

singularly enough, with-

out improving his tone-power.

The over-arching

of

the early makers and scooped side-curves are generally

supposed to be a vice

in acoustics finally

overcome by

the gentle natural curve and flatter models of Nicolo,

but

it is

perhaps possible to ride a theory too hard.

have certainly played on instruments deeply grooved,

VIOLINS
with rounded
bellies,

AT CREMONA
powerful Dukes and

47
piercing

Staiuers, which, according to the orthodox theory,

had
well
late

no business

to in

sound as loud as they

conspicuous by

did.

It

is

known

that
flat

both these Amati makers

is

the
;

Cremona

curve

its

absence

and

whilst I do not for a

moment deny
is

that the flatness of

the Stradivari model

ority of the late

preferable, I think the superito a

Cremona tone may be due

It will

good

many
last

other things beside that.

always be a

question whether the

perfection
it

of

an art or the

man who makes possible the man who actually

Pietro Peru-

achieves

is

really the greater genius.

gino or Eaffaello in painting; Chaucer or Shakespeare

in literature
;

Handel
or

or

Beethoven in music
in

Gaspare
but

and

Maggini

Stradivari

violin-making;

popular opinion generally plucks the blossom without

troubling itself

much about

the roots, and the prices

fetched by the finest Strad and the finest Gasparo, or

even Nicolo Amati, practically

regards the violin-makers.
for a fine Nicolo

settle the
is

question as

400

an unusual price

(250

is

nearer the mark, 1898);

Strad,

1000
and

is

not an

his finest

uncommon figure for a good specimens command 2000 (1898).

of

Nicolo,

the great son

Gerouimo, was born in

1596, and died close upon the seventeen hundreds, in

1684.

Nicolo was quite aware that he resumed

in

himself the fine quahties of his distinguished family

and improved upon them.

trouble himself

It

is

true he

did

not

much with

his

grandfather Andrea,

whom

he probably regarded as a worthy old gentleman

48
quite

OLD VIOLINS
out of date.

There could have been

size,

little

in

those small, almost three-quarter

brown varnished,

and sweet but feeble-sounding

aspiring grandson
;

violins to attract the

but there were qualities in the some-

what

larger models of the

famous brothers, Geronimo

and Antonio, which

set his to

hand and head agoing,

and throwing

when
and

as a

boy he

fell

copying and carving lacks

scrolls, in

bellies,

and twisting

ribs

his father's little

workshop

at

Cremona, opposite the

west front of the Saint Dominic Church.

Nicolo the Great doubtless followed and imitated
his

father

Geronimo, but wishing

to

miss

nothing,

and perhaps labouring under a sense

merely out of genuine
immortal
masters.

of obligation or

affection, his labels

embody an
to

acknowledgment

They run thus:

Fil, ac

"Nicolaus

of

indebtedness

both

Amatus Crefecit,

monem Hieronymi
(The
italics are

Antonij Nepos

1677"

mine.)

Nicolo the Great's smaller patterns

father's

workshop are not unfrequently

for

to be

made in his met with,

and can be picked up

even
less.

between 80 and 100, or

But

as

we watch

liis

dates, the touch of Nicolo very

soon becomes distinctive.

On

the death of his father

a work-

and uncle he found himself

in possession of

shop which inherited a great name, but which was

destined to transmit to future generations the greatest
violin

names
in

in

the world.

Among

the

pupils

of

Nicolo

1653 sat the

brothers

Guarneri, Andrea

Guarnerius having witnessed the marriage of his master

VIOLINS
Nicolo and
signed

AT CREMONA

49

the register; and by the side of

sat a

Andrea Guarnerius
Stradivari, or, as

young man named Antonio

1645 are
of the

we

usually call him, Stradiuarius.

Most

of the Nicolo violins before

smaller pattern, but after this date

down

to 1684, the

year of his death, the eye of a connoisseur will notice

an increase in

size,

a finish in workmanship, and a

(never double).
in

more
still

delicate

purfle

The model

is

somewhat high

back and
flatter;

belly,

but with an

increasing tendency to get

is

the side-grooving
are noticeably

less

pronounced, whilst the corners

into finer points
it

drawn out

full of character, arresting

the eye, lightening as

were the model, and giving

the whole physiognomy of the instrument a grace and

piquancy hitherto unattempted.

The sound-holes
narrow
taste,
;

of Nicolo are pointed

is

and somewhat

the scroll

cut a

little

too flat for the later

but passes as the century wanes into a somewhat

larger

and bolder

style.

The wood seems

to be

chosen beauty

almost as

much

for its mottled or fine-grained

as for its acoustical properties.

The early Nicolo varnish

type, but later on
of
to
it

is

of

brownish Brescian

glows with the rich amber tints

Cremona, and those dragon-blood stains which give

some Strads and Josephs such warm and generous

mellow red on a ripe

tints like the sunlit dashes of

nectarine.

Mr
said to

Somers Cocks (1898) has a most glorious Amati

"one
of

violoncello,

the finest ever seen or heard," so

me

a distinguished connoisseur.

Mr

Marshall

50

OLD VIOLINS
Jerome (the younger) Amati,
and workmanship.*
violin pattern runs
is is

Bulley's violoncello, a
also a rare gein of tone

The grand Amati

some

of the

Stradivari violins verj^ hard, and

evidently the model

on which the 1700-35 Strads are "caique," as the

French

say.

Tlio

side-grooving,

generally

held

to

interfere with the volume of tone, whilst supposed by

some
in

to

add
Strad

to its sweetness, has not disappeared as

the

grand model, but

it

has become less

sensitive,

pronounced.
the Nicolo
is

The tone
truly

is

lovely and
to

and

delightful

handle.

It

is

par

excellence the lady's violin.

The one before me, where the varnish

If

still

remains,
it.

melts into light orange with clear golden gleams in

Joseph

is

the strong male, Nicholas or Nicolo cersofter

tainly belongs to the

and more yielding

sex.

The tone
It

is

most

delicate,

and of ravishing sweetness.

on hke a
long

seems

to leap out almost before the horse-hair has

feathered the strings.

vibrating silver
after the

It continues to sing

bell, as if

intoxicated with
its

itself,

bow has ceased

'tis

contact.

In the sweet
;

Nicolo the lover finds no bars, no obstacles

it is

won

almost before

wooed (Plate
to

V.).

We
whilst

are

interested

know

that in his
if

own time
pupils,

Nicolo's

work was carefully imitated,

his

not forged
best

supremacy over one

of

his

Francesco Eugereo, Eugieri, or Eugerius, was clearly

unique set of instruments by the Amati family worthy of is the quintett, composed of three vioHns, a viola, and a violoncello, now (1898) in the possession of Miss Willmott.
*

An

mention

VIOLINS
acknowledged
;

AT CREMONA

51

Antonio

Vitali,

we find that a certain Tomaso who seems to have bought a violin

for
it,

with a Nicolo label inside, and paid twelve doubloons

(or about 12, 10s.) for

complained bitterly that on

removing the

false label he
it.

had discovered the name

of

Euggeri underneath

The aggrieved Tomaso

redress,

thereof

upon applied
Modena,
for

to his liege sovereign, the

Grand Duke

summary

avowing that he had

of great repute to be

given a higher price because the violin had a label of

Nicolo, " who," he adds, "
in his profession, but violin

was a maker
it

now

was proved

only a

by Eugerius the
he
said,

pupil, a

maker
to

of less credit."

The

violin,

was scarce worth

him more than

or not
little

three doubloons;

the petitioner therefore prayed the

Duke

for redress.

Whether he got
to him,

it

was no
conse-

doubt very important

but of very

quence
is

to us.

The

fact that

he made the application

the point.

The GuARNERii family must have made

violins

violas or
if

as

the sand

of

the sea in number,

the

frequency of their labels

may

be taken as any guide

and

in truth they

were a long-lived and industrious

family, and doubtless

chiefly
violins.

made a good many instruments, But the reputation of Andrew and

all

Peter,

and above

the great Giuseppe (Joseph) del

Gesu, led to the early fabrication of pseudo Josephs,

and labels in numbers far beyond what

all

the great

makers

Cremona together could have produced. Andrea Guarneri (Andrew Guarnerius) the apprenof

tice,

as

we have

seen,

was one

of the witnesses to the

52
great Nicolo

OLD VIOLINS
Amati's marriage in 1641, and Nicolo

enters his pupil's

fifteen,

name
in

in the

church register as aged

of his birth, 1626.

which gives us the year

till

He

worked on
sons,

1698

1652 he married, and two of his

his

Giuseppe (not the great Giuseppe,

nephew)
their

and

Pietro, worthily sustained

and improved upon

father's reputation.

Many

of the violins of

Andrea Guarneri are

of the

smaller Nicolo pattern, but

somewhat
of

inferior,

and not

always well

finished.

The wood

his rare 'cellos,

however, although plain in

appearance, can boast of

singularly fine acoustic qualities.

There

is

a well-known

'cello

now (1897) belonging

Andrea

to

Miss Theobald,
Giuseppe, Giuseppe, born

of his finest

workmanship.
of

second

son
to

Gianbattista

1666

1739,

as distinguished from

Del Gesu or
of

"

Jesus " Giuseppe, struck out a freer line

work.

His narrow-waisted boldly-curved instruvarnish and

ments, with their Brescian-looking sound-holes set low

down, his
fine

rich,

almost too profusely

rich,

wood, but not over-finished workmanship, give his

violins quite a characteristic appearance,

of tone they are superior to his father's.

and in power

But next
is

to

the great Giuseppe del Gesu, Pietro Guarneri

the

flower of the family, and most sought after by amateurs.

The grain

of his bellies is often wide, the distance

is

between the sound-holes

conspicuous, the sound-holes

less Brescian, the scrolls
is

themselves are rounder and

are

beautifully cut, and the varnish

tints to pale red,

superb, from golden

which has thrown some writers into

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA

53

rhapsodies about setting suns and the colours of the

rainbow.

Passing over a lesser Pietro, son of the lesser Giuseppe, son of Andrea,

who worked

at

Mantua, we come

to the

one
is

man

who, with the exception of the great Nicolo,

to

worthy

measure swords

(or

bows) with Stradivari.

He

came, singularly enough, from a side branch, and

not in direct descent from Andrea or any vioKn-maker,

being the son of one John Baptist Guarnerius, and was

born at Cremona in 1683.

The father

of the great

Giuseppe was the son of one

Bernardo Guarnerius, who was a cousin of Andrea,

and therefore the great Joseph was nephew

of

Andrea

Guarnerius, just as the great Nicolo was the nephew of

Andrea Amati; but a distinguished

Giuseppe from
this,

fact separates our

all

his illustrious kinsfolk,

and

it

is

that his father, Bernardo, does not seem to have

all,

been a violin-maker at
his teaching

so the

young Giuseppe owed

and cousins.

most probably

to his uncle

Most
his

writers have

speculated blindly enough upon

Gesii,"

distinctive

appendage "del

some talking
This

about the Jesuits or a supposed religious bent.

is

one

of the

many

cases where sapient antiquaries, in

seeking for recondite origins, neglect the simplest facts

and ignore the

of
his

easiest for to

explanations.

What
son
of

can

be

more simple than

superiority

the

great Giuseppe, conscious

Gianbattista,
to

Andrea
himself
both,

Guarneri, as well as anxious

distinguish

from Gianbattista,

his father,

and coming
call

after

though preferred before them, should

himself the

54
" del
Gesi^i,"

OLD VIOLINS
or

Jesus,

who
?

followed
far

after the

John

Baptist of
particular
this

the

family

So

from indicating any

partake more of a
as tradition says, the
of a free liver,

reverence for religion, the assumption of

title

bold

seems to
;

me
and

to
if,

certain irreverent levity

great Giuseppe or Joseph

was somewhat
he

and perhaps even a

sceptic,

may have had

names and

small

scruples in so lightly treating sacred

subjects.

The question

as to

who may have been

his master,

and the influence

(or otherwise) of Stradivari

upon him,

has also been involved, as I think, in needless mystery. Since Del Gesii worked at Cremona and must have
been, as

cousin and

nephew, a good deal with his

uncle and cousins, Andrea, Giovanni, and Pietro,

lived there,
it is

who

no great stretch

of fancy to

suppose

that

when he showed

the family bent for vioHn-making,

he should have been apprenticed to study the art with

his cousin Giuseppe, son of Andrea, in

which case he

must have
working
all

lived

next door to where Stradivari was

;

through his finest period

and though

Giuseppe's violins are rightly said to be in the style

of

his

cousin's Gianbattista,

and he

may have drawn

it

his early inspirations

from his cousin,

is

impossible

to suppose that so able a

tact

man

could be in daily con-

with and yet wholly insensible to the influence

of the greatest

maker who ever

lived.

Why,

he not

only worked next door to Strad, but probably met

him every afternoon

Of course the

at the neighbouring caf4

and was
the two

doubtless often about his shop, year in year out.

differences in the

work

of

VIOLINS
great

AT CREMONA
The massive,
brutally
bold,
of

55

masters are obvious.

lines

and

original

and

less

scrupulous finish
(almost

Joseph

the

Great,

the powerful

powerful)
all

scroll,

the loud trumpet-like imperious tone,

mark
more

the masculine as contracted with the sweeter and

feminine qualities of the gentler, bell-like Strad.

fact also before alluded
to,

The

that between the back and

is

the belly of the Strad there

usually but one note,

whilst between the back and belly of the Giuseppe del

Gesu there are sometimes more,

distinct originality, as Eafael

all

prove sterling and

was

distinct

from Peru-

gino or Michael Angolo from Leonardo da Vinci.

But

enough

for to

draw these comparisons before describing

like putting the cart before the

the master
horse.

may seem

So

let

us now, without further ado, locate the great

violin shops at
in the Piazza S.

Cremona and peep

into

worktop No.

6,

Domenico, now Piazza Eoma.

In about 1540, Andrea Amati had set up his modest

establishment, trained his sons, and taken apprentices,

bequeathing to Nicolo his plant and pupils.

Stradivari

and

the
;

early

Guarnerii then worked

together, cheek by jowl

to

by-and-by Stradivari migrated

No.

5,

next door, and the Guarnerii with Giuseppe

del Gesu,

who

died in 1745, the latest and greatest of

that family (surviving Stradiuarius,

eight years), then set

who

died in 1737,

up

at No.

G.

As
three

have had occasion to remark elsewhere, these

names, Amati, the Guarnerii, Stradivari, there

like

be

none

them

these

tliree

shops opposite the

56
big

OLD VIOLINS
Church
of
S.

Domenico, now demolished, there

never were nor will be three such violin shops.

Here were made,

labour, between

in

long,

quiet years

of

peaceful

1560 and 1760, in steady and friendly

on which Paganini played,

rivalry, all the greatest violins in the world.

The Giuseppe

del Gesii

now

in the

Town

Hall in Genoa, the Stradiuarius on

which Ernst, now Lady Halle (1898), plays, Canon

Percy Hudson's violoncello, Joachim and Wilhelmj's
"Strads,"
Messie,

the

Alard, the

Betts,

the

Dolphin,

the

the Pucelle,

the Tuscan, the Fountaine, the

Eode, and the Viotti

violin world.

these

be the wonders of the

But

in following the development of the Guarnerii

family into the seventeen hundreds, the position of

Giuseppe del

Gesii, the

king of the Guarneri, must be

describe the rise and progress

clearly defined before

of Stradivari,

we

who ran

parallel with,

and who,

in the

estimation of most violinists, seems to combine in himself,

the ne phis ultra of all violin perfection.

is

Nothing about Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesii

more

remarkable than the determined way in which, after

examining the Amati types, he deliberately went back

to

the Brescian Gasparo and Maggini models for in-

spiration.

The time had come when powerful tone was wanted. The Amatis were sensitive, sweet, and
in

weak;
tined to

the

larger

and

more

massive Brescians

Giuseppe found the suggestion of what he was des-

make
to the

perfect.

If

only he could add their

volume

Amati

sensitiveness

an

hour more or


VIOLINS
less

AT CREMONA

57

spent on the cutting of corners or neater purfling

it

what did

matter?

Strength, power, was what he

is

wanted, and the sentiment

thrown

off

in the bull-

dog type of his head or

boards so

scroll, in

the thickness of his

much

criticibed, in

the boldness rather than

the grace and delicacy of his curves.

He

tried

many
cut

experiments:

flat

make,

full

make,

sound-holes
slanting,

almost

perpendicularly,

shortened,
long.

and sometimes disproportionately

effect

He

was watching the

of tone,

on the volume and quality

in his

and when he had

own way conquered

empirically or
then, his

that secret of grand sonority, whether

by

calculation, then,

and not

till

workman-

ship improves.

He was

like a

man who had no

till

time to think of the

delicate cooking

he had stayed his main appetite.

His frequent habit

d contre
sens, as

of cutting the

wood upon the

cross,

in the case

of

Mr

Alfred Gibson's

instrument (1897), a superb specimen of Del Gesi^,

shows up the coruscations

of the grain,

and brings out

each pore and vein by the agate-like varnish

not
on

agate-like in the sense of the French chippy varnish,

but in

its clear

crystalline
is

depth and transparency.

is

Del

Gesii's

varnish

never clotted, but

laid

thoroughly, yet with a light hand.

to say that Sir

Mr
veil

Ruskin used
Del

Joshua Reynolds^ touch was so light

;

that

he could paint on a gossamer

is also

Gesi!i's

brush

as light as a feather.

Some

of

Del Gesu's

later violins, dating

from about 1740, after the death

of Stradivarius, are

amongst

his finest.

The one used

58

OLD VIOLINS
to

by Professor Sauret, and the other lent by

Mr Ludwig
Hall at

Mr

Frazer, are particularly fine, and belong to this

period.

Paganini's Joseph,

now

in the

Town

Genoa, Alard's, in the

Museum

of the Conservatoire of

Music, Turin, and Vieuxtemps',

of

now
is

in the possession

Maurice Sons,

also belong to this great period.

The

life of

Joseph Guarnerius
It

more or

less en-

veloped in mystery.

seems, for instance, utterly

truth

impossible to get at the

prison
fiddles.

about the so-called

Whenever a Joseph or a presumed Joseph which is not up to Joseph's standard comes

into the market,
it is

dubbed a Del Gesi\

prison-fiddle.

The story runs that Giuseppe, being a somewhat reckless person, got into trouble and was locked up for

many
got

years, during

which time the

gaoler's daughter

him

any wood she could find, and he

made

these
of
for

inferior pot-boiling fiddles,

which she disposed

able.

such moderate sums as she was

I prefer to put this legend wholly aside.

Del Gesu

may
rests

not have held sacred things in high estimation,

of a free liver

and he may have been somewhat

this

on the authority

of

Carlo Bergonzi's grandson,

who was not even

he

a contemporary of Del Gesii

still

may have
maker
to
;

got the gossip

Stradivari's

from Bergonzi, his own

pupil,

father,

who was

and doubtless a
interests are

rival

and tongues may wag when

be opposed, and
stories will

or

seem

come

forth

finely variegated

when

there

is

an extraordinary absence
is

of reliable facts, as there

undoubtedly

in the case of

Del

Gesil.

VIOLINS
There
is,

AT CREMONA
in prison

59

however, no direct evidence whatever that

for years
;

Del Gesu was

and that he died

there, as says the legend

but Canon Bazzi of Cremona

has lately unearthed one Girolamo Guarneri

die
in prison
in

who did
two very

1715, and the names

illustrious

of

different

men, one

and the other obscure,

to

have before now got mixed up,

the illustrious one.

the detriment of

Something similar
great

is

said to have

happened to the

Athanasius, whose

name has been confounded

with that of the obscure Pope Anastasius, in whose

presence a creed was recited by one Bishop Victricius,

and the confession

Anastasius
since
it

of faith thus recited

by command of
doctrine

now

passes as the creed of Saint Athanasius,

chiefly

emphasises the Trinitarian

connected with the

name

of that illustrious doctor.

is

Giuseppe del Gesu

much more
;

difficult to find

than a Strad
Stradivarius,
his

his

output, as

compared

to

that

of

is

as one to six

liis life

was

shorter,

and

But he is placed on a level with the immortal Antonio by some who know how to handle him, and the prices of his
erratic.

working career probably more

wares have already reached four

figures.

CHAPTEE V
VIOLINS AT CREMONA
continued

TuERE

is

something inexorable about the concensus of

posterity.

Individuals

may

chafe under

it,

and writers

may

try to reverse its verdict.

You even have

crazes for

the revival of neglected poets, painters, and musicians,

but you will never succeed in pushing from their pedestals

the great gods

to.

whom

posterity has once decided

to

bow down

De

Beriot

Paganini

may choose may prefer his

it

to

play on a Maggini, and

Joseph, but even Maggini,

Nicolo Amati, and Giuseppe Guarnerius,

who stand

round as
vari
tain,

were saluting one another, leave StradiColossus

apart by himself like a

on a mounis

and yet no one, not the greatest connoisseur,

to

able

say exactly why.

When
Strads,

so

many esteem

individual violins above

del Gesi\
still
is

some

and when Joseph

held to run the magic master very hard,

all

Strad stands apart upon his mountain for

to
is

men
can
is

to

look up
it

and wonder
the

at.

And why?
the greatest
;

We

only say

way with
of

all

there

something of the mystery

heaven about the incom-

municable touch
to order,
60

the true aureole forms about no head

for the mighty.

and the lonely seats are kept

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA

61

Antonio Stradivari or Stradiuarius was born in 1644,

and

died, in his ninety-third year, in 1737.

We get the
own hand-

date of his death from the register, and the date of his
birth
is

fixed

by a

violin label (1736) in his

8 Gates

writing, in

which he

that he was ninety-three

years old

when he made

the instrument.

Stradiuarius married at the age of twenty-three a

woman

of

twenty-seven,

three years,

who had been a widow for whose maiden name was Ferraboschi, and
little
girl.

he adopted her one

children,
wife,

By

her he had six

some
two

of

whom

died before him.

later,

His second
bore him five
in all

whom

he married several years

of

children,

whom

died before

him

so that
only

Stradivari had eleven children.

to

None

of
;

them seemed

Omobono made even decent fiddles, and so far maintained the great name as to succeed at first in selling their wares at their father's prices. The buyers probably hoped that at least the wood might have been selected by Stradivari p^re, and much of it
have inherited their father's genius

and Francesco Stradivari

probably was

and

if

there

was the chance

of getting a

spare rib or back or belly with a touch of the master

upon

it, it

was surely worth a

little speculation.

Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri, as stated

before,

were young garzoni or apprentices together in

the workshop of the great Nicolo

Amati
tools,

sat

on the

same work bench, used the same

discussed the same problems.

and doubtless

In and out of that shop ran, no doubt, the boy

Giuseppe Gaurneri

to see his uncle

Andrea.

He must

62

OLD VIOLINS
;

have always found Stradivari there

on,

and when,

later

Giuseppe imbibed a taste

for

fiddle-making, and
it is

became himself the great Del Gesu,

hard, I insist
lifelong

upon

it,

to believe that

what must have been a

acquaintance with the mighty Stradivari should have had

no influence whatever in forming his ideas and methods.

There

is

no mention

of

the

youthful Stradivari

having accompanied Andrea Guarneri to the wedding

of his master, Nicolo

Amati

Andrea was doubtless the

thou wouldst create,

older pupil, and Antonio Stradivari was taken on later.

" If thou
first

wouldst teach, learn

It
is

if

copy."

generally held that for some years,

roughly between 1660-70, Stradiuarius simply made up,

blocked out, drew, glued, mixed varnish, and worked
generally, but without signing
fiddles.

his

own name

to

any

He was
so.

learning; but in 1660 he begins to

sign his name, not from pr|de, but because his master

made him do

From
us
to

before

that

date to about

1670, which brings

within fourteen years of

Nicolo Amati's death, he

called

made what

are

sometimes

Amati

Strads.

At

this time

Antonio followed closely the violins of

the early Nicolo rather than the grand

Amati

pattern,

but he appears to have followed his master's develop-

ments continuously, slowly, but

surely.

There exists a Stradivari violin with a label Nicholai

Amati (anno
shop, but
still

1667),

and about that date (when he

married) Antonio seems to have left his master's work-

continued closely to copy Nicolo, and

his

many

violins of

between 1660 and 1670 pass as

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA

63

Amatis, whilst others are called

Araati Strads, and

some are apparently joint productions.

When

Stradiuarius

married (about

1667) and

left

Nicolo Amati, he set up round the corner in the same

street as the brothers Gruarnerii,
to
S.

and almost next door

them, in the square opposite the great Church of

Domenico.

From about

this

time connoisseurs notice

;

a great improvement in Stradivari's tecluiique

to

but up

1672 at

least,

remaining a close copyist of Amati,

he doubtless kept on terms of the closest intimacy with Nicolo,

now

in

his decline,

and benefited by the

abundance

of orders flowing in for

Amati

violins

which

the old master was unable to execute.

From 1660
perhaps haste
;

to

1684 was a period

of great activity,

even some pot-boiling Stradivari violins been made as the young family increased.
is

may then have

Antonio's

wood

often plain about this time, and not

up

to the best tasto

and selection of his master, but he

evidently remained his right-hand

man

to the

end

and

when Nicolo

died, at the ripe age of eighty-eight, he

left all his tools

and

his plant not to his son Girolamo,

then about thirty-five, but to Antonio Stradivari, then

just forty years old.

In

1680, four

years

before

the death

of
to

Nicolo,

Antonio had so far prospered as to be able

buy

his

house (which I visited in 1880), at 1 Piazza Eoma, for about 800.

interesting
friend

Desiderio Arisi, a Cremonese, has left an

MS.

in

which he speaks

of "his intimate
is

Antonio Stradivari."

The MS.

dated

1720,

or seventeen years before the death of Stradivari.

64

OLD VIOIJNS
my attention and curiosity the
"

Arisi alludes to a point of great interest which early

excited
of

many-sidedness
Arisi,
" is

the man.

In Cremona,"

writes

also

living
cellent

my

intimate friend Antonio

Stradivari, an ex-

maker

of all hinds of musical instruments."

In-

deed, he could

make anything

that was in demand, and

to order, inlay,

he did

he could

" fancy-purfle "

make

fiddles in

odd shapes, or with a twist in the curve

here or there, or longer or shorter for experiment, or

big or small.

The Marquis Carlo dal Negro

Stradivari harp
in 1820.

of G-enoa

owned a

The master was not above

lutes to order.

making mandohnes and

Messrs Hill
have
I

own
often

a perfectly plain Stradivari guitar in fine conIt is of exquisite close-grained wood.

I

dition.

wanted

to

hear

the sound

of

that guitar.

noticed a Stradivari cithern in the South Kensington

Loan Collection with an elaborately carved female head

of great beauty.
I did

not wonder that he

who

could
else.

carve such scrolls could carve a head or anything

There

are, or were,

within the present century, other

it is

gems
small

of

workmanship, some of which

fiddles,

to be feared

have perished, children's

figures,

instruments made with

flowers,

arabesques.
is

Everything that
in

comes from

his

hand

finely accurate
is

drawing.

Sometimes his decoration

merely painted in black,

is

sometimes ivory, ebony, or mother-of-pearl

used,

but everything Stradivari did was perfectly done; he

qualified himself to the nth, as

mathematicians say, for

each branch of his

art.

VIOLINS
In these days one

AT CREMONA
draws, another blocks
Stradivarius did

65
out,
all,

man

another inlays, another finishes,

and did

all

consummately

well.

His heads and ara-

besques are worthy of Cellini, his inlaying of the finest

Florentine marqueterie, his scrolls and curves are of

Pheidian beauty

his varnishing is his own.

On
nerii

the death of Amati, Stradiuarius and the Guar-

Cremona market to themselves, and whilst the competition was quite wholesome, there is no reason to suppose that their rivalry was other than a friendly one. They had all been brought up tohad
the
gether, they

had worked as boys together, they had

varnished each other's
;

doubtless lent each other tools, touched up each other's

backs and

bellies,

ribs, criticised

each other's scrolls from boyhood

and now that the and kings and

fiddles, there

Cremona
nobles

violin

was

in the ascendant,

from

Spain,

France,

Germany, Saxony, and

even England were anxious for Cremona

was a market

for

them

all.

The
a

bitterness of competition

is

not always due to

;

rival makers,

but often to over-production

and such

thing as

over-production of fiddles in those days

was unknown.
than
the
of

Nay, the orders that came in could

not be executed fast enough.

instruments
could

Music walked
follow
it.

faster

When
to

the

King

Poland wanted a Strad violin he knew his

his Capelmeister

man, and sent

violins ordered
Arisi,

Voleme

Cremona,

with orders to stop there and bring back the twelve

for

the court

orchestra.

" So,"

says

"Voleme

arrived in 1715 on the 10th June, and

66

OLD VIOLINS
all

remained there three months, and when

the instru-

ments were ready he took them with him

to Poland." his

But "There

at
is

this

time

Stradivari

was

at

zenith.

not in

the

world," writes

Lorenzo Giusartificer in

tiniani, a

Venetian nobleman, to the great

1715, "a more skilled maker of musical instruments

than yourself, and as I wish to preserve a record of such an illustrious

man and famous

artist, I

trouble

you with
to

this letter to ask

whether you

feel disposed

make me

a violin of the highest quality and finish

that you can bestow

upon

it."

But we must not

anticipate.

After the death of

the

illustrious

Nicolo Amati,
accurate
to

this patient pupil, this careful

copyist, this

and

tireless

student and

experimentalist,

begins

assert

his

strong

individuality.

His

scroll

departs

from the feminine Amati type, and becomes striking

and independent,
corners are

his

sound-holes

recline

more, his

pronounced, his middle bout curves are

is

prolonged, his varnish

almost fancifully varied from

rich gold to soft velvety red.

His wood

is

variably chosen with the utmost care, and as he

chiefly for the nobility, royalty,
dignitaries,

now inmade
clerical

and the higher

he was not only on his mettle, but he could

as he chose.

afford to

work just

In 1682, Michele Monzi, a rich Venetian banker,

sent

him an order
which were
II.

for to

chest of

violins, altos

'cellos,

be

presented

to

our

and King

They were so much liked that his Majesty ordered a viol di gamba of Stradiuarius in 1686.

James

CE)-0

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA

67

In 1685, Cardinal Orsini, afterwards Pope Benedict

XIII., had ordered a violoncello and two violins of him,
besides

making him
title,

"

one of his private attendants," an

honorary

but equivalent to appointing Stradiuto

arius instrument-maker

the

Cardinal Archbishop.

commend this fact to his Holiness Pope Leo XIII. (1897), who has lately placed the violin on his index
expurgatorius
of

We

instruments,

as

being too frivolous

!

for the solemnities of

divine service

Yet Pius IX.

was a pretty good

ments
for the

fiddler.

In 1687 Stradivari makes his famous set of instru-

Spanish Court, inlaid with ivory, with a

the sides.

scroll-work running round

rarities

One

of

these

a
I
it

violin

found
Charles

its

way

into the hands of Ole

Bull, the

famous
to

violinist.

It has

been since sold in

of

England
tenor
is,

Dr

Oldham

Brighton.
last

The
the

believe, in

existence.

When
Hill.

in

market,

had

lost its ivory purfling,

which has since

been exquisitely replaced by Messrs

There are extant several very small violins made

evidently to order about this period.
different sizes for different ages
is

The

fallacy of

from childhood upwards

one which will always smile to makers and those acute

persons

who

teach the violin and

buy

their pupils' in-

struments, which of course have to be changed as the

children grow up, for larger and larger ones.
I

have

always protested against

this.

child of

eight had

much

better play the violin like a violoncello (at the

age of seven, as I did myself) than be given a small

one; but when
I

was eight

could hold

full-sized

68
violin to

OLD VIOLINS
my
chin

not quite in the

enough.

correct position,

no

doubt, but near

Thus from the very

had
to unlearn

first,

when
in

at six or seven years of age, I played the violin

like the violoncello, I never

my

intervals
intervals.

stopping the strings.

The brain learns

An
is

habitual tenor player never plays the violin quite

in tune,

and

vice versd

and

so every time a larger violin

is

placed in the pupil's hands, the brain

bothered with

the narrower stopping learned in the preceding period.

Still,

no one can regret the exquisite

cabinet, almost

Amati and Guarnerii as Artistically they are gems musically, well as by Strad. I have never got anybody to agree with me fallacies.
toy specimens,
the
;

made by

about not using dwarf

fiddles.

Joachim,

I believe, constiffens

tended that for a child to use a large fiddle

his muscles.
stiffen

I don't believe it;

it

certainly did

not

mine.

I believe I

am

also in a minority in
is,

my
fact,

partiality for old bridges.

Neither theory

in

"good

for trade."

In 1690 Stradivari executed a celebrated order for

the Prince of Tuscany, through the Marquis Bartho-

lomeo
writes
:

Aribati.
" I

Of

these

chefs-d'oeuvre

the

Marquis
your

assure you the Prince has accepted

instruments with more pleasure than I could expect.

The players

in the orchestra are

unanimous

in express-

ing appreciation.

They
they
all

declare

your instruments to

be quite perfect
cello

say they never heard a violon-

with such a tone as yours.

My

having brought

to the

knowledge

of

such a person as his Highness your

great skill will doubtless procure you

many

orders from

VIOIJNS
his exalted

AT CREMONA
we
learn,

69

house"

and

then follow more orders for

two
of

tenors.

On

this occasion,

from the

relics

Stradivari in

the possession of

the Marquis della

characteristically
for the royal

Valle,

that

the great violin-maker

enough made the most beautiful cases

bearings and symbols appropriate

instruments, decorating them profusely with

armorial

to each instrument.

The order was given

were not handed in
seems,

in 1684, but the

instruments
it

till

1690.

The Grand Duke,

came back

for more, as there

was found amongst

his instruments a violin of the grand pattern bearing

the later date, 1716.

I

cannot forbear to

call attention to

the exquisite

chromo-lithographs of the Tuscan violin, and the lucid

description

and history
in
it to

of

this

last-named

famous

masterpiece,

Messrs

Hill's

handsome monograph.
still,

He
all
is

declares

be in the very finest preservation

with an unbroken and authentic record, and to possess

the noblest qualities of the incomparable master.
It

on the very verge

of his great period, bearing the date

1690, and was bought by

Mr

David Ker
still

in 1794.

The

Tuscan viola and violoncello are

at Florence,

in the Institute of

and

I advise all lovers

Cremona who

get the chance to go and inspect them.

The only other point

the year 1700,
period,
is

of great general interest before

when Stradivarius

enters on his golden

the deliberate manufacture of a certain

num-

ber

of

violins

on a pattern distinct from the Amati,

These instruments are known as

and from any patterns adopted by himself before 16861694, or after 1700.


70

OLD

VIOLINS

long Strads, and they seem to be a sort of constructional or experimental link

between the smaller Amati

pattern and the grand

Strad pattern of 1700-37

model evidently suggested by the grand Nicolo, but not adopted by the cautious Strad till some years after
Nicolo's death.

his

From 1694 to 1700 way to make long

Stradivari not only

Strads,

went out

of

which not only looked

in,

longer because they were narrower and pinched

actually were longer
i.e.

but

14-inch, as compared to the

1690 13-inch Strad.

through
his

In other respects also he walked

traditions.

own

Having

mastered

all

violin lore, he

was evidently

at last trying a series of

daring experiments to settle in his

for ever certain

own mind once and

with colour in the

problems of tone.
trifle

"We have known painters

same way.

Gainsborough would paint his blue boy,

and Whistler symphonies in green, mauve, or anything

else unexpected,

and Turner would recreate the

;

light

that never
trifling,

was on sea or land

but in reality

it

was no
So you

but study in arrangement of colour.

can have study in construction, empirical ventures, and

a testing of tone problems, whether in sound or colour.

As

Stradivari

mused and

carved, and glued and var-

nished, year after year, his meditations

" Flatten the belly

might run thus

thicker
;

here or there according to

wood, density of fibre

air

column restrained by narrow

width, as in the long pattern, but same cubic inches of air

allowed for in length or height of ribs, only differently

defined

by

different

shapes of instruments.

Enlarge

"

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA
;

71
see

width, thin planks, hut try different thicknesses

how
if
I

different densities of

wood go

together.

Try old

seasoned wood for back, newer for belly, or vice versd

wood

hard, thin

it

if

soft,
;

thicken

it

try effect of

higher ribs on

fiat

curves

lower the ribs on more

sides.
?

bulgy curves and grooved

What
his

did

Nicolo

aim at with
size,

his

grand pattern

Adopt

width and

and

flatten his belly.

Try and save

?)

his sweetness

(did the grooves give that

belly,

with the

flatter

back and

which gives louder tone, adopting the mathe-

matical curve of nature, suggested by the vibration of

a string

certainly that gives power.

Is a joined back,
?

or a back in one piece, best or indifferent

That would
be to patch

depend on wood attainable.

bits of precious

How

would

it
?

wood

if

inter-congenial
that,

That gene-

rally succeeds.

good secret
!

but an open one

wanted always the patcher

This idea of patching was certainly one of the most

inspired thoughts that ever occurred to him.
to

He
;

seems

have kept wood of the

best
orders.

finest acoustic properties for

his

He had

favourite

planks

we can

trace one of these by a stain that runs through the

grain,

and the wood crops up again and again in some

of his best fiddles.

The plank must have been known to his pupils, the remains of it were worked up after his death.

for

"Now
" thick

for

the

sound-bar,"

ponders

Stradivari;

or

thin, according to the density or elasticity

belly.

of

the

back and
of

And

its

position?

little

transverse,

course

shghtly

diagonal to be in

the

72
line of

OLD VIOLINS
vibration.

Study
it

effect

on power of different

strings

by placing
;

a fraction of an inch one

way

or

another

place

it

slightly aslant for experiment.

And

the varnish?"

But

that will call for a few separate

paragraphs by-and-by.
I have tried to indicate the kind of observation

and
and

meditation, demanding unlimited

love,

time,

patience,

which Stradivari devoted

art,

for the better part of a

century to his
chefs-d'oeuvre,

and without which those Cremona

the Dolpliin, the Messie, Tuscan, Betts,

forth.

and Pucelle Strads, could never have come

I

have alluded

to

Strad's taking late to the large

Amati pattern
the small
size.

for violins, inclining for

some time

to

I do not

know

that any one has yet

noticed that in violoncellos Strad reversed this order of

work, making his early violoncellos large, and diminishing their

size.

As he reached
that
the quite

his

golden period he
virtuosity

probably

felt

demands made by
alike

and tone-power were

larger type of violin

consistent

with a

and a smaller and more manageaware of the value of Strad's

for,

able size of violoncello.

The

violinist is well

golden period, which will cost him gold;

after

about 1700, a

fine

Strad will be worth to him from

1000 and upwards, according to its condition. The long apprenticeship was at last over, and
1700 the master had reached the ripe age
an age at which so
work.

in

of fifty-six,

many have
acme

achieved their greatest

He was
;

at the

of his power, experience,

and fame

no one could teach him anything now, and

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA
He
Tadema
wields

73
could at last
his

apparently he had nothmg to learn.

wield his tools as a Millais or a
brush, a

Flaxman

his pencil, a

Canova
and do

his chisel, or as

a Mozart or

Wagner handles

his score.
it,

He knew what
it

he wanted, and he could do

with a spon-

taneous ease and joy which seems even

to us

now

to smile

from the saucy corners of his bouts, the free

daring curves of his grand pattern, and the lightly

tossed and lifted scrolls.

No

one has failed to notice the masterful

all

ease, the

emancipation from

mannerism, the cool defiance of

precedent and uniformity, and even symmetry, which

characterises his great period from 1700 to 1730.

The
secret

violins are not all alike.

Strad

knew
;

that the

was not merely

in the pattern or

shape

he could

vary his curves, and yet produce masterpieces, because

he knew

all

about the

air

column, the wood densities,

and the proportions and quantities which should be

combined
for the requisite
result,

and he could mix

them

differently like a master colourist.

if

He

no more

treated every violin as

it

had the same constitution

than does a physician treat every

it

human body

alike;

is

not so

much

nitrogenous or carbonaceous food,

and so much

liquid,

but

it is

these and other

things

used in proportion, according to your digestion and

temperament, which will produce in that instrument,

your body, the harmony of health
;

and how

close

is

the analogy between the constitution of a violin and

that of a
tissue,

human body
fibre,

how varied
and density

is

the texture, the

the

quality,

of

component

74
parts of

OLD VIOIJNS
each

have endeavoured to pomt out as

succinctly as I could.
So, in the

grand period, the grand pattern Strads

trained, almost inspired
instinct,

are

all

made with a
;

according to those laws which govern the tone qualities

aimed at
at.

but the fiddles are by no means alike to look

of imaginative variety,

They have the charm

To

com-

bined with the unity of supreme excellence.

this great period belongs the

Dolphin Strad, so

called, it is said,

from the melting and almost iridescent

tints of the varnish.

To me, however, the

violin almost

suggests the

life,

freedom, and elegant poise of that

graceful fish whose

acoustic
special,

name

it

bears.

The beauty and

properties of

the Dolphin

wood

are

quite

and can easily be compared with other violins

of

the

same

period,

some

of

which are much plainer

to look at,

and somewhat

different in form,

and though

very charming, hardly so bell-like in tone.

The

last

time I had the privilege of touching the

Dolphin Strad was at

ringing notes and

my

lecture on violins before the

I
shall

Koyal Institution in 1880.

its

never forget
It

its

exquisite sensibility.
it

seemed
touched,

anxious to speak before

it

was spoken
shows

to

when

seemed

to

do

all for itself

it off, it

like magic.

Instead of

the player showing

off the player;

he

begins to feel he has nothing to learn in tone production.

It

is

almost like sitting at those ingeniously

contrived pianos that

make

elaborate music, and

you
key-

merely have

to

put your hands on a

dummy

board, press the keys, and appear to be playing, and

VIOLINS
then you
roll off

AT CREMONA
Since

75

Chopin and Mendelssohn perfectly,

!

though you can scarce play your scales

one by Messrs Hill.
before, but

then

Vuillaume's sound-bar has been replaced with a stronger

It

seemed

to

me

quite

perfect

suppose one must bow to experts in

such matters.

The

best opinion limits the

to

number

of instruments

which Strad made

about two thousand, only eight

to

hundred

of

which at most are known

be extant.

Compared with any other maker except Vuillaume,

both as regards output and survival of work, Strad probably bears the palm.

An

elaborate

description, a

careful
its

portraiture
history, as

of
far

every known Strad, together with

as recoverable, I

must

leave for
I

some more

gifted

and

industrious recorder.

believe Messrs Hill are pre-

paring the most complete monograph on

Stradivari

which has ever yet or

I

is

ever

likely to

appear, and
steal

only wish I could dip into their

It will

MS. and
it

few pages.

certainly,

when
is

appears, be a
lose, as

monumental work, and there

no time to

many

gems are known to have been destroyed, others dismembered, whilst some are at the bottom of There are, however, a few more famous specithe sea.
of these

mens, which are of such unique interest that they cannot

be passed over even in so general a survey as
this.

Mr
of

Croall (1897) of Edinburgh

is

the

happy owner

M. Ar tot's Strad, varnished dark rod, quite perfect, and one of the finest known for tone; it is dated 1716. Lady Halle still plays on Ernst's violin, bought for

76

OLD VIOLINS
others.
I shall never forget the
it

500, and presented to her by the Earl of Dudley

and some
in his

wonderful

effects elicited

from

by the great magician Ernst

have

palmy

days, nor can I understand the statement

recently

made

that its tone

is difficult to elicit.

heard the faintest vanishing whisper of

its

strings on

the Covent Garden stage when, as a boy, I was seated

up

in

the

top

gallery at

one of Benedict's monster

fifties.

season concerts early in the

romantic interest attaches to two Stradivari violins

to us in absolutely perfect con-

which have come down

dition
:

one

is

called the Messie, the other the Pucelle

or the Virgin.

The Messie was secured by Vuillaume

of that

after the death

remarkable

man

Luigi Tarisio, to

whom

further

on

devote a special section.

It bears date 1716.

Tarisio

would never
it
;

let it

be seen

till

Vuillaume

possessed

it

had then never been touched or played

a block placed outside the
it

upon.
his

He

lengthened the neck, but, without inserting

it to

new

neck, he fixed

ribs.

Count Cozio de Salabue had bought

it to
it

in 1760,

but never allowed

Tarisio bought
his

be played upon. the Count's death, and

at

after
it

own death

in

1854

passed to Vuillaume, and

was exhibited (No. 91) in the South Kensington Loan Exhibition of 1872, and for the first time unveiled
beneath glass to the gaze of admiring thousands.

When
eyes.
It

I first

saw the Messie

could not believe

my

was covered throughout and uniformly with

thick rich red-brown varnish, laid on with a firm brush.


VIOLINS
level

AT CREMONA
to

77
the workshop

and

lavish.

It

seemed

have

left

only the day before; the anointed glitter of the fresh

varnish was upon
the grand pattern,
it,

it

looked hardly dry.

It is

of

but not heavy and massive like

Gesu's,

some

of

the great iJel

full
is

but beautiful as

Pheidian carving,
elegance.

of

a certain special grace

and

One"/"

a shade lower than the other

a practice so commo7i with Strad, especially in his later

period, that it

must have been

intentional, his artistic

eye not tolerating even the suggestion of mechanical

uniformity.

The Greeks worked

in

similarly,

no two sides

of their Corinthian capitals ever quite matching.

The "Messiah" back

varnish

is

two

pieces, the corners

are absolutely unrubbed, and completely covered with

of

no other specimen can

this be said.
scroll,"

The
have

head

is

light

and

graceful,

" the

as I

elsewhere observed, thrown off like a ribbon lightly

curled about

the finger, and drawn

little

in,

one side of
;

the scroll cut a

lower than the other

the lines

of the scroll are picked out with thick black paint

only faint traces of this remain in other violin heads.

The black outline was

full attention to
istic

artistically conceived, as it called

the scroll curve, always so character-

a part of violin physiognomy.

As
of
it

the Messiah recently bought by

for

Mr

Crawford

Edinburgh

2000 has now been played upon,

its

seems a pity that the world should not sometimes

voice
;

be allowed to hear
a well-advertised

and
in

venture to say that

of our finest

concert,

which two
to

violinists should be

invited

play on the Messiah


78

OLD VIOLINS
i.e.,

and the Pucelle

each player upon each instru-

ment

once, thus giving four solos, so that the audience

violins in

might hear the same

under different fingers

would be an epoch

The announcement would doubtless pack St James's or any other London hall.
the musical world.

The Pucelle or Virgin

I have space
to

is

the last Stradivari violin

is

notice.

The "Virgin"

so

called

because
it

its interior

organism had, up to the time when

interfered

came

into

M. Vuillaume's hands, not been

with

i.e.,

the inside bass bar had never been touched.

All the old violins have had these bars strengthened,

and

their necks lengthened, to

meet the strain

on the

of the
belly,

modern high-pitch tension

of the strings

and the lengthened finger-board which the develop-

ment
She

of

advanced virtuosity demands.

These readjustments the Pucelle owes to Vuillaume.

is

in
is

fine

preservation

otherwise,

although her

varnish

a good deal rubbed in places.

is

Her

contour,

so fanciful are even good judges,

by some considered

more graceful than that

ful

of the Messiah, but less graceto be little to choose

by

others.
;

To me there seems
each
is

between them

a distinct conception.
is

The

Virgin's varnish

of

a rich

soft

brown and
Messiah's

yellow tone,
bright red.

rather

contrasting
is

with the

The head
in

stronger and less graceful

than that of some Strads (the Dolphin's, for instance)

the Virgin's back
is

two

parts, the belly is a little

higher than

that of the Messiah.

is

The only

vestige of

repair about her

where the chin has rubbed into the

VIOLINS
purfling,

AT CREMONA

79

which has accordingly been renewed.

The

corners are

somewhat

fancifully cut, running straight

out in the top bouts, and hanging away in the lower

bouts; there
is

a rather marked indentation of the

curve beneath them.

The Virgin
in

is

labelled 1709,
it

and she reached Paris

it

1840

(of

course
le

is

a Tarisio violin);

has been

owned by Mons.
heir,

Eoy, a banker, and passed to his

Mons. Glanday.
of the

She

is

now

the
is

property

of

member

same family, and

very jealously

guarded by her owner.

In vain does imagination seek to recover the image
of the great
liis

maker

as he lived

and moved and had

years of shower and
local
dis-

being through ninety-three

shine.

Undisturbed by petty sieges and

turbances and changes of administration, sought for

and admired impartially by the friends and the foes

of his country,
less ideal.

he wrought out calmly his own match-

Violins have no politics, and

the great republic of

it

Art dominates the

survives the rise and
I sometimes
at the
tall,

ages,
fall of

and comprehends whilst

dynasties and empires.

seem

to see the

grand old

man

standing

door of his modest but comfortable house

thin, perhaps rather gaunt figure, most likely not

of

man

many

words, carrying on for ever mental pro-

cesses connected with his subtle handicraft, seldom seen

without a chisel in his hand.

Behold him just risen from his

to

stool, or

come round

superintend or criticise a carelessly cut scroll of

80

OLD VIOLINS
to

Bergonzi, his best pupil; and before he goes up into

that almost sacred attic, open
of

the

air,

at the

top

the house, where hang the varnished fiddles and

anointed strips a-drying, he mutters a rebuke or rectifies

a curve.
old

The

man comes
down

to

the door, and stands for a

moment

looking

the street.

He

wears his woollen

;

nightcap and his inevitable leather apron

he salutes

the neighbours as they pass, but they do not stop to

speak to him, they

know he

has no leisure for that.

it

Only

later, at

the caf6-cabaret,

may

be,

he

will chat

with Joseph Guarnerius, and exhort him to more refinement; or

tell his

sons they will never uphold the

if

reputation of the firm

as
at
it is

they do not work harder

and

known

that the master

of

detests interruptions

home, in those moments

rare

leisure

when he

emerges with the regularity of clockwork to sip his

vino or sirop or coffee,
or

Capelmeister A. or Padre B.
surprise

Monsignor

C.

may

him

for

a chat, and
quartet of

inquire timidly

when the

violoncello

or

violins ordered are likely to be ready, and get for reply

something too enigmatic or oracular

vice at
;

to be of

any

ser-

so patrons or patrons' emissaries

had

to sit

down

Cremona and wait on the

His prices seem
to

master's convenience for

else.

the masterpieces that could be got nowhere

have been altogether moderate,

but we must remember that the value of money was

far greater in those days, a sovereign going then nearly

as far as five go now.

He

sold his violins for

10

= 40);

the original

VIOLINS
price of his violoncellos

AT CREMONA
and
violas does not

81

seem

to

be known.

Although he had a large family, he must have made,

if

not inherited, money, for there seems to have been a

"

proverb current at Cremona,

As

rich as Stradivari."

Some

years ago, fresh from

my

visit to the

house

of Stradivari, then still standing in the Piazza

Eoma,

Cremona, I gave a
paragraph
can

full description of the great

;

maker's

entourage, which I need not here repeat

but a single
I

may

serve

better

than

anything that

now

write, at the distance of over a decade, to

place the reader in the atmosphere in which Antonio

Stradivari worked for
I stood in the

more than
loft

half a century.

open

at

the

top of his house

nails

where

still

in the old

beams stuck the rusty old

his violins.

upon which he hung up

rich purple,

And

saw out

upon the north the wide blue

streaks prophetic of sunset.

sky, just mellowing to

and flecked here and there with orange

"Whenever Stradiuarius
he looked north his eye
Marcellino and
S.

looked up from his work,

fell

if

on the old towers of

if

S.

Antall

tonio,

he looked west the Cathedral with

its

campanile rose dark against the sky, and what a sky

full of clear

sun in the morning,

full of

pure heat

all

day, and bathed with ineffable tints in the cool of the

evening when the light lay low upon vinery and hanging garden, or spangled with ruddy gold the eaves
the roofs and frescoed walls of the houses.

Here, up in the high

air,

with the sun his helper,

the light his minister, the blessed soft airs his jour-

82

OLD VIOLINS
of

neymen, what time the work-a-day noise

rose
ears,

the city

and the sound

of

matins and vespers was in his

through the long

warm

days worked Antonio

Stradivari.

Before the time came for the busy hand to

fail,

Antonio ceased to sign

but, with

all

the violins that he

made
to

an old man's natural pride, he continued

sign a few

down

to the year of his death, registering

the number of his years

each case, and

it is

from

one of the latest of these, dated 1736, that we know

his age.

He
rally

sank quietly to

rest,

evidently worn out natu-

and nobly,

if

not with his eye quite

undimmed

and
of

his natural strength unabated, certainly still full

marvellous vigour, unpalsied

senses,

and undulled

perception.

When
S.
life,

the Chapel of

the Eosary in the Church of

all his

Domenico, opposite to which he had lived

was pulled down,

it is

his funeral tablet

was rescued,

and

now
the

in

the

Town Hall
Are they
in

at

Cremona; but
of

where are his ashes ?

vault of

in the present family

Stradivaris,
in

the
S.

Campo Santo
Matthew?
I

Cremona, or

the

parish of

was

unable to ascertain. simple inscription

:

The
"

tablet

bears the following

Sepolcro di

Antonio Stradivari

svoi Eredi,

Anno

1729."

Many
last wife

of his family

had preceded him to the grave,

both of his wives and six of his eleven children, his

dying only nine months before him, a
life

signifi-

cant and painful event in a

so regular

and unevent-

VIOLINS
ful,

AT CREMONA

83

and one which

his

own

end.

may None of

not unnaturally have hastened

the family seem to have been
vault, but in one belong-

buried in the

S.

Domenico

ing to Signor Francesco

;

Vitani, in the

parish of S.

Matthew so it may oe Antonio lies there. The Church of S. Domenico was pulled down
years ago
recently.
;

several

the house

of Stradiuarius
S.

was destroyed only

is

The Piazza

Domenico

now
is

the Piazza

Roma, and when an average Cremonese

name, who appears
to

asked about

Stradivari, he thinks of the fashionable avocat of that

spend his time chiefly at Milan,

in

and may possibly resent the notion that a man

society should ever have

good

had ancestors connected with

fiddle-making.

Sic transit.
in violin-making

The achievements
up
in the

up

to the

first

quarter of the eighteenth century are clearly

summed

names

of

Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe

(del Gesii) Guarneri.

It

would be an interesting and thorny question

excellence have
since

to

debate whether any variations of importance or additions

of

in

been noticeable, and

we naturally look to the best Cremonese makers, who followed these giants of tone-power and
course
sweetness.

The name
worthy,
if

of Carlo Bergonzi at once stands out as

not to be bracketed with that of the two

least

mighty men, at
reflect

to

receive

their

mantle and

something

of their lustre.

Carlo Bergonzi was

Stradivari's favourite pupil;

he lived next door, and

afterwards occupied Stradivari's

own house with

his son.

84

OLD VIOLINS
He
finished

many

of his master's late violins,

and

issued
debris
left

some others
of

after his death collected

;

from the

the great man's workshop

all his tools

and Stradivari and

him

and plant.
or 50,

He worked
followed at

at

Cremona between 1720-47

Stradivari's

first

example

for as

Antonio
Amati,

made
But
the

his early fiddles

on the pattern

of Nicolo

so did Bergonzi closely

later on,

copy the grand Strad pattern.

of

and before the death

the old man,

Bergonzi conceived the ambition of attempting to weld

power

of

Giuseppe Guarnerius with the round,

bright, bell-like sweetness of the Stradivari.

To what
for

extent he succeeded must be

decision
of

left to

the judgment and

quality
is,

connoisseurs, but
violins are

the grand

which

his

increasingly appreciated

no

doubt, their powerful

sonority; that he clearly saw

for all violins of the

must be the indispensable quality

future.

The

old tinkling days were over

viol tone

the feeble, scraping,

of the past.
cloister,

and muffled
no longer
sacristies

was a thing

The
was

instrument had finally emerged from the

to be a

mere adjunct

to the voice
its

in

dim

and cathedral choirs;

sphere henceforth
its

was
were

to be out in the wide,

to be

wide world,

triumphs

won

in the concert room, the opera house,

of solo virtuosity.

and the grand musical arenas

And
body

so,

undoubtedly, what Bergonzi aimed at was

of tone

and carry infi power, and he won

his

it.

This

dominant idea has modified even

looks bold and loud.

pattern.

He

Yet

is

the pattern not Guarneri,

VIOLINS
but Stradivari modified.
the top
curve, a
freer

AT CREMONA
bold

95

Notice the larger breadth of

angularity about the

certain

bouts,

and a

development

of the lower part of the

violin as well; the sound-holes set lower

to

and nearer

the purfling, and the

flat

model which Stradivari

discovered to be favourable to loudness.

also characteristic
of his master, but

The

scroll is

flatter

in

some places than that

and
full of self-

made
ear,

to look bold

assertion

by reason

of the strongly-defined

and promi-

nent curl of the

which stands out and at once

challenges attention.

The whole build

outlast the

is it

massive.

The

Bergonzi will
if

Strad;
of

will

be the survival,

not of
is

the
laid

fittest,

the

strongest.
to

The

very varnish
for
is

on with a lavish hand,

;

allow

wear and

tear

it

is

even clotted in places, and

to

said in

some
It

specimens
is

have cracked and become scurfy.

of

a red Cremona

brown, velvety, and quite the

right sort.

Until within the last few years Bergonzi has not

received his dues
in part
in
;

the scarcity of his instruments

;

may

account for this

is

but in France, and especially

fully

England, he
after.

now
are,

recognised and

much

sought

There

however, only about sixty

his

authentic
life

instruments of

known.
years.

His working

was but about twenty-five

and Signor Simonetti.

Two
is

notable

Bergonzi violins are those in the possession of Miss

Eissler

There

famous

Bergonzi double-bass of singularly fine quality

possession of

now

in

Mr

I,

Sears of Boston.

In Count Cozio

86

OLD VIOLINS
fine

de Salabue's collection there were two very

violins,

Bergonzi

dated 1731 and 1733.

five

There were
sons
;

other Bergonzis
fiddles,

son and grand-

they

all

made

but they were of no account,

and were
selves
school.

far surpassed

by some other makers who them-

belong to the decline period of the Cremona

Although
pupil, it

have called Bergonzi Stradivari's best

to ignore the merit of

would be very unfair

Lorenzo Guadagnini (1695-1740), the only one of that

name who

poses as a pupil of Stradivari.

He was

born
In

at Piacenza, but lived at

Cremona

till

about 1740.

about 1795 he removed to Milan after leaving his

master at Cremona, but returned to die in his native

town.

His make

is

bold, his

model

flat,

his varnish

not so rich as his master's, his head original, but with-

out the grace of Antonio.

His son, Giovanni Battista, born at Piacenza, 17111786,

made

violins

which
father's.

are

almost more
imitated

highly

esteemed than his

He

Stradivari

perhaps more closely than his father, but Count Cozio

de Salabue,

who

thought very highly of

is

him and
careful to

bought several instruments from him,

mention that Giovanni

himself

Battista

Guadagnini
In

prided
the

upon being no mere

of

copyist.

fact,
is

Guadagnini in the hands

Mr

Willy Hess

quite

equal to the best of Lorenzo's work.

He was

always

changing his place of residence, and wandered from

Piacenza to Milan, and at last to Turin, where he died.

His own explanation was that the envy

of rivals

made

VIOLINS

AT CREMONA
due
to

87

each town too hot for him, but his neighbours said
that his

frequent migrations were

his

hot

temper.
violins

There

were

seven

Guadagninis

own who
taken

made
the

between 1695 and

1881, but of these

first

two, father

and

son,

alone need

be

account
It

of.

has been the

fashion

to

separate

the
at

Italian

makers into schools according

they happened to
live

to the

place

which

the

Milanese, the Venetian, the

etc.
;

Neapolitan, the Bolognese,

but

it is

much more
special

important to notice the influences under which the

chief

makers worked than

to identify

them with

towns.

Cremonese who works

at

Venice but carries the

is still

Cremonese traditions with him,

belongs to the

a Cremonese, and

Cremona
"

school.

Thus, the

mighty Montagnana," as the

novelist

Charles Eeade called him,

violoncellos at

made Cremona
his

violins

and

Venice.

He worked
to

between 1700-40
master only

as a pupil of Stradivari,

and survived

three years.
art

But he came

him when the Cremona

was already perfected, and studied the finest models, assisting in all probability at the very manufacture of
the most wonderful instruments in the world.

With

such a training, on
the lead and kept

his arrival at
it,

Venice he easily took

and

to this

day his instruments,

especially his matchless violoncellos

alas! too

few in
best of

number

are

little

if

at

all

inferior

to

the

Antonio.

Montagnana's outline

is

by no means a

servile copy,

88
of Stradivari.

OLD VIOLINS
It is flattened at top
;

and bottom, and

seems

to the eye less graceful

but in his selection of

wood, his glorious varnish, the relative thickness of his

slabs,

and

in the

cunning knowledge of those

to

fibre

den-

sities in

back and belly which are likely

is

sound well

together, he

second to none.
to

Montagnana no doubt embodies and transplants

Venice the Cremona
of Bergonzi,
secrets.

As

I noticed in the case

Montagnana, owing

to the paucity of his

instruments as well as to the splendour of his contemporaries, Strad

and Giuseppe Guarneri, has not until

honour which
is

lately received the

suffers, too,

due

to him.

He
day.

from having often been labelled Guarnerius

or Bergonzi,

makers who had the vogue

of

of

the

These frauds are now being unmasked, and the few

great
successors

the

Cremona

giants,

Bergonzi,
fine in

Montagnana, Guadagnini, and Balestrieri (very

Guadagnini's style,
Storioni,
flat,

big build, powerful tone),

and

have at

last a

chance of taking their proper

places and fetching their prices.

When we come
come to the any show of
last

to

Lorenzo Storioni (1769-99) we

of

maker

importance who can with

called even a second
Storioni's

plausibility be

or

third rate master of

Cremona.

model was

Joseph Guarnerius, but he copied him more in his

rough work than in his great
qualities.

In his varnish

we notice the singular change which came over the Cremona varnish after about 1760. Up till then all the Cremona violins have the Cremona varnish after
;

that time

it

simply disappears.

Why

is

it?

This

VIOLINS
interesting problem
I

AT CREMONA
shall

89

have to consider in

my
in
of

chapter on Cremona varnish.

Storioni's

instruments are not

much esteemed
more

England
in Italy.
I

as yet, but are thought a good deal

may

here

fitly

mention the Gagliano family, who

Alessandro

are associated

with the Neapolitan school, but really

derive

their

importance from Cremona.

first of

Gagliano, the

the name, was distinguished for

his very fine red varnish, 1695-1730.

violin

remark-

able for its tone

is

the

Gennaro Gagliano that has

purposes

been used by
during

Mr

Otto Peiniger for solo

many

years.
life

Alessandro Gagliano was actually in early

fide pupil of Stradivari.

a hond

Finding himself, no doubt, un-

mercifully overshadowed by the prestige of the immortal

workshops in the square

of S.

Domenico

at Cremona,

and being a person

of

native

enterprise, Alessandro

Gagliano migrated to the South, carrying with him the

Cremona
school.

craft,

and founded the

so-called

Neapolitan
flat
is

His model was,

age,

of course, the

approved
his
scroll

one of the golden

1700-37,

but

small and rather mean, the

the work
is

//

are set low down, and

finish.

sometimes lacking in

It is in the

varnish of Alessandro Gagliano that

we

see

some conbeing

nection with Stradivari, his varnish very often

fine in colour

and

of the right texture.

Attempts have been made

to classify

the various

towns in which Itahan violins were made during the

Cremona period

into schools,

which

is

about as

profit-

90

OLD VIOLINS
work
period

able an occupation as the attempts to divide the

of individual

makers into

distinct periods

one

runs into another, and one school runs into another.

Eoughly speaking, you

Cremona,
i.e.,

find but

two influences
Giuseppe

the
and
i.e.,

the

Nicolo,

the

great
its
;

greater Antonio influence

curves, and red

with

flat

form, gentle

and yellow varnish and the German,

the Stainer model, of which I shall presently speak, with

its

elongated form, arched belly, deep side-grooves, and

brown-yellow varnish.

Some

fine

Venetian and Milanese makers like MonNeapolitan adhered more to the Cremona
all

tagnana and Serafino inclined to Stainer, whilst the

Eoman and
the
best

type; but Stainer himself learnt at Cremona, and

(Naples)

men like Tecchler (Kome) and Gagliano who went South copied either Stradivari or
The Milanese
of

Giuseppe Guarnerius.
of

school,
capital,

on account
naturally

the

great

importance

the

attracted good
of Grancino),

makers

like

Grancino, Testore (pupil

and Pietro Giovanni Mantegazza (1687-

1720).

Venice, Florence, and Bologna can also boast of a

few respectable names, but I prefer, for the sake of

completeness, to treat them later more in
style, for the

catalogue

guidance of the student, and not to mix

them up with the great central figures which have formed the subject, and I hope absorbed the attention,
of the reader of this section.

CHAPTER VI
VIOLINS IN

GERMANY
schoolboy,"
to

Of

course,

by

this

time, " every

use

Macaulay's famous phrase, knows that most things

including,
faster

alas

violins

can
like

and cheaper than anywhere

trust to

German
believe

writers

Germany if we Dr Shebek, we might

be

made

in

else;

and

almost

that

viols,

not

to

say

the

violin,

originated in Germany.
I

am

quite willing to leave the viol origin an open

If,

question.

on the one hand, Albert Durer and his

both

father-in-law

made

violins
tells

and dated back

to

1500, Benvenuto Cellini

his father

us that long before 1500

made

the finest Italian viols at Florence

and an ingenious writer has now unearthed a print

by Maso Fineguerra, the father of engraving about
1460, in

which Thalia

is

represented playing on

small violin pochette or kit

rather
violin,

which,
the kit

by the way, has

upset

the idea that

was a reduced
kit

but seems to show, on the contrary, that the

followed the kit instead of
the

violin

following
It

the violin, the kit being in reality a small violin.

is

thus triumphantly
91

argued by
of,

Mr

Fleming
of,

that

even the predecessor

and every suggestion

the

92
violin

OLD VIOLINS
came from
Italy
;

but iu his ardour he

fails to

notice that although an Italian print shows a

woman
all

playing on a kit, the kit she plays on might

the

same have been

If I see

"

made

in

Germany."
at once that the objects in England."

an English picture with a tomahawk and

a boomerang, I do not

assume

depicted were necessarily

"made
is

But, as far as this book

are
of

concerned, such questions

It
is

quite

secondary importance.

sufficient

to notice that the first instruments possessing the dis-

tinctive features

of

what we

call the

viola

and the
not

violin, as distinguished

from the
;

viol tribe,

came from
if

Brescia and

Cremona

and that the greatest,

German maker. Jacobus Steiner or Stainer, commonly reputed to have studied at Venice, or, as some say, learnt his art under Nicolo Amati at Cremona. As we approach the great figure of Stainer we are in the presence of a man who stands only second in popular estimation to the greatest of the Cremona masters.
the earliest,
is

Indeed, so great a musician and eminent an authority

as Sir of

John Hawkins writes

in

1776

"

The

violins

Cremona are exceeded [sic] only by those of Stainer German whose instruments are remarkable for a The popularity of an English full and piercing tone." maker, Duke, who followed the German Stainer model, and whose fiddles were all the rage when good Sir John wrote, may have a little blinded his eyes to the Cremona
chefs-d'oeuvre

few

of which,

if

any, he had ever seen.

But

it

is

no small tribute

to the

power

of the

German

that for at least a hundred years he retarded the due


VIOLINS IN
recognition of the

GERMANY
93

Cremonas and gave a faulty direction

throughout England, France, and

to the violin pattern

Germany.

The arguments

in favour of Stainer

having visited

Cremona

in his early life rest a good deal on

his having been a pupil of
is

romance
the great

the
Nicolo,

story of

whose daughter he
is

said to

have refused to
or stayed

marry,
at

unreliable.

Whether he went home

the village belle

home and married

to

whom

he appears

first

have compromised, and who bore him seven

daughters and one son after marriage and one daughter

before, it matters very little to us.

Poems and novels have been written about this unhappy child of genius, but, as far as I can gather,
the only reliable facts seem to be these, and they have

been quite recently unearthed and sifted by Herr Kuf,

who

died at Hall in 1877

Jacob Steiner or Stainer was undoubtedly born at

Absam, a

village not far

from Hall.

The townlet lay

on the high-road between the Tyrol and Italy, and

doubtless nothing that went on in the northern cities of

Lombardy was long

in finding its

way

to Hall, for

mules

and pedlars constantly carried

all sorts of

merchandise

to

viols,

and
fro.

violins,

and lutes amongst other things

The great argument against Steiner ever having received early instruction at Cremona seems to be that he affected the tubby raised bellies and
deep side-grooves of the old German viols
be remembered that Amati's influence,
it if
;

and

but

it

must

as a

boy he came under Nicolo

was

at a time

when Nicolo him-


OLD VIOLINS
approached far more nearly the raised
viol

94
self

form

than he did later on when his own model improved.

The Steiner pattern

these
theories
:

is

therefore consistent with

all

Firstly,

that

Steiner
at

adopted

the

raised

pattern

which

he found

Cremona, and which was then

the

common throughout

violin-making

world

that,

returning early to Absara, he

adhered to

it,

and,

perhaps from motives of national pride, accentuated

it

Germano more.
Secondly, that he visited

Cremona

later,

when

his

own model was

to
alter
it.

already formed, and was too proud

Thirdly, that

German he

was,

and German he
all.

re-

mained, and never went to Cremona at

All these questions, upon which

much

ink and paper

to the anti-

have been spent, remain more interesting

quarian than to the collector.
interest
Still,

an indescribable
to cling about
life.

and a deep human pathos seem

the meagre facts of this remarkable man's

Stainer's popularity

was

so

enormous that ten times

the

number

of violins
to

he could ever have made have

been attributed

him, and his

name has been

forged

quite as often as that of

the great Stradivari.

Stainer married in 1645, and was appointed one of

the Archducal servants, 1669

favour,

he advanced rapidly in
the Emperor's court,
fast as

became violin-maker

to

and was turning out instruments as

he could

make

them, forming such admirable pupHs as Klotz

VIOLINS IN
and Albani, when he
theologicum.
fell

GERMANY
a victim
to

95
the

odium

Heretical

books were found in his possession, or

heretical opinions

were expressed by him, or both.

He

was, in fact, a Lutheran,

and a Lutheran

in

Absam was

far too near to the preserves of

Mother Church, and

very soon, like a hawk on a pheasant run, he was

shot down.
Stainer was also miserably in debt, and
litigious, as

perhaps somewhat

people of genius and

be.

independence of character are wont to

In 1677, having got out of prison. Jacobus petitioned

Emperor Leopold, whose protege and employe he had been, and who was a great musical amateur, for
the

money.

Leopold lost his opportunity

unlike

Ludwig

who won for himself an easy immortality by supplying Wagner with funds, Leopold turned a
of Bavaria,

deaf ear to the immortal violin-maker,

Stainer seems to have dragged on a wretched existence
for six years longer,

overburdened with care and debt.

The attentions

of his wife

and eight daughters did not

prevent him from going

nay, a helpless and incompetent family

mad with worry and want may even have

contributed to this so unhappy close of a splendid but

blighted career.

They show even now

the wretched

at

Absam

the bench to which

man

is

said to have been

bound when

his

paroxysms came
but insolvent.

on.

He

died in 1683, not only insane

six years

His wife died in great poverty

afterwards, in 1689.

There seems no room in this sad life-story for his

96

OLD VIOLINS
of his wife.

sentimental retreat into a monastery on account of his

inconsolable grief for the death
(?)

Had

she been such an inestimable blessing,

we might have

expected her to have kept her gifted husband alive,

managed
least

his

household more

thriftily,

rescued him from

his debts,

moved the hearts of his saved him from going mad.

a couple

great patrons, or at

But, on the other hand, eight daughters were doubtless a trial to

the one son, born in

learn

who seemed always hard up and 1657 and dying in infancy, as we

;

from a tombstone in the Pilgrims' Church at

artificer of a

Absam, deprived the great

and, perhaps, brought into

coadjutor

who
firm,

might have been interested in building up the

it

those business faculties

abilities in

without which the most brilliant

every de-

partment

of Hfe so often

make shipwreck.
is

certain

Marcus Stamer, whose reputed date

difficult to

about 1665-69, and who called himself citizen and

vioHn-maker,
it is

connect with the

illus-

trious Jacob, although he has been called his brother,

and some say he was a monk and actually assisted Jacob

Stainer in the workshop.

The great
two
of this

violinist Tartini is said to

have possessed

man's instruments, called Peter and Paul.

is

Veracini, another eminent soloist,

said to

have

lost

both of them in a shipwreck.

Steiner Burger

Herr von Eeimer possesses a violin with label " Markus und Geigenmacher, anno 1659" (not a
label,

very clerical

by the way), and that

is

all

that

can be ascertained about this other Stainer; for of

VIOLINS IN

GERMANY

97
is

an Andreas Stainer, 1660, nothing but the name

known.
So everything tends
apart.
to

keep the

ill-fated

genius Jacob
rival of

Alone he remains as the one important

;

the Cremonese school

all

alone he stands at the head of

the Germans.

Genuine Stainer instruments are

forgeries

rare;

Stainer labels, copies, and

are innu-

merable, and one of the greatest curses of the fiddle

market.

of

The general look of a Stainer is so distinct from that any maker except such as copied him, that it must
The Stainer
belly
is

arrest the attention of even a casual observer.

much

higher than the back, the

;

rise is

kept up through

half its length

the varnish

is

yellow (or as in the Elector Stainers), with a sort of

pale-rose flush in
it.

The early

pattern, deep

Amati

side-grooves, the long-

shaped, beautifully thrown end of the scroll, sometimes

a lion's head carved with the art of a Stradivari, the

narrow purfling lying close

to the sides of the strong,

roundly moulded edges, the circular-topped sound-holes

rather shorter than the Cremonese, peg-box often dark

brown, contrasting with the palish-yellow belly

such
A
Mr

are the leading characteristics of the great Jacob.

His

earlier
;

specimens bear varnish something akin to

they are also of the smaller pattern.
is

the Amatis

good example of them

one in the possession of

Eussell of Bedale, Yorkshire, dated 1645.

Jacob's finest type Stainer
;

may be

seen in the famous Elector

of these

he

is said to

have made twelve, one

98
for each of

OLD VIOLINS
the Electors.

The popular legend

all

refers
is

them

to

his Benedictine monastery, but there

of proof that
if

no

shadow

he ever was there at

is

perhaps,

however,

one Markus Stainer who

a monk, he

reputed to have

made Peter and Paul was

may have
by

been a

Benedictine monk, and as the obscure Guarneri

did get locked up seems to be responsible
ference
for

who

trans-

the great Joseph del Gesu's

so

legendary

incarceration,
J.

Monk Markus may

It matters

do

duty
in a

for

Stainer's reputed sojourn

and residence
very
little

Bene-

dictine

monastery.

when the

Elector Stainers were made; most connoisseurs are

agreed that the two quite authentic " survivals of the

fittest "

are miracles of workmanship, beauty, and the

perfection of Stainer tone.

The Stainer tone!

which
for

What

is

there about that tone,

150 years so fascinated the musical world

as to dull the perceptions of so experienced a professor

as Sir

John Hawkins
?

to the

more

exquisite timbre of
is

the finest Cremonas

No one
less

but myself

responsible

for the following conjecture.

Perhaps there
early

is

tonal difference between the

early

Amati and the later Strad than between the Amati and the full-blown Stainer; and it may

have been the sharp, pungent contrast

tone
that was quite

the
an

type of
original
of

new, as

it

were

creation

which

at once arrested
all,

and held the ear

that epoch.

For, after

musicians in the seventeenth

century were only beginning to be cultivated in the

delicate

appreciation of

tone nuances.

The proof

of

VIOLINS IN
this

GERMANY

99

would not be

far to seek.

It is quite notorious,

though to us amazing, that the differences between

the Amati, the Strad, the Guarnerius, and the Bergonzi or Euggerius, should not have been more clearly

apprehended.
tral leader, too

When,

for instance,

man

had bought

an

orches-

a Euggerius and paid for

a Joseph,
it

we do not

find that

he was
label

dissatisfied

with

until he discovered that the

was

false.

The

superb quaHties of the great Joseph have been appreciated only since the Strad craze
cult of Strad dates
;

but the world-wide

his

from

Tarisio,

who began
arrested

work
clear,

of violin exploration

and discovery in 1827, dying only

in 1854.

But any tyro would be

biting

by the

sharp,

tone

of

Stainer.

violinist

in
all

the
the

orchestra could
first fiddles,

make

his Stainer cut

through

and once the

taste for that sort of

to the ear

tone

was

excited, it

would be

what
is

curry, or

vinegar, or quinine bitter, or absinthe

to the palate.

The Stainer tone

to the ear,

is

a sort of drastic, stinging stimulant

;

almost an intoxication
it

and the ear that has

and misses
it

been once caught by

craves for

it,

even

in the loud richness of Joseph,

the exquisite velvety

timbre of Amati, or the superb ringing brightness of

the great Antonio.

Thus, in his

own

original way, Stainer

met the

cry-

ing want of his age for loud and piercing tone.

He
of

was the very antipodes

the old viols.
pole.

of the tubby, muffled

sound

With

bound he reached the opposite

say,

The coarse

ears of the multitude were at once

tickled

and "gris^," as the French

by

his

wiry

100
intensity;

OLD VIOLINS
and
soloists

soon found that

it

was

an

immense help to wield a novel and stinging timbre

which, without any special gift of theirs, awakened
attention like the roll of a drum, or the blast of a
cornet, or the tinkle of a triangle.

These considerations alone, in

my

opinion, account
;

for the popularity of Stainer in all ages

the bulk of

hearers

belong to the musically untrained,

all

who

like

pungency, and desire above

tickled.

to

have their

ears

Just in proportion as
musical ear got trained to

music

developed and

the

higher and higher refine-

ment, so that specialities of tone became a cult for

the ear, as specialities of colour for the eye, just in
that measure did the great and subtle qualities of the

Cremona
I have
artificers.

school emerge,

whilst

the rage for Stainer,

Klotz, and

Duke

declined.
to disparage these

no wish

last-named fine

The increasing

rarity of their instruments,

and the

really splendid qualities

which we grant un-

grudgingly to the best of them, must always

make
few

them much

prized,

and I fully expect that

in a

years there will be a revival of the Stainer craze,

and
I

that his violins

may
if

then touch Cremona prices.

;

shall be very glad

they do

it

will

mean

that at last

we

shall get

something like a definite sifting of this

great master's best specimens, and that in this shaking

in auction rooms,

and

in the cabinets of collectors, the

forged parasites and impudent copies which have for

years sailed under false colours

labels

(libels, I

mean)

VIOLINS IN

GERMANY

101

will fall off into the

limbo of violin refuse and other

things "

made

in

Germany."
and followers
it

The

best pupils
;

of Stainer

were Klotz

and Albani

but as

became the fashion to dub every

Stainer model,

one who made respectable violins in Germany about

that time, and showed traces of the
" pupils " of the great

man, modern writers have grown

properly cautious about dogmatising.

If all Stainer's

reputed pupils had really worked with

him, they ought certainly to have married his eight

daughters and relieved him of some of his heavy family

responsibihties.

Sebastian Klotz or Kloz (1675) and his son Mathias

(1696-1709) made excellent

the son's to the father's.

violins,

and some prefer

Sebastian of Mit-

There were, besides, four

other Klotz, relationship uncertain.

tenwald visited Florence and Cremona; but although

intention of

when he returned to his native town he announced his making a second Cremona of Mittenwald,
adhered

he and his family

mainly

to

the

Stainer

model, and reproduced very successfully the Stainer

tone.

Vidal says that his sons inundated Germany

with false Stainers.

Of the great

violin

manufactory

which, on the suppression of the Mittenwald Fair in

the seventeenth century,
is

said to have revived the

re-

commercial prosperity of the town, no trace now

mains
lived

but

it

is

certain that, whilst the Klotz family

of

and worked, a pretty steady stream

pseudotill

(or scuola) Stainers

poured forth from Mittenwald

about the year 1750.

102

OLD VIOLINS
family,
like

The Albani

the Tecchler,

stand midschool, but

way between

the

Cremona and the Absam

at

Albani ^^re (1621-73) was certainly Italian, though he was born and lived
Tyrol, where he
style

Botzen, in the
fiddles in the

Italian
Italian
liis

made German
bitten

and

for

the Italian market, although

son

Joseph was also

with

the

Cremona model.
and
the

Albani's violins pass for

red,

Italian;
tone,

they are varnished

and

rival

the

Amati

Joseph

Albanis are more highly esteemed than the violins

of

Albani

'pere.

It is further significant
Italy,

of

Albani's popularity in

that the most accomphshed

maestro and com-

poser of the early part of the eighteenth century, Corelli,

played on an Albani.

This appears certain from an

examination made by
late

Mr

Arthur Hill

of the will of the

William Corbet, who had a large

collection of rare

fiddles,
is

and disposed
of

of

them

in his will, where mention

made

an Albani
that
it

fiddle,

which he
to

left

with the
This

memorandum
is

had belonged

Corelli.

a very interesting example of a carefully excavated

fact,

and does

Mr

Arthur Hill great

credit.
is

Tecchler, also called a pupil of Stainer,

perhaps

most esteemed
run the Strad
'cello is in

for his violoncellos, the best of

which

'cellos

very hard.

A
E.

very fine Tecchler

the possession of

Mr

W. Hennell
is

(1898),

and there are several others in

seems
to

tins country.

Tecchler
strange,

have made few,

if if

any, violins, which

any, violoncellos
;

as his master
in

made

few,

he worked

Kome between 1695 and

1735.

His instruments

VIOLINS IN

GERMANY
;

103

are sometimes rather cumbrous

like Stainer's,

his varnish is yellow,

The subsequent

history of
least,

"violins

made

in

Ger-

many"
equal to

is,

to

say the

very mixed; nothing so

good as Stainer was done there before him, and nothing

him has been done

of

there since.

The golden age

German violin-making

begins and

ends with Jacobus Stainer.

CHAPTEK

VII

VIOLINS IN FRANCE

Italy and Germany have to look back to their golden

age, but it

seems as

if

France and England had to look

forward.

Erance and England have never yet gone beyond

a doubtful silver age,

but there

is

good reason

to

think that the manipulation and

whilst thinning out
older gems, will not

alchemy of
tear

time,

by wear and

and

loss

the

only transform the Piques and

Lupots, and perhaps the Vuillaumes and Chanots, but

also

the Banks, Forsters,

and Fendts, and probably

golden quality, with very

the

Dukes and

Hills, into
;

advanced prices

and

so,

instead of being, like

still

Artemus
be found

Ward's future, behind them, they may

to

have their future before them.

The French work contemporaneous with the Cre-

mona

period

is

not nearly so interesting, nor do the

to

makers appear

have been nearly so capable as the

men who

followed

them towards the

This
is

close

of

the

seventeen hundreds.

no doubt accounted for

the Italian

by the streams

of

violins pouring out of

and German workshops, the

104

superior

reputation of
of

Cremona, which drew at once the patronage

the

VIOLINS IN

FRANCE

105

Spanish and French Courts, and perhaps the small de-

mand

for stringed instruments in

France compared with

the huge

demand

in Italy

and throughout Germany.

Duchies and Princi-

So there was a poor market as yet for French work.

In Italy, in the luxurious
palities, as well as in
little

the churches, and in

Germany
its

in

the small Electorates, each of which supported

band

and gave an

indirect impetus to the churches,

Eeformed
and so
for all

and Eoman Catholic, violin-makmg

it

flourished,

came

to pass that Italy

and Germany made

the world.

The Cremona period

Pieray (1700-25).

in

France can boast of but

two considerable names, Jaques Boquay (1705-30) and

Boquay worked on the

early

Cremoby

nese model, which had already been left behind

the modified forms of

Stradivari (1700 great period).

figure,

His
but
his
soft.

violins

have not yet reached a high selling

may

possibly rise; they are by no

is

means

scarce;

varnish

reddish-brown, transparent,

warm and

He

reverted to the

Jerome Amati type, arching

but
lacks power,

even a

little

more than Jerome.

of his tone is good,
tells
it

The quality

which in these advanced days

for cabinet playing.

against

him except
fol-

Claude Pieray (1700-25) worked in Paris, and

lowed the

later

Amati

contour, but he

was

far

enough

removed from the Cremonese influence

of his own.

to follow a line

Whilst varying, some think capriciously,

wood, he varnished pale red, and

the thickness of his wood, and not always securing

the best quality of

106

OLD VIOLINS
;

turned out a small and large pattern

inclined
Strad.
to

but he evidently
the
late

the

larger

pattern of

Amati

A
Tom

vioUn of Pieray's was advertised in the sale of

Britton,

the musical

coal-heaver,

as

"

very

beautiful

violin,

and as good as a Cremona," which

influence,

shows that even at that date the Stainer

then so strong in England, had not
of

dimmed

the fame

Cremona.

However,

it

would

of course

have been

absurd to compare him to Stainer, the affinity between

Pieray and Amati being too obvious.

But the

really great silver-gilt

if

not golden age of

French violin-making dawned with Lupot (1736-58),

was extended by Pique (1788-1822), Vuillaume (17981875), Chanot (1801),

Gaud

(1802),
;

and Aldric (1792-

1840), famous for his varnish

copyist,

and Pent,* an admirable

copies
of

whose

violins often sell as Lupot's

Strad.

The

labours of

these

great

French

disciples

of

Cremona, copyists and occasional forgers as they were,

are sufficient to decide for ever the superiority of the

Strad model over

all

others.

Their lives were chiefly

occupied in reproducing the unique Antonio minutely

without attempting the least modification of the

ulti-

mate Cremona form, which he had

defined.

The The
*

firm of

Lupot, immortalised by Nicolas Lupot

earlier.

(1758-1824), dates back to 1696 or somewhat

father and grandfather of Nicolas

Lupot resided

in

This Fent is no relation, as far as is known, to the family working England, whose name is spelt Fendt.

.Jf^*'-

^^^rS^^^~"

''^^i^

O H

w H D

VIOLINS IN

FRANCE
Stuttgart in
1758.

107

at different times at Plombiers, Luneville,

and Orleans,

but

Nicolas was born at

He
and
Al-

returned to Orleans in 1770.

Nicolas Lupot was a

man

of great discernment,

not carried away with the fashion of the times.

though during the

first

twenty years of his

life

he

must have seen and heard the German model

extolled, neither his

of Stainer

own work nor

it.

yet his father's

show any leaning towards

His eye was enamoured

the great

with the Stradivari grand pattern, and his best violins

are such loving and faithful copies of
tonio

An-

that

many amateurs and some

been
deceived

professional

judges

have

by

them.

But Lupot
are

never got rid of the glassy, chippy French varnish,

and

although

his

warm

orange tints
laid

generous

and the varnish has been

on with a lavish hand,

is

the rubbing bare by time of a Lupot

very different
of

from that fading away upon the

where
always
a
subtler
film

fibres

a Strad,
the

protecting

wood

seems to

linger, a sort of

mist of varnish to the end.

But Nicolas Lupot was a great workman, and, as Hamlet modestly puts it, " indifferently honest " that

is,

honest as violin copyists go.

copied,

He
to

did not imitate,

he

and varnished throughout; he never aged

tried

his copies prematurely, or

take in buyers;

he reverenced his great Cremona model too

much

to

palm

off his

own work

as those

of

the master.

Of

course his violins have rubbed since and aged since,

but they have aged

and rubbed honestly, and are

every year increasing in value, and distinctly mellowing

108
in tone

OLD VIOLINS
and sensitive quality.

The moment Nicolas

in,

Lupot arrived in
were recognised
;

Paris, early in this century, his talents

orders flowed

and he remained

and remains without a

rival in the

French school.
annual prize
the

He was
violin to

appointed maker to the Paris Conservatoire,

of

which involved the manufacture

be presented
to this
to the

the

gold

medallist of

year,

and

academic privilege we are doubtless

of

indebted for some

his

finest

efforts.

violin

which would annually at the time be associated with

one of the chief musical events of the year, and come

under the criticism of

tainly
" took
rivals.

all

musical Paris, would cerof

call

forth the mettle

one who admittedly

formidable

the cake,"

but was

not without

One
it is

of these rivals
said,

was Pique.
Lupot's

He was
fiddles

in the habit,

of

buying

unvarnished,

varnishing

them, and labelling them with his

own
It

name.

He

had better have

left

the varnishing alone

label.

and contented himself with a fraudulent

is

surprising

that
is

he should have stooped to such a

quite a considerable person, second

device.

Pique

only to

Lupot as a maker.

He must

have been
his dis-

influenced by commercial considerations, but

honesty

is

a great tribute to the superior popularity

of Lupot.
Still

and merit

Pique was so clever that

he could have afforded to be honest.

Frangois Gand,

who

entered as Lupot's pupil in 1802,

his master.

was much beloved by

He became

his best

VIOLINS IN FRANCE
pupil, married his daughter,

109
to his busi-

and succeeded

ness in the

Eue Croix

des Petits

Champs

in 1824.
repair-

Time has invented a new industry

ing

the art of

which Frangois Gand raised

way

to a veritable fine art

(Mennegand, Kolliker, Eambeaux and W. Ebsworth Hill

have since rivalled him).
mutilated grain in such a
a microscope,
spotted.
it

Pique would join and

that,

split

without the aid of

cannot be

the patch or closed fissure

He would

spend days over mending a crack

sort of passion of ingenuity.
fiddle

became with him a

It

was almost worth breaking a

to

have

it

mended by Gand, and

his exquisite skill

and profound
rise

knowledge as a repairer no doubt gave

to

the

common

but risky notion that an old violin was im-

proved by being mended, as some surgeons pretend

that a skilful operation will not only prolong
positively improve the constitution.
life,

but

The firm

of

Gand
The
his

and Bernadel
violins of

is

still

of high standing in

Paris.

Francois are useful and solidly built, but

the Italian grace and
finish

lack altogether
master, Lupot.

of

Pique (1788-1822)

is

by some held

to

have run Lupot

very hard as a copyist of Stradivari. once the error of the vulgar copyist,

Pique avoids at
refrain

who cannot
of

from emphasising the peculiarities

the sin of the brazen forger,

his

model, and
rubs, treats

who bakes and

with

acids,

and simulates the cracks and the wear and

tear of time.

But Pique had some

conscience.

He

may have

passed himself off as Lupot, but at least he

never posed as Stradivari.

110

OLD VIOLINS

Those conversant with Pique's instruments observe a

very high and conscientious
finish throughout.

Spohr,

the violinist and composer, played for

many

years on a

Lupot, and was never tired of extolling both Lupot

and Pique.

Pique died

in

1822, two years

before

Lupot, and his violins improve every year, and will

by-and-by fetch prices second only to those of Lup6t,

which are already up to 200 (1897).

A
If I

YlGNETTE OF
to seek for

J. B.

VUILLAUME.
to the

were

an appropriate pendant

figure of

William Ebsworth Hill in London,

I could

not find a better one than Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of

Paris.

Yet the two men were very

different;

the

careful, neat, systematic enthusiast, with a

shrewd eye

to business,

and the dreamy worker always apparently

which he

in the midst of a chaos of material, out of

alone could select at a moment's notice what he required

;

the ready purveyor of whatever sort of article

to be wanted,

happened
his wares,

and the

careless distributor of

who

forgot

what he owed
;

his customers,

and

kept them waiting for months

the clever copyist, the

reverent repairer, the ingenious brain for ever evolv-

ing

new

sorts of bows, fiddle shapes, screws;

and the

idolater of the old forms,

who had
all

so

firmly grasped

the truth that violins and

that belonged to

them
of

had culminated at Cremona before the middle

anything new or alter anything old

the

eighteenth century, that he never aspired to invent

;

the

Parisian,

who

112

OLD VIOLINS
in his father's

Vuillaume was early saturated,

shop at Mirecourt, with
trade, long before
all

work-

the secrets and arts of the

he served his apprenticeship.

fellow,

But

Paris drew the

young

then only nineteen, with

an

irresistible

magnetism.

Victor Hugo, that typical Parisian of Parisians, has

somewhere described the Frenchman's inborn love

his
capital,

of

the centre to

him But

of

life,

art,

pleasure,

movement, industry, and invention.

your Jean Baptiste
go.

So

to Paris

must

to

whom?

to

whom

but Chanot (Francis), incomparable worker, copyist,

forger, suitable adept, indeed, for

such a bright novice.

till

With Chanot, Vuillaume remained

he went over
dabbled in
to

1821,

when
also
his
all

L^t6,

the organ-builder,

who
at

fiddles,

and

was

glad

to

have

beck and

call as

a foreman such a specialist, with

the experience of Mirecourt and the craft of Chanot

at his

back; in

fact,

he lost no time in taking the

young man
years old.

into partnership,

and the partner throve

so

well that he married in 1828, being then just thirty

Things ran smoothly with Vuillaume; his wife did

not drink, or abuse him, or waste his money.

His home
growing

was happy, and,

talents

in the sunshine of domestic peace, his

of

expanded in the direction

that

market which was created by the

excited

taste for old fiddles,

by

Tarisio,

and supplied by the not always

scrupulous skill of Chanot.

not's

But Vuillaume went one better than Chanot. Chatrick was to produce such deceptive copies or


VIOLINS IN

FRANCE

113

patch with counterfeit backs and bellies of his

own
But
fraud,

or to forge downright a whole antique, to be foisted

upon some unwary but ill-informed enthusiast.

Vuillaume, to his honour be
it

said,

soon discerned

that the world at large could not be

won by

but that

men were

the slaves of imagination and senti-

ment.

This timely and philosophic discovery

at a

made

him famous and wealthy, almost

tunities
of

bound.

He

loved the old Italian fiddles; he had the best opporseeing

them;

his

admirable

technique

enabled him to copy them accurately

to counterfeit

the wear and tear, even the cracks and worm-holes, the
inlaying, the rubbed varnish, the old

wood; and

for

about

five

pounds, or even

less,

he proposed to provide
like old ones

people with
fifty or

new

fiddles,

which looked

worth

a hundred pounds.
of avarice.

The device succeeded beyond the dreams

Just look at the old man's
face.

Orders poured in faster than they could be executed.

Can you not

this

see the
lip,

shrewdness, betrayed by that slight pucker in the

which discovered and worked

dency
of

now
?

familiar
if

ten-

human

nature to possess what seems,

you

can't afford to
of cheap art,

buy what is really good

It is the secret

shoddy satsuma, coarse blue china, com-

mon

silks,

oleographs, and

sham

Pg.lais
it
;

Eoyal jewellery

galore

every bazaar
stain,

reeks with

whilst the biggest

warehouses are not above selling a made-up wine that

deceives the palate, a walking-stick

not ebony, only

inlaid,

paint or

and furniture not really

but

ditto ditto.

So Vuillaume began early those amazing

114

OLD VIOLINS
which even now deceive moment may even puzzle a

copies, chiefly of Stradiuarius,

the innocent, and for a

connoisseur.

Well,
;

it

was no doubt shoddy, but shoddy

to a fine art, like those

of the best sort

shoddy raised

roses so subtly

might easily
fading.

made out of silk or cambric that we pop them into water to prevent them from

This new-found copying industry was a delight as

well as a profit to the clever French craftsman.

He
of the
" I

loved a Cremona

he copied
till

it

old masters again

and again,

they

as men copy the know every touch

its

immortal workman, and revel in

reproduction.

have completed," remarked Vuillaume in his de-

clining years, " three thousand instruments, all sold, all

paid

for,

and the money spent, and

it

affords

me

great

satisfaction."

Like Ebsworth Hill, Jean Baptiste loved to do

himself.
his

it all

Every instrument was varnished carefully by

hands, and
is

own

many

are

made [throughout by him.

?

But what

the actual merit of Vuillaume's violins

Fine work, yes; admirable counterfeits, yes; but the

great expectations raised by the appearances are unfor-

tunately not always answered by the tone.

His best

are good, and will run into forty pounds, perhaps

more

but his worst are dear at

five

pounds.

Nor can VuilFrench preand decay,

laume pretend
decessors.

to rival in

power
of

his great

Pique or Lupot, who copied, but without

age,

registering the defects

accident,

which are so cleverly reproduced in Vuillaume's typical

specimens.

VIOLINS IN
It is his

FRANCE

115

an exaggeration

to say that

Vuillaume baked

fiddles;

but he treated the wood chemically in

reproducing
cracks and

various

ways, besides
;

even

worm-holes
not only

and

this artificial

age put upon his planks

fails to

carry the mellowness and timbre of

old,

wood grown naturally

pair

but seems actually to imits

instead

of

improving

quality,

and

this

is

but too apparent as the instruments recede in time

farther
artificer.

and farther from the hand

of the too

cunning

There

are,

however, a few fine quartets of instru-

ments, one of wliich,

made

for the

Comte de Chimay,
Hill's

was

lately exposed to public

in

view in Messrs

win-

dows

Bond
with
is

Street.

These are varnished equally

throughout, and no

attempt at aging the wood or

surface
is

tampering
thi'oughout

the

visible.

The work
in the
is,

charming and

finished, as

best
as

Cremonese models, and the only wonder

everything about them
better
;

that
is

is
is

so

good,

the tone

not

still,

everything

relative.

But Vuillaume

claims to be judged by a high standard, and so

we

judge him.
Vuillaume's ingenious brain was ever devising im-

provements and novelties, but few of them have turned

out successes.

He made
use, it

a violin tenor, but

too

it

never came into

a steel bow;
be
too heavy.

being

cumbrous.

He made
to

but, although hollow, it

was found

He made
bridge, but

a
it

sourdine

tailpiece

which acted on

the

has never superseded the usual simple

"

"

116

OLD VIOLINS
contrivance.
sold
is still

dummy
which

He made a by Mr Withers
;

self-hairing

bow,

but most violinists

prefer to pay a small

just as

sum and
to

get their bows haired,

most men prefer

trouble,
his

get themselves shaved

it is less

and does not cost much.

undoubted
finish as a

Apart from
fame

workman, and
title

skill as a copyist,

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume's

on his connection with

to

will rest largely

Tarisio.

As we have
but bought

seen, he not only dealt with

all

the violins found in

lifeless

him living, the bedroom along

with the peasant carpenter's

body.

His possession of the Messie, which he kept in a

glass case,

and never allowed any one

to touch,

was a

source of great anxiety to

him during the Paris ComAlard, his daughter,

:

mune

in 1870.

He
last I

writes

to

Madame

who

married the celebrated violinist of that name

"

In

my

spoke to you of Alard's vioHn and

my

Messie,

and

of certain valuables I to

have here.
if

do not know

what

do with them, for

one survives, one will be

able to recover the valuables

when

the hubbub

is

over
be

and some sous can be buried, but

buried."

violins cannot
I
to

And

again:

"Where ought
?

place all

these in case of pillage

He

referred

chiefly to

his

violins,

and old medals

to 1855,

received in the Paris Exhibition from 1827

and the Great Exhibition medal in London, 1851.

Later on

we

are relieved

by reading

" I

have found
puis
d>

quite a safe hiding-place protected from

la grace de

fire, et

Dieu

VIOLINS IN

FRANCE

117

All went well with the treasures, and in 1875,

died, the

when he

Messie

fell to

the joint share of his only two

children,

Jeanne and

Claire.

Jeanne (Madame Alard)

for five

bought out

Claire's interest

hundred pounds,

the violin at that time being valued at one thousand.

In 1890 Messrs Hill bought

it

for

Mr

Crawford

for

the unprecedented figure of two thousand pounds, the

largest

sum

ever given by a dealer for a single instru-

ment.

Mr

Charles Eeade valued

it

at six

hundred,
Strad

but that was several years ago, when a

first-class

could be obtained for about three hundred and twenty

pounds.

Prices have run

up since then, and

write) are " still

(like

" Charley's

Aunt

" * as

we

running "

Down
dealer,

to the

end

of his life
to

Vuillaume was a great

and he hurried over

London when quite an

old

man

to attend the sale of

Mr

Gillot's fiddles.
sale.

mistook the date, and arrived a day after the

He He

came

into

Mr

Hill's

shop in Wardour Street, and gave

vent to his disappointment.

visited

Mr

Hill,

whom

he always

when

in

London, had bought several instru-

ments, and had a second deal with Vuillaume then and

there,

much
and

to the

Frenchman's

gratification.

It

is

interesting to catch this glimpse of

the two greatest

face
to

dealers

artificers

of

the age

face

for

one moment, and in such friendly and characteristic

relations.
*

popular comedy (1898).

CHAPTEE
VIOLINS
It
is

VIII

IN

ENGLAND

an amusing fact that hardly a Continental writer

on musical instruments, M. Vidal excepted, has thought

it

worth while

to give

any reasoned account

of

the

English viol and violin-makers who have occupied such

a distinguished place in the history of the
I heard the other
art.

day

of

an American school atlas

which

left

out

all

the islands in the world as unimto

portant

details

calculated

confuse the minds

of

young students.
island,

England, of course, being a small

of the first to disappear.

was one
of

The names

Barak Norman, Banks, Forster, and

Duke may

be somewhat confusing, but

we must

risk

the mention of

them

just for the sake of an approxi-

mate completeness.

The
lish

fact

is,

that in

Queen

Elizabeth's time the

Eng-

were really almost a musical people.

Whether

Low Countries or Germany or from Italy has never seemed to me a matter Undoubtedly the viol and its of much importance.
the viols came across from the

descendants
all

is cloisteral,

and that means

Italian, since

the arts along with Christianity spread from the

great Italian centres

lis

Eome, Florence, Milan, Brescia

VIOLINS IN

ENGLAND
is

119
as

and in Elizabeth's time Italian influence

in English

marked

music as

it is

in the Shakspearian drama, or

in these gorgeous brocades, silks,

still

and tapestries that

dazzle

us behind glass at the South Kensington

Museum,

or in such Elizabethan
as

gems

of Eenaissance

architecture

Knole and

Hatfield,

which seem

to

touch as with the glory of a foreign world the palatial

seats " of our old nobility."

Modern music
cadence.

rises in Elizabeth's reign

with Monte

Verde and the discovery

of the octave

and the perfect

Along with

it

rise

the ItaKan singing-schools

of

Naples; whilst the

viols,

improved

to

meet the new

demands, culminate in the Brescian, Maggini and the

Cremonese Amati patterns (the very word Madrigala,

the

hymn

of the

Mother
viols

of

God,

is

Italian

and

clois-

teral),

and the

which accompanied such part-

songs were doubtless of Italian origin.

But, for

all that,

the viols were genuinely naturalised

for a short

and acclimatised in England, and

seemed as
if

time

it

England were even going

Galileo

to lead the art

of viol manufacture.

The

father of

the astronomer declared in

1583 that the best lutes were at that time made in

England, and we

know

that lute-making

and

viol-

making
" lutier "

so

invariably went together

is

that in

France

and Italy the violin-maker

;

to

this

day called a
little

and

J. J.

Eousseau remarks, a

loosely

perhaps: "The viol passed from the Italians to the

English,

who

first

began to compose and play har-

120

OLD VIOLINS
it,

monised pieces for

and who imparted the knowledge

to other kingdoms,"

Mace, an old writer and quite a musical expert

Ross (1598) and Smith (1633) as " old instruments " in his day. But the move(1676), mentions the viols of

ment did not go

that
ture of

on,

and I cannot for a moment doubt

rise of

what checked the

music and the manufac-

musical instruments in this country was that

art,

same Puritan craze which snubbed

the land.

smashed the

stained glass, and mutilated our cathedrals throughout

Viols had by this time crept out of the cloister and

joined hands with the frivolous Eebek, used at fairs

and pothouses.
the
"

At

all events, in

Cromwell's time and

everything
that

Barebones-praise-God

period,"

savoured of festivity was tabooed, and the fury against

art

seemed part and parcel

of

all

sincere

rehgion,

according to the masses at

least.
it

To Cromwell's honour be

set

down
still

that he was

personally no such extremist, and

that he, moreover,

saved for us Raffael's cartoons

of its secular forms

but

music in any

was mightily discouraged by the

its

Puritans, whilst in

higher religious form

it

was
to

associated with Prelacy and Papacy, and

we have

wait for that reaction in favour of the world, the

flesh,

and the
also

devil,

which marked the Restoration, and which

made

provision for the

more innocent

as well as

the more perilous delights of music in the home, the

concert room, the theatre, and the sanctuary.

In Charles

I.'s

band (1625)

there

were

"eleven

VIOLINS IN
violins

ENGLAND
at
last

121
violin

and four

viols,"

so

the
II.'s

was

creeping up; but not until Charles

did
"

restoration

the full-fledged violin

fiddlers,

come
over

in with

a rush of

four-and-twenty "

whom

presided

no

less a

person than the immortal Thomas Purcell, who,

life,

in a brief span of

achieved his almost Mozartian

fame, and died at the early age of twenty-seven, just

ten years

younger than the incomparable Wolfgang

Amadeus.

The King had no doubt got

bands from Louis

his

notion of fiddle

XIII.'s " petits violons

du

roi "

and

from the French Court, our "merrie monarch" bor-

rowed a good many other ideas

and harmless character.

of

a less respectable

The King was

so seriously addicted to

music that

he could hardly hear a sermon and never eat his dinner

without the solatium of his four-and-twenty
fiddlers.

"They played Anthony Wood in

airy

before

him
viols "

at

his
life,

meals," writes
" as being

the diary of his

;

more

and brisk than the

and the grave Evelyn

writes in 1662
"

much
and

" resents the invasion of the upstart " petit violon

its

profane intrusion.

He

One

of his Majesty's chaplains preached, after which, instead of

anthem

or solemn

wind music accompanying the

of twenty-four violins

organ,

was introduced a concert

between every pause, in the French fantastical light

way, better suiting a tavern or a playhouse than a
church."
'Tis

an

ill

wind that blows nobody and nothing any

that
his

good, and

we cannot doubt

Majesty's royal

122
mistresses,
like

OLD VIOLINS
the Duchess of

Cleveland

(Barbara

Palmer), the Duchess of St Albans (Nell

actress), the

Gwynn, the
(Lucy-

mother

of the
of

Duke

of

Monmouth

Walters),

the

Duchess

Portsmouth

(Louise

de

Querouaille, a French

girl),

greatly favoured all the

secular music,
associated.

more

frivolous

diversions with which

and especially the new-fangled vioHn, were

undoubtedly
flattered his

These ladies were bound to be musical, as music

delighted

the

"merrie
its

monarch,"

and

jaded tastes by

frequent novelty and

emotional excitations.

The

revellers

at Whitehall

soon attracted to

the

capital the greatest violin players

from foreign

parts.

The supremacy and the rage of

of the

new

violin pattern

was achieved,

virtuosity began.

Even John Evelyn succumbed to the witchery of Thomas Balzar, a Swede, who arrived in 1656. He
seems
able "
to

have been the Paganini of the period, and

the Court.

electrified
;

Evelyn

culties

he played off at sight with ravishing sweetness and " improvements "
full concert

him "incomparthe most amazing difficalls

he played a

on his single instrument, so

that the rest flung

the victory.

Mr

Mell,

down their violins, acknowledging As to worthy Mr Paul Wheeler and who were the Spohrs and De Beriots of
had
to hide their diminished heads. to

their day, they

We

are not surprised

hear after this that his

Majesty installed the great Balzar as director of his

twenty-four violins, retained his services at court, and
buried

him

in the cloisters of

Westminster Abbey.


VIOLINS IN
It
will

ENGLAND
focus our attention

123
on

be convenient

to

English violin-making about this time, for doubtless

the arrival of these foreign players, and the popularity
of the king's band,

gave a great impetus to our native

of foreign violins, for

manufacture.
there

The supply

which
i.e.,

was now a growing

demand abroad
to give out as
viols,

in

England and France

tury waned.
violins to fall

began

the cen-

There were plenty of old

but no old

back upon; the violin was a new prothe fashion,

duct;

and, as the court set

we should

naturally expect the

English

viol-makers would be

wide awake to the importance of supplying the new

want, and such was the case.

known

The Brescian and Cremonese fiddles were hardly in England, and what the Italians made were

chiefly for

home consumption.

As
time,

the English were great viol-makers in Elizabeth's

we may ask

take the lead in

of violins

Why did they allow violins? Why is the

:

the ItaUans to

English school
violins
chefs-

at least fifty,

and the best English

Amati's
date

a hundred
d'ceuvrel

years later

than the early Cremona

Why

is
is

Nicolo

1596-1684,

whilst

W.

Forster

1713-1801,
is

Duke

1769, and Banks

1795?
violin

The answer
in

not far to seek: the fact that

manufacture was checked by the Puritan moveEngland, whilst

its

ment
a

progress in

Italy

was

steady and continuous, enabled the Italians to steal

march upon us which turned us into pupils, and pupils afar off too, when we resumed the industry.
I do not say that the superior climatic conditions

and

124
generally the
courts
art

OLD VIOLINS
atmosphere
of

the

small Italian
;

must not
was

also be taken into account

but when

attention

called to

improved tonal quality, and

a timbre, power, and sensibility undreamed of by the

old viol-makers

became de rigueur, in response

win;

to the

demands of virtuosity and the advance of the musical

art,

Italy

was bound

to

such Tyrolean woods,

such varnish, such sun, such sentiment, as was required

for the perfect evolution of the violin, could hardly be

found outside Italy.

Both Spain and Germany conit

fessed to the fact, nor could England put

aside.

Accordingly, the highest praise that was ever given

to

an English maker was given

to

Benjamin Banks
;

(1727-95),
to this

who was

called "

The English Amati "

called "

but

day no one has ever been

The English

Stradivari "

Passing by Aireton (died in 1807),

who

copied Amati,

but used yellow varnish; Henry Jay (1744-77); the

famous kit-makers (the

masters),

kit is a tiny instrument with

chiefly

normal neck and finger-board, used

by dancing-

the Kennedys, father and son (1730-1870),

most

prolific
;

but mediocre fabricators, chiefly of violins

and tenors

eighteenth-century makers;
of

Panormo and Parker, the two first excellent we make special mention
of,
if

John Eayman, one

not the earliest, English

violin-maker,

"An
violins

extraordinary

Eayman"
the

was

amongst the
coal-heaver.
originality,

owned by
also a

Britton,

musical

Urquhart was

maker

of exceptional

Pamphilon (1685) was a

fair

and excellent workman.

VIOLINS IN

ENGLAND

125

high model, moderate tone, with quite splendid varnish.

"Peter Walmsley, at Ye Golden Harp in Piccadilly,"

good copyist of Stainer and an excellent maker,

we

are bound to notice on account of his early date and

more

solid reputation.

"Barak Norman" worked and

Paul's Churchyard (1683-1740).

sold

fiddles

at

St

His

label runs thus,

with a >^ and crown above

it,

similar to the labels of

Del Gesu, some

of

which he

may

have seen: "Barak

in
S.

Norman and Nathaniel

Cross, at the Bass Viol

Paul's Churchyard, London, fecit 1702."

Mr

Walter Brooksbank

of

Windermere had one

instrument
is

of

the Cross viol da gamba, in which, after the style

of the early bell founders, the

supposed

thus to speak for

itself.

"Nathaniel Cross wrought

my

back and belly" (the scroll and sides being by

Barak Norman).
Meares, about

whom

little

to

speak of

is

known,
is

except that he was probably a pupil of Eayman's,

reputed to have taught Barak Norman.

Meares
model.

is

known

to

have

adopted the
earliest

Brescian

He

was probably the

English maker

of violoncellos.

He

retains

some

of the decorative use

of purfling,

which rapidly went out as the new violins

runs his purfle into his monogram with

came

in.

He

attendant
viols, after

flourishes.

Meares

made

at

first

chiefly

that tenors of excellent quality.

His

violins are

much

esteemed.

He was
in

a close

copyist of Maggini.

Three of his viols

were

exhibited

the

South

126

OLD VIOLINS
of

Kensington Loan Collection of 1872, but one

dated 1690, had been cut down.
It remained for Stradiuarius, in the

them,

dawning year
fix

of

the eighteenth century, to discover and

of the bass viol that

the model

needed no cutting down.

of eternal gratitude

The musical world owes a debt

to the Forster family
;

there were four of them.

"Great-grandfather John (1683), maker of spinning-

wheels and
"
'

violins.

Grandfather William, the Forster, commonly called

Forster.'
2,

Old

"Father William, No.

wheels.
"

who

also

made

spinning-

William, No. 3 (1764-1824)."

His sons, the two brothers William (1733-1824), and

Simon Andrew (1731-1869).

The second Forster

"

(1739-1807),

William,

called

Old Forster," bears

off the

palm.

Born

in the north, a native of

Brampton, he made

his market, like his father, out of the spinning-wheel

industry of Cumberland, but he was a many-sided

man, a great repairer of

of violins, the greatest

viols,

and afterwards a maker

in the north

maker

the greatest
by playing
at

maker

in

all

England.
his violins to the public

He commended
on them himself.

He was

not beneath playing

country dances and on village greens.

We may
upon

be sure he never lost an opportunity of

parting, for a consideration, with the violin he played

since

naturally, people

would often be seized

VIOLINS IN

ENGLAND

127

with a desire to possess themselves of an instrument

which they had heard discourse such excellent music

and

to the purpose.

Indeed, I have sometimes

known

professors in these

days who would so cunnmgly play to their pupils that

they have been able to palm off for considerable sums
quite inferior instruments.

How much

more easy must

it

have been for the

best,

man
and

who made them, and made none but the

were high and their dispositions yielding,
his exceptional wares.

played them on occasions when his purchasers' spirits

to dispose of

About 1759 Forster seems

Cumberland was played
to conquer,

to

have concluded that

out, and, sighing for

new worlds
was even
and

he came south.

He was
so

quite a young man,

it

but in the great whirlpool of London, as

then, he seems to have

sunk

low as

cattle-driving,

but that
pluck.

is

in itself

tribute to his versatility

Presently he sets up in the Commercial Koad,

East, but finding there neither

demands

for spinningtill

wheels nor

fiddles,

takes to gunstock-making,

he at

last "strikes ile" with one Beck, of

Tower

Hill,

and

there

makes such

fiddles

that

Beck grows

fat while

Forster remains lean.

Unable

to get his

wages

raised,

he leaves Beck in

1762, and sets

up

at Duke's Court, a site

now

occupied

by the National Gallery. For about ten years Forster adopted the high Stainer
pattern, then so popular in England,

and attracted the

Afterwards

patronage of amateurs like Colonel West.

128

OLD VIOLINS
to

he set up in St Martin's Lane, and then went

348

Strand,
of

He had by
royalty,

this

time
of

attracted

the

attention

and the Duke

Cumberland,

George

III.'s son, is said

even to have once dined with

him

off black

pudding.
versatility

Old Forster's

and enterprise

is still

further

shown by

his opening

communications with the great

chiefly to

Joseph Haydn, and

mortal Symphonies.

it is

him

that England

owes the introduction and publication of Haydn's im-

The shrewd

old

man

doubtless saw the profit which

lay hid in a scheme which would popularise the greatest

writer for stringed instruments

who

ever lived, and he

had not miscalculated.

The same cleverness which prompted him to give the EngKsh a dose of the Stainer model when Stainer was the rage, prompted him to revert to the later Amati
grand pattern as he reached his ripe maturity.
also

He
life,

changed his varnish before the close of his

is

and

said to have found the secret of solving

amber

with the assistance of the chemist Delaporte, who invented some stuff known as the Verins Martin.

Amongst

his

patrons were

George

III.,

who, as

Prince of Wales, was fond of playing the violoncello,

probably one of "Old Forster's," and who, when he

asked Haydn, who had been listening to him, how he

thought he played, received the altogether diplomatic

reply,

"Vy, your

'ighness do play like a Brince."

Peter Pindar (Dr Walcot) and Bartolozzi the engraver were also amongst Forster's patrons.

He made

VIOLINS IN

ENGLAND
violins.

129
'cellos are

but four double-basses, and his tenors and

thought better of than his

rising in value.

They

are steadily

Ho

died in the same year as

Haydn

(1808).

His son William already suffered much from

the foreign competition, which was just beginning to

tell,

the duty which protected the English manufac-

tures having been removed.

William made some very good instruments, but they

do not equal his father's; and he made a great deal
of rubbish for the trade besides.

There was no doubt a certain erratic vein in the

Forster family, which in Old Forster took the shape of

amazing

versatility

and profitable enterprise, but which

in

in his son

and grandson degenerated into speculative

eccentricity.

The son went

in

for

buying grocery,

and invested
sided;

other bad businesses.

The grandson

turned out very unmanageable, but clever and many-

he worked for a time with Thomas Kennedy,

but got away from him and went in for play-acting,

sometimes taking a turn in the orchestra at the violoncello desk.

He made

about
of

fifteen

instruments alto-

gether,

two or three

which only approached the

Forster high level.

still

He

died in 1824, suddenly, whilst

quite a young man.

of violins
S.

His brother Simon made a large number

tenors
Forster,

and

'cellos;

they are those signed

A.

but they do not rank very high.

to

He was
and has

the

first

write

a
all

history of

the violin,

deserved well of

succeeding writers,

who quote
though,

him with

touching simplicity of

faith, as


130

OLD VIOLINS
first,

forsooth, because the

he must needs be the best

authority.

At
'cello

the

name

of

Benjamin Banks
hats;

all

tenor and
later

players

lift

their

for although the

importation into England of Cremonas has somewhat

obscured our countryman's fame, his splendid work

even surpassed, as some think, by his sons James and

Henry is bound name extolled by

neglected

to

hold the market again; and a

Lindley, whose

the great virtuoso

favourite instrument

was a Banks,

is

not likely to be

by Lindley's

successors, even

though they

may
of

be the happy possessors of Stradivari basses.

Benjamin Banks (1727-1795) was a contemporary

Old Forster (1713-1801), but there
is

no reason
or

to suppose that the

rially interfered

two

artificers ever
;

met

mateat

with each other

for

Banks worked

Salisbury, whilst Forster

worked

in

London, and no

express trains bore fiddles or fiddle-buyers swiftly to

and
but
cello

fro in those days.

Benjamin Banks copied Nicolo Amati very closely

Mr
of

Sandys speaks of a rare long-shaped violonhis

quite of
Stainer

the

Stainer pattern, with

the

round-topped
other

sound-holes.

This

was

none

than the great Lindley's

famous

instrument

which so nearly escaped destruction

dent.
'

in a coach acci-

spill,

The passengers had a bad shakmg and a bad and Lindley and his violoncello among them;
the con-

but the rare enthusiast, in the midst of

fusion,
case,

had but one thought.

He

flew to his 'cello-

and was found seated

in a ditch, quietly play-

VIOLINS IN
ing

ENGLAND
that
his

131
beloved

away

to

assure

himself

was

uninjured.

Mr

Lucas had an excellent Benjamin Banks

violin,

but Banks tenors and violoncellos are more esteemed.

Banks made no double-basses;

his
bellies

his varnish is yellow-

brown, of excellent quality, but badly laid on, that on

being often clotted, so
said to kill the grain.
that, in

technical

parlance,

it is

The Earl
tirely

of

Pembroke, who presumably knew no

better, ordered a violoncello of

Banks

to be

made

en-

out of an old cedar-tree, which had been blown

in his lordship's park (Wilton).
It was, as

down

might

have been foreseen, a great failure in tone.

Of course
the

Banks made
money, but
his
it

it
is

"right

enough,"

and

pocketed

doubtful whether the Earl ever got

money's worth.

remember a very
it

carefully

made

violin, all of silver,

another expensive freak of ignorance and eccentricity

doubtless
of

sounded

like a tin kettle,

and was musically

have heard an

no use whatever.

Some

of us

may

ingenious itmerant violinist playing on a tin biscuit-

box with similar

Benjamin's

results.

scrolls

are

not very elegant, but that

does not affect his tone.

idea of his

Benjamin had a very good

own

importance, and probably, too, a sus-

picion of the extent to which his

in vain after his death.
difficult

He

tried to

name would be taken make this more

by not only varying

his labels in about four

different ways, but also

stamping his instruments in

peculiar seal, B.B.

several places with his

own

132
Benjamin's sons
old

OLD VIOLINS
fell

far

below their father, but the

of

man

left

quite a

number

white unvarnished
all

instruments in a cellar when the business was sold,

of

which were duly completed and sent forth with

sons worked with him,

his

name, to which, however, they have but a partial right

for, as his
it is

by no means

certain that every fiddle in Bank's shop at the time of

his death

was made by Benjamin ^^re.

Duke

(1754-69) was remarkable as having largely

contributed to create in England the Stainer furore

which so confused the judgment

country, and retarded
for

of

amateurs in this
fifty

at

least

years

the

triumph
best

of the Stradivari

grand pattern.

In reality the

Dukes Dukes

are on the

Amati

pattern, but they are few

in number,

and though there are innumerable frauduabout, a real

lent

Duke

is

seldom seen.

The

fraudulent Dukes exaggerate the high bellies and deep

grooving of the earlier Amati, and thus pass for Stainer

pattern.

Duke's varnish
It is

is

also of a yellow or yellow-

brown hue.
will increase,

not likely that Duke's reputation

though the rarity of genuine Dukes and

the plentiful number of counterfeits a few real specimens to fancy prices.

may

still

run up

I cannot close this brief survey of the old English

makers without a mention

1832.

of

Bernard Fendt (1756cabinet-maker, but

He was
to

originally a Swiss

coming
Dodd,
violins.

London, went into business with Thomas

for

whom, and with whom, he began

Fendt soon got
hold
of

to

make

another

cabinet-

maker, a compatriot, and Dodd took him also into the

VIOLINS IN
business.

ENGLAND
artificers

133

These two clever

soon raised Dodd's

thus had the
All

business to great prosperity, and

Dodd

honour

of putting his

own name

in their violins.

he had done, however, was

to varnish

them, but he did

that superlatively well, so that Dodd's varnish became

as

famous as Dodd's bows.

Eendt afterwards
Betts,

left

Dodd and worked

for his

for of

John

who was famous

imitations

Amati,

which he said paid better than making

fiddles

with his

own name in them. Many of his best imitations were made by Fendt, who has thus created the reputation of two makers besides himself. His son, who died only
in 1851,

would have equalled

his father

had he not

been seduced by the vicious practice of prematurely

aging his violins, thus pandering to the taste for old
fiddles at the
is

expense of the fiddles themselves

for it

notorious that such frauds do not improve by age.

A
Dark

Vignette of W. E. Hill.

yes, to

my
for

eyes very dark

but the light in

William Ebsworth

Hill's old

shop in Wardour Street

was good enough

him

a greater glare might have

flouted those hundreds of old

brown

fiddles,

and dusty

d6bris of fiddles, which that very moderately sized estab-

lishment was hung, lined, strewn, and littered o'er with.

So the dim

light, relieved

on foggy days with a

casual gas-jet, or even a candle-end, seemed better than

the garish sunlight for that dusky brood

even

as the

moonbeam, according

to Sir

Walter

Scott, touched the


134

OLD VIOLINS

grey ruins of Melrose more tenderly than the light

of day.

There were no

electric

lamps in those days

(in 1870),

consequently no patent asbestos appliances for converting the impure

blazing rival.

London gas

into

a specious and

Mr

Hill tried to do too much.

repairs,

In his back shop

his " re-

he conducted

and frequently brought

I

pairs " into the front shop.

have seen him there,

behind the counter, busy with gouge, knife, or scraper.

When

customers or applicants for advice arrived

some
up

with cheap German fiddles which they fondly believed

to be rare

specimens of Cremona, others with their own

good, bad, and indifferent instruments to be done

they were received one and

all

with the same mild

of incivility,

and tolerant inattention, born not

abstraction.

but of

knew Mr Hill in those days, knew the nearest approach we shall perhaps ever see I do not say that to the great Cremona makers.
Such
as

any

of

Mr

Hill's
is

work (barring

his

exquisite repairs
;

and carving)

likely to

rank with theirs

left

he was an
off

admirable maker, but he very soon

making.

When

the duty on foreign violins was removed there

fiddles,

poured into lEngland a continuous stream of

which entirely swamped the demand

English make.
his

for

new ones
the

of

Mr
to

Hill, following the market, turned

attention

repairing and dealing; but

art

and

craft atmosphere, the

knowledge, the familiarity

infallible

with violin constitution, the

single-minded love of

intuition
its

and
sake,

the violin

for

own

VIOLINS IN
as a

ENGLAND

135

thing of
to

beauty,

wonder, mystery, more than

enough

monopolise a lifetime of devotion

this

is

what made

Mr

Ebsworth Hill the

spiritual heir of

the grand old fiddle-makers.

once, "talk about not

"Why," he

said to of this

me
or

knowing the touch

the sort of tools

that

maker

know

Stradivari or

Joseph used,

I can see the

knife here or gouge there.

to cut

mark of a special favourite I know which way he used

his tool for such

and

slice,

and how he held

I can see

and

such a kind of

finish.
is

'em at work, and the

another's than

handling of one

no more
is

like

the

touch of one painter

like another's." in to

When you took a fiddle had to wait Mr Hill's good

show

Mr

Hill,

you

time
to,

he seldom answered
but would look up

immediately he was spoken

dreamily through his spectacles without laying

his
file

down

or knife,

and

let off

some such dogmatic and

oracular sentence as:

tell

fiddle.

Well, I

"You want to know how I can don't know how I can tell and
;

there are days

when

I don't trust

my

judgment

days
up

I can't see, for instance.

for a

I leave off looking at fiddles I

day or two
and

and when

come back
first

I take

this fiddle

that,

and just at
tell

I can't see anyit's

thing

those
mind

fiddles

me

nothing;

a peculiar

state of

^just

as a player or a surgeon's
I

hand

gets out, so a judge's eye gets out.

know exactly when I see and when I can't see, and when I can't see and I know exactly how much I I hold my tongue
;

can

see,

but I don't

tell

everybody."
of

The casual
first.

visitor

could

make very

little

old

Hill at

There

136

OLD VIOLINS
sort of inner otherwhereness

was a curious
word

Some people found him very trying indeed. You never knew whether he heard what you said but when at last he favoured you with a remark,
;

about him.

to coin

you discovered that he had not only heard your words,

but that he had accurately gauged you.

His action was often

alarming.
I one

unexpected and
his

sometimes

day entered

shop with a friend

prized,

who had
it

a fiddle which he

much

and indeed

was a

really valuable instrument, but needed over-

hauling.

We
new

both stood in front of the counter, and old Hill

scroll that

was bending over a

neck.

I addressed

he was fitting on to a him on behalf of my friend, but

;

he took no notice whatever

his delicate adjustments;

he remained absorbed in
of the blood

and no Prince

would have fared any better than

finished
friend's

we

did until he had

I

what he was about.

Again

mentioned

my

name

"

Mr

has brought you his fiddle to

look at by

my

advice.

Perhaps you can

tell

him what

ought

to be done."

Hill looked up, nodded, eyed

spectacles
I

my

friend through his

with cold interest, and

to rouse

then resumed his work.

had

him a second

time before he seemed to grasp the fact that

my
for

anxious friend had taken his precious Cremona from

its

case and

was standing with

Hill laid

it

in his

hand ready

the magician's inspection.

At

last

down

his
it

tool,

and taking the

instrument in his hands, gave

a couple of taps
;

one quick glance and

its

he then deliberately looked in

VIOLINS IN
astonished

ENGLAND
off

137
finger-board,

owner's

face,

tore

the

loosened the neck, and drove a knife under the belly.

The
and

fiddle

was soon

in pieces,

and he threw the loose

fragments aside in a heap, took up his repairs again,

said

he would attend

to

the
;

matter by-and-by,

and the gentleman need not stop

out of old Hill that day,

and we got no more

re-

who immediately became

absorbed in his work.

I shall never forget the rueful

and amazed look with

which
his

my

poor friend beheld the tearing to pieces of

I touched

Cremona, but

him on the arm, and seeing

that Hill was in no

shop, assuring

mood

for talk, got

him out

of the

him that

it

was

all right,

and that the

great repairer had

shown more

interest than usual in

his valuable instrument, or he

it

would never have torn

I

to pieces then

and there; and with such words

strove to comfort
I

my

perplexed and anxious friend.

am bound

to

add that although Hill kept him

waiting several months,

when

the fiddle

came back

its

owner was more than satisfied, and declared that he then heard his Cremona for the first time.

Mr

William Ebsworth Hill came

violin-players.

of

a family of
Hill,

violin-makers and

Joseph

who
from

was born 1715, was proud

the

to trace his descent

"Mr

Hill" mentioned in Pepys' Diary as being

to alter his lute
prolific

employed

and

viall.

Joseph was a

and excellent violin-maker, and

carried on business in the early part of the eighteenth

century at the sign of the Harp and Flute in the

Haymarket.

138

OLD VIOLINS
five sons
;

He had
four

all

made
Bond The

violins

and three played

present
their
Hill,

professionally, whilst the other

two, like the

Street,

brothers Hill

in

followed

father's vocation alone.

third son,
Hill,

Lockey

who became in his turn the father of William Ebsworth Hill, known in the middle of this century as Mr Hill of Wardour Street. Hill's father, Henry Lockey, an excellent
was the father
of

Henry Lockey

violin-maker, died in 1835.

in sons,

The

Hills

seem

prolific

and Lockey

left

four sons.

Henry
of his

distin-

guished himself as an admirable quartet player, and

well do I

remember the splendid tone

Barak

Norman

tenor at Willis'

Eooms

as far back I think as

1848, when, with Sainton, Piatti, and Cooper

one

of

the best, as
in

it

was almost the

earliest string quartet cast

London

he

assisted in delighting

and educating a

select public in the mysteries of

chamber music, which

has been since so freely expounded by Ella's Musical

Union and the Monday Popular Concerts.

Berlioz always spoke of

Henry

Hill in terms of the

highest praise

he even went so far as to say that he

of the first performers in Europe.

considered
It is

him one

seldom that a tenor player ever comes in for

direct commendation.
to violoncello

He

acts as a sort of go-between

and

violin;

but his individual

efforts,

although so important to the combined

usually lost sight of between the grand

effect,

are

work

of the

bass and the brilliant lead and musical embroideries of

the

first

and second

violins.

There are too few concertos or strong parts written

VIOIJNS IN

ENGLAND
of

139

for the poor tenor, the Cinderella of the establishment,

which

is

regrettable

when one thinks

the glorious
Hill's

violas of

Maggini and the Amati.

is

Mr
Doyle.

Barak

Norman
seur,

now

the property of

Mr

William Ebsworth

Hill, our great repairer, connois-

and dealer

all in one,

was born

in

1817.

He was

educated at the Borough Road School, under the well-

known Dr
employed
For

Lancaster, but

it is

certain that he

went early
find

to the bench, for at the age of fourteen

we

him

in cutting bridges in his father's workshop.

this

purpose he used only a bradawl and a knife,

of his life

and towards the end

cutting,

he returned

to bridge-

and has

left

many

beautiful

specimens.

His

sons have a collection of two hundred, and no two of

the same pattern

they have also reverently preserved

tools.

under glass his simple

He worked
by
his
tools, so

with extrafinish.

ordinary rapidity, equalled

fastidious

He

preferred the

commonest

only they were

of the finest metal.

He

used to scorn the mechanical

labour-saving appliances
to turn out

which now enable workmen

fiddles,

hundreds instead of dozens of

artificers

and

he heartily despised

who needed an

elabo-

rate plant before they could produce anything decent.

good maker, he was wont to say, could make a

fiddle

"with a knife and

fork."

Mr

Hill's

skill

in

bridge-making on one occasion misled so eminent a

judge as Monsieur Fetis, of the Brussels Conservatoire.

In 1851, the Prince Consort having expressed a wish

to hear a concert of

old instruments, a

viol

d'amore

which was

to be

played by Ebs worth's brother, Henry

140
Hill,

OLD VIOLINS
required a
I

quickly made.
this viol

new bridge, which Ebsworth very remember hearing Hill perform on

d'amore with seven strings, at one of Monsieur

Julien's Popular Concerts at the old Surrey Gardens.

The elaborate arpeggios were most

heard since.

fascinating,

and

unlike anything I ever listened to before or have ever

In due time the

viol d'amore,

which had

been lent by the Brussels Conservatoire, was returned,

and Monsieur
at that

F^tis,

who was

the Principal, and engaged

time in writing his valuable monograph on

Stradivari,
bridges.

was very much bent upon hunting up old

to pitch

He happened

upon the
of

viol

d'amore

bridge,

which he declared to be a highly interesting

artistic

specimen of the
period.

work

the great

Cremona

Mr

Alfred Hill, one of Ebsworth Hill's sons,

happened
to

to be at Brussels,
F^tis'

and his attention was called

viol

Monsieur

eulogium on the antique

d'amore

bridge.

"That," says

Mr

Alfred to Monsieur Victor

it

Mahillon the curator, "is not an old bridge;

cut by

was

my

father."

An

incredulous smile overspread

the worthy curator's face, which was quickly changed

into a look of apologetic admiration

and surprise when

to

Mr
"

Hill,

junior,

turning up

the bridge, pointed

W.

E. Hill " stamped

upon

it.

Ebsworth

Hill's father died in 1835,

and not long

afterwards Ebsworth, wishing to perfect himself in the

technique of his
plished

art,

went

to study

under the accom-

maker Charles
set

Harris, of Oxford.

About 1838 he
Koad, Southwark.

up

for

himself in St George's

VIOLINS IN

ENGLAND
collector,

141

Mr

Woolhouse, the well-known

;

was one

of

his earliest patrons

but his fame soon spread, and he

found he had more work than he could well manage.

He was

also

much

resorted to as one of the few

violin

men

whose judgment on a

admitted of no appeal,

and who could be trusted

to give

an honest opinion.

for

From Southwark, Hill went to Wardour Street, which many years was as much the violin quarter in London as the Eue Croix des Petits Champs is in Paris. It was there, when I was little more than a boy, that I first made Mr Hill's acquaintance. I used
to take

him

my

fiddles,

and

was always drawn

their

to the father's

young
and

boys, his

sons,

who frequented

shop, and had the profoundest sense of his importance

ability.

It is not too

much

to say that

Arthur,

Alfred, William, and Walter Hill have enjoyed unique

opportunities from their earliest

childhood, and

have

not failed to qualify themselves assiduously for the high

position that the firm of Hill
violin world.

&

Sons now holds in the

The
special

boys inherited violin tendencies.

steeped from childhood in violin tradition.

They were They had

time or

chances for seeing, handling, and diagnosing

the great violins

most

of

now

extant.

No

money was spared by

tion,

their father

on the boys' educaof

and certainly no boys ever made a better use

their privileges.

Alfred and Walter went to Mirecourt, to study

that could be taught in the most scientific and

all

cele-

brated workshop in the world.

142

OLD VIOLINS
in,

Arthur stayed at home and kept his eye

always
in close attendance

being

on his father, and never

missing an opportunity of acquiring a

fiddle, old or

new

fact, or

new, which was likely to bring grist to

the mill or credit to the firm.

From what
and
not

has been said

it

may have been

Hill

inferred,

erroneously,

that Ebsworth

was

not,

financially speaking, a business

all his

man

though
;

he did

own

business.

For years everything that came

he made every
every screw,

into the shop passed through his hands

repair,

doctored

every

fiddle,

adjusted

regulated or replaced every sound-bar and sound-post,

and even strung the

fiddles for his clients

with his

own
it

hand

in short,

he did or closely superintended everylabour, to

thing; division of
is

the

extent to which

now

carried, being a thing

unknown

in those early

days.

That such a system could not bring in large

profits

was obvious.
for fiddles

Hill had
infallible,

was

many bad debts; but his memory

his

memory

for accounts

shocking, and he was cheated right and

left.

His fame was so widespread that orders poured

wliich could not be executed
;

in

and when the old man's

proceedings for years

apparently inexhaustible powers of work began to give

out, the sons,

who had watched

and

slowly qualified themselves for every department,

in

came

and broke up the one-man system

not
the

before

financially confusion

was becoming worse confounded.

They

trained

their

workmen, distributed
first

work,

kept proper accounts for the

time, and in a few

VIOLINS IN
years built
its

ENGLAND
when considered

143
in all

up what

is,

perhaps,

branches,

the largest individual violin-dealing in-

dustry in the world.

Mr

Hill was

man

of

striking appearance: thin,

spare, with light hair,

and moustache early gone grey

face,

blue-grey eyes,
lighted
full of

very keen; a thoughtful

often

up with a whimsical smile humour, though mostly

very

for the

man was
man than
would

of a genial sort.

He was
people
suppose.

much more

of

an all-round

who merely conversed with him on

violins

Highly educated, in the usual sense of the

word, he was certainly not; but he had a great ac-

quaintance with

human

nature, and an

extraordinary

insight into character.

His

sly

remarks on

men and

their manners, including

all

their morals,

were a perpetual feast to

who were
what he
cases,
it

admitted to his intimacy.

In his own special line he

did not always say

was without a

rival.

He

knew, but he never said what he did not know.

He was
but was
difficult

frequently appealed
greatly

to

in

doubtful

opposed

to

litigation,

and

was

to
it.

extract from him any opinion likely to

lead to

Once
call

in

the witness-box he was what the lawyers

dangerous
quiet,

customer.

His

manner was

per-

fectly

assured,

and

straightforward.

He was

absolutely decided, and would never

opinion,

budge from his

and under pressure

of cross-examination often

raised a laugh at the expense of counsel.

His sons have treasured many

of his wise

and witty

144
sayings.

OLD VIOLINS
On
one occasion he refused to
sell to

a cuspay.

tomer who already owed more than he could

Hill remarked dryly

when the gentleman had

is

left the

shop, " That man's complaint

wind

in the pockets."
off his style

Of an amateur who was proud

on
his fiddles, Hill, looking

of

showing

up from

his work,

would

say with a comical twinkle, "Hark, now, he's doing

the lovely."

The manner was

often worth

more than the matter.

Tarisio's.

His memory was as extraordinary as

On

one occasion a claim was brought against a railway

company
damages
which

for sixty pounds'

violoncello.

to

damage to the belly of a The company demanded a valuation, and be assessed by Hill. The claimant at last
Hill reported on

angrily submitted.

the

instrument,

he repaired for about thirty

shillings.

Five

pounds he thought would be very

liberal

damages.

The owner was

fifteen

furious,

and would not even accept

at last called up, and

guineas.

Mr

Hill was

made the

following

unpleasant statement: "This into this

strument does not belong

man

at

all.

It is

one

of the instruments belonging to her Majesty,

and used
soi-disant
to

by the members

of the private band."

The

owner was perfectly dumbfounded, but was obliged

confess that he had actually borrowed the instrument

when employed
only seen
it

as

deputy in the Queen's Band several

it.

years before, and had never restored

Mr

Hill had

once before.
said
to

violin,

be by F. Panormo, was sold as

It

such by a dealer in Pentonville Road.

came

into

VIOLINS IN
Hill's

ENGLAND
for another violin.
;

145

hands
it

many
in

years afterwards,

who was asked

to

take
:

part

payment

He
was

said

" This fiddle

was not made by Panormo

it

made by my

father about the year 1812 for

difficulty

my

brother

Henry, and owing to the

foreign wood,

of

gettmg good

my

father
It

made

the back and ribs from

English maple.
tone,

could not possibly have a good

it,

but I should like to have

and

will allow

10
for

for it."
belly.

Mr
On

Hill immediately proceeded to remove the

the inside was written in pencil, "

Made
life.

my son Henry in Mr Hill led

Sundays.

the year 1812."

an extremely abstemious
reading
close

His
on

only relaxations were

and
of

long
life

walks

Towards the

his

he found

himself surrounded by his sons, superintending a large

staff

of

workmen, and
his

his

workshops
well

at

Hanwell,

adjoining

country home, are

known.

For

some years before he died the

practically passed into the

direction of affairs had

of

hands

his

sons,

whom

he had so admirably trained to succeed him, and to

them

is

entirely due

the

present great

commercial

prosperity of the firm.

William Ebsworth Hill sank gradually from

exhaustion of brain power, and died in
seventy-seven.

senile

1895, aged

CHAPTER

IX

VIOLIN VARNISH

When

true

chemist enters a laboratory

fitted

up

with the usual mysterious tubes, crucibles, "baths,"

and general apparatus

scents

for

distillation,

and his nose

oils,

the aroma of gums, spirits, essential

not,

and

what
of

he experiences an

atmospheric

sensation

which enthuses him

stables
is

for his work.

What

the odour

to

the lover of horses, or the smell of

that
is

paint to

the artist,

the laboratory aroma to

the chemist.
I have no
smells.

insight into crucibles,

and I don't

like

The proportion

of subtle weights

and measures,
disputations
scientists

avoirdupois or troy, are beyond

of

me; the

science and the general incapacity of

to

agree about mixed problems puzzles and sometimes

"impatients" me, as the French say.

In wading through various treatises on

varnish
I

Cremona
vague

regret to

say I have

experienced

emotions of annoyance and perplexity which I would

fain

conceal

from the reader.

of

I should like to

pose

as the clear exponent

the famous

Cremona

secret,

or

hold some one fixed opinion, buttressed by arguto

ments weighty enough

146

confound

all

opponents, and

VIOLIN VARNISH
based upon the "triumphs of modern research."

147

The

triumph

of

modern research seems

to

me

to consist in

the discovery that the

we have

as yet

failed to discover

we may speculate about it and at moments seem to come very near the mark, as yet we cannot make the stuff, or, at all events, apply it in Cremona fashion to our new fiddles.
Cremona
varnish, as, although
It

may

be consoling, but not very satisfactory, to

reflect

that no

one has mixed

it

or

applied

it

in

Cremona fashion
serves
to

since about 1750; but that fact only

appetite,

whet the curious

scrapes
bits
off

and each writer

visits

braces himself for

shops, and

renewed disquisitions,

workcan,

Cremonas when he
a view
to

perhaps dabbles himself with gums and alcohol, and

pumps

fiddle-makers

with

wringing

the

secret out of the

Cremona sphynx.
is

So entirely mixed
violin

the whole subject that the

world can't even decide in what the proper

functions of the varnish consist.

it is

One maintains
the third

that

merely for the preservation of the wood, another

it

that
it is

greatly affects

the tone, and

that

chiefly decorative.
it

To me
varnish
serves
is

seems almost a truism to say that the

for
is
;

good

all

three purposes:

that

it

preis

the wood

certain,

though exactly how

the tone
still

open to discussion
certain,

that

it affects is

is

equally

though exactly how

is

a moot point;
taste
in the

that

it

decorative

is

obvious, though

colouring has varied with

each school of makers as

much

as

some makers have varied with themselves.

148 For
the

OLD VIOLINS
my
part, after reading a dozen disquisitions

on

Cremona
of

varnish, and inspecting hundreds of fiddles

for a quarter of a century, I

applaud the courage and

reticence

Mr

George Hart, who, in his valuable

just five pages

book on old

violins, gives

on Italian
its

varnish, with an intelligent description of

various

appearances, a

brief

quotation

from the

inimitable

writer Charles Keade, and not a single recipe.

As
for

am

not writing for violin-makers, but only

I shall

collectors,

certainly
fear

not rush in where

to tread,

authorities

like

Mr

Hart

and

shall

content myself with a few probable suppositions and

a few more generally descriptive remarks.

Some
be
is
first

authorities

maintain
oil

that the

wood should

saturated with

before the colouring varnish

applied, a practice which

has a tendency to clog

the pores, so that until

the

some age has been put on and

free

wood has become desiccated and shaken

from

the grosser oily particles, the vibrations are stifled and the tone consequently dull.

Others declare that the sizing of

penetrate the

oil

should not

wood

far,

but leave

it

free to desiccate
for the

by

itself,

and merely act as a

covering.

sort of veneer

colour varnish which has got to be spread over the

transparent
sized first

oil

The wood,

in fact, has to be

and varnished afterwards.

be something of

Taking
this

this view,

the process would

kind: The

white belly

is

cut from fine pine which has been six

or seven years drying in the sun, but never exposed

to rain

and waits patiently

for its anointing.

stick

VIOLIN VARNISH
of

149
artists,
is

that

resinous

gum

beloved

of

gamboge

yellow, from

Gamboga, Siam, or China,

then pow-

dered and dissolved in pure alcohol; sloes are sometimes added, or

when

a yellow ground

is

not desired,

sandarak and the long resinous tears of benzoin are

treated

with
are

pure alcohol.

When

the

back,

belly,

and

ribs

thoroughly dry, the colouring, like a

is

flavouring to taste,

added.
of

The

chief
of

colouring ingredients appear to be

two kinds
tints,

sandal-wood, one yielding red orange

from Calcutta, and the other a deeper red, from

the Coromandel Coast.

is

An
and

alcoholic solution of these

mixed with

essential oil of turpentine, freely oxydised

laid

(or exposed to the air)

on the perfectly dry

surface in successive layers, each layer being allowed

to

dry separately.

The colour coating thus

the
oil sizing,

lies like

an agate film over

and through the top varnish as through

coloured glass

may

be seen

dyed

orange, or red, or

brown

all

the delicate curls and fibres of the wood,

shown up
hard and

as

by a kind

of

Eontgen rays by the

oil size.

We are told
soft,

that the resins used

may
soft,

be divided into

and that of these the

such as mastic
elastic

and dammar, are the

friendly to

best, because the

most

and

the waves of vibration.

The mastic and

dammar

resins

seem

to unite, in the greatest perfection,

the three essential properties most suitable for varnish

and transparency. The Cremonese are said to have used nothing but the soft resins. The much-talked-of, old-fashioned
elasticity, solidity,


150
dragon's
blood, a

OLD VIOLINS
resinous

gum from

the

Draconian

Draco, does not seem

now

The Calami Draco

old

of

commonly forthcoming. Borneo has taken its place. The

to be

dragon's

blood has been

giving a
of the rare

much

talked about, and

credited with
flush to

certain

splendid sanguineous
bellies

some

Cremonese

upon which

the judicious amateur dotes.

And now, what

is,

is

amber varnish

there

is

no such thing.

The usual answer Certainly it was never used

?

by

Stradivari, for it is said the secret of fusing that

hard

gum was

only discovered by Martin the chemist

in 1737, the year of Stradivari's death.

On

the other

hand, I hear that amber has been found in the varnish

of

Giuseppe del Gesu

of

by what analysis I do not know.

me
to furnish a

The usual way

reliable test.
" I

rubbing a violin and smelling the

surface has always seemed to

most un-

One
;

saith, " I smell

benzoin

"

or another,
;

smell mastic "

and a

third, " I smell

;

amber " and a

fourth, " I smell

nought "

and

this battle of olfactory

organs

is

like to go on, as saith the poet

" As long as man has passions. As long as life has woes "
or, as

we may say
'*

As long

as

man

has nose."

So here I desire to take

ject,

my

leave of this thorny sub-

and with a sense

oils

of relief I

abandon crucibles
to

to

the expert, and

and resins

the disputatious,

merely reminding our collectors for practical purpose

that the Brescian varnish
is soft

and brown, but with-

; ;

VIOLIN VARNISH
out the magical Cremonese transparency
is
;

151
the

Cremona

amber-coloured (early) or (later) light red orange,

soft

and sometimes velvety brown, and very

as
it

and glossy
very clear

rubs away.
of

The Venetian varnish

at

many

shades

is

the Stainer, yellow- brown, with a subtle roseate flush

times

the normal

German, brown and muddy

the French, Cremonese in colour, but glassy and chip-

ping rather than soft and glossy.

varnish
is

remarkable, that of

Some of the English Dodd even approximating

Cremona

closely to the

Cremona
to

school, etc.

On
at
of
all,

the whole, the best solution of the

mystery seems
which

me

that

it

was probably no mystery

also best accounts for the disappearance

the varnish towards the middle of the eighteenth

It is absurd to

century.

suppose that the varnish used

by at
1740

least

one hundred makers for more than one hun-

dred years (for Italian violins from 1550 to 1660 up to

all

have

it)

could have been a secret;

it

was pro-

bably the ordinary varnish of commerce, superseded by

the quicker and more convenient spirit-varnishes which

came
which

in

and thrust

it

out of the market, and these

ready-made compounds proved excellent for furniture

is

not prized for

its

resonant or variously tinted

qualities,

but they unfortunately put out of court the

kind of varnish best suited for violins

soft, elastic oil

the

yielding,
e.g.

varnish; and the very ingi'edients,

liliacese trees),

dragon blood (of the

ceased to be in de-

mand, and consequently disappeared from the Italian

markets.


152

OLD VIOLINS

differently composed.

The materials being now absent, the varnish was The trick of mixing it got lost
once an open secret, lapsed and lapsed, as

along with the stuff to be mixed, and the Cremonese

secret,
it

seems, most irrecoverably.

At one time every one knew how the ancient wargalleys were rowed how the Pyramids were built how Stonehenge was poised how the Medicean poisons were distilled, and how the old masters mixed their colours: now no one knows. Of the Cremona varnish it must be written, as we
; ;

have to write of these unexplained disappearances of

the lost and missing
" Gone, and made no sign."

CHAPTEE X
VIOLIN STRINGS

"To
of

scrape the inside of a cat with the outside of a

is far

horse "

from an accurate or exhaustive description

nor can I understand
all,

violin

playing,

why

violin

strings

are called cat-gut at

siace they are

made

from the intestines of the sheep, goat, or lamb, and

have absolutely nothing to do with pussy.
I can only suppose that the frightful

and melancholy

tones habitually elicited by inexperienced players

may

have reminded people of the nocturnal cat

sufficiently

to credit that maligned animal with providing part of

the mechanical apparatus for their production.

Of

late years a great deal has of

been said about the

extreme importance

the strings, of adapting the

etc.

player to the fiddle's constitution,

I freely

admit

that some players with very strong hands, like Lindley

and Dragonetti, can manage thicker strings with

better than people with

effect

weaker muscles.

I also admit

generally that
old

it

would be a mistake

to string a sensitive

Nicolo Amati with thick strings, which a robust

to bear
;

Joseph or Bergonzi might be able

that a raw

new

fiddle to be

rubbed down in the orchestra wUl also

;

take to thick strings

153

and that

it

is

pretty obvious, as

154

OLD VIOLINS
that

every player knows,

one cannot stop

fifths

in

good tune
portioned.

if

the strings are not relatively well pro-

It is also a truism that

it

is

best to buy the

best
I

strings, and that false strings are abominable.

But

do not go
strings

much beyond
I

this,

and

would say about

what

say about bows, that bad

tools,

workmen

always complain of their

able

and

that, as

Paganini was

although as a mere

trick

to discourse excellent

music with a tobacco-pipe or a reed, so his admirers

were often surprised

to notice that

he would go into

the concert room with his strings very

condition.

much

out of

Practically I do not suppose that

fifty

one

violinist

in

uses

a string-gauge

he soon learns
his fingers want,

to

judge
his

sufficiently

by the eye what

these days of

what

tone requires, and what his violin exacts.

Still,

in

analysis

and

detail,

there
fas-

being nothing left untalked

about, writers

have

tened quite within the last thirty years on the strings

but I have often noticed that players who fuss most

over these details, which are doubtless of importance,
are those

who

are least able to avail themselves of the

perfect conditions which they seek.

Perfect gut, rosin

by

rule,

and an exquisitely poised bow, no more make a

scientific sanitation

fiddler
ject.

than
I

makes a healthy sub-

cannot too persistently urge that the violinist

bends conditions to the magic of his will and his

skill.

His business

is

to qualify himself,

and then get the

VIOLIN STRINGS
best fiddle, bow, and strings that he can.

155
This ought

he to do, and not to leave the others undone.

There

is

no reason to suppose that any advance in

the manufacture of gut -strings has been

made
for

since

the seventeenth century.

Even a work by Le Roy,

dated 1570, gives the best recipe yet

detection of false strings.

known

the

"It

is

needful,"

he says, "to prove them between

set forth in the figure "

the hands in the

;

manner

(which

we reproduce) and he goes on to explain what everybody now knows that if two lines only appear, the string is true if more, false. But he fails to add that

such a rough test only holds good for the thinner and
simpler woven cords.

In Doni's book (1647) we find

:

such subtleties as these

"

There are

many

particulars

relating to the construction of instruments

which are

unknown

to

modern

artificers, as,

namely, that the best

the worst

strings are

made when the north (and

"

when

the south) wind blows

a suggestive
?

hint relating to

the acknowledged importance of atmospheric, perhaps

magnetic, and at any rate climatic, conditions.

How
young
once,
it

do we make our strings

Putting aside mature sheep and goats, we

Italian

kill

our

lamb

in September.

We
still it

open him at

and take the

an

intestine whilst

warm
and
steep

stretch
it

on

inclined

plane

scrape

clean
it

thoroughly

without

delay.

We

then

for
car-

about fifteen hours in cold water, with a

little

bonate of soda, and then substitute tepid water for a

few hours more.

156

OLD VIOLINS
the fibrous or muscular
peritoneal

Now we are ready to remove membrane from between the

membrane.
This

and mucous

with a cane.

is done by women, who scrape it The precious selected membranes are

then soaked in jars containing an ammoniacal solution;

they are then rubbed through the fingers three times

a day, treated with permanganate of potash, cleaned,
sorted,
cut,

and

split;

and,

finally,

the threads are

spun
for "

three
D"

or four thin threads for first violin strings,

three or four thicknesses for the second, six or seven

string.

Double-bass strings take up to eighty-

five threads.

Further twistings, soakings, and polish-

ings take place, into wliich

strings
coiled.

we need not
with olive

enter,
oil

and the
then

are

finally

dressed

and

have gone into these details

to

show with what

is

care and

complex elaboration string manufacture

due

carried on.

The
tive

false

string

is

to inequalities,
;

lumps, and

varieties of texture in the gut

and

if

only the defec-

part can
tailpiece,

be distributed either near the head or

outside the vibratory length, your false
true.

the

string

becomes

This

is

why
tail

the experiment

of

reversing the string, putting

vice versd, will

portion headwise or

sometimes remedy the defect.

silver string the

For the fourth or

is

gut or

silk

(which

used)

is

wrapped with pure

silver, or copper, or alter-

nate silver and

patent silver

copper wire.
as

The

beautiful

French

fourth,

smooth

as polished steel, is
;

incomparably best for solo playing

it

is

also thinner,

VIOLIN STRINGS
in

157

my

opinion too

much

thinner, than the

mixed

silver

and copper fourths, which are very serviceable

rougher orchestral work.

for

The

vice of silver strings

;

is

to rise (and of gut strings

to fall) with heat

but

if

your screws are in perfect order,

will

and you are expert enough, you

a

remedy

either

by

rapid

subtle

twist during a bar's rest, or a quick

first

nipping the head of the peg between the

third joint of your left-hand forefinger.
I

and

have seen
of

Sarasate tune two pegs thus in the course

brief " tutti."

a very

Mr
strings

Hart may be accepted as a

at

final

authority on

the relative merits and the different schools of violin present in the market, and his dicta sub-

stantially agree

with

my own

experience.

Of course
is

he gives the palm to the Italian strings, which

largely
their

due

to the good climatic conditions,

to be carried

which enable
air

manufacture
In

on in the open

and sun-

light of that favoured clime.

Eome
little

strings are yellowish, hard,

and

brilliant,

and a

rough in

finish.

The Neapolitans are smooth,

whiter in appearance.

soft

in

texture,

and

The
"false."

Paduans
Strings

polished,

durable,

and

frequently

"made

in

Germany"
of

(Saxony), as a

set

off

against the swarms

Italian.

trade

German

fiddles,

rank next to

The French rank

better
their

third.

Their larger strings are

brittle;

than their seconds, which are often

patent
first

accrihelles,

made

of

silk,

are

hard

158

OLD VIOLINS
brilliant,

and
fine

but not comparable, in

my

opinion, to a

Eoman

gut " E " string.

serviceable, dull green

The English make a good,

false.

looking string, durable, uneven, and not unfrequently

To

my mind, English strings are only fit for rankgood enough for the
great attention
Allen,

and-file orchestral fiddling, but not

leader.
to

Mr Heron

who has given

Andrew

such

details, says that the best strings in the

market

are imported from Signor

Euffini of Naples,

but I have always had a weakness for

Koman
be

strings.

Too
buying
chep "

great

caution,

however, cannot

used

in

strings.

Never buy from any but the best

bought up by provincial houses

firms; they can't afford to keep "job lots, going vera

these may be

and

retailed to

an undiscerning public.
people do not
I

Notice that small "job lot"

know

how
It

to

keep their strings

or,

should rather say,

they keep them too long and too dry.

does not follow that even the best strings will
if

turn out successes

too dry.
I once ordered

they have been kept too long or

1 worth

of

Eoman

"

E"

strings for

myself, and another

1 worth
on.

for a friend.

They
;

all all

arrived as dry and brittle as

mummy

wood

they
I

snapped as
furious

put them

In about a week

got a

letter

from

my

unfortunate friend

who had
best

trusted
I

me

it.

all his

strings

had snapped.
give.

have but one counsel to

advice

Take the
price
of

firm's

and pay the best

firm's

if

you
i.e.

can afford

Always keep a couple

tested,

VIOLIN STRINGS
stretched "

159

E " lengths in

your

case.

If

you are a

soloist

this will save

you some annoyance and delay should

and no further, need I discuss violin
call for a separate chapter.

your So

"

E"
;

string go in the middle of a performance.

far,

then,

strings

but there are two other violin adjuncts not

I allude

important enough to
to the

mute and the

twang

chin-rest.

The mute

is

occasionally

fixed on the
faint far-off

bridge to give the sound that singular

like the

whisper of a ghostly

violin.

The mute has the

violin
is

singular property of

making the The mute

personally, I

abnormally sensitive for the time.

made of wood, metal, or vulcanite; much prefer the metal mute it does

the business

more thoroughly.

It is

not a good practice to use the

mute habitually while The

but will put up with

practising to subdue the sound.

violin really resents the use of

it

the

mute

at

all,

for a short

time (just as a

good horse will not resent a spur or a bearing-rein in

moderation).
of the

For a minute or two after the removal

violin does not quite recover its tone
;

mute the

some

of the particles in its

to a different or eccentric

wood have been exposed vibration by the dominating

not immediately

mute, and the

recoverable.

full tonal vibration is

It is as

though you had put a

man

in

boots with leaden soles for a time, and then suddenly

freed

him

he would not at once regain his

full supple-

ness of movement.

Quite within the last thirty years the cult of chinrests has

become almost

universal.

When

was a boy

people held the violin honestly under their chins, and

160

OLD VIOLINS
I

a few used a silk pocket handkerchief.

it

much

prefer

to this

day; but something between the chin and

is

the violin

no doubt good

for the protection of old

instruments already too

beards and
I
bristles.

much rubbed by

centuries of

have nothing

to

say against the various velvet,

fixed substitutes for the

vulcanite,

and ebony

homely

pocket-handkerchief, except that in

my

eyes they are

extremely ugly, and to

able
;

my

chin extremely uncomfort-

but I

may be very much

an end

out of date, and in such

or,

minor

matters "chacun a son goM,"

say, " there's
on't."

as

Pepys

would

CHAPTEE XI
VIOLIN

BOWS
aright wields the
call

He who

wields the violin

If ever

bow

wand
into

of a magician.

mortal could
the virtuoso

the spirits

from the vasty deep,

it is

who throws

sympathetic vibrations the cords of a Cremona.

The wood of his wand, from the forests of Fernambuc or Pernambuco, choice and seasoned, and delicately
graduated and tapering, receives through the varying
pressure of his five fingers the waves of his personal

magnetism.

The back of hairs which are

artist's soul are

his

thumb

will often touch

even the

in direct contact with the strings,

and

therefore the psychic and emotional vibrations of the

wedded

closely to the physical pulses

air

of

sound which throb in the agitated

air

column

of the

Cremona, and flow forth in the

waves (hke

light

and

heat), fiUing space

with their musical magnetism,

spirits

and seeking only the medium of kindred

suitable

and

organisms

to

utter

through

the

vibrating
of the

human nerve
player's soul.

tissues of others the

open secrets

No Mesmer,
161

or magician of the East, controls a

more

subtle force than does the violinist, who, face to face

T

162
with his audience,
therewith the
" Tides

OLD VIOLINS
lifts his

tapering

wand and

rules

of music's golden sea setting towards eternity."

By
violin,

those

who

indite exhaustive

historical

or conlike

structive

the the bow, has been treated archseologically we have been

treatises

on the violin

led

up

to ancient

monuments and shown bows

(or things
frescoes,

supposed to be bows) on vases, sculptured

missals,

and other monkish manuscripts.

We
;

have

been sent out to wild islands and continents, and intro-

duced

to the

Eavanastron bow of ancient Ceylon

;

the

bow

of the

Moorish rebab

the ninth, eleventh, twelfth,

and thirteenth century

loose, hair limp,

viol

bows

of

Europe

all

more

or less primitive, with sometimes gut for hair, or hair

and with no means

for a

of regulating its

tension except by the introduction of the fingers to

press the hair or tighten
it

moment.
viol player,

In Paul Veronese's Marriage at Cana (Versailles) this

is

well shown.

Paul himself was a

and

apparently held his bow chiefly by the hair for this

same regulative purpose. C. Simpson (the division

what more advanced
both (Fig.
viol

" viol "), 1667, gives a

some-

bow, in which the hand splits

rests

the difference between

iii.).

wood and hair and Of course, when held to the

on

chin, this

clumsy
less

finger regulation of the hair tension

would be

convenient to manage, and hence we come upon

the eighteenth century with a strip of notched metal

(Fig. iv.)

and a movable

sliding nut.

/6J0

\ri
u^

n
I^
Core.ll
I

IJOO

"^If^

Cramer

ff

VIOLIN
As
for our

BOWS
its

163

purpose the violin proper began in the

true type

eighteenth century with the emergence of

from the viol

tribe, so for

our purpose the violin

bow

begins with the emergence of the violin.

glance at

the bows of CorelU (1700), Cramer (1770), Viotti (1780),

and Tartini (1740)

(1740)
is

(Fig. vi.) will

show the evolution

;

in

the direction of the Tourte

bow

and although Tourte

generally credited with substituting the screw

it

for the cr^maillere,

will

be noticed that Corelli's

bow (1700) has already Corelli bow authentic, or

to 1740, the earliest

got the screw.

in reality a
of

But is the bow subsequent

working date

Tourte ^^re ?

"With Francois Tourte, the younger son, culminated

the art of violin

bow making.

He

is

the Stradivari of

the bow.

We

give his portrait,

but father and son

(Fig.

were both master-workers.

vi.)

Although the Stentor

bow's head has superseded, for some reason, the

of Francois Tourte,

more rounded form

nothing has been

done since in advance of Tourte, and "after Tourte"

is still

the greatest recommendation a

bow can

have.

It is easy to see

what

called forth Francois Tourte.

He came

in

answer to a need.

He
It

doubtless heard of

Tartini and examined his bow.

was comparatively

short and cumbrous.

Forty years afterwards Viotti

in

comes
violin

to Paris,

and with him dawns a new era

playing.
shifts

Eefinements and delicacies of tone,

varieties of execution, various styles

upper

and

of bowing, dealing

with staccato, arpeggio, and rubato,

to

methods varied and brought

qualities
of

perfection,

demanded
which

balance, lightness,

and

elasticity

164

OLD VIOLINS
of the seventeenth century.

would have been quite thrown away on the old sawing

and scraping school
very Cremona

The

violins,

beginning

to

mature as the
charm,

century waned, called aloud for a suitable and sympathetic

companion

to

caress,

excite,

draw

from them their sweetest tones and most vigorous

powers.

Francois Tourte was rescued from the clock -making

business, to which he

had been early apprenticed, by

the sheer bent of his

own

genius.

His brother, who

is

worked with

his father,

was not the genius, and, as

of the house,

often the case, the father failed to see which of the

two sons was to carry on the fame

there

and

may have

been jealousies and disputes besides.

Francois
to

The poor

stuff given

work upon when,

suggests that he

after eight years of

watch-making, he was allowed to

little,

enter the parental workshop a

was the male Cinderella

of the family.

He

had

to deal

with strips of old sugar-barrels and

fashion

them

into bows,

which he sold

for about fifteen-

pence each.

But

as soon as he got a free

all

hand he ex-

perimented with

kinds of wood, and arrived at the

conclusion that the only

wood
It

suitable for his purpose

stiffness

was Fernambuc wood.

ness, but

combined

and

light-

was v&cy

difficult to obtain,

on account of so

many
poses,

ports being in those disturbed times blockaded.

for dyeing purto five francs a

Fernambuc wood was only imported

and the price had risen in Paris
pound.

Then, as only pieces with straight grain were

required, whole trees

might be cut up in search

of a

VIOLIN
few likely
strips.

BOWS
produced.

165

This accounts for the high prices

first

of Tourte bows,

even when

They were doubtless

matchless
artificer,

largely labours of love with this

The nut would be

button.

who could neither read nor write. often made of tortoise-shell, jewelled
if

with mother-of-pearl, and gleaming with a gold screw

These cost 12, and would now fetch,

ever

they came into the open market, fancy prices.

His

bows, mounted in silver with ebon nuts, sold for three

guineas, and

now

fetch 30.

Tourte

;ph'G
is

originated the

backward bend

of
;

the

bow, which

not cut but artificially bent by heat

but

both the father's and the eldest son's bows are held to
be

now

too short for the strain of execution put

upon

and

them by modern players not so Francois all bows made " after Tourte."

Tourte's,

He

fixed

the proportions

length,

between 29134
of the

inches and 29-528 inches.

The weight

bend

is

nicely poised with the gold, tortoise-shell, or ebon of

the nut
Fig.

in each is a small wedge, as

may

be seen in
flat.

viii.,

which nips the hairs and keeps them

The

fine selection of hairs,

150 to 200 (modern exigencies

require more, or

up

to 250), the careful flattening of it

out, the preference for live hair, or hair

combed out
lain

and not taken from dead horses who

may have

some time

in the

shambles

above
held to

all,

the exquisitely
all

graduated thicknesses,

now

be de rigueur,

characterise the intuitive genius of Tourte.

I say advisedly "intuitive genius,"
for

Tourte had
This may.

no education but that of a watch-maker.


OLD VIOLINS
him
his fine sense of delicate

166
indeed, have given

and

exact proportions, but

it is still

remarkable that examiin

nations of the diameter of Tourte bows

places give uniform results.
in the

different

The bows
air

swell or taper

same

place,

and as the

columns in the violins

of Strad give the

same

note, so do the
it

bows

of Tourte

yield the

same proportions, which

has not been found

safe or expedient to depart from.

Violin bows

may

be smaller or larger,

i.e.

shorter

or longer, as far as I can see, without

to

any detriment
use

Tourte's

principle

children,

women, and excepto

tionally

long armed
proportions,

men may have

the

them,

but the

wood,

the

balance,

even

the mechanique, must be left as Tourte left them

perfect.

The one point

of F. B.

in

mechanique

in

which the invention

Vuillaume
is

may

be thought to have improved

fixed

upon Tourte
alone
is

in his

nut

for

viola, tenor,

or

violoncello bows.

This consists of a metal nut, which

inside the

moved by the screw up and down

rigid
;

main nut, which remains

thus the length of the

hair exposed for playing always remains the same.

The only other original maker of the first rank and excellence, who has been nicknamed the English Tourte,
was John Dodd.
at

He was
when

born in 1752, and lived chiefly

Kew, and

there he was buried.

his reputation

He

was always out

its

at elbows, even

was at

height.
his

Poor Dodd had his friends and admirers.

He was
stature,

own worst enemy; he was undersized in

walked with a shuffling
gait.

and

He wore

his clothes until

VIOLIN

BOWS
air.

167

they were in rags, and a broad-brimmed hat somehow

gave him an additionally dilapidated

I

am

afraid he drank, for although his habits were

said to be regular, the

his

most regular
to

of

them

all

was

four daily visits

the

public-house,

where he seemed an

consumed what

to less experienced topers

immoderate quantity

of a drink called " pearl."

When

the old fellow was

known

to be excessively

hard up, kind

of the town,

Mr

Eichard Piatt, a musical professor

Selle,

and Dr

the above details,

came

to

who has given us some of But the bowthe rescue.

and ended at
last

maker

tired

them

all out,

in

the

Eichmond Workhouse.
I will

not say whether he can be exactly cited as a

frightful
for

example

of

the degrading effects of liquor,

he died of bronchitis at the altogether respectable

age of eighty-four.
Indeed, he had his qualities
;

no bribe or stress of
his sense of

want could make him swerve from

was due
to his art.
is

what

His wood

as magnificent as his workmanship.

it

He

doubtless had his secret, but

was possibly one that

and whether he

he could not impart.

for

He

would take no apprentice,

fear he should learn the trick;

could or could not teach

offered it, he refused 1000 him by some one who wanted to learn it. Dodd's bows are not very uncommon; he died only in 1836, and, strange to say, these true musical wands do not run

into a five-pound note yet (1898).

John Dodd the bow-maker must not be confounded

168

OLD VIOLINS
fiddle

with Thomas Dodd the

dealer

and varnisher,

who employed Feudt and Lott to make the fiddles. John Dodd the bow-maker was the brother of Thomas
Dodd.

John

lived in Blue Bell Alley,

Mint

Street,

Southwark, before he went to Kew, but the rustic

suburbs suited his habits, and as he had acquired a

European reputation before he

where he
lived.

died, it little

mattered

Vuillaume

of Paris

made

excellent bows, and even

founded a school of bow-making.

don't
sell

Many bows

that

as

his

are
is

stamped "d'apres Vuillaume,"

certainly

"scuola de," which

more respectable than

a forged label to which vioHn dealers do so

resort.

commonly

Vuillaume's hollow steel bows have never "caught

on,"

though good players have used them now and

again.

But then a good player can use any bow,

is

and whilst a good bow

a luxury, a real violinist will

be able to perform very respectably with a bad one.

It is said that Paganini

on one occasion excited the

wonder and enthusiasm

of his audience

by performing

on his instrument with a long churchwarden clay pipe,

and at another time with a rush It would be unfair even in a sketch

interest to
collectors

like this,

which

only professes to seize the salient point of general

and amateurs, not

to

mention
imitator

Jacques Lafleur (1760-1832), an admirable

of Tourte.

Lupot, brother of the great violin-maker (1774-1837),

was the

first to line

with metal the groove in the under-

VIOLIN
side of the nut, to prevent

BOWS

169

wear and tear of the ebony

also thought to

or tortoise-shell.

Domminique Peccate (1810-74)

have almost rivalled Tourte.

is

He was
of

originally a barber,
in ton-

and transferred the delicacy

sorial operations to the fine

hand required

adjustments and elegant

tapering and octagonal proportions of violin bows.

Peccate went to Vuillaume in

1826, stayed

with

him eleven
Lupot.

years,

and then became foreman

life

to Francois

He
it;

ended his

at

Mirecourt, where he
his

began

latterly

he worked entirely on

own

account.

We have now among us one James Tubbs, whose bows are already known throughout the world owing
to their attractive

appearance and good balance.

Time
bow-

will alone decide Tubbs' position in the scale of

makers, for time alone will determine the question

of "last,"

"warp," and
efficiency.

flexibility,

and

general

en-

durance of

On
You

rosin,

about which pages have been unnecessarily

written, I have but one

word

to

say

get
Go
as

it

pure.

can do this by confining yourself to the best

shops, or those

who

deal

with them.

to

Hill,

Chanot, Hart, Withers, and Vuillaume.

Some ignorant people talk of rosin the bow." Smooth horsehair or greased
of course, useless. It is not the absence

"greasing
is,

horsehair

but the pres-

ence of friction which sets the strings in vibration

it is

the surface of the horsehair, roughened by in-

finitesimal particles of rosin,

which prevents the horse-

170

OLD VIOLINS
a continuous pressure,

hair touching the string with

so that it receives in reality a succession of tiny shocks.

This

is

what renders the succession

rosin,

of

vibrations so

rapid as to sound continuous.

Without

the violin, in spite of strings and

all

bow, and the art of

Cremona, would be mute.

To average
early given

rosiners let

me

give a word of advice,

me by my

old master, Ouri, pupil of

Frank

Mori: "Don't rub the horsehair down smooth with

long sweeps, but powder the rosin off into the hair

with quick rubs and a light hand

avoid rubbing the
into stickiness."
I notice that the best players

in

this
of

way you
the

oleaginous

particles

gum

use plenty of rosin

and never

let

the

matchless violinist

bow get thirsty. I remember the Eemenye taking up my violin and

rosin.

bow and
without."

calling aloud for

"Why, you have

had
plenty of

no rosin on; you cannot expect the violin to speak

Yet

thought

my bow

rosin on, but it

powdered
ber that,

was not enough for Eemenye, who away in clouds. But please to rememhowever thirsty the bow may be, the violin
it

does not require to drink, and the habit of smothering

and smearing
nous dust
is

its

beautiful

smooth belly with thin

gluti-

a most vile

one, and worthy only

of third-

rate second violins at fourth-rate music halls.

These

musical galley-slaves

may

not have time to clean up

you

of

the Stradivari and the

Amati

violins

and the
or

Tourte and the

are no
fit

Dodd bows

ought to have,

you

guardian of

such treasures.

CHAPTEE

XII

VIOLIN TAKISIO

This extraordinary man, originally an obscure Italian

carpenter, at once created
for

and answered that demand

France, the rage for the
of

Italian
to

violins

which followed both in England,

the Stainer and

and

great

extent in

German, and especially German

Klotz pattern.
Luigi Tarisio, like

W.

Forster, eked out the scanty

tables

income which he derived from making

a very poor fiddle at village routs.

and

benches for the peasants by playing dance music on

He

wandered from place

in their

to

place,
in,

what time the

folk,

vintages were being gathered

and the simple

who turned out

Sunday

finery for a little re-

laxation and merriment, doubtless regaled the Italian

carpenter with open-hearted hospitality, whilst he, in

return,

mended

their benches

and fiddled

for

them

at

the vineyard cabarets.

Our Charles Mathews has given

air,

in his delightful
free,

autobiography interesting glimpses of that

open-hearted
life; for

open-

he
a

also, for a

time, lived

amongst these rustics

their
171

of

favoured clime, enjoying

simple pleasures, and contributing in his

own


172

OLD VIOLINS
somewhat

peculiar way, by his histrionic gifts and a

free-handed distribution of coin, to their revels and

their needs.

Luigi Tarisio soon

spell of
his violin;
all in

began

to be

dominated by the
violins, to

he got to notice other

the

repair

them

way

of trade, to possess

them,

not always very honestly, pitting his

own growing

knowledge

of

their

merits

against

the ignorance or

necessity of their owners.

Gradually Tarisio the car-

penter and Tarisio the fiddler seemed to be merged

in

Tarisio

the cunning repairer and Tarisio the

still

more knowing buyer.

He
little

bought chiefly by exchange, for money he had

or

none; but he began in the early years of

century to lead
that

this nineteenth
it

seemed

to outsiders, the life of a

nomad life as common pedlar

which enabled him

to

glide

without suspicion into

half the sacristies and convents in Italy,

"Wherever he went, bag on shoulder, and basket of

tools in hand, his cry

was not

"

knives to grind," nor

"shoes to mend," but "violins to repair."

He

usually had with

of

him a decoy
fiddles in

violin or two, in

the shape

common
of

good playing order;

of wine, in

and over a glass

lemonade or a bottle

some

local

cafe

or monasterial domicile of

priest or

cathedral musician, the cunning Tarisio would view

with unaffected pity the miserable old battered

Cre-

monas which were then lurking

siastical

in a thousand eccle-

nooks, split as with the "wolf," ill-adjusted,

ill-strung,

and generally out

of sorts,

and whipping out

VIOLIN TARISIO
his

173

common

fiddle in perfect order,

would play a few

disadvantage of

notes

on each, so manifestly

to the

the Cremona that an exchange was soon effected, and

Tarisio

would decamp wich an Amati, a Strad, a Joseph

or Bergonzi treasure, which, after a little clever

ing,

mend-

might be worth a fortune; and in

this

way he

possessed himself, often for a few francs, of instru-

ments which now fetch over 1000

in the

open market

if

ever they get there.

Tarisio,

with the infallible instinct of a born

in a

col-

lector

and connoisseur,
the

few years was able

to

gauge

accurately

merits of the different great Italian

exactly where to rank the Amatis,

makers.

He knew
of

and how

to separate the qualities of the great Nicolo

from those

Andrea

he understood the supreme

excellence of Antonio and the power of Giuseppe, and

all

other grades of merit of which even the admirers

the

of

Cremona school
of.

in

England seemed entirely

ignorant

All Amatis at that time were lumped

together, and Stradivari

and Giuseppe Guarneri were and a good deal more,

hardly

known
Tarisio

at

all.

But

knew

all this,

before he tossed his heavy bag of old violins one

day

over his shoulder and set out, they say, on foot, or

anyhow
their

else

he could,

for

Paris; for

what market
for fiddles

was there

in Italy for such priceless

to give

Cremonas when

owners were prepared

five to

them up
?

worth from

twenty

shillings

But why did

Tarisio

go to Paris?
craze,

He

probably

judged wisely that the Stainer

and the huge

174
crop of

OLD VIOLINS
common
violins then being

made

in

Germany,

would have

killed his

market nearer home.

Then he
I.

must have heard

when a boy how Napoleon

had

ransacked the art treasures of Italy, and how, under

the advice of the cultivated Marquis
d'Aveze,

who
Art

had narrowly enough escaped the guillotine in 1793,

the great

conqueror

had

inaugurated

high

Exhibition for the people.

The famous

bronze-gilt horses

from

S.

Marco, Venice,

the Dying Gladiator, the Apollo Belvedere, the Cupid

and Psyche from Eome, and

tion itself,

Eaffaello's Transfigura-

had been carried in triumphant procession

through the streets of Paris, and installed in a vast

hall for the benefit

and instruction

of the people.

Of

course a rage for everything Italian was the result, and

the shrewd Tarisio

may
?

have thought,

why

not a rage

for old Italian fiddles

One day in the year 1827 there arrived at of M. Aldric, at that time a famous violin
Paris, a travel-worn

the shop
dealer in

man

in ragged clothes,

who had

begged and fiddled his way for days and weeks across
country.
shoulder.
of pedlar,

He carried a huge He seemed to M.

man who had
"

dustman's sack over his

Aldric a very poor sort
to claim kinship

grimy and unkempt enough

with the

used somebody's soap sixteen

other."

years ago, since

when he had used no

first inclined to The show him the door, but probably something in Tarisio's independent manner betrayed that indefinable quality

fashionable viohn dealer was at

we

call character, and,

more

in

amusement

or out of

VIOLIN TARISIO
pity than with any serious intent to

175

make a

deal,

M.

Aldric allowed the pedlar to empty his sack of fiddles

on his counter.
at

It is easy to

imagine his astonishment

what he saw

but he seems to have kept up his indif-

ferent manner, not supposing the poor creature before

him could be

in the least aware of

of.

the

treasures

he

sought to dispose

M. Aldric was soon undeceived.

He
The

quickly found the tables turned upon him.

clever French tradesman

was conversing with the

greatest violin connoisseur that the world has ever seen,

or in all

human

probability ever will see, for no one can

ever again have Tarisio's opportunities, even should he

unite in himself Tarisio's extraordinary qualities.

Now, the
sacrifice,

pedlar, with all

his

enthusiasm and

self-

was a man

of exceeding cunning,

and had that

is

tact, quickness, affability,

and bonhomie which

laces, pottery,

well

known

to

tourists in Italy,

and has often proved so

and objects
do a
little

fatal to the

amateur of old

de vertu, or to such as

may have

tried to

fancy collecting as they passed through the Italian

towns, and haggled over bargains in small curiosity-

shops and market-places.

So,

with due astuteness, the

test

shrewd carpenter had not brought his

this his first visit;

wares on
dis-

he had come on a voyage of

small

covery, and

only produced a

pattern Nicolo

Amati, and half a dozen Maggini, Ruggerii, and suchlike.

He had
Aldric,

with him no Strad, no Joseph, not even

a grand pattern Nicolo, but he had brought enough.

M.

concealing his

emotion, and

fervently

176

OLD VIOLINS
man
did not

hoping the shabby

his wares, offered

him

a small

know sum for

the value of the

lot,

which

Tarisio refused, doubtless with those

picturesque inall

vocations

of

horror to the Virgin and

to the Italian

the Saints
to

which seem necessary

convey to a
"

who attempts

screw " the mingled indignation and pity

excited in his generous and artistic breast

offer.

by a mean

Tarisio

was certainly disappointed

but he forgot

that he himself had to create the market; and so at

last

he

left,

with his empty bag indeed, but with his

full.

ragged pockets far from

Back
a
little

to Italy,

back

to his

monasteries and cabarets,

dazzled

but, with unabated energy,

he recom-

menced

his search.

He was now
of good, bad,

beginning to be

known

far

and wide as

a clever repairer and a convenient dealer.

As

his stock

and

indifferent fiddles increased he could

offer a greater selection,

and readily parted with the

worst ones, nicely done up, to his ignorant and confiding but not over -wealthy Italian patrons.

When

next he journeyed to Paris he met with a

dif-

ferent reception.

Vuillaume, Thibaut, and Chanot the

elder opened their privileged doors to him,

cially

and espe-

Vuillaume had the acumen

to see that in Tarisio

call a veritable

he had lighted upon what gold-diggers

" pocket,"

and gave him higher and higher prices

for the

harvest of Amatis, Strads, Guarneri, and Bergonzis which

now

flowed steadily into Paris through this odd medium.

Tarisio

was

far

more than a connoisseur and dealer

VIOLIN TARISIO

177

he was a singular and most whole-hearted enthusiast.

As

the novelist Charles Eeade (who was himself a great

fiddle dealer

and knew Tarisio) has well

fiddles.

said,

"The

man's whole soul was in his

dealer, but a greater amateur.

which no

He was a great He had gems by him money would buy from him." Mr Eeade
to relate

then goes on

how

once,

when a splendid
one Strad than
stalk

equipage rolled by him in Paris, the carpenter re-

marked,

"He would

sooner

possess

twenty such carriages."

or the belly of

He would
fiddle

the

back

a valuable

until he recovered

the whole, just as the

Eoman

antiquary stalked the

fragments of the Hercules Farnese, finding the trunk

in one place

and the head in a ditch miles away.

of

Chanot had stumbled upon the cracked belly

Strad violin in Spain.

Ortega, the fiddle-maker, had

sold the remainder, ribs and back, to a Spanish lady,

fitting

them nicely with a brand-new back made by

himself!

The precious
it

belly

caught Tarisio's eye in

the shop window, and he at last worried Chanot into

parting with

for

1000

francs.

Off went Tarisio to

Madrid, extracted from the bewildered Ortega,

who

had

sold,

the patched Strad, the required information,

interviewed the donna

Strad,

who
Sir,

possessed

the

patched

and who,

after

the fashion of the high-born

the instrument is at your

Spaniard, at once said, "

disposition,"

which only meant that she would part

consideration,
of

with

it

for a

or

what she considered

francs.

to be the

good round sum

4000

This was

a mere bagatelle for such a treasure, which, refitted

178
with
its

OLD VIOLINS
own
belly

by Vuillaume,

is

now known
in

as the

Spanish Bass.
It

was sold

for 800,
of

and exhibited
1872 (No. 188).

the

south

Kensington Collection

On
Bass.

one occasion, says Charles Reade, Tarisio was

crossing the

Bay

of Biscay with his

famous Spanish
his

The ship

rolled;

Tarisio

clasped

treasure

tightly

and trembled.

It

was a

terrible gale,

and for
spoke

one whole day they were in real danger.

of
'

" Tarisio

it
!

to me," continues his friend,

"with a shudder.
'

Ah

my

poor

of Spain
lost,

was

the Bass Eeade,' he exclaimed, "* all but lost As to Tarisio also being
!

Mr

that did not seem to matter so

is

much
with
hardly a

It

not too

much

to
all

say that,
the great

memorable exception,
Brescian fiddles, which

Cremonese and
frix fous,
of

now command such

the

have passed through

Tarisio the
pedlar,

cunning
of

hands

Luigi
at

and most

them have

one

time been benefited by the tender and

of

artistic skill

Vuillaume, his great patron.

When
coat,

Tarisio,

who by

this

time wore

a decent

and no longer carried Cremonas in a sack on his back, visited England in 1851, he was received by
the whole trade as a person of rare quality, as indeed

he was.

Mr

collection.

John Hart took him to see Mr Goding's unique As one by one the owner took his treasures
of Tarisio,

out of a glass cabinet, before ever he had got within

two paces

he was amazed at hearing their

Tarisio

names

called out.

A glance was sufficient.

had

VIOLIN TARISIO
had them
all

179

through his hands

the

"King" Guar-

nerius, Lafont's Guarnerius,

the

matchless Bergonzi,

the Marquis de la Eosa's Amati, Ole Bull's Guarnerius, the famous Serafino
'cello,

called

the Beauty

all of
it

which might never have reached

Mr

Goding had

not been for the enterprise and indomitable energy of

the Italian carpenter

who now

stood before him.

it

Barring a narrow circle of dealers,

strange that so

may seem
life-

remarkable a

man

should not have

been more widely known and esteemed during his

time; but

we can

well understand that the restricted

circle of dealers

amongst

whom

he moved, did not

find it to their interest to place their special

"

Cremona

pocket " within reach of the wealthy amateurs out of

whom

they themselves were busy making their market.

Tarisio,

had he been dealer

first

and
;

enthusiast

second, might have done better financially

but he did

not do badly, and he wanted httle except the privilege

of handling

Cremonas

to the

end

of his life

and dying

in their good

company.

He
in the

did both.

Although there was a

to
;

strain of geni-

ality about Tarisio, he never seemed

unbend except
and as he was
Italians,

company

of fellow-enthusiasts

too cautious to

give

himself

away
and

to

from

whom
built

he was gradually

securing

the spoils which

up

his

fortune,

fame,

immortality,

the

only people
foreigners

who

really

knew
the

Tarisio

were the few

in

like

Vuillaume,

Chanots

France,
novelist

John Hart the dealer and Charles Eeade the

in England.

180

OLD VIOLINS

In his own land he remained to the end nothing but

the quiet, unobtrusive repairer and occasional dealer in
dilapidated fiddles.
It

seems he had removed to Milan, where he was

fiddles,

quite safely hidden, along with his

up

in

an

attic at the top of a second-class restaurant in the

Via

Legnano Porta Tegnaglia.

No

one was ever allowed to enter his room.

in,

He
They
is

locked himself

and he locked himself

staircase,

out.

saw him going up and down the all they saw of him.

and that

One day
stairs

in

1854 Tarisio dragged himself up those

for the last time.

monition of his end,

Whether he had any prenone may know certainly no one

was with him when he died

he locked himself
in,

only

it

was noticed that

nor
the
for

but came out no more;

had he gone down

necessaries of
life.

to the restaurant

any

of

At

last the

neighbours thought

it

time to ascertain

what was taking place

seemed
to

in that mysterious attic.

They
closely,

have watched his strange movements

efforts to find

but their

out

had been hitherto

from his abode.

fruitless, as

who he was and how he lived he made a point of carryto be

ing on his particular and nomadic business at a distance

They were not going

baulked

any

longer, so they knocked, but there

last

was no answer.
a

At

they broke open the door, and a strange and

There, on
squalid

piteous sight burst upon them.

couch, lay the pedlar, quite dead.

Around him

all

seemed chaos

piles of fiddle-boxes,

"

VIOLIN TARISIO
fiddles in

181
in

and out

of

cases, tenors, 'cellos, violins

pieces
a

and

violins whole.

Half a dozen Strads there;

Bennett's), a Euggieri

Gasparo (afterwards

Mr

T. R. Bradson's);

about a hundred Italian

" or "

fiddles,

(Mr by

different makers.

Here,

too,

was found the

"

Messie

Messiah,"

These trophies created

little

enthusiasm at the time,

but to the joy of the relatives, two nephews,

who had

been hunted up with difficulty by the municipal authorities,

a sealed packet

was found containing valuable

of gold.

securities

and a considerable amount

matter of

The

rest is

common

history.

The
the
"

instant his friend and patron Vuillaume heard

of the magician's

death he hurried to Milan, and visited

nephews

at their farmhouse,

Where are the fiddles ? " At Milan but we have six here." On the spot Vuillaume opened the
;

cases.

The
and

first

contained a splendid Strad, the second a Joseph del

Gesii, the third a Carlo Bergonzi, the fourth
fifth

two Guadagninis, and the last the famous Messiah,

preserved by Count Cozio
1824,

de Salabue, intact
Tarisio.

until

when

it

was bought by
not a

Vuillaume came
six,

to terms with the

nephews

for these

and then

lost

moment

in visiting the

famous

attic at Milan,

where he found 246 more, which he

bought at once for 3166, leaving the astonished heirs

no doubt laughing in their sleeves, under the impression
that the gohe-mouche of a

Frenchman had been

nicely

hi-diddle-diddled by the wily Italians.

182

OLD VIOLINS
that a couple only of these

When we remember
would
realise

gems
paid
"

for the lot,

laughs best

now more than the sum Vuillaume we may well remember the proverb, who laughs last."

He

A
I

Vignette of Paganini.
this
collector's

have advisedly steered clear in

of

volume
violin

violin-players and

violin-music, excepting

in so far as they acted or reacted in

any way upon the

and

its

progress towards perfection.

From

this

point of view, the growth of music appears to be responsible for the definition and survival (as the fittest)
of the violin, violoncello,

and double bass

and virtuo-

sity is

certainly responsible for the lengthening of the

violin-neck and finger-board, the strengthening of the

sound-bar to resist an increased string-tension, and

the lengthening of the bow.

But

virtuosity can claim

details.

nothing more than these

pattern of
unaffected
soloists.

trifling

The Strad
completely

1684

to

1700
feats,

has remained
vagaries,

by

the

or

demands

of

In this the grand pattern violin stands out in sharp

and singular contrast

to the old

grand pianoforte.

The

imperious demands of Liszt and Thalberg, Eubinstein

and

his followers,

have compelled a

series of

improve-

ments in strength, sonority, delicate mechanism, and

sensibihty,

undreamed
by the
later

of

by the old

firms,

and only

perfected

Erards, Broadwoods, Collards,

single substantial improve-

and Steinways.

But not a

NICOLO PAGANINI

VIOLIN TARISIO
ment has been made
even a
trifling

183

in the violin since the last one left

the hand of the great Antonio at Cremona, and not

modification of

any

sort has

been adopted

or applied to the grand violin of the golden period for at least a century.

The excuse then

for

introducing
is

the

name and

portrait of Paganini into this book

not because he reacted in the least degree upon the

art of violin-making, but because he accepted
it

as an

absolutely finished art, and asked for nothing which

he found not in Strad and Joseph.

Now

this

is

important

and
all

interesting,

because

Paganini was the greatest of

players in this cul-

minating century of the musical art

a man admittedly
all

unsurpassed in the opinion of violin experts like John

Ella, Cipriani Potter, Onry,

and

others, who, for forty

years after his death, listened to

violinists of

the phenomenal

an age which boasts of Ernst, Joachim,

Wieinawski, and Sarasate and Ysaye.

As

it

has not

been possible to produce the face and figure of any of

these great old makers, with the one exception of Lupot,

who
it

belongs at best to the silver age, I have thought

to glorify their

worth while

grand though eccentric face

work by reproducing the and figure of the one man

who has

invested their chef-d'oeuvres with that romantic

glamour, that almost unearthly prestige which the violin

alone amongst instruments can lay claim
to.

Paganini's favourite violin, a Joseph Guarnerius,

in its case

lies

under glass

to this hour,

open for

all

eyes

to inspect, in the to

Town

Hall at Genoa, his native town,

it.

which he has bequeathed

His dying directions,


184

OLD VIOLINS
it,

that no one should ever play upon

speare's curse

recall

Shake-

upon those who should move

his bones.

The great musician's orders have not been quite

of

so

scrupulously observed as those of the immortal bard

Avon.

In

"

My

Musical Life " will be found

my
Ella,

"Homage

^ Paganini," together with a woodcut of

fine bust, given

Danton's very

to

me by John
violins

who played
first

in the orchestra

among the

when

Paganini visited England.

is

Nothing

so

ephemeral as the fame of an orator,

they leave books or music

actor, or musician, unless

behind them.

Henceforth the phonograph

may do
;

something
fascination

to give future generations

some

idea of the

which lived and died with them

but no
of

phonograph will ever give us even a faint echo

Siddons' declamation or Paganini's playing
alike buried with the generation
;

these are

which they charmed

and

electrified.

But
if

in Leigh

Hunt's description of
like a pic-

Paganini's performance
torial

we have something

phonograph,

may

hazard the hibernianism, of

the " Pale Musician's " mighty personality and power.

as a very

Somewhere between the forties and fifties, I remember, young boy, standing awestruck before a thin,

gaunt, dislocated

wax

effigy of

Paganini in an

ill-fitting

dresscoat, with wild

dreamy eyes and arm

describes

uplifted high
his
;

^Just

as Leigh

Hunt

him

before

bow
but

came down
for himself
"
:

like a crash of

thunder on the strings

let the lively

and graphic essayist who heard him, speak

time I saw and heard him, and the

Paganini, the

first


VIOLIN TARISIO
first

'

185

time he struck a note, seemed literally to strike it, to

it

give

a blow.

The house was

so

crammed

that, being

among
the

the squeezers in the standing-room at the side of

pit, I

happened

to catch the first glance of his face,

through the arm akimbo of a

before me, which

man who was

of

perched up
;

made a kind

frame for

it

and

there,
glass,

on the stage in that frame, as through a perspective

were the face bent and the raised hand

of the

wonderful

musician, with the instrument at his chin, just going to

commence, and looking exactly as

I described

him

His hand, Loading the air with dumb expectancy. Suspending ere it fell a nation's breath. He smote, and clinging to the serious chords, With godlike ravishment drew forth a breath So deep, so strong, so fervid thick with love. Blissful yet laden as with twenty prayers, That Juno yearned with no diviner soul
'

To

the first burthen of the lips of Jove. Th' exceeding mystery of the loveliness Sadden 'd delight, and with his mournful look, Dreary and gaunt, hanging his pallid face 'Twixt his dark flowing locks, he almost seem'd Too feeble, or to melancholy eyes One that has parted with his soul for pride,

And

in the sable secret lived forlorn.'

To show the depth and

Itahan,
'

identicalness of the impression

which he made upon everybody, foreign or native, an

who
!
'

stood near me, said to himself after a sigh,

this

Dio

and

had not been said long when another

'

person in the same manner exclaimed,

Christ

Musicians pressed forward from behind the scenes to

get as close to him as possible, and they could not
sleep at night for thinking of him."

CHAPTEE

XIII

VIOLINS AT MIKECOUET, MITTENWALD,

AND MAKKNEUKIKCHEN
MiRECOURT

MiRECOURT
workshops,

in Lorraine has the glory of being associ-

ated from so early a date as 1566 with the

Cremona
for

Andrew Amati, who made

auld of Nancy,

six

small

fiddles

Charles IX. about that time, employed Nicolas

Ren-

who was a

pupil

of

the

celebrated

Mirecourt

lutist

Tywersus, to assist him in finishing

these important court orders, which did so

establish

much

to

the supremacy of

the "petit violon"

over

the crowd of competing

viols

which then held the

very hard.

popular

ear, and, as

we have

seen, died

The

great princes of Lorraine occupied a castle of short

pleasure called Eavenel, at a

Mirecourt,

distance

from

These accomplished noblemen, touched with Florentine

culture, often

made

excursions into Lombardy,

and delighted

in the refinements of the Itahan prince-

doms and duchies. They brought back with them

laces,

pictures, ironwork,

musical instruments.
186

VIOLINS

AT MIRECOTTRT

187

Tywersus, their private lute-maker, was deeply in-

by the work and models of the early Amatis, and from the school of Tywersus came Nicolas Renfluenced
auld,

Jean

Medard, and

Nicolas

Medard.

When

Amati

left Paris,

whither he had gone to present his

Charles IX., he
left

violins in person to

behind him

Nicolas Renauld,
of

who

slipped into the lucrative post

luthier to

his

French Majesty, and we find his

in

friend
fat

and co-worker Medard installed

the same

office

under the Grand Monarque, Louis XIV.,

who, with his expensive mistresses, certainly spared no

money or patronage to secure those who could in any way minister to the extravagant court pomp and artistic amusements of the Pompadour and the Petit Trianon.
Meanwhile Mirecourt,
in the heart of

the Vosges

mountains, with easy access to the grand timbers of

their ancient forests, within beck

and

call of

Lombardy,
fiddleof,
if

and

in

close

touch with

the

great

Italian

makers, Mirecourt long held supremacy as one

not the most important mart of fiddle manufacture.

It

shared with Mittenwald

and

Markneukirchen
up, and

the honour of supplying that rapidly growing violin

market which

was

now

springing

whilst

Cremona made

largely for

home consumption and

the
of multiplying

few foreign courts, Mirecourt undertook

more

modest but equally useful duty

Cremona

school violins, which circulated far and wide throughout

the French provinces, and frequently reached our

shores
;

own

indeed the fiddles often passed for Cremonas.

of these

The popularity

Cremona

replicas

brought

188

OLD VIOLINS
production and cheap wares, and
its

on that inevitable deterioration in quality which always

follows over-rapid
at

one time Mirecourt, in spite of

elaborate

in-

dustry, was fast becoming a

byword

for

bad

fiddles.

Happily the danger was seen and speedily checked, and

Mirecourt

now

stands out as perhaps the greatest and

of

most excellent emporium

All

modern

violin manufacture.

know what can be known, go to Mirecourt, just as people who study art go to Eome and Florence, or people who study the fashions go to Paris. To Mirecourt we owe Rambaux, who was born there
who wish
to

in

1802 and died there only in 1870.

Francis and George Chanot both came from there.

The Lupot family are claimed

as natives of Mire-

court, although the greatest of them, Nicolas,

whose

vioHns run some of the finest specimens of Cremona

very hard, was a native of Stuttgard.

a Frenchman, and

His father was

All his tradi-

came from Mirecourt.

and
these, as

tions belong to Mirecourt,

we

all

know,

he carried with him to Paris, where he died in 1824,

and was succeeded by Gand.

The names
vestre,

of

Maucotel, Medard, Menegand,

all

Sil-

and Deragay, and above

Vosges mountains.

Vuillaume, must
little

always shed an imperishable lustre upon the

in the

town

Every one
Mirecourt.

of the Vuillaumes, eight in

number,

in-

cluding the immortal Jean Baptiste,

were born

at

Two

settled at Brussels, three at

Paris,

but

all

the others lived and died at Mirecourt.

to send his sons

William Ebsworth Hill was careful

;; ;

VIOLINS
to this

AT MIRECOURT
of

189

celebrated

school

violin art,

and we may

be sure that they did not come away until they had
possessed themselves of everything that Mirecourt had
to teach the violin

maker M. Thibouville Lamy

or the connoisseur.
of

Mirecourt,

who has

trade

branches in Paris and London, manufactures a violin

at about 3s. lOd. cost price, selling at about 4s. 6d.

but Markneukirchen probably leads in cheapness and

quantity,
if

not quality,

turning out quite playable

of

fiddles for the

modest figure

to 2, 10s.

The best Mirecourt fiddles will fetch from 6 to 10. The Gand and Bernardel prices range from 16 to
20.

The ever-increasing demands

all

for " trade fiddles " of

kinds, as distinguished from the solo violins reserved

for the use of virtuosi, has called forth of fair

an abundance
Mitten-

makers beyond the limits

to

of Mirecourt,

wald, and Markneukirchen. In England it is enough

Hill

mention such names as

;

&

Sons

Duncan
;

of

Glasgow

the Chanots, London

and Manchester

the late Furber,

London

in Paris,

Bernardel, Silvestre, Germain, Audinot, and Chardon

in Vienna, Zach, Bittner,

Lembok, Voigt, Guttermann,

Sprenger
; ;

Rampfler

in
;

Munich,

in

Prankfort-on-

Maine, Lenk
in Lille,

in Breslau, Liebich
;

in Brussels,
;

Darche
Bros.

Hel
;

in Milan, Marchetti

in Turin,

Guadagnini

in

Cremona,

Ceruti

and

for

further

general information the reader

may

consult the toler-

ably exhaustive catalogue index of makers at the end

of this volume, for the bulk of

which I

am

indebted

190
to the studious

OLD VIOLINS
and admirable labours
of

Miss Stainer.

Her

booklet

is

entitled " Violin Makers,"

of

and

it

forms
series

one of the music primers

issued by Novello

an educational

&

Co.

MiTTENWALD.
In old days
its

Mittenwald,
frescoed

quaintest
its

of

Bavarian

towns, with

houses and

picturesque

river-side, for it is

on the banks

of the dear Isar, over-

shadowed by the Wetterstein and Kurwandel mountains,

was a town
to the

of considerable

importance from very early

days as the halting-place for the Eomans on their way

Danube.
its

It long retained

peculiar caravanserai character,

which resulted
or Mittenwald

in the establishment of the

fair, for

handy mart

which in more recent times the

After the removal of the

place was chiefly famous.

fair to

Bozen, the importance of Mittenwald began to

;

decline

trade and

commerce suddenly seemed

to

to

have

made unto themselves wings, who in his boyhood is said

to no
less

until one Matthias Klotz,

have been apprenticed

house

person than the great Nicolas Amati,

settled at Mittenwald,

and wrote up outside

to be

his

" Matthias Klotz, Geigen Macher,

im jahr 1684."

The

prime hazel and maple,

hills, is of

found in the "Wetterstein

splendid quality, and the woods, then close

up

to the town,

were

full of old trees.

Thither, before the days of Matthias, was

wont

to

come a dreamy,

ill-regulated sort of person,

who

excited

VIOLINS

AT MITTENWALD
hammer and then

191
by-

the curiosity, and perhaps ridicule, of the villagers

tapping their trees with a

his ear close to the

putting

wood

to hear the sound.

They thought he was mad, and he did go mad from worry and want, but the sanest thing he ever did was
to tap those trees

and

listen to the sound.

His name was Jacob Stainer.

Matthias Klotz was only nineteen when he came to
Mittenwald, but by this time the Mittenwalders, who

had heard how the eccentric tramp with the hammer had gone back to Absam and made the place famous

by

his

fiddles,

were prepared to receive the young

favour and hospitality, for they hoped

workman with

he might do something of the kind for Mittenwald.

They were not mistaken.

arrived at Mittenwald,

One year

before Klotz

Stainer

had died incoherent

and insane

Absam, and now that the greatest of G-erman makers was dead, Mittenwald was soon desat

tined to become noted in its turn for

its fiddles.

It is generally affirmed that Klotz Stainer.

was a pupil

of

Certainly his relations

with Nicolas Amati

probabilities are that

are not very well defined.

The

he was a pupil of both with their work.

in the sense of being familiar

The

fact that his vioHns are

some-

times mistaken for Stainer, points to the strong

influence which
it

Absam
be
fiddles

otherwise

was upon him could hardly whilst the tendency noticeable in the

of his son Sebastian, to bring

who

certainly did visit Cremona,

down
time,

the model flatter than was fashionable

indicates

at

this

that

the

firm

at

all

events

192
reflected the later

OLD VIOLINS
Amati model of Nicolas, who died came to Mittenwald,
Stainer
or

the very year Klotz

Had

Matthias or Sebastian Klotz attended to the

of

methods either
the sap in

Amati more

carefully,

they would have observed that wood cut in spring with

it

was not calculated

to last like the drier

autumn

Whether from haste or ignorance, the Klotz wood, especially that used by Matthias and
timber.
Sebastian, is sometimes found to be worm-eaten,
Sebastian's fiddles are

but

much
of

esteemed.

His brothers,

George and Egidius, and his nephew, Joseph, son of

Egidius, all

made

fiddles

the

same type

varnish

running from yellow to brown, and laid on rather

more lavishly than was the habit

of the firm.

of Matthias, founder

The Mittenwald industry, although now

than that of Markneukirchen, preceded
time,

less prolific

it in

point of

and undoubtedly

it

was through Bavarian Mittenof

wald that the Cremona influence reached Saxony.

Master Eeiter, whose teacher was Johan Vauchel

Wurzburg,

is

now

the most prominent

Mittenwald

maker, and Herr Neuner, who was a pupil of Vuillaume,

directs the school

and

factory.
is

The school

instructs

about twenty boys, and

under Government.

Out

of eighteen

hundred Mitten walders, three hun-

dred are fiddle-makers.

The place provides from fifteen to twenty thousand instruments per annum, including zithers and guitars.
I will not say that

Herr

Eeiter,

who

is

an

artist versed
is

in the old secrets and the old enthusiasms,

personally

VIOLINS

AT MARKNEUKIRCHEN
workshops.
fiddles,

193

responsible for the " trade fiddles " that annually pour

from the Mittenwald

He
but

himself

has

made comparatively few

them
" I,
all,

he

supervises

and remarked

to a visitor
let

the other day,

Master Reiter, never

one go out of

my

hands

that has not been thoroughly tested,

and

have sent

out into the world, to Eussia, to America, Athens,

and where

not,

some two hundred

violins

and twenty-

five 'cellos, besides

having repaired some four hundred

others."

Markneukikchen.
Quiet resting-places, secluded valleys of the Tyrol,

mountains
Mirecourt
;

of

Saxony

sleepy Italian

Mittenwald, Markneukirchen, towns Brescia, Cremona,

!

once provincial villages like Mirecourt, far from the

of

stir

mighty

cities

such retreats seem to have been ever

simple and almost naive religious

favourable to the development of violin manufacture.

Something,

too, of

sentiment has entered into the production of the earlier

violins,

most

of

which were, after

all,

chiefly intended

for the sanctuary. Catholic or Protestant.

The

arts

and craftsbook

of

the Worshipful

Guild

of Violin-makers of

Markneukirchen, 1677

to 1772, has

lately been unearthed

and translated by the many-

sided and indefatigable

Heron Allen, and

it

throws a

kind of sudden flashlight upon the origin of an industrial

centre which has since become one of the most

of violins "

famous emporiums

made

in

Germany."

194

OLD VIOLINS
of

Here we read how a mere handful

masters and

workmen went out from

in their

kith and kin into a wilderness

for
of worship-

some would say a paradise the sake ping God own way that
is

to say, the

reformed Lutheran way.

They

settled, to the

new number
and
old

of sixty-six, about the year 1627, at the retired

mountainous village

of

Markneukirchen.
"

The

book which records their uneventful annals

characteristically

begins

enough with,
;

In the name of the

Holy

Trinity,

Amen " and

then follow the names of

twelve families, the principals being Eeicher,

George, PoUes, Gaspar, Schonfeldes, and Gaspar

Hans Hopf
from

and from
Graslitz,

this

modest nucleus, emigrants,

chiefly

grew the famous Guild, which by-and-by was

responsible for scattering abroad violins innumerable,

labelled with every

known name, and

;

of quality good,

bad, and indifferent

for it is a notable peculiarity of

that,

the

Markneukirchen makers

whilst they were

compelled by the rules of the Guild to produce diploma

instruments and others of recognised quality, the cost
of production has got
lings,

down

as low as about four shil-

and a very playable instrument, labelled Stradi-

vari, is actually sold for a

sum not much above

that

astonishing cost price.

Many

of these

workers were all-round men, and did

Thus,
Carl

not confine themselves to fiddle-making.

Frederick Jacob was carpenter, locksmith, and general

instrument maker
schoolmaster;
Gottfried
Pitz

one Andrea

Gher,

1587,

was a
barber.

whilst Gasper

Reichel
to

was a
Guild

was admitted

the

on easy

VIOLINS

AT MARKNEUKIRCHEN

195

terms, because he had served his country as a cavalry

soldier.

stance.

The master-workers were mostly people of some subThey had to pay a tax of one florin on being
;

admitted to mastership

but sons of a master were

five florins.

admitted on a reduced fee of

Most

of the masters

were expected

to

have a decent
Guild

house, with a

room

large

enough

to entertain the

with their wives at a banquet on their installation.

As

this cost

some money

lightening the burden

there were various ways when the candidate happened

of
to

be a desirable addition to the Guild

to

he was allowed

pay

in instalments, or part

was remitted by favour.

that at least staved

A
to
off

popular means of effecting economy was to propose

marry the daughter

payment.

of a master

The apprentices
Narlitzer,

often got in cheap that

way.

Hans Adam

who "intended"

to

marry a

master's daughter, was admitted on reduced terms, on

the understanding that,
if

the match did not

come

off,

he was to pay up in

full.

One Kretchman

also

"intended"

to

marry the

youngest daughter of Hans Martin Schonfeldes; also

Johann Christian Envel,

to

in 1761,

had "half a mind"

of

marry the youngest daughter

his

Eeichel, and

was

admitted for ten thalers; but in case he could not

make up
thalers.

mind

to

marry the

girl,

or

any

other

master's daughter, he

would have
is
it

to

pay thirty-one any

;

In no case
failed to

recorded that

of these

gentlemen

marry as per contract

the masters'

196

OLD VIOLINS
sufficient influence to suppress the fact of

daughters probably took very good care of that, or

would have

their rejection.

With
first

the spread of the Reformed opinions, there at

arose a certain

demand

for violins

in

the

new

churches; but the rigid Lutherans soon smelled the

odour of abuse and reversion to Eomanism, and discouraged any approach to ornate services, or an over-

supply of instrumental accompaniment.

decree that

the violins used in Church should be reduced in

bers
little

numfor

naturally spread

consternation

throughout the

country town

but the

growing

demand

stringed instruments of good quahty for secular bands

soon counteracted the effect of sectarian bigotry and

clerical

parsimony;
to Prince

and when one

Joseph

Haydn,

bandmaster

Esterhazy in Vienna, practically

its

founded the modern orchestra with

created the
for violins

symphony, and

modern

oratorio

and quartet, the demand

to

and basses led

a prodigious develop-

ment

of

the Markneukirchen industry; and as the

masters not only had ready access to the best Cremonese models, but were surrounded by some of the finest

maple timber in the world, felled in forests full of seasoned trees hundreds of years old, the fame of the Markneukirchen makers soon spread throughout Europe.

the crop of

At Mittenwald a similar community flourished, and German instruments made, and still made,
artificers

by these enterprising
of every maker,

have flooded

all

the

orchestras of the world, providing

them with samples

from Gaspar and Maggini to Stradi-

VIOLINS
vari,

AT MARKNEUKIRCHEN
Bergonzi, and

197

the

Guarneri,

Guadagnini.

The

Mittenwald makers owed their inspiration chiefly to

Egidius Klotz, pupil of the great Stainer.
as

They were

famous

for their fine hazel-fir timber as the

it

Markneuthrough

kircheners were for their maple;

the Mittenwalders that the
readily
into

was

also

the

more

northern

Cremona methods filtered region Markneu-

kirchen, Prague,

Nuremburg, Wurzburg, and Franken.

The

increased

demand

for
to

instruments

resulted

necessarily in a tendency

deterioration,

which did
the

not escape the attention of the Guild, and rigid rules

were drawn up, called "Beneficent Mandates

Suppression of Abuses."

for

Every master had

to

prove himself equal to producskill,

ing one masterpiece as a sample of his

though

it

was freely admitted that a cheap demand involved a

cheap type of instrument, which could not be expected
to rival the

diploma standard of tone and

of the

finish.

The quaint record

Markneukirchen

arts

and

craftsbook ends with the year 1772, and with the words

"Deo

Gloria."

Since that date the names of Reichel,

Schuster, and Paulus have all been en evidence at vari-

ous European Exhibitions as medallists and exhibitors

of distinction
;

but, after a great fire in 1840, a good

many
began

families left the town,

like a flower that

and thus the old centre

itself,

became

had overblown

and

to

obey the inevitable law by which a mature

it

centre distributes itself gradually, losing as

were

its

own

central wealth in its circumference, as the seeds of

all lands.

the dandelion get blown abroad over

CHAPTEK XIV
VIOLIN TKEATMENT

The

notion that the more a fiddle

it is, is

is

knocked about

the better

similar to the theory that the

better he goes.

more

you knock about a horse the

A good
so
will

horse will take a great deal of spoiling, and

good

fiddle.
if

when broken down,

so will a violin, if

Your well-bred you turn him out

beast,

even

to grass

and

attend to his ailments, will recover marvellously, and

you glue him up, readjust system, keep him dry, and coax him a bit.

his nervous

The delusion that a

maltreated
their
old,
is

fiddle is all the better for being

:

due

to this

Many people observe

fiddles,

that

battered,

disorganised

which went
tin

into

the skilful repairer's

hands

sounding like
;

kettles,
that,

come out with the true Cremona timbre

deluded friend,
is

but

my

not in consequence, but in

spite of the

knocking about to which your favourites

attended

have been exposed.

The

fiddle-doctor

has

to
its

your

violin's

internal economy,

and gently healed

bruises, killed
it

the wolf or

fiddle

stomach-ache from which

was

suffering, glued tight the rattUng back, ribs, belly, fixed

the loose
198

sound-bar, and readjusted your Cremona's

VIOLIN TREATMExNT
very soul (I'dme du
violon),

199

which

is
'tis

the sound-post
better to keep

and

so

it

fares well

but remember,

a fiddle in repair and use than allow

both,
I

it to

get out of

and go a mere wreck

to the

workshop.

am

not forgetting, when I say "use," that the inis

cessant and continued playing upon an instrument

said to result in its getting
out,"

what Joachim

calls "

played

and that

collectors

have been great benefactors

tear,

by withdrawing choice instruments from wear and

giving them thus long periods of suspended animation

but, as a general rule, so long as a violin lasts

how

long

it

will last is still a

is

vexed question

and

fair

wear and tear and attention

just as good for a fiddle

as work, exercise, and cleanly habits are good for

man

and

beast.
is

Neglect

never good

knocking about

is

never good

Lay
care?

it

to
is

your heart,

young player
thing
it

What
room
buy
to

that precious

committed

to

your

You have brought

your Amati.
the bidding.
it

home from

the auction-

There was a conspiracy to keep

down

An
as he

influential

dealer
it

wanted

to

cheap, having already half sold

in advance

for twice as

much

meant

to give;

he went up

40

at the auction

and stopped, but you were the

to be a

dark horse and made another bid; he winked at the

auctioneer, supposing
it

bogus bid; the

man
who
was

with the

hammer paused and

;

looked at the dealer,

shook his head

clever

for

once the dealer had been too

and

lost

his

Amati

for

a 5

note.

It

knocked down

to you.

200

OLD VIOLINS
get
it

You
it;

home

there

is

something wrong about

is

the timbre of the

string

unequal

sweet,

but

too

weak

it

has a crack in one

rib.

You

don't expect a

trumpet-sound like that of a

Joseph, or quite the bell-like ring of a Strad, but you

do mean to have a quality like the ripple of water

a round,
soft,

and incomparably sensitive and intime

tone, not to be surpassed

by Strad and never reached

to

by

Stainer.

Of course your early Nicolo has got

hauled.

be overthan one.

He

has got a crack

perhaps more
is

Why, he is already more than two hundred years old, and may have a mark of the young Stradivari's chisel
about him.

Of what attention

he

not worthy

Take him

to a subtle violin

medicine-man,

who

will at

a glance see

down

before
will

He
him

what he has got to deal with, and will sit him and think then take him up, handle him, tap him, pull
with excessive care and
still

to pieces

reflection.

When
satisfied,

you get him back, you may

but wait.
fiddle-doctor's ends.

be not quite
to

Your treatment has

begin where the

The convalescent home comes

your house
is

after the

hospital

the convalescent home.

The glue must dry; the changed sound-post must

grow
to the newly-directed strain
;

and tension

of

the

vibrating boards

the refixed flanks

must

learn to deal

with the

air

column, and the filled-up crack, by con-

stantly thrilling with the rest,

must have time

to forget

that

it

ever was a crack

VIOLIN
Be not
that no
silken
fire
;

TREATMENT
it

201
first,

impatient.

Play upon
its

gently at
it

and

by-and-by draw out

tone; lay
;

aside

and watch

harm comes
must not

to it

let it lie

open, with a soft

too near the

wrapper on the strings

near, not
room.

it

get hot, but, like good claret, just the

temperature of a comfortably

warm

Think
in your

of it in winter as
;

you would think

;

of

your
be

pet canary

don't let

it

get chilled at night

let it

own bedroom,

or wherever there is an atmosfit

phere and temperature

'Tis half

for a well-cared-for "

human."
;

human

'tis
;

caressed by your hand

it lies

close to

your cheek
in

'tis

breathed on by you when you

press

it,

moments

of rare inspiration

and musical

trance,
its

between your chin and your

left breast,

where

vibrating back actually /ee/s the pulses of your

own
it

heart.

The waves

of

sound that you generate from

;

are saturated with the magnetism of your touch

the

trembling pressure of your fingers comes

from the
in

shaking of

your own life-blood as

it

beats

the

mysterious valves of the heart, and seems to mingle

with those more than atmospheric, those psychic waves

which travel out upon the

conveying your inmost
others

air in

a flow of magic sound

the inmost selves of

self

to

So

this half -human thing

must Uve with you and be

cared for by and fare with you, and be kept in good

humour.
See that no clot of dirt be in
rosin to vex
its case,

no speck of

and

fret the
;

smooth amber-coloured back.

it

Take

it

out lovingly

polish

with soft handkerchief

202

OLD VIOLINS
it

keep

shining wherever the varnish

still

shows up,

and scrupulously clean elsewhere.

The

vile notion that a coat of rosin

left

does good, and

may

be

with advantage like a festering mass on

is

the belly underneath the strings,

delusion

a most grievous

Why

suffer the corrosion of the varnish

with a foreign

substance to remain there more than on any other

part of the wood?

Eosin

is

for the strings, not for the

belly,

and the

strings are for friction,

and are intended

to be scraped
is

through and worn out and replaced, but the belly

for vibration

and

is

never intended to wear out.

to the strings, enabling

Your
striking

rosin
'tis

is life

them

to

speak, but
it

death to the wood,

stifling its pores

and

dumb
violin with
oil,

Never touch your

ing.

or spirit, or colourto

Only a

skilled repairer can venture

do that,

and even he
I

will not always be wise.

have seen really good old instruments too much

cleaned or daubed over ruthlessly with

varnish, much, as Euskin says, he

muddy brown

saw men with knives

and mops

of paint at

Venice scraping away and splash-

ing over with raw blue the vast old faded skies of

Paul Veronese

spick and

span mania seizes at times upon

re-

storers of all schools.

A relative
by a

of

mine had a Spagnoletti restored

to

him

cleaner, but so repainted as to be worthless.

Have not

half the cathedrals in the land been dis-

VIOLIN
figured
so

TREATMENT

203
like

by whitewash, starched and bleached just

like so

much dirty linen, and the old frescoes obliterated many disfiguring stains and even now, in these more enlightened days, how many old carvings have
;

been

replaced

by

modern

routine -work
of

sculpture,

whilst the walls, facade, and floor

grand old St

Mark's at Venice have been smeared over with SalThus have I seen a Maggini viati's modern mosaic.
botched and browned over so completely with bad

Grerman varnish as to leave only faint traces here and

there of the original coating.

Never

in

the matter
stolen;

of

varnish dare

to

replace
is

what time has

that loss of old

varnish

tribute paid not ungrudgingly to " the

Vandal

years,"

who have spared the

all,

life

and been unable materially

to injure the fabric of the rare old instrument.

Above
let

thou favoured guardian of a Cremona, never

it

get near damp, or suffer from any other mouldering

or corrosive influence.

A
into

friend of mine, finding that the

his violin case,

worm had
a

got

which

contained

Guadagnini,

proceeded to saturate his case with benzoin, and before

it

was properly dry replaced the precious instrument,

which

with the result that the old varnish was brought up

in blisters all over the back,
is

now one
is

crinkled

mass, as rough to the touch as a nutmeg-grater.

varnish was completely ruined, and what
violin has never to

The

worse, the

sounded

like itself since

a clear proof
tone, or

my

least

mind that the varnish affects the that damaged varnish impairs it.

at


OLD VIOLINS
uncommon
thing to find a violin,
for
left

204

It is not at all an

which has been

sulky when
first

unplayed upon

some months,

taken out.

Do
post.
all

not be rash or fidget with the bridge or sound-

Warm
care,

the fiddle up gently

it

rub

it

lightly with

due

and play on
on

without taking any notice

of its temper; go
find, to

for a couple of hours;

it

you

will

your surprise, that

has recovered

all its

own
All

sweetness and charm, and will be ready to charm you

with the delightful sensitiveness of

its

response.

that was really wanted was for the temporarily disused

channels of vibration to be again

the pores

filled

with sound

the

desiccated

hollows to be once more

shaken up in the old way.

gone to sleep
sluggish

The instrument has

its

really

some
is,

of

nerve currents have got

that

the desiccated powder molecules have

stuck in the pores and must be set rolling again.

like

But,

one just awakened, the fiddle takes a

idiom runs.

little

time

to be " all there," as the

Something similar may be observed

in a large hall.

When,

after the atmosphere has

first

been quiescent for

some time, speaking

be heard well
the whole of
;

begins, the speaker will not

is
stiff,

the atmosphere
it

and only when

has been set in vibration

takes a

little

time

does

and

that

it

become
of

sensitive

and

sufficiently elastic to be capable

transmitting the

slightest inflections of sound.

There

is,

again,

an

electric as well as

an atmospheric
other vibratory

and molecular

state of the air

is

and

all

substances, but this

a side of acoustics extremely

VIOLIN
little

TREATMENT
players,

205

understood, and can only be dealt with empiri-

cally

by

speakers,

singers,

and especially

handlers of violins,

who

will instinctively

make

use of

some laws which they do not understand, and which

indeed

do

not

yet

seem

to

have

been

correctly

formulated.
I feel that

something ought to be said about the

position

of

the sound-post, though frankly I

would

rather not say anything.

Whatever advice one

gives

is

certain to be wrongly

and mischievously applied.

Technically, the sound-post should be a little behind

the right foot of the bridge,

neck, which
is

if

you look from head

to

of course

the left foot if

you look from

if

neck
aslant

to head.

It ought also to be straight unless the surface of the ends be cut on a

it

it

is

slope.
belly,

Of course

clings but partially

it is

to

back and
little

whose throbs

intended to blend; a

too near

the bridge wiU often produce a light hard

little

tone;

too far will tend

little

to

a loose, muffled, or tubby

will

quality; a

to the right

brighten the right

vice versd.

string at the expense of the left,

it

and

Get

exactly in the

fit

place,

and you attain the utmost

of

sensibility

and equal sonority

which your violin

is

capable.

But

so capricious are

the vibrational laws,

of

and so subtle are the

failed to yield

peculiarities

each violin's
first

nervous system, that the position which at

has

good results will ultimately be found

to

have won

its

way

to the heart of
itself

your

violin, the

instrument adjusting

to

what was

at

first

an

206

OLD VIOLINS
its

uncongenial treatment of
learn to sympathise,
tions of pressure
post.

nerves, until the nerves

rejoice, in special direc-

and even

and tension induced by the soundhappens, better

let

When

this

well

alone and

don't attend to outside advice of experts.

It is

seldom wise to encourage an amateur, or any

with the position of the
or has fallen down,
of

but

a skilful hand, to trifle

If it timst
all

sound-post.

be

moved

why
go

then by

means take the advice

advice

an expert;

to the doctor.

The same
position

sort of

may

be given about the

that

of the

bridge.

Granted

you have

bridge which suits your instrument (and the importance

of this I

have elsewhere dwelt upon), then consider

whether

'tis

worth while

to

move your

bridge at

all.

The two

little

side slits in the

//

indicate approxilet

mately the position of the bridge;

a violin-doctor

determine the right height, which, remember,

modified according to
its

must be
is

position,

and the slope and

elevation of the finger-board.

But here again there

is

a vague and subtle margin for readjustment; the im-

portance of the bridge's position

of course directly

related to the whereabouts of the sound-post, as

the
the
belly

bridge

is

a prime factor in

dealing

first

with

vibrations transmitted
to back.

by the sound-post from

There are violins which gain brilliancy by the bridge

leaning a
as a little
of course
little

forward, but this

is of

course dangerous,

more, and
is

down comes

the bridge.

The theory

for the feet of the bridge to grip equally at

VIOLIN
all

TREATMENT

207

points the surface of the belly

flat

and

close,

and

with equal pressure.

Now,
ttie

if

the bridge leans forward,

is

the grip of the back part of the feet

whilst the pressure of
if it

slightly lifted,

front part

is

accentuated, and

leans backwards, precisely the reverse takes place.

so capricious are fiddles, that

Yet

some do not seem

to like to

have their bridges quite straight, and so they

have got to be humoured.

Without grave cause

adjusted

I should advise not

meddling

with bridge or sound-post after they have been re-

by a good
;

repairer.

He may

not have been

quite right

he

may

not have had the time or patience

fiddle

to deal with your nialade imaginaire of a

for

amongst

fiddles as

amongst people, there are malades

the profession

imagmaires which

baffle

doctor will be probably more right

irritable, discontented,

but your than you

fiddle-

fussy,
if

inexperienced amateur, and,

you leave

off

tampering with the works, the

itself

fiddle will

very probably adjust

and get

all right.

Then of course you must remember that whenever you touch the bridge you touch the elevation of the
strings above finger-board.

Put bridge back, you slacken

put
it

the touch for the player by bringing the strings close

down on
by

the finger-board
;

forward or

tilt it,

and

you lighten the touch

make

it

harder for the fingers

lifting the strings higher

from the finger-board.

This
is

And now
generally

a word about your finger-board.

of

made

ebony

the old masters used various

brownish woods, choosing, of course, the harder ones, which they often inlaid beautifully. Sometimes even

208
they used ivory

OLD VIOLINS
;

you may perhaps have noticed that

difficulty in

on some violins you have a

or indeed

stopping

fifths,

any chords,

in tune.

This, unless

you are a

mere blunderer, comes from the

board.

state of your fingerit,

You may not have

noticed

but you will

observe that the strings, by constantly being squeezed

by the

fingers against the smoothly-arched surface of

the ebony, have worn channels

in

the

wood, but
is

channels of unequal depths; the consequence

the same pressure, forcing two strings

that

down on unfifth

equally raised surfaces,

fails to

produce that relatively

equal pressure necessary for producing your true

the Btriug also being sunk,
it

does not get the full

benefit of the finger's pressure, as the shock of

will be

impact

broken by the higher level of the finger-board

of the

on either side

sunken

string.

In this way the tone quality as well as the intonation suffers

from what so constantly eludes observation

finger-board, or the restoration of

a worn finger-board.
Of course a new
an old one,
affect,
is

a very easy matter, and can in no

violin.

way

except for the better, any

It

may
its

safely be said that no violin

now

in use has
of

either its original

that,

finger-board

or,

for the matter

original neck.

Strings of very

ill-assorted
fifths.

thickness are also responsible for imperfect

The management wood have been

favourite,

of

the

pegs sometimes presents

difficulties to the novice.

Eosewood, ivory, and boxbut ebony seems to be

the

tried,

though

many

incline, as I

do personally, to

VIOLIN
rosewood, which
is less

TREATMENT
dense,
is

209

and thus, in contact with

the maple-head (which

again less dense in fibre than

the rosewood), offers a less hard

and violent contrast

than does the iron ebony to the porous maple.

But the
fitted,

all-essential thing is for the pegs to be nicely

it is

and

a vile practice to rosin the pegs to

make

them
If

stiffer,

or to rub

them with

lead-pencil or whiten-

ing to

make them turn more

is

easily.

your peg

sticks, it is either

because

it

does not

fit

the hole,
it

not smooth, or because you have

rammed

in too far in order to resist the pull of a string, pro-

bably coiled round and round the pegs in a tangled,

twisted mess.

There never should be a need for

in of the screw, nor would there be

this

over-ramming
pulled
let it

if,

when you

up your new
up
again,

string to pitch,

you immediately
tight,

down, drew the stretched part

and then screwed

when you would

lift

find,

instead of ever so
to one or two,

many
which

coils,

you had reduced the number

in

would at once
it

the strain from your screw, and

it
till it

make

needless for you to force

stuck and almost

refused to

move

at

all.

You
your
a

should be able,

when your

fiddle is at

your chin,
of in

to nip the

peghead between the

first

and third joint

to a nicety

forefinger,
;

and adjust the pitch

and

moment but then

the resistance of the screw

must

be so nicely balanced with the tension of the string as

to allow of its

moving

easily
left.

when

gripped, and keeping

in its exact place

when

It is a very strange thing that, whilst all sorts of

210

OLD VIOLINS

mechanical contrivances for moving violin screws have

been suggested, and even tried and adopted for guitars

and double

basses, the violin retains its simple

;

and

primitive screw

nor would any one

who

lays claim to

a decent position in the trade dream of advising a departure in

this, or

indeed in any other respect from the

school and
its successors.

custom

of the

Cremona

Concerning the stringmg of your

violin,

beyond the

hints I have given with regard to the accumulation of

evils

round the peg, there

is

not very

much

to be said.

The quahty, manufacture, preservation, and price

strings has already been dealt

of

with; and here, as in

fine

everything connected with violins, there must be

and sympathetic adaptation

of

strings

both to the

performer and to his instrument.

A young girl

will naturally incline to thinner strings

than a strong man, just as she will usually prefer a

lower bridge, which will reduce the resistance because
of

the reduced distance between the strings and the

finger-board.

Some

players will prefer a thick

first

or third string,
elicit

according to the quality of tone they are able to

some a smooth
Gr string,

or rather thin patent fourth in pre-

ference to the usual

more roughly-coiled and thicker

is

which, however,
but, as a rule,

preferable for

orchestral

playing
gauge,

buy your

strings according to

if

you

can't trust your eye, in a good shop,

and

you

will not be disappointed.

Eemember,

as I have previously intimated, that

any

great inequality in the relative thickness of

your strings

VIOLIK
may
be quite as

TREATMENT

211

much

responsible for your imperfect

fifths as

an old channelled finger-board.

Use plenty
it

of rosin,

and

let the string

be seasoned with
if

right

up

to

the bridge, but not much,

finger-board.

at

all,

below the
be well

top of the

The

rosin

must

rubbed in before you attempt solo work, as any excess

of

what

may call raw

undigested powder will produce

a most vile screeching.

The tone
Piatti,

of a fine violinist never

reminds you of the

cat-gut and rosin.

In the pure disembodied tone of

Joachim, or Sarasate
elements
;

we

entirely lose the sense

of all beggarly

they have suffered a change

into " something rare

and strange."

The rough-and-ready way of testing false strings by setting them in vibration, holding by each end, and twitching till the double line is seen, and if a third line appears condemning the string as false, is a method
often, not always, reliable.

You

can never be quite

If false,

sure

till

you have put the

it

string on.

you may
;

get a true length out of

as a rule,
if

by trying another part

is false, it is

but,
all

one length of a string

bad

through.

A player,

especially a soloist, should always

firsts in

have a length or two of stretched and tested

his case, or, better
still,

in his waistcoat pocket, before

he goes on the platform, unless he can ensure the presence of a second reliable instrument at hand in case of
a sudden breakage.
Strings have every kind of vice short of downright
falseness.
dull, or

You need
sort of

not put up

with wheezy or
of

any

impure vibration, and beware

212

OLD VIOLINS
when the
string
is

laying the blame on the violin

offender.

the

Of

course,

if

the sound-bar or the back or belly of

or the sound-bar askew, that will
deal.

the violin

is loose,

account for a good

By

tapping

alli

round the

front and the back, just where these join the ribs, you

can easily discover by a certain jar or rattle whether

and where something

blocks or linings.

is

loose

it

may
acquit

be one of the

Test the fiddle and you

test the strings

may

the strings;

and you

may

acquit the fiddle.

You may sometimes

the

experience a difficulty in playing

A or D

string without striking the

E
it

or

this

may
due

be due to your
to the curve of

own

clumsiness, but

may

also be

your bridge being too

flat,

or some-

one or more of the strings having eaten too deeply into

the bridge.
If

your hand perspire much

strings, especially

and
E

all

hands perspire

your
process

your

string, will rag out.

It is dijQficult to say exactly at

it

what stage

in the ragging It is

is

advisable to change your string.

strange, but true, that the tone of

is

an old ragged string

not materially impaired.

have sometimes fancied

that such thorough

tough and seasoned strings are

Certain

even improved in spite of age and infirmity.

it is

that the smoothest string will go without warning,

will

and the raggedest

sometimes hang on down to a

mere

thread.

Paganini perspired frightfully, so

much
case,

so that he

always carried a dry shirt in his violin

and a gentle-

VIOLIN
man
I

TREATMENT
were in
rags.

213

noticed that

when he opened

his case to take out

his violin for a public solo, his strings

have sometimes observed that, oddly enough, a

is less

second or third string

durable after

it

has ragged

than a

first

the wearing of the threads which compose

the thick strings seems less hard and tight than those
of

the thin chanterelle, or the resultant material

is

softer

and gets soaked and cheesy, and

by the
nails.

like cheese is

readily cut through

Lastly, the amateurish

and falsely-assumed econoall

mical habit of slackening

the strings each time the

violin is replaced in its case is a delusion

it

and a snare

only worries your instrument's nervous system.

Slacken your low, not your strings.

The

violin gets

accustomed to the normal

it,

strain,

and

adjusts itself to

and resents being deprived

of its

due tension as much as an athlete would resent his

dumb-bells being removed.

The

strings are quite as likely to

break by being
is

constantly fidgeted up and

down, and the violin

much
it

more likely to get demoralised by the wearing

if

action and reaction of a varying strain, than

you

let

alone with

all its strings at their

accustomed

pitch.

CHAPTEE XV
VIOLIN DEALERS, COLLECTORS, AND

AMATEURS
I

HAVE come

to the conclusion, " after long years," that

there are three things about which your averagely

honest

man

has no conscience whatever

the

first is

horse, the second is an umbrella,

least, is a fiddle.

and the

last,

but not

He
fiddle

will

buy from some needy ignoramus a

for a

fiddle

worth 100

which cost

5 note, if he can. He will sell a him 5 for 100, if he can. Truly,

the caveat emptor of the ancient

Eomans

covers a

multitude of

sins.

On

the other hand, the extreme ignorance of

many

persons

who have

violins to sell offers singular tempta-

tions to dealers,

who

are a class of people constitu-

tionally on the make.

In bygone days, people who did not play the violin

used to be criminally careless about the instruments

that happened to be in
their

possession.

Cremonas
in dis-

might

lie for

years in

damp

attics, or

hung up

used cupboards on rusty

nails, or

away

in the dust of

ages on the top of old beds and cabinets.

fiddle

Even

if

the
re-

was ultimately stolen

214

borrowed

and not

VIOLIN DEALERS
turned
it

AND AMATEURS
only an old fiddle
"
;

215

it

was thought hardly worth a

serious inquiry

"

was

all to pieces " or "

and,

indeed, I have before

now

seen such with the belly off

converted into serviceable dustpans.

Credulity has succeeded to ignorance, and

now any

one who has any sort of shabby-looking fiddle fancies

he has got a rare Cremona

He

will advertise it unblushingly in the

it

halfpenny

papers, bring

gravely to supposed judges, and

it to

make

a favour of even showing

a dealer.

Nothing

will

shake the confidence of these simple

wares; they will bring out a
dated Maggini, and you point

folk in their spurious

common brown German

out that Maggini never dated his instruments; they

suppose you to be envious.

Or they show you a Stainer

to me),

rashly dated fifty years after that maker's death (such

an one was lately brought

that you

with a label so recent

wonder

at the brazen fraud.

As

to the

good
their

and tolerably deceptive French copies

of Strad,

name

is legion,

and

for a

moment

a person fairly con-

versant with fiddles

may

be deceived by such a subtle

to the eye of

and withal honest copyist as Lupot, but

the experienced dealer the varnish
is

quite enough.

The
is

varnish that chips off instead of rubbing away, thus

leaving the raw

wood more exposed than permeated,

not Cremona varnish.

Of course

as to the

new

labels in

modern type

have

nothing to say.

No one

but a complete fool in fiddles

could be taken in by them.

Still,

when

all

gross cases are put aside, there

is

an

216

OLD VIOLINS
when
is

excusable margin left for honest error, especially

personal interest
I

on the side of

error.

have very
Cox, well

little

doubt that

my

old friend, the late

Mr

known
bought

as an acute picture dealer, really

believed in a certain violin which he called the

Eed

Knight,

He

it

at the great sale of Gillott's

tiddles as a rare
I

Joseph G-uarnerius.
tell

would never

the old

man

to his face that his

Joseph was a very plausible red Landolpho copy of

Joseph, and I was even weak enough to allow
it

to lie

on the table of the Eoyal Institution side by side with

the "Dolphin," Enthoven's Maggini, the Emperor of
Eussia's Strad, a genuine Nicolas, a Joseph

and a Jacob

Stainer

in short, the

evening in

Eed Knight lay by favour for one company with some twenty gems of world-

wide reputation.
In the course of
I

my

lecture, to please

my

old friend,
is

took up the Eed Knight, remarking, "Here

fine violin labelled

Joseph Guarnerius, once the pro-

perty of

Mr

Gillott,

now owned by Mr

Cox."

I said

no more.

A
it

few weeks afterwards the Eed Knight was sold for

300, partly on the strength of

at the Eoyal Institution.

my

having vouched for

Meanwhile the Jupiter

Hill,

of judges,

William Ebsworth
a Landolpho,

had been consulted by the purchaser, who, on

got

finding that he had only

hold

of

wanted

his

money

back.
to

I think they

would have gone

law

if

they could
I

have counted on

me

as a witness; but

when

was

VIOLIN DEALERS

AND AMATEURS
I

217
cer-

threatened with a subpceiia,

tainly go into the

replied, " I

would

box, but

should have

utterly to

deny that

had vouched
or expressed
it
'

for the genuineness of the

Eed Knight
it

any opinion whatever about

labelled Guarnerius,'

except that

was a good fiddle

worth perhaps 60 but not 300."

The upshot was that I was not subpoenaed. Mr Cox refunded the money and the buyer restored the
fiddle.

No
"

one doubts but what

Mr

Gillott, of

steel-pen

celebrity, did obtain, chiefly

through Charles Reade of

fame, a great

Never Too Late

but I

to

Mend "

many very
also

fine fiddles,

am

afraid that

Mr

C.

Reade was
like the

responsible for

some comparative rubbish

Red

Knight.

Certainly I find a very dubious Strad tenor

(one of Gillott's) labelled 140 in the South Kensington

collection.
if

As

to this particular collector's specimen,

grant him

his belly

and his sound-holes,

it is

about

all

that I can do

for

Strad never threw that scroll

ribs.

nor touched with plane or chisel that back and

I brought home from Australia a so-called Peter Guarnerius really an excellent violin but it was no

more a Guarnerius than a Strad, and was sold far under its value as a Camillo Camilli, which it probably
was.

But what
is

will

you

After

all,

a fiddle at

any

given time

worth what

it

will fetch.

delusion which has ever

The most impudent fraud or the most blatant come under my notice was

the so-called Maggini exhibited by

Mr

J.

W. Joyce

(110, South Kensington Exhibition, 1872).

218
It

OLD VIOLINS
was made by Bernhardt Fendt, and
its its

I gave in

the Pall Mall Gazette of the period the names of

chief owners
;

history and

but

it

was not removed, and

neither was the

Amati tenor (No.

147), labelled

hung
fiddle

as Maggini, ever re-labelled, nor

was a Klotz

which bore a Stainer label ever corrected.

I

The only fraud

spurious Bergonzi

succeeded in dislodging was a

also sent

up by

Mr

J.

W. Joyce

which after
lection of

my

attack on the South Kensington col-

1872 disappeared.
thing,
it

The poor

no worse than the Bernhardt Fendt

out like a false claimant, was merely
of.

which brazened

made

a scapegoat

These be among the humours of your loan collections

But we must be
sure to be made,
that the fiddle world
fiddle exhibitions

indulgent.
it

Some mistakes
fair

are

but
is

is

only

to

remember
of

vastly indebted to these grand

all

the same.

The exhibition
less

1885 at South Kensington was not one whit

tant than the 1872 show.

impor-

The 1885 specimens were more

than those of 1872.
largely controlled

discreetly selected
of being

They had the advantage

by

Mr

Hill.

Besides the usual supply of leading Italian makers,

the English school was remarkably well represented.

There was found a capital Ford, a maker who has not

received due credit for his excellent work.

good

Duke and Walmsley, and a yellow man quite noticeable for the cut of
are always full of character.

fiddle

by Tobin, a
which

his scrolls,

VIOLIN DEALERS

AND AMATEURS

219

There waa an interesting John Lott, richly varnished.

A romantic
fine

interest must always attach itself to this maker on account of his early Bohemian life, recorded by Charles Reade in a memoir called "Jack
of All Trades."

Charles Reade,

who knew Lott

intimately, tells us

how

at one time he travelled through

Europe with a

menagerie and became famous as the keeper of a most

clever but vicious elephant
killing ever so

called Djek, who, after

to be demolished herself

many men, had

with a cannon, and was then cut up for elephant steaks

to feed the town. It

was only
to

after the loss of

Djek that John Lott

fiddle trade,

came again
Joseph

London and took up the

in boyhood.
Hill,

which he had learned

Hill,

Lockey

and Banks, were

also well

seen at South Kensington in 1885.

There was also a

matchless Urquhart, very venerable

date of the great
fire of

Anno

1666

the
it

London, which happily spared

The Stradivarius case contained

1732 Strad (now Ysaye's
so late in his
life,

Mr Hill's interesting
made
after

violin),

which, although

was signed by the old man, who

1730, as a rule, had left off signing his instruments.

truly serio-comic chapter might be written on the

for frauds. for a

huge prices given

friend of

mine gave
price

200 forty years ago

for the clever

supposed Strad (which was

only a Lupot) at a time

when 40 was a long

Frenchman.

violin professor I

the other day,

know sold a very poor Strad but made a very good thing out of it.

"

220

OLD VIOLINS
the lady showed
it

When
and

me,

took a liberal view,

price.

said that

300 would have been a long

Her countenance fell. " Good gracious I gave 600 "Keep it long enough, and anything by Strad
!

will
life-

fetch that

but probably not," I added, " in your

This was some years ago.

time or mine."

On

the other hand, bargains in Strads and Josephs,

still

Bergonzis and Stainers, are

no doubt to be

got,

but only about as often as bargains in Eaphaels, Eubens,

Eembrandts, or Tintorets

but amateurs of pictures

and

fiddles are

mostly wrecked on school-pictures and

money's worth, but not

school-fiddles, often getting fair

what thej pay for.

Betts purchased one of the finest Stradivari in the

world for 208.

When John Lott opened it in Vuillaume's

The bar

presence, he found the original bass-bar.

so

Charles Eeade

tells

us

was

low and short, and quite

incapable of bearing the strain of concert pitch, and

John Lott replaced it with one Strad was sold to George Hart
heavy price
fifty

stronger.
for

The Betts

800 guineas

years ago.

Mr John

Hart, father of George Hart, picked up a

violoncello in

Oxford Street

for a sovereign or

two.

The timbre caught

musicians

his ear as he passed three street-

violin, cornet,

and

'cello.

Lindley, the great player,

came

into his

shop and
This was

bought a

fine Forster 'cello for a

'cello.

round sum.

the Oxford Street

The destiny

of violins has ever been one full of

ups

VIOLIN DEALERS
and downs, and,
literally

AND AMATEURS
beings,

221

like

human

they have been

kidnapped, as in the case of Spohr's, which

was

lifted

from behind his travelling carriage; ship-

wrecked, like the Peter

and

Paul, vide

page
bits

96
of

murdered by those Vandals who patch stray

for slaves, as in
last century,

slaughtered Cremonas into modern fabrics, and sold

to

be scraped in dim

churches or ancient orchestras, until found out to be

royalties in disguise

by the Chanots and Vuillaumes

of

the nineteenth century.

One would suppose

fiddle of

that the stealing of a first-class

instrument would be next to impossible.

Hardly a
to

mark now
it

exists

which

is

not

known

one or
;

other of the great dealers in Paris, London, or Berlin

and whenever
before

changes hands,
for inspection

it is

likely to

them again

and

verification.

come Yet

some

of the

famous Spanish Court Strads have vanished

no one knows where, and another famous Strad from

the Plowden Collection, whilst in possession of one of

our diplomats at St Petersburg, disappeared, and has

never since been traced.

Many
ment.
I

years ago I left a Vuillaume, labelled Albani,

in a railway carriage

when
five

I got out to take refresh-

was not gone

minutes, but in that

five

minutes

my

Vuillaume had gone.

an elaborate
to

After the death of a well-known nobleman, a certain

so-called Strad in
case,

with finely-mounted
inspection.
fiddle;

bows, was submitted

Mr

Hill for

It

was nothing but a common German

Hill told

but

Mr

me he had no doubt

that the original occu-


222

OLD VIOLINS
stolen.

pant of the noble case had been

Probably

many such
servants.

thefts

have been committed by dishonest

easier than to substitute

Nothing could be

one

fiddle for

another in houses

and they are legion

fiddle

where people do not know one where

fiddles lie

from another, and

lofts

unused and unvisited in

and
to

cupboards, I might almost say from

generation.

generation

No

soloist

who

travels should fail to in-

sure his treasure.

his violin

Sarasate had a heavy insurance on

to America.

when he went

are that

But worse than theft is mutilation. The chances what is stolen, unless it be stolen deliberately to cut up, will some day reappear intact; but the
collect its disjecta
Still,

chances are small that a mutilated instrument will ever

memhra.

as in the case of Tarisio's Spanish bass, that

of

too

is

possible, just as the recovery

to,

the

Hercules

Farnese statue, before alluded

was

possible.

well-known amateur whose Strad had been taken

to pieces for repair

and the pieces wrapped

in bits of

paper, on
missing.

unfolding the fragments found

the

head

The

loss

seemed irreparable, but a day or

it

two afterwards an old apple-woman picked

the gutter, and happened to take
it

up

in

to the

very fiddle-

shop charged with the repair of the Strad.

That Strad
!

head was worth just

2s.

to the old

woman

Nothing

is

easier than the perpetration of a

if

fraud
In-

by a clever copyist
credible as
it

he chooses to attempt

it.

may

appear,

Paganini was shown by

of

Vuillaume two

fiddles,

one

which was his own and

VIOLIN DEALERS

AND AMATEURS

223

the other a counterfeit, and was quite unable at the

moment

to decide

which was which.

viol,

Chanot's copy of the CarHno or Kerlino 1454

No. 14, South Kensingion 1872 Exhibition, completely deceived me until I had the opportunity of handling
both instruments at leisure.

These frauds extend to bows.

The Tourte and Dodd

or Tourte are

bows

in existence that

know not Dodd

legion.

I should

recommend

my

readers never to leave a

their violins

valuable

bow

in their case

when they send

in that way.

for repair.

I lost a good

Dodd myself

Fine bows
;

are not safe even in the orchestra anteroom

" changed."
It

they get

seems so simple to some people, when

a bow, a crush-hat, or an umbrella happens to be lying

about, to mistake
it
if

for their

own and

leave theirs

behind, especially

it is inferior in quality to the

!

one
will

they chance to catch up by mistake

As luck
fine

have

it, 'tis

seldom a worse one that gets caught up

A
bow

friend of
in his case,

mine happened

to leave a

Tourte

and then he sent his

fiddle for repairs

to a smart dealer

who
it

shall be nameless here.

When

the case returned,

had a bow

in

it,

but

it

was a copy,

and a very good copy,

of a Tourte.

In this instance

the dealer restored the original under pressure.

In everything connected with a

say,

fiddle

and a bow

Beware Beware
!

Further, let

me

say to amateurs,

not one in a thousand of you, even with practice and

opportunity,
is fit

to judge of a violin

you

may

easily

224

OLD VIOLINS
suits you,

know what
purposes
is is

and that no doubt

for practical

the essential.

You can

hardly

know what

genuine.

Over and above culture and wide observation and

experience, a certain instinct
is

required,
if

and few are they

that have
Hill,
" his

it.

Why, my

friend,

"William Ebsworth

from whose judgment there was no appeal, got

eye out " when only for a few weeks he
left off

looking at fiddles, or distrusted his

certain days, as to

own judgment on

my

knowledge was the case

diffident

for

he

was at once the most

and absolute
at all

of

men

what chance have you ?

violinists

Why, none

I will go further than this,

and declare that half the

cook.

now

before the public are no more judges

fiddle

of a genui7ie

than

my

A
At

a judge without being able to play, and a

man may be man may

play divinely and not be a judge.

the same time

Charles Eeade's opinion would have been even more

valuable

than

it

was had he
fiddles

played

himself.

He

never would have written

those foohsh

paragraphs

about modern-made

sounding as well as old

It is all the
dififer-

Cremonas had he played

ence between a

himself.

man who
may

looks at another

man on
two

horseback and one who has got to ride the horse

himself
;

the

first

not see

much
it

difference in

horses, but the second soon finds

out

Playing the fiddle won't make you a judge, but

you
I

will be a better

judge

if

you can play the

fine

fiddle.

remember showing Kemenyi a very

copy

of Strad

which had deceived many.

He

walked up and down

VIOLIN

DEALERS AND AMATEURS

225

my
it

room playing upon it with delight, and pronounced a genuine Strad beyond a question. It was a Lup6t
for

for all that.

As

your ordinary amateur, he will judge by an

being unaware that forgers

old-looking label,

keep

old battered counterfeit type in stock, or he will note

the place of the

little

buttons which fasten the inner

blocks, supposing that each

maker had

his

favourite

position for these buttons from which he never deviated.

Others will prate about Strad's wasp

sting

purfle

running counter to the angle of his corners, or declare

that one

maker never made

is

his back in

two

pieces,

whilst another never

But there

made one mark

I

it

otherwise.

occasionally found in old

Italian violins

which

do not remember to have seen

forged or imitated, or indeed even so

to

much

as alluded

by any
If the

writer.
to

amateur happens

have an instrument with

a little round hole in the back of his fiddle a few

inches below the nut,

filled

up

skilfully so as to be

almost imperceptible, he

may

be quite sure he has got

an old

violin,

probably one of the oldest, as the prac-

tice of falling

suddenly on the knees and letting the

violin hang, in processions in

which the singers went

before and the minstrels followed after, has long been

abandoned.

That

little

hole, so

cunningly plugged, shows the

place where a slight chain connected the instrument to

a button-screw or hook, so that at the elevation of the

Host, the minstrel might suddenly
fall

on his knees P

OLD VIOLINS
fiddle.

226

without the fear of dropping his

I have

an old

Andrew
first

G-uarnerius so plugged, and the violinist

Oury

pointed this out to

me and

explained the reason of

the plugged hole Scores have sent

me

descriptions of their fiddles, and

expected

me

to

pronounce on the genuineness of them,

or are sure that they

own

a real Strad or Amati, be-

cause

theirs (in their opinion) exactly

of

corresponds to
in

my

description

Strad or Amati

"Music and

Morals."

All this shows that the outside public have

lore.

not the faintest inkling of true violin

Oliver Wendell

Holmes

felt this

when he wrote

to

me in 1885. He had himself

violin,

written very charmingly on the

is

and the passage

"

quoted with approval even

by

so redoubtable a

critic as

Mr

George Hart in his

admirable book

The Violin

" (1887).

Oliver Wendell

Holmes had the acuteness

to

see

that all mere picturesque writing was valueless from a

technical point of view, and he thus expresses himself
to

me

in a letter dated

December
I read

5,

1885

"I never knew until

touch one,

what you say

!

of

the

instrument what profanation I had been guilty of to

much more

to write

about

it

"

and he was

kind enough to add:

fiddle

such as nothing but

!

"You have given a life to the its own music ever gave it
so spontaneously

before "

words which, coming

may

from

the author of the "Autocrat of the Breakfast-table,"

I think I
pleasure.

be allowed to quote with pardonable

VIOLIN DEALERS
There
is

AND AMATEURS
alike
to

227

a point

interesting

collectors,

amateurs, dealers, and players, which I feel somewhat

strongly about in view of
to me, ignorantly

much

recent, and, as

it

seems

conducted controversy.

It is whether, as far as tone

and sensibility are congood

cerned, the best

modern

fiddles are not quite as

as the best old ones.

We

hear repeatedly stories of

Strads and Josephs being played side

by

side

with

modern
test is

fiddles,

whilst the best judges have failed to

detect the superiority of the old over the new.

This

most unsatisfactory.

The

ear

is

as easily conif

fused as the palate.

It is currently reported that

you

taste alternately port wine, cream,

and sherry, you

will not, after a

tell
is

few sips with your eyes shut, be able to

;

the difference
difference.

but no one argues from this that there

is

no

The ear

not only easily confused

directioii of sound.

about the quality, but even about the

Let one
fingers

man

shut his eyes and another snap his

right, left,

on the

and above the

this

other's

head

several times running,

and

one shall be utterly

unable to

tell after

a few turns where the fingers are

being snapped.

No

one

is

a real judge of the distance

If,

from which a sound comes.

puzzled

then,

we can be

easily

when

plied with such tests about the direction

if

and the distance, no wonder

to confuse us

tests expressly designed

about timbre should be equally successful.

is

But the question

practically settled

by

soloists in-

variably preferring a fine old fiddle to a fine

new

one,

not as connoisseurs, but as players, and there must be a

reason for
this.

228

OLD VIOLINS

Therefore, I will hear of no talk, even from the lips

of a Charles Eeade, about the varnish, the finish, the
artistic

beauty in form or colour of the old violins

being largely responsible for this avowed preference.

It is tonal

power

quality, sensibility, volume, timbre

it

something personal, as

were, to the old fiddles,

which points

to certain real qualities in their

rivalled,

makers

which have not since been

apart from the item of age.

and

this is quite

Age will make a good fiddle better, but it won't make a bad fiddle good it may also be possible to prematurely age a new fiddle, not with heat or acids,
;

but quite legitimately, by incessantly and for long

periods of time grinding
of
its
it

through every semitone

fiddles

compass, and well-made modern

will to

doubtless improve every year, like good wine,

up

a certain point.

They

will then probably deteriorate.

But

the age at which the old

Cremonas are bound

to

deteriorate has happily not yet been reached.

The root

of the

matter

lies here.

listener behind the door

may

not

know

the differ-

ence between a Strad or Joseph or some other, but the

player does.
difference

A spectator in

the Park

may

see

no great

between the pet horse ridden by the lady

but she knows.

and the even more handsome quadruped upon which

her groom follows
his horse,
;

So the hunter knows

and values him above another horse which

looks better; the beast he rides will answer to his will,

go anywhere with him, and rise to every occasion.

This
is

what your Strad

fiddle does.


VIOLIN DEALERS
All violinists will
force about a Strad
;

AND AMATEURS
is

229

tell

you that there

a reserve of

you

can " pull out,"

and you

will

never be disappointed.
All lovers of

Amati

will tell

you that they

find in

Nicolo a trembling sighing sensitiveness, a tenderness,

and a tone

delicate to the point of vanishing,

still

which

endears Amati to the women, and

leaves his finest

instruments unapproachable for cabinet-playing.

And

all

players will

tell

you that

for

domination

and downright big-battalion power, Joseph Guarnerius

del Gesii has not his equal.

And

the reason for this real, not fancied, supremacy

of the great

makers and their best pupils

is

The reason

complex, no doubt

so

complex

that,

when

all

precautions have been taken to imitate wood,

proportions, varnish, workmanship, so as thoroughly to

deceive the eye, the modern chef-d'oeuvre

is,

in, spite of

puzzled auditors,
old

still

not identical in quality with the

Cremona gems. I was called the other day to judge a set of English bells, cast with the same proportions of tin and copper,
of exactly the

same

size,

weight, and model as a suite

of Belgian bells cast

by Severin Van Aerschodt; but

clang and
tin-kettle

the sound

Ye gods
Belgian

No

silver

parody

could be further apart than were those English and

bells.

But

to return to our fiddles.

The reasons

of Cre-

mona supremacy remain

to be tackled.
:

I hazard the following points

230
Is^.

OLD VIOLINS
Selection of wood.

No

doubt the old Lombardian

forests,

with their salt-impregnated roots, provided rare

planks.

The vaunted American woods

fail

technically

to satisfy the

2nd.
tive,

Cremona requirements. The knowledge, at first empirical, then

together.

intui-

born of a Hfelong study of the relative density of

fitted to vibrate

woods
this,

Nothing can teach

plank varies

no rule or measurements;

for every

in porousness, density of fibre, age, and seasoning.

Charles Eeade was napping

when he expressed a
to some Stradivari

hope that a certain Stradivari back, mated with a new

belly,

might some day be united

;

back

of

which he knew but unless

it

happened

to be the belly

Strad had selected for that particular back, what reason

is

there to suppose that the result would be satisfactory

'ird.

am

of opinion that the old

method

of careof

ful oil-sizing

and the subsequent application

of

gum

materially affected the tone.

Think

for a

saturation

moment only too much or too

what

is

implied in the

little of

the

wood

with

oils, spirit,

gum

of this or that quality.

Necessarily some vibratory capacities must be affected

of

for better, for

worse

by
;

the

filling in,

one way or

another, of the

wood pores

and do not the commonest

modern

artificers

admit that the Cremona varnish,

of its application, is as yet undis-

and the exact mode

covered
;

and when they speak otherwise, do they not

?

laugh in their sleeves

Mh. Admit that the proportions are exactly equal,

the column of air almost identical in cubic measure.

VIOLIN DEALERS
about 512 to the second;

AND AMATEURS
still

231

remains the vibratory

qualities of infinite varieties of grain

coarse or

close,

loose or serried

in

wood

fibre

acting upon that air

column.

The old makers varied

had regard

their models, but,

no doubt,

to the thicknesses

and the subtle relations

between the hard and soft woods which would produce

the power or quickness of reply, or sweetness, or penetratingness aimed
It
is

at.

may

be that the secret for the production of these

quite incommunicable, just as a painter, an actor, a

singer, a sculptor will

do a thing before you, which you

cannot do, which he cannot teach you how to do, though

he place his brush, his

footlights at
bth.

chisel, his music, his toga

and

your disposal.
;

We

have no time for failures

they had.

End-

less

experiment, endless comparison, observation, medi:

tation, unlimited leisure

one and the same

man made

each part, and

knew

the interpenetrative qualities and

the mutual adaptation of the sundry parts.

We
How

now have

subdivision of labour
else

each

man makes
?

one of the parts, and some one

puts them together.

can such backs accord with such bellies

How

can such ribs cotton with such strange and fortuitous planks
?

Truly a scratch company brought together like

strangers, yet expected to accept their arbitrary assort-

ment, and

make sweet harmony

together.
of

But they

were not fastened together, in view

one another,

by one and the same master-mind, who knew what

was good
for them,

and what they were good

for

232
6th.

OLD VIOLINS
But given the
possibility
of

favourable con-

ditions

time,

absorption, infinite experience, and all

the accumulated knowledge of the past

and

given a

modern Mcolo, Strad, Joseph, or even Bergonzi, and

given climate, and given wood galore, and might not

we expect Cremona results ? Why, yes, with Cremona

least a

conditions, certainly, or at
;

very

fair

approximation

and I
it.

am

far

from

saying that

we

are not on the road to

it

Until lately

has not been worth while for makers

like the Hills, the

Gauds, or the Chanot firms to do

aught seriously but repair or parody closely for the eye

the old fiddles.

But such

of Vuillaume's fiddles as
fine

have not been aged

to

with heat and acids, and the

10

30

violins

now

being

made

conscientiously by Messrs Hill, in pro-

portion as old fiddles

become rare and

folly

inaccessible,
will, it is

must

come
give

to the fore.

Anyhow, players
of

hoped,

up the

idiotic

paying large sums for

indifferent

old fiddles,

even with respectable names,

when they can get really fine new ones for half the money with twice the tone a good tone, too, which

a very few years will suffice to mellow.

We

write these words in

players,

the

interest
alike

of

dealers,
it

collectors,

and

artificers

indeed,

would be well worth while

get hold of the
finest

for collectors

even now to

attainable
it

specimens of

new

work.

As a mere speculation

would be at

least as

sound an investment as laying down good vintages of

port or sherry.

VIOLIN DEALERS

AND AMATEURS

233
e.g.

A
to

good Hill recently made, price 30 or 40,

the fine copy of the Tuscan Strad, only requires age

mellow

it

into a price of three figures.

These new and garit^h-looking instruments, which,

after
all,

do not look more gaudy than the Messie

Strad, are exceedingly loud in tone,

sensitive.

and withal very

A certain
into the

tartness of timbre merely calls aloud for

it

another ten or twenty years to soften and refine

Cremona

tone.

Meanwhile, the aspirants to Cremona excellence are

entertainingly numerous.
letters

From time

to time I get

accompanied with samples from people who

claim to have discovered the secret of the Cremona

varnish.

Here and there some enterprising maker will get a literary friend to extol him as the successor of
Stradiuarius.
I

came

across a pamphlet the other day assigning

to a

Cremona rank
whose

worthy musician who makes

fiddles

en amateur, and a certain

German working

in America,

violins present all the usual characteristics of

instruments made in Germany.

I actually got half

through this remarkable document, written au grand

serieux,

before I discovered that

it

belonged to the

liver pill, patent syrup,

and soap

class.

Eumours may reach you from America

derful Californian wood.

of the

wontell

Well, European experts

it

me

that, fine as is the

marking,

does not yield the

required timbre, and that the planks

now coming

over

234

OLD VIOLINS

from the old forests of Herzgovina and Bosnia are

far superior for fiddle-making purposes.

Then think
by those old

of the care

and study

Italian

artificers

in selection made who frequented the

Brescian and Cremonese markets, and haggled over

special bits of timber.

They knew exactly where

it

it

came from
cut as
it,

the

peculiarities of the soil, iron or salt

impregnated from whence

it

came; whether
had been

it

was
to

should be, in autumn, with the sap out of

it

and exactly how long

it

cut,

and
it

what conditions
to be

had been exposed before

came

worked

up.

The

subtleties

were endless.

Who
my
I

troubles their heads about such things

now ?
you,

No
have

The

fact

about
take

modern
it

fiddles

anxious inquirer,
stated.

may

for granted is
fiddles

what

Take good new

by

Hill, Chanot,

Bernardel, Gand, and, according to

the time and in-

dividual or one-man power and skill spent upon them,

they will rank high, and higher by-and-by; and

if

ever the genius and the conditions which obtained at

Cremona, anno 1700, are again found, then, and not

till

then, will the peers

and

rivals

of

the
for.

Cremona

masterpieces be seen and heard

It

and paid

may

be rash to attempt a scale of prices,

fifty

the experience of the last

years proves that

when we

have to deal with a sliding

scale.

Forty years ago

my

father bought a rather small

Andrea Guarnerius

at Puttick

&

Simpson's for 4, which could not

now

be picked up under 20.

to

1760 can be got for

No Cremona from 1660 much less, though many


VIOLIN DEALERS
better
fiddles

AND AMATEURS
price.
is

235

can be got for half that

the

Of

course the rise in

Stainer,

Strads
is

quite phenomenal.

on the other hand,

not valued as highly

by comparison as he was
and Albani, more
increased,
class

last

century

whilst,

owing

to the rarity of real Stainers, the

demand
has

for Klotz

easily

attainable,
all

somewhat
and
third

and generally

the

second

makers are being hunted up and command good

now, just as a
will

figures
silver

man who

can't get Charles II.

put up with William and Mary, Queen

Anne, and even the early Georges.

It
is

quite

safe

to

buy Urquhart, Ford, Banks,

and Pam"

Forster, Furber (Henry, David, or John),

philion

but the once popular

Duke

"

days are pretty

well over.

Lupot should be always secured, and Vuillaumes

that have not been cooked with acids and heat
;

and

no collector will go
Venetian
fiddles,

far

wrong with Pique.

violoncellos, near
;

and especially

akin to Cremona, will be sure to rise

the Northern
fiddles

and, as a rule,
a
better figure

will

command

than the Southerners

Rome and Naples.

But all, such hints are general, and must be taken for what they are worth, for stray specimens will often
turn up belonging to almost any school, which will

have rare merits and can hardly be accounted for by

any systematic

classification.

The following up-to-date (1898)

that burns his pocket
:

scale of prices

may

be a useful but rough guide to the collector with

money


236

OLD VIOLINS
PRICES
[1898]
Stradivari

Joseph Guarnerius Other Guarnerii Nicolo Amati, and the brothers^ y A ., J ^ Anthony, and Gerome J
.

....
.
.

2000 to 200 1000 100

300 500
c,^n
,, ,,

30
or. t-^r. or 50 80

Stainer
C. Bergonzi
J. B.

Maggini Vuillaume Lupot Pique

Forster
('cellos)

....
. . . .

Duke
Banks

200 600 500 60 200 60 100 40 100

,,

30

,,

40 50 20

50 10 20
5

20

There are two general

rules, which, like all rules, may:

have some exceptions

I.

not many

Never buy a
;

fiddle

simply at the owner's valuaif

tion

judge

it

by your own knowledge

if

you have any,

or that of an expert
II.

you have none,

If

you buy at auction, always go a few pounds

by a
dealer,

better than the highest bid offered

and

if

you win, you

III.

will be in luck.

Before sending a valuable violin to be "done

up," select your repairer carefully.

fiddle

maker

is

not necessarily a fiddle restorer, and

may

be quite

ignorant of the traditions which should regulate this

branch of the

luthier's art.

IV. Get your violin's pedigree as far as you can in

detail,

with names and dates.

Had

this

been always

done, exhibitions would have been spared

sion

many

a delu-

and

collectors

many

a fraud.

POSTLUDE
My task
is

ended.
of the great

The shades
hover around

melodious dead

still

seem

to

me

as

their echoes

" Roll from Pole to Pole,"

and from

And grow
Violins

for ever

" Soul to soul, and for ever."

may

be made hereafter, copies

may

deceive

the eye, sounds bewilder the ear, but there will never

again be an Amati or a Stradivari, any more than a

Phidias or a Eaphael.

The age
It
is

of discovery

comes but once.

big with the future

itself

up

to the

moment when
;

it

resumes in

the golden heritage of the past.

We

may

imitate, but

we cannot reproduce

nor will that

novelty

thrill of perfection

that

emotion

of

eternal

which we experience
the

in contemplating

and sounding

Cremona masterpieces
effigies,

ever

electrify those

who
done

handle their pale

uninformed by that secret

to absorbing things

magic which only appertains

for the first time.

Hail
touch

to the

mighty dead, whose incommunicable

by millions upon millions from genera-

is still felt

tion to generation

238
Hail
!

OLD VIOLINS
to

the

mystic

life,

which

still

circulates

throughout the arteries

organisms
Hail
!

of

ten thousand

orchestral

to the

undying names

of those

who

first

im-

prisoned (in order to set free) the passionate longings

and divine aspirations

of

humanity

in the

Soul of a Ceemona!

|.

Amatus Cremonen. Hie-^/; rofjymi Fil^ac Antoni) Ncpos Fecit ^i

'^t/5

;^?^'!1

G"

'i^^'

^o daSalo InBrefc/a,
,

Andreas Giiarnertusfecit'Cremonap/ijJrl

A mjo

^^ Cai'o
jn

Bergonxi

.^i
\-^

.2-^ o*
"Si

ft*<-e

CreoTOn^

Antonlus Stradiunrius Cremoncnfi?

Faciebvit

Anno

i/*^y'l/r[^'}\

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Aachner,
Philipp. A Mittenwalder, 1772; ordinary Ger-

man

characteristics.

Ai-BANi, Mathias, b. about 1621, Botzen (Tyrol) ; d. there 1673. (Seep. 102.)

Abbati, Giuseppe. He worked Modena, according to at

Forster, 1775-93. Thomas. Absasi,

Lived

at

Wakefield, in Yorkshire ; but his name, identical with the birthplace of Stainer, suggests a German origin. Employed by Pickard, of Leeds ; his
labels run:

MilanAlberti, Ferdinando. yellow varnish. Label ese " Ferdinando Alberti, fece in Milano, nella contrada delle pesce al segno della Corona,
:

Aldric.

nelanno 1740-60." Maker and great reLabels: "Fait par pairer. Aldric," or " Rue de Seine,
71, pres celle de Bussy, Ald." ric, luthier, Paris, an. 18 {See p. 174.)

Absam, Wakefield."
1810-49.

" Made by Thomas Date

AcEvo.

Doubtful whether he

Alessandbo.
maker,
Aletzie,
1540.

Venetian
at

Fetis saw a ever existed. bass viol which he connected with his name. It was signed at the back, " Marin Marais," but it is all very shadowy. Adam, Jean Dominique, son of

Paul.
;

Worked

Munich

good tenors

and
type,

violoncellos, 1710-20.

German

Jean Adam.

Both worked at

Successor Allard, Francois. of Maubert, 9 rue du PetitPont, 1788-89. Alvani. a Cremonese maker,
1750.

Mirecourt, according to Vidal; both made bows, and the son made the best, and signed all

he sold himself, 1823-69. Adams, C. Takes rank merely as a local maker at Garmouth, Scotland, 1800. Aguo, Giuseppe dall', of Mantua
;

Amati, Andrea.

The father of the Cremona school, 1525. {SeeChsip. V.) Amati, Antonio, elder son of
Andrea Amati
;

b.

Cremona

varnish bright yellow,

1800-40.

AiRETON (Airton), Edmund, of London. Made good fiddles on the Amati and Steiner models he varnished yellow,
;

about 1560. (See Chap. V.) Amati, Girolamo, second son of Andrea Amati; b. about (/See Chap. V.) 1562. Amati, Girolamo, third son and
successor of Nicola Amati b. Feb. 26, 1649. {See Chap.

1727-1807.

Albanesi, Sebastiano,
to have
his work 1720-44.
239

is

said

lived at
is

Cremona almost unknown,

V.) Amati, Giuseppe. Said to have lived in Bologna, seventeenth century. (See Chap. V.)

" ,; ;

: ; ;

240

OLD VIOLINS
Andrea Araati, is said have worked with him,
C'!''*^

Amati, Nicola, younger brother

of to

took up his business in 1875 at the age of seventeen ; is very

industrious, and makes excelLabels lent instruments. " N. Audinot, luthier, ^l^ve Paris." de Vuillaume, AuGiERE. Pupil of Clement, Paris ; good maker ; red and brown varnish, 1830.

Chap. V. Amati, Nicola, son of Girolarao d. Araati; b. Dec. 3, 1596

1568-80.
;

April 12, 1684, aged eightyeight, according to the registers of Creraona Cathedral.

Ambrogi,

(See Chap. V.) Pietro.

and Rome.

' '

Petrus

Cremona Ambrogi

Crera. fecit Romae, an. 17 Brescian Ambrosi, Pietro. maker; very mediocre, 1712.

Baader, J. a., & Co. Mittenwald wholesale producers on cheapest terms their Stainer
;

copies are good, 1854.

Ambrosio,

Antonio

d'.

Neain

Bachelier. Inferior maker, 1777-89.

French

politan, 1820.

Amelot.

French

maker

Bachmann, Carl Ludwig. An excellent maker of Berlin,

1716-1800;
vioHns,
violas,

yellow varnish ; Lorient ; mediocre, 1812-29. Existence doubtAnciaume.

ful.

and 'cellos often mistaken for Cremonas ; a viola player maker to the Prussian Court
;

Cremona Anselmo, Pietro. and Venice small pattern fair deep yellow varnish maker, 1700.
; ;

Antoniazzi,

BerGregorio. " in labels bear CoUe, 1738." Antonio, Cypriano. Antony, Girolamo. Cremonese pattern ; yellow varnish, 1751.

gamo, 1738

founder of the Berlin Amateur Concerts inventor of screw pegs for double-basses. Bachmann, O. Good maker, of Halberstadt; first-rate repairer wrote on violin con;

struction, 1835. AnBagatella (Bagattella), tonio. Padua ; good restorer;

Ardenois, Johannes.
1731.

Ghent,
cir.

much employed by German princes; made few good instruments, but wrote learnedly on violin construction, 175082.

Artmann.
pupil
nish.

Weimar,
Ernst
;

1760

of

Amati pattern

of Gotha yellow var-

Bagatella (Bagattella),

Pietro.
;

Askey, Samuel. Pupil of John employed by Morrison ; Corsby, cir. 1825. Roman AssALONE, Gaspare.

Padua, 1760-66. Bailly, Paul. Mirecourt fair Chicago Exhibitor, maker

;

1893.

Amati pattern
AuBRY.
;

over-arched

poor yellow varnish. Paris a nephew of with (who dealt Aldric

Tarisio) 1840.
;

London Baines. Furber, 1780. Bairhof, Giorgio.

pupil

of

Naples

school. Bajoni, Luigi. Milanese, 184076.

Gaghano

inferior to his uncle,

Audivot, Nestor Dominique, worked b. at Mirecourt 1842 under Sebastien Vuillaume

;

Baker, Francis. London, 1696. Oxford, 1688Baker, John.

1720; excellent tone; yellow varnish ; transition maker.

; ; ; ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Balestrieri (Balestieri), Pietro, brother of Tommaso.
{See p. 88.)

241

Bausch,

Ludwig Christian. Good bow-maker Naumburg

;

and

Leipsic, 1805-71.

Balestrieri (Balestieri). Tommaso, brother of Pietro. {See

p. 88.)

Bausch, Excellent bow-maker silver medallist, Dresden

friend of Spohr, 1840.

Ballantine. Scotch, 1850-56. Banks, Benjamin, son of George and Barbary Banks, 1727-95.
(;5epp. 130-132.)

Beckmann (Bekman), Sweno.

Stockholm
1700-6.
;

rough

maker,

Bedler, Norbert.
1723.

Wiirzburg,

Banks, Benjamin, second son

of

Benjamin

Banks

(1727-

95), b. Sept. Jan. 22, 1820.

13, 1754; d. {See pp. 130-

Bela, Szepessy. Good contemporary maker worked at Budapest and Munich,

;

132.)

and

is

now in London

copies

Banks,

James and Henry, fourth and sixth sons of 6. Banks (1727-95). {See pp.
130-132.)

Barbanti,

Silva

Francesco.
1850.

A maker at Correggio,
early
1695.

Barbieri, Francesco. Veronese;

Guarnerian
Robert.
;
;

pattern,

Barnes,

Pupil
set

of

Thomas Smith
John

Norris, 1765 Aireton, but used their own trade label. Milanese, Barnia, Fedele.
1716-51.

up with employed

Strad and N. Amati. Bellone, Pietro Antonio, known as II Pescorino, Milanese, 1694. Bellosio, Anselmo. Venetian pupil of Serafino and master of M. A. Cerin, 1720-80. Belviglieri, Gregorio. Fairly good Bolognese maker, 1742. Benedict, Jose. Cadiz, 1738. Benedicti, Donate de. Cre-

mona,

1674.
b. 1579.

Benti, Matteo,

Brescia;
;

very good Paris Baroux. bow-maker, 1830.

;

Barreti',

John.

London

contemporary of Maggini. Beretta, Felice. Como Guadagnini bowschool maker, 1760-85. Berge. Toulouse, 1771. Bergonzi, Benedetto, d. 1840.
;

contemporary of Barak Norman and Nathaniel Cross long and arched pattern sweet tone yellow varnish " John Barrett, at labelled and Crown in Pickathe Harp dilly, London, 1731." Barton, George. London d.
;

{See p. 86.)

Bergonzi,

Carlo.

Cremona

the first of the great Bergonzi family of makers ; b. (?) ; d.

1747.

Bergonzi, Carlo, third son of Michel Angelo. (Seep. 86.) Bergonzi (Baganzi), Francesco. 1687.

cir.

1810.

Named
b.

as early as

Bassot,

Joseph.
; ; ;

Paris

fine

maker

varnish
inferior

brown and reddish earlier yellow and

Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son

of Carlo; 1765.

1722;

d.

after

" Joseph label : Bassot, luthier, Paris, 1802."

Versailles
;

Baud.

experi-

mented omitting sound-bar,

but not a success.

Bergonzi, Nicola, eldest son of Michel Angelo. Bergonzi, Zosimo, brother of

Nicola.

;; ;;

242
Berkardel,
tien

OLD VIOLINS
Auguste
Sebasexcellent
Philippe.

An

maker who worked under Firm Lupot and Gand.

" Bernardel et fils," then et Bernardel " ; Paris (1849) gold medal, London (1855) gold medal.

Paris, 1735BoiviN, Claude. 53 ; fair maker. BoMBERGHi, Lorenzo. Florentine, seventeenth century.

BoME,

Thomas.

Inferior

" Gand

French. William. Booth,

English

Freres. Ernst Bernardel Auguste and Gustave Adol-

phe,

sons

of

Sebastien

1779-1858 ; good repairer. Booth, William, son of W. Booth, senior; b. 1816, Leeds; d. 1856 ; a clever workman.

Philippe.

BoQUAY
Luigi.

(Bocquay),

Jacques,
{See

Bertasio,

Piadena,

b.

at Lyons.

1700-30.

17.
Bertassi, Ambrogio.
1730.

p. 105.)

Piadena,

BoRBON

Bertet,

French Joseph R. maker; little known, 1754. a Paris Bertrand, Nicolas. few early fiddles, 1686-1735. Betts, John Edward, known b. as " Old John Betts "
;
;

(Bourbon), Gasparof sixteenth century Brussels Gaspar model. Andreas, 1730-47 BoRELLi, Parma ; Guadagnini model. BoRLON, Francois. Antwerp

End

1755, at Stamford, Lincolnshire; d. March 1823; was buried at Cripplegate Church; pupil of Richard Duke, senior.
{See p. 132.)

maker, 1680-1710. Boucher. London, 1764. BouLLANGiER, Charlcs, b. 1823,

Mirecourt d. October, 1888. Learnt his trade in Mirecourt till 1843 ; worked with Vuil;

laume and Gand and

nardel,
also
for
;

Ber-

Betts (Ned), Edward, nephew hke him a of John Betts He pupil of Richard Duke. died between 1815 and 1820. Pupil of BiAVCHi, Nicola. Guadagnini, 1800 to 1875; Genoa, Cremona, and Paris fair maker. 1745Gotha, Bivdernagel. 1804 inferior maker. David. Viennese, Bittner,
; ;

Edward

Withers, London ; good copyist of Strad. (Baumecstcr). BouMEESTER

Amsterdam maker, 1637-68. BouRDET, Jacques. Fair French maker, 1751. Jean. Worked in BouRGARD, Nancy about 1780-87. Bruxelles about 1750Boussu.
80
;

fairly

good Amati pat-

1862-80;

made

chiefly

for

tern.

America. Blair, John. Edinburgh, 1820. Blaise, Mirecourt. 1820 ; indifferent.

Braglia, Antonio. Modena, eighteenth century. Brandiguoni. Brescia copied Maggini.

;

Blanchard,
1865-94;

Paul

Fran(;'ois,

Brandl,

worked with J. B. Vuillaume; very good violins; his workmen turn out good follows Strad cheap ones Mirecourt and Lyons.
;

Budapest Karl. exhibited in London Exhibition, 1862.

Branzo, Barbaro Francesco. Padua, 1660. AmsterBremeister, Jan.

BoDio, Giambattista.
1792-1832.

Venice,

dam,

1707.
J.

Breton,

F.

Paris, 1740-80.

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Breton, Le,
court. to 1830.
44.
b.

243
in

1780, at Mire;

Burgle, Johann.
Griezbach, 1828. BusAs, Domenico.
1740.

maker

No

great value

1812

Vicenza,

Broschi, Carlo.

Parma, 1730b. 1755, d.

BussETO
Sept.
del.

Brown, James,
1830. ditch,

Shoreof chiefly a repairer of instruments. Brown, James, jun. , son of the both father and son above b. Nov. 1786 ; fair workmen
Silk
in

weaver
; ;

London Thomas Kennedy

pupil

(Buseto), Giammaria Cremonese viol-maker, 1540-80; said to have taught Andrea Amati.
Paris, 1788.
;

BussoT.

BuTHOD.

maker
fit

Cheap Mirecourt good strong fiddles

;

White Lion Street, Norton Folgate apprenticed to his father, but was principally employed to make bows.
d. 1860, at
;

for orchestral use turned out about 900 instruments a year ; contemporary of Vuillaume.

Cabroli, Lorenzo.
1716
;

Milan about about

in

Brown, son and pupil of James When about Brown, jun.

twenty years
old, ceased

indiff"erent.

Cabroly.
1740-47;
1677.

Toulouse
fair.

to

make
don,

instruments.
Cornhill,

Caeste, Gaetano.

Cremona

Browne, John.
1743
;

Lon-

copied Nicholas
b.

Caesto (Caesta), Pietro Antonio della.

Araati.

Treviso, 1660-80;

Brubach, Antoine,
1847,

Mirecourt;

" Klein et Cie. ," Brugere, Charles Georges, b. Nov. 10, 1865, at Mirecourt; only labels excellent maker what he makes himself. Brugere, Charles Malakoff, d. Son of above made 1894. about 100 good fiddles the family still work at Mire;

head Rouen.

Jan. 22, of

copied Strad. Cahusac. London about 1788. Worked with Banks's sons. Caxcani (Calcagni), Bernardo. In Genoa, 1710-50 copied Strad carefully and with good
;

effect.

Caxonardi, Marco. Cremona, seventeenth century.

court.

Brugere, Francois, brother of Charles Joseph Brugere. Had

three sons,
all

makers.
(Buchstetter),

Calot (Callot), b. 1810. Paris and Mirecourt; fine workman: good tone. Calvarolla, Bartolommeo, of Torre Baldone (Bergamo). About 1753-67, Bologna and

Buchstadter
;

Bergamo
50

fair.

Ratisbon, David. Gabriel Cremona flat pattern ; 1752 good orchestral instruments. Some of Budiani, Giavetta. his large bass viols adapted for double-basses with four strings contemporary of G. P. Maggini. Pier FranBuonfigliuoli, cesco. Florentine, seventeenth century.
;

Camili.1, Camillus (Camilus di Camila). Mantua about 1739;

copied Strad
;

resembles

also Landolfi

excellent tone.

Camillio,
1755.

Davido.

Cremona,
(GofFredo),

Cappa,

Giofredo
;

1590-1640.

Worked

with the

unequal in work ; his instruments have often been

Amatis

cut down.

244

OLD VIOLINS
Florence, Cati, Pier Antonio. famous for his " kits." 1741
;

Cappa, Giachimo (Gioacchino) and Giuseppe. Working in Saluzzio, and in Turin about
1661-1712 ; indiiferent. Carcassi, Lorenzo Francesco and Tommaso. Florence, about 1735-58 ; not first-rate. Carlo, Giuseppe. Milan, 1769.

Cavalorio. Geneva, 1725. Cellini, Giovanni, the father

of

Benvenuto
;

Cellini,

b.

in

Florence

there of the pest, 1527 or 1528. Architect; lute

d.

and

viol

maker.

His

viols,

Carlomordi, Carlo.
1654.

Verona

in

Caron.

Versailles,

1775-85.
;

Maker

to

the

Queen

not

1500-5, great reputation. Celoniati (Celionati), Francesco, 1732. Good

;

made about

had a

Giam
maker;

remarkable.

Carter, John.

Worked in Lon-

don, 1780-90, for John Betts. often sold for Betts'. ; (Cassini), Antonio. Casini Modena about 1660 to 1700. Made large violoncellos ; fair. Venice Caspan, Giarapietro. about 1650 Amati pattern ; violins small, yellow varnish. Cassanelli, Giovanni. Ciano

Good

Amati pattern yellow varnish. "Joannes Franciscus Taurini, anno 1732." A Cerin, Marc Antonio. maker in Venice, 1780-93; pupil of Anselmo Bellosio
fair maker. Ceruti, Enrico, son of Giuseppe Ceruti; b. 1808; d. Oct. 20,

in 1777.

Cremona, at 14 Via Borgo Spera made about 365 instruments much esteemed
1883.
;

Cassineau.
all sorts.

Paris

maker of
in

in Italy.

Ceruti,
(Castagneri),
Paris,

Castagnery
Andrea.

Worked

Giovanni Battista, Cremona; d. 1817. Pupil good ; of Lorenzo Storioni

1755,
;

1732-57 ; he made good instruments. Castagnery (Castagneri), Gian maker from CrePaolo. mona, who worked in Paris about 1630-62; very good and sweet tone. Castellani, Luigi, son of Pietro Florence, 1809Castellani. 84 good restorer of fiddles, but made none. Castellani, Pietro, b. Florence, second half of the eighteenth century. Made only a

made about

500 instruments varnish yellow.

Ceruti,
1787
;

Giuseppe, son and successor of Giovanni Battista,

d. 1860,
;

Mantua.

Fair

maker
in

chiefly repairer.

Challoner, Thomas.

Worked

London

in the eighteenth

century.

Champion, Jean Baptiste. Paris

in 1783.

few

violins.

Champion, Rene. Paris, 1731 finished and graceful varnished like Boquay. Chanot, Franyois, son of a
;

Castello, Paolo.
1750-80;
fair.

Genoa about

Worked in Venice, Castro. indifferent ap1680-1720; pearance, but good wood.

Catenar
Turin
(Catenari),

Enrico.
fair;

about 1670; follower of Cappa,

musical instrument maker in Mirecourt; b. 17S7, d. 1828. {Seep. 112.) Chanot, Georges, a brother of Francois ; b. March 26, 1801 d. Jan. 10, 1883. Chanot, Georges, son of Georges Chanot.

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Chanot, G. a.

245
at

Chappuy
;

Manchester. (Chapuy), Nicolas Augustin. Paris about 1732fairly good 76 badly varnished. Fr. Habeneck played on one of his violins for many
;

Clark.

London,

living

Clerkenwell. Matthew Furber.

pupil

of

Claudot, Augustin. Paris, beginning of eighteenth century ; large pattern, yellow varnish ; wood good, work
carefully

years.

Chardon, Marie Joseph, sonin-law and pupil of Georges

Chanot, sen.
Paris.
;

finished;

his instruments with his

branded name,
;

b.

May 22, 1843,

his

He

succeeded

father-in-law in 1872 ; maker ; better restorer.

good

"Augustin Claudot." Claudot, Charles. Paris but probably came from Mirecourt
;

indifferent.

Chardon, Marie Joseph Antoine Georges. Worked under

his father.

Clement.

Paris, about 1815-40, in the rue des Bonnes-Enfants; a good deal sought after.

Charle. Paris in 1748. Charles, Theress. From Mirecourt, but settled in London, in King Street, Soho. Charotte. Mirecourt ; d. 1836
;

CoFFE-GoGUETTE.
tone.

Mirccourt, 1834; excellent maker; fine

Cole,
pupil

James,

Manchester

settled in indifferent.

Rouen
Francois.

in

1830

Chatelain,
1777-91
ault.
;

About
;

good maker

colla-

borated sometimes with Ren-

Cheron, Nicolas.
91.

Paris, 1658-

of Tarr and George Crask, 1858. Cole, Thomas. London about 1672-90 good tenor maker. Collier, Samuel. London, at " Corelli's Head" on London Bridge, about 1750-55. Collier, Thomas. London,
;

1775.

Cherpitel,

Mirecourt, worked with the Gands at Paris ; very

Nicolas 1811-93;

Emile.

good workman. Chevrier, Andre Augustin,

in Mirecourt. Paris, in Brussels, 1838.

b.

and then
LonParis,

Collin, Claude Nicolas. Mirecourt ; d. 1864 ; pupil of N. F. Vuillaume, Brussels. Colon-Mezin, Charles Jean Baptiste, son of C. N. Collin. Mirecourt, 1841-89 excellent
;

Chiavellati, Domenico.
igo in 1796.

maker and restorer good Strad and Amati copyist.

;

Chiron, Jean Robert.

1775-85; indifferent.

Chiocchi

(Chiocci),

Gaetano.

In Padua nineteenth century ; good maker and repairer.

CoLLiNGwooD, Joscph. Worked in London about 1760, at the " Golden Spectacles " on London Bridge. Contreras, Joseph, 1710-80. Madi-id or " Granadino";beautiful Strad copyist has passed
;

Chretien

Hippolyte, 1845-89.
excellent

for Strad.

Lyons

maker and About

Contreras,

son

of

Joseph

restorer.

Christa, Joseph Paul.

1730-40.

Conway,

Contreras. William.

London
Filippo.

Christophle, Jean.
1655.

Avignon,

about 1745-50. CoRDANo, Jacopo Genoa about 1774,

246
CoRNELu,
1702.

OLD VIOLINS
Carlo.

Cremona,

CoRSBY, George. London ; believed to be a brother of Corsby of Northampton. CoRSBY. Northampton about
1780
;

maker) better restorer than maker. Darche, Nicholas. Aix-la;

Chapelle.

David.
Pierray;

Paris

contemporary of about 1730

chiefly

made

double-

indifferent.

basses.

Costa, Agostino. Brescia and Venice in the seventeenth century. Costa, Marco della. Treviso,
Costa,
1660-80. Pietro
in fair

Davidson, Hay. Huntly, 1870. Davis, Richard. London employed by Norris and Barnes ; but when Norris died in 1818, he succeeded to the business.
;

He knew
Antonio
della.

little

of violin-mak-

ing,

and always

remained

Treviso about 1740-65 ; Amati model. CousiNEAU, 1753Georges, 1824. In 1788 was entitled " Luthier de la reine " ; made all sorts of instruments.

Worked

more of a dealer in, than a maker of, instruments. Davis, William. London (in 1846 sold business to Edward
Withers) restored violins ; Maucotel worked for him. Day, John. Ingenious amateur maker, devoted to reproduction of Cremonas, nineteenth century. Dearlove, Mark. Leeds, 1812;

Cramond,
in

Charles.

maker
in

Aberdeen, 1821-34. Crask, George. Worked

various places, Salford, Manchester, etc. ; prolific worker

Italian pattern.

20.

Cross,

Nathaniel.

London

Dearlove, Mark William, son

Leeds, of Mark Dearlove. 1828-62 employed good workmen Absam, Gough, Fryer.

about 1700-51.

(See p. 125.)

Crowther, John, 1755-1810. He worked occasionally for John Kennedy.

CucHET, Gaspard, 1729. CuNAULT, Georges, b. 1856, Paris; Miremont, 1874-82; a

Decombe

De Comble). (not Paris, eighteenth century.

Comble,
Ambroise,
;

De

b.

at

good workman. CuNY. Paris about 1740. CuTHBERT. Maker of viols and violins in London, seventeenth
century fair. CuYPERs, Johannes. Hague about 1779.
;

Tournai, Belgium, end of the seventeenth century worked till 1760; said to have been a pupil of Antonio Stradivari at Cremona instruments
;

The

scarce, well made, of excellent wood, and have a rich tone.

Deconet, Michele. 1742-79 about

;

Venice

Cremona

Daniel.
56
;

Antwerp about 1636two specimens in Antin

school.

Defresne, Pierre. Rouen, 1730.

werp Cathedral. Daniel, Charles. Marseilles

1762.

Dehaye

Dahche,
(a

C.

F.

Brussels
F.

was

a pupil of N.
brother

Vuillaume
Parisian

(Deshayes), nephew and only pupil of Salomon, 1775-1825, Paris more dealer than maker sold all sorts. Successful Dehommais, 1870.
;
;

of the

amateur maker.

: :

"

; ;;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

De Lannoy,
1740-75
1754.
;

247
ex-

N.J.

Lille

about
Paris,

bridge,
cellent.

about

1750-80;

fair

maker.

Delanoe, Pierre Jean.

DiDELiv,
1765-75

Delanoix.
1760
;

Brussels

about

DiDioN,

Joseph. Nancy, poor maker. Gabriel. Mirecourt

;

good maker.
1808
;

d. 1881.

Delany (Delaney), John. Dublin in egotist,

DiEHL

an original 1808. Label bears " Made by John Delany, in

(or Diel, as it was originally spelt), Friedrich, son of Nicolaus Diehl ; 1814-67;
;

order to perpetuate his memory in future ages. Dublin, 1808. Liberty to all the world, black and white." Delau, Lucien, 1836-48. On the death of Charotte he joined Jeandel in violinmaking, and they continued the business at Rouen. Dennis, 1795-1855. Jesse, London apprenticed to John Crowther, 1805; worked under Matthew Furber. Derazey, J. Mirecourt; successor to J. Nicolas, jun. sold
; ;

Darmstadt fair. Diehl (Diel), Heinrich, a son of Johann Diehl. Diehl (Diel), Jacob, son of
Nicolaus Diehl ; d. 1873 ; Bremen in 183'!, then Hamburg. Diehl (Diel), Johann, a brother of Nicolaus Diehl. Mayence. Diehl, Martin. Mayence, eighteenth century ; work
poor.

Diehl
to

(Diel), Nicolaus, b. 1779,

d. 1851.

Son of Martin Diehl, whose business he suc(Diel),

ceeded.

Diehl
he

his fiddles

made good cheap

;

d. 1876.
;

Was

Nicolaus Louis, a son of Jacob

ones, from 5 to 150 francs

prolific firm.

Diehl worked in published a

Hamburg
work
viol-maker

on

Deroux, Sebastien. Mirecourt and Paris b. 1848 making in 1898 good restorer best Signs Cremona models. "A. S. D." Paris, Deschamps, Claude.
; ;
;

Italian violin-makers,

Dieulafait.

Paris in 1720. DiNi, Giambattista.

Lucig-

nano

in 1707.

1783-85.

Desjardins. Caen, 1763. Despons, Antoine. Paris about 1610; rare, but not very good. Desrousseau. Eighteenth
century.

DiTTON. London about 1700. In Thomas Britton's Collection was a " good violin by
Ditton.

DoDD, Edward,

b.

1705, Shef-

field; d. 1810, London, at the age of 105. First bow-maker lived in of this name.

He

Devereux, John. He worked Simon Fendt in with B. London migrated to Mel;

Salisbury Court, Fleet Street buried in St Bride's Church. DoDD, James, second son of

bourne.

Dickensok

Ed(Dickinson), ward. Strand, London, about 1750-90; Stainer model; inferior.

b.

Edward. Also made bows. DoDD, James, son of James Dodd, sen. ; was a good bowmaker.

Dickeson (Dickson), John,

in Stirling.

DoDD, John, eldest son of Edward Dodd; b. 1752, {See

p. 116.)

London and Cam-

248
DoDD,

OLD VIOLINS
Duke, Richard, son of Richard Duke. DuLFENN, Alexander. Leghorn in 1699. DuMENiL, N. Paris, 1786.
DuMESNiL, Jacques. Paris about 1655-60. DuNCAX, Aberdeen, 1762. Duncan, George. Glasgow,
1887.

Thomas, third son of Dodd. Employed Bernhard Fendt and Lott; proud of his varnish an allround man, and dealer in all

Edward

sorts of instruments cellos fetch '50.

violon-

DoDD, Edward and Thomas, sons of Thomas Dodd, sen. Both learnt from Bernhard Fendt, and carried on the
business at St Martin's Lane. DoMiNicELLi (Domincelli). Ferrara, 1695-1715 ; studied in Brescia ; copied the Amati pattern ; varnish of a golden
colour.

DuRFEL(Diirfell), J. G. Altenburg, double-basses 1778 ;

excellent; violins very arched ; muddy dark brown varnish. Du RiEz, Nicolas. good

French maker
1663.

Abbeville,

DosnxicHiNo, Giuseppe.

VerEberle, Johann Ulrich. Prague about 1730-60; good Cre-

DoNATO,

ona, 1700; Amati pattern. Serafino. Venice,

1410-11.

DoNi, Rocco.
ence, 1600-60
violins.

A priest in
;

Flor-

mona
Eberti,

copyist.

made lutes and

DoPFER (Ddpfer), Nicolaus. Mayence (?) about 1768 instruments well made, slightly
;

Tommaso. Italian maker about 1730-50. Edlinger, Thomas, b. in Bohemia, and was living in Prague
1712-15.

Good.

sound-holes small but well cut, varnish brown. DoRANT, William. Spital;

arched

Egungton.
fair tone.

London

in 1802

Element, Jean Laurent.

in 1783. Elsler (Esler),

Paris

fields, 1814.

DoRFFEL
dreas.

(Dorffel), Johann Anviolin and lute maker in KHngenthal, Saxony, in 1743.

Johann Joseph. Mayence about 1715-30; bass viol maker transition on

;

Drinda,

Giacomo.

Fianzo,

eighteenth century.

Drogmeyer, Hermann August. Bremen wrote a book on

;

verge of the violin. EnLiANi, Francesco de. about 1715-20; fine man ; yellow varnish.
;

Rome
work-

violins, 1891.

Drouleau

or Droulot. 1788-1800.

Paris,

Engleder, Andreas, Munich, 1854 an original designer. Engleder, Ludwig. Bamberg,

1854 ; tone.

German

pattern

fair

Drouyn, Dimanche. Paris. DucHERON, Mathurin. Contemporary of Boquay, working in Paris in 1714.

Ernst, Franz Anton, b. Dec. 3, 1745, Georgenthal, Bohe-

mia
say

player

DiTiFFOPRUGCAR (DuiiFoproucart), Gaspard, 1514. {See

Stradivari pattern,

and maker and some

Stradivari

approached

tone.

Duke, Richard.
1750-80.

London about

Eulry-Clement.
1800.

Mirecourt,

(Seep. 132.)

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

EuRY. About 1810-30, Paris an excellent bow-maker, 1820. He was working at 20 rue des Lyonnais - Saint - Jacques in 1820. His bows are justly celebrated, and are thought to
;

249
Budrio

Ferrari,

Agostino.

(Italy), eighteenth century.

Ferrari, Alfonso.
dena), 1738. Ferrari, Carlo.
1740.

Carpi (Mo-

Sienna

in

rival even those of Francois Tourte. He generally marked them with his name. Evangelist I. Florence, eighteenth century. Evans, Richard. London about

Feury
son
-

or
in
-

Ferry,

Francois,

law of Leclerc the Paris about violin -maker.

1750-60; violins small pattern, the sound-holes small, varnish red, work good. FicHTL, Martin. Vienna. 175057 ; careful in wood and varnish. FicKER, Christian. Johann

1742-50.

Eve, Jacques. German model, arched brown varnish good

;

workman.
Fabris, Luigi. Venice in nineteenth century. Facini, Agostino. monk at Bologna, 1732-42 ; delicate workman yellow varnish. Falaise. French follower of Pique ; Cremona pattern ; yellow varnish. Farinato, Paolo. Venice about 1700-30 fair maker, Sera-

Cremona, 1720-22
style.

German

Johann Gottlieb. Cremona about 1788-89. FiKER, Johann Christian. Neu,

FIcKER

kirchen (Saxony), eighteenth century. Ferrara, FioRiLLo, Giovanni. German and Italian 1780 are patterns ; violoncellos
;

best.

fino pattern.

Febbre, Amsterdam in 1762. Fendt, Bernhard. (Seep. 132.) Fendt, Bernhard Simon. (^See
p. 132.)

FioRiNi, Giuseppe, son of Raffaele Fiorini, b. 1867. Excellent maker. Fiorini, Raffaele, b. at Pianoro. Worked at Bologna.

Fendt, Francis, fourth son of Bernhard Fendt. (See p. 1 32. Fendt, Francois, best known in France as Fent. Fendt, Jacob, third son of Bernhard Fendt. Fendt, Martin, second son of Bernhard Fendt. Fendt, William, second son of Bernhard Simon.
Ferati, Pietro. Sienna, 175464 ; poor maker. Feret. a pupil of Medard Paris, 1708 good maker. Ferguson, Donald. Huntly, Aberdeenshire. Ferguson & Son. Edinburgh, beginning of the nineteenth century.
; ;

Firth, G. Leeds, 1836 ; pupil of William Booth, sen. FiscER, Carlo and Giuseppe, brothers. Milan about 176064
;

inclined to

German

style,
d.
5,

but good varnish. Fischer, Anton, b. 1794, 1879. Vienna. Fischer, Zacharie, b. Nov.
1730,

Wurzburg;
;

d.

there

Nov. 27, 1812 first began baking his wood to age it;
his violins are still liked. Fi-EURi (Fleury), Jean FranParis, 1783-85. cois. Fleury, Benoist. Paris, 1751-

91 fair maker. Florenus (Florinus),

;

tus or Florentus.

GuidanBologna

250
about 1700-60
class.
;

OLD VIOLINS
far

from

first-

FoNCLAUSE, Joseph "Le Mayeux"), b.

la

Conte;

d.

(called 1800, a 1865, Paris.

Furber, Henry John, son and pupil of John Furber. Furber, James, first son of

Matthew Furber,
Furber,

sen.

Mirecourt, and employed by

Vuillaurae.

John, third son of Matthew Furber, sen. Furber, Matthew, sen., son of

FoRCHEviLLE,

J.

Baptistc.

Early pochette-maker.

David Furber. Furber, Matthew, second son

of

FoRSTER (Foster or Forrester), John, b. Kirkandrews, on the

Esk. FoRSTER, Simon Andrew, son of William Forster (17641824).
(Sfiep. 126.)
d. 1801.

Matthew Furber,

sen.

Gabrielm, Antonio. Florence, 1760 good violins.

;

Forster, William, son of John

Forster; b. 1713-14; {Seep. 126.)

Gabrielli, Bartolorameo. rence about 1730. Gabrielli, Cristoforo.

rence, 1730.

FloFlo-

Forster,
p. 126.)

Forster"), Forster (1713-1801).

("Old William son of William

{See

Gabrielli, Giovanni Battista. Florence, 1740-70 good tone, excellent wood, yellow var;

nish ; his violoncellos altos considered best.

and

Forster,
Forster Forster
p. 126.)
"),

William ("Young son of William

(1739-1808).
{See

Gaetano, Antoniazzi, b. Aug. 7, 1825, Cremona; good maker, has gained medals of honour his sons, Ricardo and Romeo,
;

Forster, William, eldest son of William Forster, 1764-1824.

{Seep. 126.) Cremona, Fraiser, Giorgio. for Nicola 1666; worked
Araati.

work with him.

Gaffino, Giuseppe.

An

Italian,

worked

in

Paris,

1745-83;

careful maker.

Gagliavo (Galiano), Alessandro, b. 1640.

{Seep. 89.)

Franc K.
Fravkland. employed
Forsters.

Ghent,

1800-30;

Gagliano,

chiefly a clever repairer.

London, 1785 by the William

Jean.
;

Frebrunet,
1750-60 ; good varnish.

Paris

maker yellow

Fritsche

Leipzig, 1787

Samuel. (Fritzche), pupil of C. H. ;

Hunger
pairer.

good maker (Crefine

re-

mona model) and

Fryer, Charles.
Leeds, 1830-40. David. Furber,

London and
Pupil
of

of son Giovanni, grandson of Nicola. {See " Raffaele Gagliano.") Gagliano, Ferdinando, eldest son of Nicola, grandson of Alessandro. {Seep. 89.) Gagliano, Gennaro, second son of Alessandro, brother of Nicola; b. about 1680, at Naples ; He was the best d. 1750. maker of this family. Gagliano, Giovanni, fourth son of Nicola, nephew of the great Gennaro d. 1806.

Antonio,

Gagliano, Giuseppe and Antonio, second and third sons

of Nicola
;

John Johnson (1750-60), maker in London. {See

234.)

a
p.

lived at Naples.

Gagliano, Nicola, eldest son of Alessandro b. about 1675,

;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

at Naples ; d. there about 1745. Gagliano, RafFaele and Antonio.sons of Giovanni,grandsons of Nicola. Gaillard-Lajoue, J. B. Mircd. about 1870 ; first court an apprentice and then first workman in the workshop of
;

251

tern
nish.

plain wood, yellow var-

Garenghi, Giuseppe.
1857.

Brescia,

Gasparo da Salo, son of Francesco Bertolotti,

p. 30.)
b. 1542.

{See

Gatpanani.
90.

Piedmont,
Enrico.

1785-

Gand
1740.

fair

maker.

Gattinari.
1670-75.

Turin,

Gairoud, Louis.
Galbani,
1640.
Piero.

Nantes about
Florence
in

Galbicellis, G. B.
1757.

Florence,

Galbusera,

Antonio. Carlo Follower of Chanot made a guitar-shaped model , violins much praised, but little known
;

Gattinari, Francesco, son of Good Enrico Gattinari. maker, 1700-5; red varnish. Gautrot. Mirecourt, 1855. Gavinies (Gavanies), Fran<;ois. 1700-63, Bordeaux; 1730
Paris,
63.
lins,

and was

living in

Rue

St-Thomas-du-Louvre, 1734-

now. Piedmont, 1790. Galerzena. rue Paris, Galland, Jean. St-Honore, about 1744-50. Galram, Joachim Joseph. Lisbon in 1769. Gand, Charles Adolphe, eldest son of Charles Francois Gand;
b,

Unequal maker of viosome cheap and poor,

others very superior.

Gedler, Johann Anthony and Johann Benedict. Fussen, Bavaria, about 1750-96. Poor
violins.

Geisenhof (Geiffenhof, Geigenhof), Franz, b. 1754

;

d. 1821. b.

Dec. 11, 1812, Paris;

d.

Jan.

Fairly good.

24, 1866.

Gemunder, August,
eldest
;

1814,

Gand, Charles Fran9ois,

son of Charles Michel
b.

Gand

Wiirtemberg d. Sept., 1895, New York. Excellent maker,

fine copyist.

Aug.

5,

1787,

Versailles.

{See p. 108.)

Gand, Charles Michel,

the

head

Gemunder, George, brother of August Gemunder, b. 1816

in

of the Gand family; b. 1748, at Mirecourt; d. 1820, Versailles.

Wiirtemberg.

Germain, Eraile, son of Joseph Louis Germain. Turin, 187088.

Gand, Charles Nicolas Eugene,

second son of Charles Francois Gand; b. at Paris; d. Feb.

Studied

at

Mirecourt.

Prolific

maker, good varnish,

b.

June

5, 1825, 1892, 5,

fair tone, fine repairer.

Germain, Joseph Louis,

23,

July

Boulogne-sur-Seine.

Gand, Guillaume, second son of Charles Michel Gand, 17921858.

Mirecourt, 1868; worked with F. Gand family and B. Vuillaume. Excellent

1822,

maker and
Geroni,
Italy,
ferior.

repairer.

Garani (Garana),Michelangelo. A maker in Bologna about

small value. Fair 1700. Garani, Nicola. instruments, Gaghano pat1680 to 1720
;

Domenico. Ostia, about 1800-20. InBologna,

Gherardi, Giacomo.
1677.

252
Ghidini, Carlo.
1746.

OLD VIOLINS
Parma, about
Milan,
varnish
;

arched pattern vioParis,

lin excellent.

GiANOLi,
1731.

Domenico.

GoNNET, Pierre Jean.

1775-83.

GiBBS, James. London, 1800-45. Was employed by J. Morrison, George Corsby, and Samuel
Gilkes.

GossELiN. An amateur in Paris about 1814-30. GossET. Rheims, 1769. Gouvernari, Antonio.

maker
Cre-

GiBERTiNi,
1830-33.

Antonio.

Parma,

Stradivari pattern.

mona, 1600-10. Grabensee, J. A.

about 1850-55.

Diisseldorf,

Employed by Paganini as a
GiGLi,
repairer. Julio 1730-62.
1700.

Cesare.

Rome,
Metz,

Gragnani, Antonio. Leghorn, about 1741-80. Rough workmanship; inferior wood; sweet
tone.

Gilbert, Nicolas Louis.

Gragnani, Gennaro.
1730.

Leghorn,

Gilbert, Simon, son of Nicolas Louis Gilbert. Metz, about

1737.

Gragnani,
Gragnani.
father.

son

of

Antonio
to
his

Inferior

Gilkes,

1787-1827. Samuel, Morton Pinkney, NorthampLondon. Worked tonshire. Forster (1764for William
1824).

Grancino, Francesco and Giam Battista, sons of Giovanni and grandsons of Paolo Grancino.
1710-60.
(See p. 90.)

Nicola Amati pattern

clever maker.

Gilkes, William, son of Samuel

Gilkes, about 1811-75, in

Grancino, Giovanni, son of Paolo Grancino. Milan 16901730.

Grey

Coat Street, Tothill Fields, Westminster, London. Prolific

Grancino, Paolo.

Worked

at

Milan, 1665-90. Pupil of Nicola

maker

chiefly

double

Amati at Cremona.

basses.

Grand-Gerard.
1790-1810.

GioFFREDA, B.

Turin, in 1860. Giordano (Giordane), Alberto.

1735-40. GioRGi, Nicola. Turin, 1745. GiRANiANi. Leghorn, 1730. GiRON. {See " Villaume.") Giuliani. Cremona, 1660.

Vosges, Also Paris. Prosen.

Cremona, about

lific but inferior. Geronimo, Grandini,

Mirecourt.

Some
J.,

merit.

Grandjon, Grandjon,
jon, sen.

sen.

Mirecourt. son of GrandFair Mirecourt.

Banff-

Pupil of Nicola Amati. GoBErn, Francesco. Venice, 1705. A pupil of Antonio Stradivari.

maker.

Gray,

J.

Fochabers,

shire, Scotland, in 1870.

Alleged fine wood,

Gheffts,

Johann.

Fussen,

varnish,
nio.

and

GoFFRiLLER

tone, (Gofrilcr),

Bavaria, in 1622.

Anto-

Gregori.

Venice, 18th century. VeGoFFRiLLER, Franccsco. Fair maker ; yellownice.

Grimm,
best

Bologna, 1793. Carl, b. about 1 792 One of the d. 1855, Berhn.

German makers.
Florence in

brown

varnish.

GoFFRiLLER, Mattco.

Veuicc,

Grimm, Ludwig, son of Carl Grimm.

Griseri, Filippo.
1650.

1690-1740. Careless in wood but careful in work; yellow

; ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Grobitz, a.

253
about

Warsaw

in 1750.

GuARNERi, Andrea,

b.

Good

violins

on the Stainer

pattern.

Groll,

Matthew.

Meran,

Tyrol, in 1800. R o s s E T, Paul Francois. Paris. 1747-59. Pupil of Claude Pierray. Inferior. Grossi, Giuseppe. Bologna in
1803.
1752. Pietro.

1626 at Cremona ; d. there Dec. 7, 1698. (For the Guarneri family, see p. 51.) GuARNERi, Caterina (?), daughter of Andrea.

Grou.
Gruixi,
1883.

GuARNERi, Gian Battista, son of Bernardo, younger brother of Andrea. GuARNERi, Giuseppe, known as " del Gesu," the greatest of
the family.
{See p. 51.)

Cremona,

GuARNERi,

GuADAGNiNi, Antonio, son of Gaetano, grandson of Carlo Guadagnini, b. 1831 d. 1881

;

at Turin.

Guadagnini, Carlo Guadagnini.

1835.

{See p. 86.) Felice, son

of Turin,

Giuseppe Giovan Battista, second son of Andrea, b. Nov. 25, 1666, Cremona; d. soon after 1738. GuARNERi, Pietro, son of Giuseppe Giovan Battista Guarneri, grandson of Andrea, b.
April 14, 1695. 1760. Pietro Giovanni, eldest son of Andrea, b. Feb. 18, 1655, at Cremona ; d.

Francesco and Giuseppe, sons of Antonio Guadagnini. Turin. Guadagnini, Gaetano, son of Giambattista, grandson of Lorenzo. Turin about 1750. Guadagnini, Gaetano. {See " Carlo Guadagnini.")

Guadagnini,

GuARNERi,

GuEdoN
GuERiN,

about 1740. Jacques

,

Antoine.

Paris, 1775-77.

Alexandre

Sauveur,

Guadagnini,
Cremona;
at Turin.
d.

Giambattista, son of Lorenzo, b. 1711 at

Sept. 18, 1786,

1834-88, Hyeres. Pupil and successor of Edrnond Daniel works at Marseilles ; repairs

old

instruments and makes

;

Guadagnini,
tista,

BatGiovanni brother of Lorenzo Guadagnini. Milan, Piacenza, and Turin about 1695-1775.

new ones on the pattern of Stradivari much admired.

GuERRA, Giacomo.
1810.

Modena,

Guadagnini, Giuseppe, second son of Giambattista, grandson of Lorenzo, b. 1736 d. about

;

GuERSAN, Louis. A maker in Paris about 1730-69; one of the best French makers great experimentalist used
;

1805.

spirit varnish.

Guadagnini, Giuseppe. {See " Carlo Guadagnini.") Guadagnini, Gmseppe. {See " Francesco Guadagnini.") Guadagnini, Lorenzo, b. at Piacenza (?) about 1665. A pupil of Antonio Stradivari at Cremona. Germigny, GuARiNi, Joseph.
Vosges. Good violins, double purfle, powerful tone.

Gugemmos (Gugemos). Fussen,

Bavaria. Eighteenth tury ; poor maker.

cen-

Guglielmi, Giobattista.

Cre-

mona,

1747.

GuiDANTUs, Joannes Florenus. Bologna, 1685-1728. GuiDOMiNi, Lorenzo. Milan,

1740,

GuiLLA>n.
1680-1780.

Spanish family,

254
GtrrroN, R.
, of Cork. Nicola.

OLD VIOLINS
Good.
Florence,
nine-

GusETTO,
1730.

GuTERMANN.

Vienna,

teenth century.

Good.

Hart, John Thomas, 1805-74, London. Pupil of Samuel Gilkes made few instruments reputation for experience and skill in repairing.
; ;

H ASSERT.
Was
nish

Haensel, Johann Anton.

maker and musician

to the

Eisenach, eighteenth Good instruments, not much arched, beautifiU wood, amber -coloured varcentury.
;

of Schonburg at Rochsburg, 1800-15. Haff. Augsburg, eighteenth century. Hamberger, Joseph. Pressburg, Hungary. Firm still maker at Vienna.

Duke

Hassert.

Hamm, Johann Gottfried. A German who worked in Rome

about 1810; viohns ivory edged. Hammig, W. H. Leipzig, tenth century good work, Harbour or Harbur. A maker,
;
i,

copyist. brother. Eisenach, Instru1790, in Rudolstadt. ments too much arched; rather harsh tone. Haynes, Jacob. London, 1746. Stainer pattern. Heberlein, Heinrich, jun.

good

Clever maker in Markneukirchen, nineteenth century.

Heesom,
1748-50.

Edward.

London,

London, 1785. Hardanger. Norway. Hardie, James & Sons.

burgh, 1837-90.

Edin-

Industrious

makers and
models.

exhibitors.

Mag-

gini, Stradivari,

and Guarneri

Hardie, Matthew, 1825, and Thomas, 1856. Good violins, violas, and violoncellos on the

Stainer pattern. Heidegger. Passau. Hel, Pierre Joseph, 1842-95. Seven years in Mirecourt, then with Sebastien Vuillaume in Paris, and Nicolas Darche at Aix-la-Chapelle. In 1865 he started his own business at 14 Rue Nationale, Lille full of ingenuity peculiar methods of seasoning
; ;

wood without fire has received much praise and many

;

Amati
1863.

pattern.

honours

Hardie, Peter.

Dunkeld, 1773-

Held,

J.

J., b.

a beautiful maker. July 17, 1823-

Hare, Joseph

Excellent violoncellos. (or John), 1700Reacted against Stainer 30. pattern in favour of Stradivari.

89, Flaraersheim, Rheinbach (Cologne). Great repairer and careful maker of about sixteen instruments a year

London,

]726.

much esteemed.
Hell, Ferdinand. Vienna, 1854. Eccentric maker of a trumpetviolin.

Harham. London, 1765-85. Harmand. Mirecourt in 1772.

Harris, Charles. London, 1780labelled ; his work good, especially 'cellos, Stradivari and Amati pattern ; red varnish. Harris, Charles, eldest son of Charles Harris. Worked for
1800.

Seldom

HELM

c H.

Continued

Carl

Grimm's business. Henderson, D. Aberdeen. Henoc (or Henocq), Fran(,'ois.

Paris, 1775-89.

Henoc (Henocq), Jean (?Georges

Bienaime). Maker, Paris, 1768
to

John Hart, nineteenth century;

yellow varnish.

about 1790.

; ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Henry. Paris. Henry, Carolus, son of Jean
1803-59 inventor of a barytone fiddle (not a success); a good maker otherprolific

255

Baptiste

Henry,
;

William, Joseph, Lockey, and Benjamin, were all makers. Hill, William, son of Joseph
Hill.

maker

Worked

in

London

about 1740-80. Hill, William Ebs worth, son

of
95.

wise.

Henry, Eugene, son of Charles

lent

Henry Lockey Hill, 1817The present members of

:

Henry, 1843-92; an excelmaker of fine repairs business continued by Charles

Bruyere.

Henry, Jean
of
the

Baptiste, b. 17571831, Mataincourt, Mirecourt (Vosges). He was the head

present

family

of

makers.

Henry, Jean
eldest son

Baptiste Felix, of Jean Baptiste

Paris.
;

the firm are his four eldest sons William Henry, b. June 3, 1857, followed the musical profession for some years before joining his brothers in the business ; Arthur Frederick, b. Jan. 1860 25, Alfred Ebsworth, b. Feb. 1862, who worked for some time at Mirecourt (Vosges), and was the first Englishman to go there
;

Henry.

1793-1858.

to study
b.

and Walter Edgar,

4,

Pupil of his father in Bordeaux, 1822; in Marseilles, 1825. In 1844 he returned

to Paris.

Nov.

1S71,

who

also

prolific

maker,

worked at Mirecourt. They employ a large staff of assistants in their workshops at

Hanwell. {Seep. 133.) HiRcuTT. London about 1600.

but never signed. Henry, Octave, son of Jean

Baptiste Felix Henry. 1826Paris. In Grenoble in 1854 ; made a great many vioHns.
54.

HocHBRucKER.
Bavaria,
1699.

Donauworth,
Later
at

Augsburg.

Henry.

violin

bow-maker

1812 at Mirecourt; 1870, Paris ; worked with Chanot; made excellent bows. HiLDEBRANDT, Michacl Christopher. Hamburg, 17ti5-1800 ;

but is inventor of pedals harp, about 1720.

Made some violins, chiefly known as the

for

the

HoHNE.
75.

Dresden and Weimar.

b.

HoRLEiN, Carl Adam,

Winkelhof,
reputation

1829as

Wurzburg
both

great

good work

fine repairer.

Hill, Henry Lockey, son

of

Lockey
Joseph
1835.
p. 133).

Hill ; grandson of Hill; b. 1774 ; d. Aug. (For Hill family see

maker and repairer. Hoffmann, Anton. Courtmaker in Vienna, 1850. Hoffmann, Martin. Leipzig,
1725 in Leipzig from about 1685 violins and violoncellos of good tone, inelegant pattern shows well the transition period between viol and violin by recurrence to older types of a five-stringed violon; ; ;

Red Lion Street, Holborn, 1794. Hill, Joseph, b. 1715 ; d. 1784.

Hill, John.

He was a fellow-apprentice of Banks, working at "Ye Harp and Hautboy," in Piccadilly, London, under Peter
Wamsley,
about
1772.

cello.

1740-42.

HoFMANs, Matthias. Antwerp, 1700-50; choice maker in the

Worked

till

His sons,

Cremona

style.

; ,

"

256
HoLLOWAY,
1794.

OLD VIOLINS
John.
F.
;

London.
Kuttenberg,

HoMOLKA,

maker of instruments " pour la musique du Roy. HussoN. See " Buthod."
IvRONTiGNi,
Jacobs,

Bohemia, 1850

good maker,
WougeUi.
Turin.

but wood rather too thick. Hopkins. Worcester ; exhibited a double-bass in London
in 1862.

Peeter.
;

Amsterdam,
;

about

1690-1740

prolific

HoRiL, Giacomo.
50.

Rome,

1720-

HoRNSTEiNER

(Homstainer)

Joseph. Mitten wald, 1730; good double-basses ; mediocre.

HoRNSTEiNER

(Homstainer),

Maker in MittenMathias. wald, 1770-1800; better than Joseph.

HosBORN, Thomas Alfred.
don, 1629.

sometimes mistaken for Nicola Amati ; grand pattern whalebone purfling ; sweet tone. Jacobs. Amsterdam; probably son of Peeter used dark red varnish of good quality. Jacot, a., eldest son of Jean
; ;

maker

Charles. Paris, 19th century. Jacot, Jean Charles. Metz,

1811-87.

Lon-

bass viol ex-

Jacquot
1804-80.

(Jacquart),

Charles,
;

hibited in Paris, 1878. Paris, 1775-90; HuET, Henri.

Mirecourt
;

much

good workmanship. Prague in 1760 HuLiNSKi. instruments were well made

varnish red-brown.

a ; learned connoisseur and succareful finish

cessful exhibitor.

esteemed

HuLLER,
1735-76.

August.
b.

ShcEneck,
in

Jacguot, Etienne Charles Albert, eldest son of Pierre Charles Jacquot, b. 1853-82,

Nancy.

HuLSKAMP, G. H.,
phalia.

Settled in New In the 1862 London Exhibition he exhibited violins made on a new pattern. Instead of the ordinary soundholes, was one round hole in the middle of the violin, just below where the bow sets the strings in motion ; his innovations ineffectual. HuMEL, Christian. Nuremberg

WestYork,

Jacquot, Jules Victor, second son of Pierre Charles Jacquot,

b.

U.S.A.

Aug.

12, 1855.

in 1709.

Hunger, Christoph
b.

1718,
;

Dresden;

Leipzig ments.

Friedrich, d. 1787, excellent instruParis, living in

HuREL, Jean.
1686, Rue sign of

des Arcis, at the I'image de St Pierre"; from 1689 to 1717, Martin, near the Rue St

"A

Fontaine Maubue.

He was

Jacquot, Pierre Charles, son of Charles Jacquot; b. March Nancy; had a 10, 1828-94. great reputation, and exhibited beautiful instruments at various Exhibitions ; his two sons worked with him. Jais, Johann. Botzen, 1775 ; varnished brown. J'Anson, Edward Popplewell. Manchester. Learnt from William Booth, jun. Jauch, Johann, b. Gratz, Styria in Dresden, 1765-74. Cremona pattern learned maker; tone rather harsh. Jay, Henry. A maker of viols in London about 1615-67 justly celebrated, and on the verge of the violin period.
;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Jay, Henry. Worked don about 1746-68.
best
in

257

Lonsmall

He was

known
or

for

the

" kits " that he made, which were used by

violins

dancing-masters

also

made

some violoncellos. Jay, Thomas. Working in London from about 1690; made some excellent violins. Jean DEL, Pierre Napoleon,
Courcelles-sousVaudemont(Meurthe), Rouen, and Paris ; red varnish ; good
tone.

KiESGEN, Louis. Paris. Fine workman. Pattern of Gand ; red varnish. KiRscHscHLAO. Tyrol, 1780. Klein, A. In 1884, Rouen. Important firm. Red varnish. High Exhibition awards.
Kloss, Ernst.

Klotz

(KIoz), p. 119.)

Breslau. Egidius.

{See

1812-79.

Johnson, John.
60.

London, 1750-

Jo M

Stainer pattern. bar, Paul, Paris.

He
Berbusi-

worked

nardel ; ness in 1892. JoRio, Vincenzo.

Gand and started his own

for

KroTz, George, son of Mathias andgrandson of Egidius Klotz. Mittenwald, 1750-70. Klotz, Johann Carl. Mittenwald, about 1740-55. Excellent work dark varnish. Klotz, of Joseph, brother George Klotz. Mittenwald, 1774. Also followed the
;

Stainer pattern.

Naples, 1847,

Good.
Joseph, J. Vienna, 1764. JuLiANo, Francesco. Rome,
1620-70.

Klotz, Mathias, son and pupil of Egidius. 1650. His three sons, George, Sebastian, and Joseph, were all makers. Klotz, Michael and Carl, two brothers. Mittenwald about 1770. A great many of the violins with " Stainer " labels
are made by members of the Klotz family. Klotz, Sebastian, a brother of

Kembter. Dibingen, 1725-30. Varnish yellow or reddish neat maker. Kennedy, Alexander. ScotExcellent maker ; high repute ; spirit varnish, brown ; Stainer patland,
1695-1785.
tern.

Kennedy, John. London,

1816.

and George Klotz. 1700-40. The best maker in the family. Large pattern, not nmch arched; varnish is excellent, the tone clear and full. L ij H E u. Markneukirchen,
Joseph

Buried in Shoreditch Church. Pupil of Alexander Kennedy. Violins and violas, all very arched Stainer pattern.
;

Kennedy, Thomas, 1784-1870, London. Son of John Kennedy. Worked sometimes for William Forster ; made at
least 300 violoncellos, as well as other instruments. Good tone, fine finish.

Saxony. Knitting, Philipp. Mittenwald, 1760. Knittle (Knitl), Joseph. Mittenwald, 1790. Meiningen. Knoop, Wilhelm. Stainer pattern ; good. KoEUPPERs, Jean. The Hague,
1755-80.

Well-made

fiddles

Kerlino, Joann. KiAPOssE, Sawes.

burg, 1748-50.

ugly yellow varnish. KoLB, Hans. Bavaria, 1666. Rumburg, KoLDiTz, Johann.

St

Peters-

Bohemia,

and

1796. violas.

Good
1<

violins

258

OLD VIOLINS
Landi, Pietro. Sienna, 1774. Lavdolfi, Carlo Ferdinando.
1740-75. Unequal at his best often mistaken for Joseph or Peter Guarnerius; '50 outside price, but rising in value. Lantez, M. E., son-in-law of Grandjon, sen. Mirecourt. Lanza (Lansa or Lausa), Antonio Maria. Brescia about

KoLDiTz,
1783-99.

Mathias Johann, Munich, 1720-55. KoLiKER, Jean Gabriel. Paris,

Clever repairer.

Milan,

maker

Kramer, H.

Vienna

in 1717.

KR

G G E, Heinrich. Danzig, 1756-58. Maggini pattern, model large size, neat edges and work, and double purI

fling in ink.

Kriner, Joseph.
1785-95.

Mittenwald,

Krupp,

Pierre.

Worked

in

Paris, Rue St Honore, 177791 ; he also made harps.

KllHLEWEIN

UNO

TeTZNER.

in Markneukirchen. Exhibited in Munich, 1854.

Makers

Kontzel. Berlin. He exhibited a quintet of instruments

in London, 1862 lent.
;

followed the patterns 1675 of Gasparo da SaI6 and Maggini ; excellent maker. Lapaix, J. A. Lille (Nord, France), 1840-55. Tried many new shapes with moderate success ; industrious and ingenious. MireLapri^votte, Etienne.
;

tone excel-

KuNTZEL, Laurent. 1790. Hof Bavaria and Breslau, 1815-55. Excellent violins on Itahan
model.
Lacroix, Salomon.
century.

Nineteenth

Lafleur.

London, brother of the Parisian maker. Lafleur, Jacques. A bowmaker in Paris. Excellent disciple of Tourte. Lafleur, Joseph Rend, son of Jacques. 1812-74. Excellent
bow-maker.

court; 1856, Paris. Made good violins ; beautifully finished ; also guitars. Larche. Brussels, 1847. Dyed his fiddles with acids, with usual result of impoverished tone. Larcher, Pierre. Tours, 1785. Pupil of Guersan, Paris, but work dissimilar ; brown varnish of poor quality.

Laska,
Prague.

1738-1805, Joseph. Pupil of J. Kolditz

for best

worked
;

makers

in

Lafranchini,
Worked
Lagetto,
Louis.

Jacobo

de.

for Maggini.

An

Italian

Dresden, Berlin, Vienna, and Briinn his violins popular Saxony, and in Bohemia, Poland. Lauttev, L. W. Tyrol. One " fine and handsome " vioHn

Paris, 1745-53 ; early Italian model. Lambert. Prolific but indiffe-

maker;

known. Lavazza (or Lacasso), Antonio

Maria.

Milan

about 1700;

rent maker.

Lambert, Jean Nicolas.

1743-85.

Paris,
in

Not remarkable.

Lambin. Clever repairer Ghent, 1800-30. Lamy, N. Alfred Joseph.

bow-maker;
court
;

1850-89, excellent.

Mire-

Stradivari pattern ; good varnish, pale red. Lavazza, Santino. Was working in Milan at the same time as Antonio Maria Lavazza. L E b. Pressburg, eighteenth century ; one of the best German makers of his time.

; ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Le Blanc.
worked
century.

25

Family of makers who,through fourgenerations,

in

Paris, eighteenth

Leblanc,

Claude. Mirecourt, eighteenth century. Lecleuc, J. N. Paris, 1760-80 ;

Lenk, W.,b. 1840; 1881,Schonbach bei Eger, Bohemia worked under Kluher in Markneukirchen; then Berlin, Breslau, Vienna finally settled at Frankfort fair maker.
;
;

good maker and repairer, Lecomte (or Fouquet-Lecorate),

Antoine.

Lecuyer,
83.

Paris, 1775-1800. Paris, 1775Pierre.

Lentz (Lenz), Johann Nicolaus. Came from the Tyrol to London friend of Bernhard Fendt varnished like Dodd and J. F. Lott.
;
;

Leduc,

Pierre. Paris, 1647 ; one of the oldest makers there. 1792-1819. Carl. Leeb, J.

Leoni, Carlo. Treviso, 1861. Leoni. Parma in 1816.

Le

PiLEtTR, Pierre.

Paris, 1750-

55.
Leti^;,

Not very good.

Simon,
1
b.

Vienna.

about 1768

Lefebvre (Lefebre), J. B. A Frenchman who worked in Amsterdam, 1735-70 Amati

;

1828

made very cheap, good

;

fiddles for

at one time a

pattern ; yellow varnish. Lefevre (Lefebvre). Toussaint Nicolas Germain. Paris, 178389.

partner of J. B. Vuillaume. Lewis, Edward. London about 1700. An excellent maker'; yellow and red varnish in
;

Thomas

Britton's

collection

Legros de la Neuville, Nicolas. French maker, eighteenth century guitars, violins, and
;

was an " excellent tenor by Mr Lewis " and a " rare good " bass-vioHn.
LiEBicH, Ernst, b. Oct 27, 17961876 ; Stradivari and Guarneri pattern ; he was the father of LiEBicH, Ernst. 1830-84, Breslau.

violoncellos.

Le Jeune. who for

worked
century.

a family of makers
several generations
in Paris
;

nineteenth
Paris,

Le Jeune,
eighteenth

Frangois.
;

Italian

pattern.

His

and

viols

century ; violins not remarkable.

Baptiste.
violins
in

son,

Le Jeune, Jean Made harps and

;

LiEBicH, Ernst. 1862-95, Bresrepairer lau. Excellent makes few, but good ; best
Italian patterns.

eighteenth and nineParis teenth centuries. Le Jeune, Jean Charles. Paris succeeded by his in 1776
;

LiEBicH,

Johann

Gottfried.

1752-1813.

LiEDOLF,

nephew, Guillaume Martin,

in 1822.

Joseph Ferdinand. Vienna eighteenth century.

Le Jeune,
89.

Louis.

Paris, 1783-

LiGNOLi, Andrea. Florence, seventeenth century. English An Lilly, James.

Le

LifcvRE.
;

Paris, 1750-80.

1814-92, Gabriel. Lembock, Budapest worked with Fischer in Vienna ; copied Guar-

maker, 1821. LiNAROLO (Linerolli), Francesco

Giovanni. A family, seventeenth century on the verge of the violin period ; some of their instruments have been
;

nerius

much esteemed.
Jean Baptiste. few instruments.

L'Empereur,
Paris, 1750;

adapted for tenors.

2G0
LiPPETA,
J. G. Saxony, 1771.

OLD VIOLINS
Neukirchen,
1780.

Ltppolt),

Fair

Johann Georg. maker brown

;

var-

Maggini (Magino or Maglino), Gio Paolo. (/See p. 32. Maire, Nicolas. A violin bowmaker in Paris 1800, in Mire;

nish. L01.10, Giambattista.

court;
18th cent.

1878, Paris;

Naples, 1627. LoLY, Jacopo. Pattern of Grancino ; yellow

varnish
tenors.
;

ticed to Jacques Lafleur made excellent bows.

apprenhe ;

Maldonner.
1760.

Fussen, Bavaria,

made

large-sized

Mann, Hans.
His
terns.

Longman

and Broderip, dealers who employed Jay or Benjamin Banks, and labelled

Naples, 1720-50. instruments are rare Stradivari and Guarneri pat-

with their own names. LoRENziNi, Gaspare. Piacenza, eighteenth century. LoTT, George Frederick. 17751853.

Mantegazza (or Mantegatia), Pietro and Giovanni. Two

brothers working in Milan about 1750-1800; they made

Lorr, George Frederick.

1868.

1800-

many good Mantovani.

altos.

Parma,

eight-

LoTT, John Frederick, son of G. F. Lott. (Seep. 219.) LoTz, Pressburg. Theodor.
1730-40.

eenth century. Maratti, Giambattista. rona about 1690-1700.

tone,

Ve-

Good

Good

violins.

Marcelli, Giovanni.
in 1696.

Cremona
Turin,

Louis.

Geneva.
1730-60. bad fiddles, but good
Paris,

LouvET, Jean, brother of Pierre

Louvet.

Marchetti,
nineteenth

Enrico. century.

Good
vio-

Made

hurdy-gurdys and harps. Geronirao LuDici (Ludge),

Pietro. An amateur in Conegliano in 1709.

maker. Marchi. Giovanni Bologna, 1740-95.

loncellos
;

Antonio.

Good
;

maker
in

LiTGLONi, Giuseppe.
1777. Liipo, Pietro.

Venice

and violins viohns high model beautiful maplewood back and sides varnish
;

In Antwerp. 1559 he is said to have sold to a musician sent by the town of Utrecht, " five violins enclosed in their case," for the sum of 72. LiiPOT, Fran^'ois, son of Laurent Lupot. LupoT, Nicolas. The greatest of the family. (See p. 106.

golden yellow. Marco, Antonio. Venice, 1700. Marconcini, Giuseppe. Pupil

of Storioni ; Ferrara, where he died at a great age, 1841
;
;

unequal maker very good sometimes. Marconcini, Luigi. A pupil

of Omobono Stradivari, 1760 ; Ferrara and Bologna ; good workmanship ; pale red varnish.

MacGeorge.
20.

Edinburgh, 1800Dublin,
1830-40. Perry.

Mariani,
;

Macintosh.
Pupil of

Thomas

Maffeotto, Giuseppe.
eighteenth century.

Rome,

Antonio. Pesaro, 1640 to 1700 ; not of much reminds of Maggini, value but rough, purfling double. Marino. Bernardino. Rome.

Worked up

to 1805.

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Maruuis de Lair. Mirecourt, 1800. Violins and violoncellos

261

of

varnish ugly brown ; ; tone bad. Marshall, John. London about 1750-60. Stainer pattern ; work good. Martin. A family of makers
in Paris, chiefly repairers.

work good

Stradivari poor, the

pattern wood not

maker of 1677 lute and viol-maker on verge of the violin. Medard, Antoine,b. 1621. {See
Meares, Richard.
lutes.

London

in

p. 187.)

Medaud, Fran<;ois. Medard, Henri. Medard, Jean. Medard, Nicolas. Medard, Sebastien.
Meiberi, Francesco.
1745-50.

Martin,
Vosges.

Jules.

Germigny,

Leghorn,

Martin. London, 1790-95, who lived at Hermitage Bridge, Wapping. Mast, Jean Laurent. Paris, 1750. His instruments are
well made varnish.
;

Melling. Paris, 1753-71. Mellini, Giovanni. Guastalla,

Italy, 1768.

Meloni, Antonio. Milan, about 1670-95. Followed the Amati

pattern ; his instruments are small, but good tone. Mennegand, Charles. Nancy, 1885. Apprenticed at Mirecourt ; went to Paris and

violins

blackish

Mast, Josephus Laurent, son of Jean Laurent Mast. Mirecourt

;

still

there
his

better than

in 1820; father, but

Amsterdam

not very noteworthy. Maucotel, Charles, brother of Charles Adolphe Maucotel. 1807-60, Mirecourt. Studied

Rambaux
Mennesson, Rheims.

worked with ; returned to Turin;

repairer.

consummate

Emile.

1842-98,

Has

made

2380

under
;

Gand

went

to

Lon-

don excellent tone. Maucotel, Charles Adolphe,

1820-58, brother of Charles. Mirecourt. Apprenticed in

violins ; fine copyist of Stradivari's "Messiah" period;

gold medallist.

Meriotte,

Charles.

Lyons

about 1730-60.

Mirecourt ; went to Paris ; worked under J. B. Vuil-

the Stradivari pattern ; yellowbrown varnish ; good work-

Made on

laume

excellent copyist of

manship.

Stradivari. Maussiell (or Mansiedl), Leonhardt. Nuremberg, 1720-50.

Merlin,
1770-80.

London, Joseph. His violins and his mechanical pegs for violins

Mayr

Stainer pattern ; very good. (Maier), Andreas Ferdinand. Salzburg, about 174080. Is said to have made the small violin on which Mozart learned to play.

Mayson, Walter H.
in

maker

violoncellos at first the vogue, but have not maintained their place he followed the high Stainer model; instruments were well made, but tone not good. Messeguer. a Spanish maker,
;

and

Manchester who began as an amateur, but soon adopted

violin-making as a profession. His instruments are excellent.

1646.

MErrK, Francois. A maker the South of France.

in

Mezadri
sandro.

(Mezzadie), AlesFerrara, 1690-1720.

262
Amati
rival

OLD VIOLINS
school, but failed to their grace ; inferior
excellent tone ; Stra; divari pattern. Miremont, Sebastien. Mirecourt, 1510. Modessier. Paris in 1810. His instruments a large pattern ; excellent wood. MoERS, Jean Henri. Paris, 1771. MoHR, Philipp. Hamburg, 1650,
cellos

tone.

Mezadhi (Mezzadie), Francesco. A maker at Milan about 170020 ; his altos were of small pattern. MiALFi, Joannes. Spanish maker about 1769; nothing

remarkable. MicHAUi). Paris about 1788. MicHELis, Pelegrino (or Peregrino) di Zanetto, son of Zanetto de Michelis, b. 1520. Made lutes and other instruments in Brescia ; on the verge of the violin ; a fine tenor known. I c H E L o T, Jacques Pierre. Paris about 1780-95, at the sign of " la M<^lodie." He

MoiNEL, Charles, nephew of N. E. Cherpitel. Paris, 1893. Continued Cherpitel's business.

MoiTESsiER, Louis. Mirecourt, 1780 to 1825. He made a large number of instruments; many violins ; rather common ; fair
tone.

MoLDONNER.
1756-98.

Fusseu, Bavaria,

made

five-stringed viols

and

MoLiNARi,
1672-1703.

Antonio.

Venice,

violins.

MiER. London, 1786. MiGGE, Otto, b. June 16, 1857, Coblenz ; made 80 violins and

MovGENOT.
taldi),

Rouen, 1763.
or

MoNTADE (Montani

Mon-

14 violoncellos good tone. I L A N I, Francesco. Milan about 1740-60. School of

;

Cremona, Gregorio. 1690-1735. Pupil or imitator of Omobono Stradivari; fairly good.

Lorenzo Guadagnini. MiLHET. Bayonne, 1820.

MiLLE. Aix-Ia-Chapelle. A small pocket-violin is known.
MiLi.ER.

MoNTAGVANA,
celebrated

maker

Domeuico. A in Venice
{See p. 87.)

about 1720-50.

London,
A.

1750.

Miller,
Scotland.

St.

Andrews,

MoNTRON. Paris, 1780-90. MoRELLA, Morglato. A maker of lutes, rebecs, and viols,
1510-50
;

has lasted into the

MiNozzi, Matteo. Bologna, eighteenth century. MiRAUcouRT, Ludovic (or Joseph). On verge of violin;
still

violin epoch on account of his viols having been cut down for violas. MoRONA, Antonio. Istria (Ist-

made

viols in 1743.

rien) in 1731.

MiREJioNT, Claude Augustin, son of S^bastien Miremont. 1827, Mirecourt; d. 1887, Pontorson (Manche); in 1844 to Paris, and worked first with Lafleur, then with Bernardel until 1852, when he left France
for

1760-1830. Morrison, John. Poor maker did job work for

;

the trade.

MoTTEN haver, Edward.

New

York, U.S.A., who has taken out a great many patents for
inventions.

America, and settled

; ;

in

MouGENOT, Georges.

1843-98,

New

returned York to France made chiefly violon-

Mirecourt (Vosges). Worked in Brussels forN. F.Vuillaume,

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

and

263

him ; uses plans and finishes himself; gold medalsucceeded " hands," but
list.

Nadotti, Giuseppe.

Piacenza,

1760-70. Najviy, Jean Theodore. Paris, 1755-1807; restorer; fine worked for Salomon's widow in Paris. Naylor, Isaac. pupil of Richard Duke ; worked at Headingly, near Leeds, 1778-

private orchestra of Napoleon I. ; careful choice of wood good proportions ; closely copied from beautiful specimens of Cremona ; not much in fashion now, but good violins of his still about.

Nicolas, Joseph, son of Didier Nicolas. 1796-1864. Mirecourt ; eccentric maker ; after his death his stamp and his father's sold off with stock,

and used for violins made by neither. Pupil and successor of his father. Nicolas, Mathieu. Mirecourt. His instruments of ordinary workmanship, some yellow or red varnish. Niggell, Simpertus. maker of viols and violins. Fussen, 1743-66 ; transition maker of

92.

Nermel, J. M. Paris, 1777-89. Neuner, Ludwig. 1840, Mittenwald (Bavaria). Grandson of Mathias Neuner, also a
clever

maker of violins, who worked for some time in London worked for J. B.
;

Vuillaume, Paris ; settled in Berlin ; accomplished maker ; sends out from his firm 20,000 instruments a year very
;

viols and violins ; flat pattern. NoRBORN, John. London, 1723.

Norman,
1740.
d.

Barak,

b.

1688

d.

can do better quality when he chooses. Newton, Isaac. London about

;

cheap worth

and

good

money s

(See p. 125.) NoRRis, John, b. 1739,

;

London March 10, 1818 pupil of Thomas Smith went into

; ;

partnership

with

Robert

1775-1825.

He made

fairly

good instruments, but used a dingy yellow varnish. Sometimes made violins and violoncellos
latter.

Barnes NovELLO,

in 1765.

for

Betts,

but these

were always varnished by the

Nezot.
sition violins
;

Paris,

1730-60;

tran-

maker from
only a few

viols to violins.

Nicoi-AS, Didier, I'aine (known as "deaf Nicolas"). 1757-18.33, Mirecourt ; clever workman and large employer ; large pattern, loud tone ; suitable for orchestra.
Fran<,"ois Nicolas Nicolas, Fourrier (was known simply as "Nicolas"), b. Oct. 5,

Pietro Valentino, brother of Marco Antonio Novello. Venice, eighteenth century. Novello, Marco Antonio, a brother of Pietro Valentino Novello ; in Venice at the same time ; good work. Noversi, Cosimo. Florence, seventeenth century.

Obbo, Marco. Naples, 1712; ordinary work. Bartolommeo. Obici (Obue),

Verona
Odani,

in 1684.

Giuseppe

Morello.

Naples, 1738. Odoardi, Giuseppe.

1758.

1816, Paris.

Made

all

the instruments used in the

until 1675, Ascoli, Italy confusion about his

Working some
;

date.

264

OLD VIOLINS
Otto, Ludwig, son of Georg August Gottfried Otto ; b. 1821, Jena; 1887, St Petersburg, Cologne, St Petersburg. He exhibited three violins, a
viola, violoncello, and doubleThey bass, in London, 1862.

1675-1740; died at 28; selftaught ; an original genius about two hundred violins much valued when can be found. Stockholm Ohberg, Johann. fairly good ; a yellow in 1773
;

varnish.

Oneda, Gio. Battista, b. 1529. A maker of cithers and violins

(?)

in

Brescia

about

were all well made, and were moderately priced. Oi-To, Louis, son of Carl August Otto; b. July 15, 1844, Ludwigslust. Pupil of his father in "Ludwigslust, 1860-65; in

1562.

Ongaro, Ignazio. Venice, 1783. Orlandelli, Paolo. Codogno,

Italy, eighteenth century.

Cologne, 1865-66, then went to Hanover, 1872 then still

;

Ortega.

1840;

maker and

re-

Madrid. pairer. Ostler, Andreas. Breslau, 1730;

chiefly viols.

Otto, Carl August, fourth son of J. A. Otto; b. 1801, Jena; d. 1883, Ludwigslust; maker to the Mecklenberg-Schwerin
Court.

there (1898) ; careful in selection of wood large Stradivari pattern ; excellent work ; has made 238 violins, and many First tenors and 'cellos.
;

prizeman, Chicago and Melbourne. 1725-46 OuvRARD, Jean.

Pierray. pupil of Claude Transition maker, but true violoncello pattern, though continued to make viols.

Otto, Carl Christian, son of J. A. Otto, 1792

second Halle
;

repairs old instruments. TTo, C. W. F. Louis, fifth son of J. A. Otto, 1805-84, Stock-

Pacherele, Michel.
in

maker
;

holm. Otto, Georg August Gottfried, eldest son of J. A. Otto 1789, Weimar ; 1857, Jena good maker. Orro, Heinrich Wilhelm, third son of J. A. Otto b. 1796.
; ; ;

Paris
;

in

1779;
slightly

followed

Guersan

arched

yellow varnish.

Pacherele,
court
;

Pierre. 1803, Mire1871, Nice; fellow-

Amsterdam and Berlin. Otto, Hermann, son of Ludwig

Otto, 1859-84. Petersburg.

apprentice of J. B. Vuillaume at Mirecourt ; worked at Genoa, and with Pressenda, Turin ; made a great many
violins, altos,
all

Cologne, St
b.

and
;

violoncellos,
;

Otto, Jacob August;

1764,

Gotha
of

d. 1830,

Jena.

Franz Anton
;

Ernst

Pupil at
;

of good workmanship varnish too thick took Stradivari for his model ; a clever
repairer.

to the Court ; worked also in Halle, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Berlin, and Jena ; fine repairer, but made excellent His violins and violoncellos.
five

Gotha maker

settled in

Weimar

Pacuuet.

From Aix
d.

working

in Marseilles in 1785.

Padewet,

maker

Johann. A good about 1874 started

;

at Basle, 1844, but Carlsruhe.

;

moved

to

sons makers.

all

became

violin

Padewet, Johann, son of Johann Padewet b. Aug. 23, 1851-95,

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Carlsruhe.

265

Hanover, Berlin, under Aug. Riechers till 1874. Assisted by two workmen, he

makes
ments

forty to fifty instru(violins,

violas,

and

violoncellos) a year, on tne Stradivari pattern, using oil varnish of reddish-yellow or

golden-brown
repairer.

colour

good
Cre-

1734, Monreale, a village near Palermo, Sicily ; d. 1813, LonBegan at sixteen ; don. worked in England, Ireland, and Paris ; perhaps with Bergonzi in Cremona ; excellent maker; powerful tone; Stradivari pattern ; clear yellow varnish ; also guitars.

Pagani,

Gian
1747.

Battista.

mona,

Paganoni, Antonio. Working in Venice in eighteenth century.

(Pansani), Antonio. 1735-85 ; good maker. Henri Freres. Paquotte Felix, 1857, and Placide, 1864, sons of Jean Baptiste Paquotte, to whose business

Panzani

Rome,

Pageot (Pajeot), son of Louis Simon Pageot; b. Jan. 25,

1791,

Mirecourt;
24, 1849.

d.

Aug.

there maker of

they succeeded in July 1888. excelParis ; a few violins lent in tone, but firm chiefly
;

repaired.

In his workshops bows. about 8000 dozens of bows were turned out at prices varying from 6d. to 14s. Palate. Li^ge, 1710; Italian

Paquotte,
Nephew
88.

Jean

Baptiste.

Sebastien Paquotte ; one of the best Paris makers of the day, 1860of

pattern ments.

excellent

instru-

Paquotte,

Palma, Paolo. Lucca, 1760. A maker Pajviphilon, Edward. in London, on London Bridge,
about 1680-90. (See p. 124.) Venice, Pandolfi, Antonio. 1700-20; good; yellow-brown
varnish.

MireSebastien. court, 1800-63, Paris. In 1830 he founded the business in

Paris.

Paraldic.

PARm.

1722. Paris, 1788,

Panormo, Edward, either a son or a grandson of Vincenzo Panormo he worked both in London and in Ireland. London. Panormo, George. Probably a grandson of Vincenzo Panormo. Panormo, George Lewis, second son of Vincenzo Panormo. Very good bows fine guitars and a few good fiddles. Panormo, Joseph, eldest son of Vincenzo Panormo. London. Died in great poverty violoncellos good workman
; ; ; ;

Pardini, Bastiano. 1700. Paris, Claude. Paris, 1775. In 1816 was joined by his nephew; spirit varnish, a red -yellow
colour.

Parker, Daniel. London, 1740very clever workman, possibly a pupil of Urquhart Red varnish, or Pamphilon. wood excellent, tone clear and powerful. He made largely his instrufor the trade ; ments are often sold under other names ; no viola or violoncello of his known. instruments 1793 About valued at five guineas each ; about 1805 they realised as much as fifteen. Parth (or Perth), Andreas Vienna about 1790. Nicolas.
85.

excellent.

Panormo, Vincenzo (known as " old Panormo "), b. Nov. 30,

266

OLD VIOLINS
presented to the Earl of Leicester by Queen Elizabeth which has "J. ff P." engraved on the tail-pin supposed to be the initials of the maker and the date of the year (1578) in which it was made. If so, he was the earliest English maker of the four-stringed violin. Perault. a maker in Paris,

Pasta, Domenico and Gaetano. Brescia about 1700-30 ; followed the Araati instead of the Maggini pattern ; poor tone ; varnish brown. Patzelt, Johann Ferdinand, Vienna. Pazzini, Gian Gaetano. Florence, 1630-70. According to label a pupil of Maggini instruments are not common.

Pearce, George; b. Nov. 16, 1820, Warminster; d. 1856,

In the workshop of S. A. Forster as errand-boy, taught viohn - making, and became an excellent work-

Peron

London.

1775-77. (or Perou), Nicolas. Paris, 1775-90; appointed maker to the Duchess of

man.
Pearce, James and Thomas. Brothers working in London,
1780-1800
;

Orleans ; instruments well made ; yellow-brown varnish ; Gagliano pattern.

Perry, Thomas.

DubHn,

1767-1827.
;

maker in He was

work

poor.

in partnership with

Pearce, William. London. Peccate, Charles. Maker

Wilkinson
of
violins.

William they made good

of excellent

bows

in Paris, 1889.

Persoit.

Maker
in Paris.

Peccate, Dominique. 1810, Mirecourt; d. there, Jan. 13, 1874. In 1826 was apprenticed to 'J. Paris, and
until

bows
J.

He made

for

B.
;

Vuillaume at
Fran(;ois

worked with him

then

1837

Lupot died, and Dominique

succeeded to his business at
18

Rue

d'Angivilliers

re-

turned to Mirecourt; ranks next to Francois Tourte as a

; at first sold for price quadrupled. Peccate, jeune. brother of Dominique ; also made bows ; worked for J. B. Vuillaume ; work is inferior to that of his brother, 1856. Pedrazzi, Fra Pietro.

bow-maker
16s.,

Vuillaume, 1823-41 but then started a business of his own. He marked his bows "P. R. S." Peters, Michael. Weyberg in 1801, judging from two labels in a bass-viol of seven strings; the first runs: " Dieses Instrument ist gemacht, anno 1627," the second is " Arranschirt von Michael Peters in
B.

now

Weyberg, anno 1801."

Fussen, Bavaria, 1770. Pezzardi. Brescia, 1580-1610; violins similar to those of
Petz.

Maggini sometimes sold as Maggini.

;

Pfab.

Hamburg.

Dominican friar working in Bologna in 1784. Pembertov, Edward. London

;

Pfretzschner, Carl Friedrich, son of Johann Gottlob Pfretzschner.

Worked in Cremona

1660 ; instruments ugly, but tone good and the varnish fine. It has been suggested that a Pemberton was the maker of the instrument
in

no great merit. Pfretzschner, Johann Gottlob. not Cremona, 1794

;

good. Pfretzschner.

Neukirchen.

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

PicHOL.
PiciNO.
nish.

267
in

Paris.

Plumerel.

Was working

Padua, 1712; instruments arched ; dark varLouis, 1890. maker of excellent violins, with red-brown varnish, and of good tone, Brussels ; pupil of Mougenot, but started his own business in 1883 ; wrote " Traits de lutherie."

Plumerel,

Paris in 1740. Charles.

Angers,

PiERRARD,

France, in 1822. PoiRos, Louis. French maker. PoiRSON, Eloph. Paris, 1875-89;
first

made

an amateur, afterwards for the trade good

;

work.

PiERRAY (or Pierret), Claude. Acontemporaryof Boquay; he worked in Paris about 170030.

Cremona in PoLis. Luca de. 1751. PoLLUscA (Pollusha), Antonio. Rome in 1751.
Pons, C^sar.

Grenoble, 17801820; violins large size, arched;

Paris, PiETE (Picte), Noel. 1760-1810; beautifully fin-

work not good.

PoLRON,

ished workmanship.

A doublePeeter, bass used in the Cathedral of

Antwerp
;

PiLLEMENT,
1820
;

Paris, 1790F. capricious maker ; dark varnish. Gorizia in PiLosio, Francesco.

1748.

is

dated 1647.

Firmo, PosTAccHiNi, Andrea, excellent maker, and 1824 good repairer of instruments. 1835 PosTiGUONE, Vincenzo.
at Naples
;

PiauE, Francois Louis ; b. 1758 at Rorei, near Mirecourt ; d. 1822, Charenton St Maurice.

good maker, and

instruments, every year in

made
which
value.

many
rise

Went to Paris in 1777. PiROT, Claude. Paris, 1800-20 ; good violins, Italian pattern ; bellies slightly arched, backs hardly at all ; the soundholes well cut ; varnish thick, red-brown or pale yellow
colour.

Powell, Royal and Thomas.

brothers who worked London, 1770-1800; employed by William Forster, and his son, William Forster ; work neat and good. FranGiovanni Pressenda,
in

Two

PiTEr (or
teenth
value.

Pilet).

A
;

maker
no

in

cesco

b.

1777,

Paris latter part of the seven-

there, 1854.

Was

Turin ; d. the son of

century

great

a strolling fiddler, Raffaele went to CrePressenda ;

PizzuHJius (Pozzurnus), David.

mona
oni
;

there studied violinStori-

Genoa, 1760. Plack (Plach), Francis. Schoenbock, Bohemia, 1740-80; good

violins.

making under Lorenzo

learnt there to

Plane, W, Glasgow, 1860. Plani, Agostino de. Genoa

1778
;

in

commonplace. A Swiss ; Platner, Michele. working in Rome in 1747 rather workmanship fair arched scroll well cut var; ; ;

the varnish for which his violins were afterwards noted; Stradivari pattern, not much arched, sound-holes well cut, proportions correct, wood good, but scrolls rather roughlyfinished; red-brown varnish of excellent
quality.

make

Preston,
95.

John.

York, 1785-

nish golden-red.

"

; ;

268

OLD VIOLINS
violoncellos, basses.

Prevot (or Prevost), P. Charles. Paris from 1775-89.

Prieur,

and

double-

Claude

Edme

Jean.

Rauch,

Sebastian,
;

1725-90

Paris, 1775-89.

Hamburg, and Leitmeritz in Bohemia viohns arched, not

Paris, 1660.

QuiNOT, Jacques.

Mentioned in 1680 as being " one of the most clever of the

honourable luthiers of Paris.

remarkable. Raut, Jean.

Bretagne

who

worked

Mantua, 1670 simiGagliano family, with one of whom he is said to have been in partnership. Raffaelle, Nella (or Delia).
Racceris.
;

lar to the

1790; red varnish. Rautmann. Brunswick. Rawlins. London in 1779.

about pattern of Guarneri

in
till

Rennes

Rayman,

Jacob;

b.

in

the

Tyrol, but settled in

London

Brescia, 18th century; pattern of Maggini ; his instruments have the sides ornamented with inscriptions ;

about 1620-48. Razenzo, Carole.

1690.

Barcelona,
Par-

Realli,

Cosmo

Battista.

ma,
'
'

1667.

brown
merit

varnish

no

great

Rechiardini, Giovanni (called Zuano "). Venice, 18th century.

Rambaux, Claude Victor, 180671 ; at Darney in the Vosges ; d. at Mirecourt Went to Caen and worked under Thibout, 1824-27 ; then to Paris, where he worked with Gand ; great repairer and adapter of old instruments by cutting down. RAaiFPi, ER, Franz, 1834-90, Munich ; pupil of Andreas
Engleder, Munich ; used his own invented varnish ; made

Regnaut
violin,

(Renault), Jacques. little pocketwith silver purfling, was dated 1682; maker to the King. Reich EL, Johann Conrad, brother of Johann Gottfried.
Paris, 1665-85; a

Neukirchen in 1779. Reichel, Johann Gottfried, brother of Johann Conrad.

Absam
Remv.

pupil
;

of

Stainer

good

fiddles.

work rough
Brussels,
;

red-brown var;

Range, Thomas.
Amati
pattern.

nish of poor quality.

about 1680-85. Ranta, Pietro. Brescia, 1733

a French maker
;

1840,

Paris and pattern ;

Itahan London wood artificially

Rasura, Vincenzo. Lugo, 1785. Nuremberg; exRau, J. F.

hibited at Munich in 1854 a violin of good though rather coarse tone. Rauch, Breslau, and Rauch of Wiirzburg, two brothers, 1730-60; good vioHns ; used their own models ; varnish

aged.

Rem y,

Hippolyte, eldest son of Jean Mathurin Remy. 1835-70 in Paris; no great merit.

Remy, Jean Mathurin, son of Mathurin Francois Remy

1770, Paris; d. 1854; his father's ; oil varnish.
b.

work same as

Rauch,

tone sound. Jacob. Mannheim, 1720-50; good work; violins Stainer tone ; excellent altos.
red
;

Remy, Jules Hippolyte, second

son of Jean Mathurin
b. 1813, Paris
;

Remy

d. 1876.

"

;; ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Remy,
Mathurin Fran^'ois, 1775-91, Paris; yellow-brown varnish. Rknaudin, Leopold ; b. 1749, Mirecourt ; guillotined, at May 7, 1795. He settled in Paris, living in the Rue St Honore from 1776 till his death at the sign of " Aux
amateurs
lins,

269

violinist,

Joseph

Joachim

made

excellent instruments on the Stradivari and Guarneri patterns ; about 1000 viohns and over 200 violoncellos

were made

in his

work-

shop.
RiEss.

A maker, Bamberg, fair maker ; about 1740-60

;

good viobut too much arched

;

"

fairly

Stainer pattern.

varnish colour ;
basses.

almost

black in excellent double-

RiNALDi, Benedetto GiofFredo, Pupil of Pressenda ; d. 1890.

Turin.

Renault, Nicolas. A French maker, 16th century. Renault, Paris, Sebastien.

1775-1805.
;

Cithers of his are 1779, 1786, and 1804 a violin is described as made on a good pattern, with yellow varnish of fair quality worked with F. Chatelain,

known dated

Rivolta, Giacomo. Milan, 1822. Good work. Antonio. Giuseppe RoccA, Turin, 1835-55; worked at one time for Pressenda Stradivari pattern ; varnish is poor quality.

RoscHER, C. H.
1871.

W.

Bremen,

Advt.

" Renault et Chatelain, luthiers, font et vendent louent, ach^tent et raccom:

Roger, G. Montpellier, 1820. RoGERi, Gian Battista ; b. Bologna, 1650. Cremona, under
Nicolo Amati Stradivari was a fellow-pupil of his. Breslau, RoisMANN, Johann.
;

raodent toutes sortes d'instruments de musique, etc., k

Paris." Renisto. Cremona, 1735-40; pupil of Carlo Bergonzi,whose work he copied closely. Resle, Andrea. Fiesso in 1740 ; good.

RoL.

1680. Paris, 1753. Romano, Pietro, Pavia,

18th

century.

RoMARiNi, Antonio.
18th century.

Cremona,

Reynaud,
1754-66;

Andre.

Tarascon,

Rombouts,

good violoncellos. Richards. London. RicHELME, A. Marius. Marcurves of the upper and lower bouts almost returning to the ancient violshape. He published in " Etudes 1868 Marseilles, et observations sur la lutherie ancienne et moderne. RicoLAzzi, Lodovico, 1729. RiECHERs, 1836, Hanover; d. Was first a 1893, Berlin. pupil of L. Bausch at Leipzig, then moved to Berlin in 1872, at the special request of the
seilles
;
:

rieter. Amsterdam, 1705-35 ; he made violins, violas, and violoncellos,

arched ; bright but thick varnish. Rook, Joseph. London, about 1777-1830; good work; ForRoPiauET.
ster pattern. Paris,

much

1810-30;

he

was an orchestral player made some violins of no great

value.

Rocco. RosiERo, of early part

tury.

Cremona,
18th

cen-

Rosio,

nuova

Paolo. 1857, Brescia. ;

Verola-

; ;

270
Rota,
Giovanni.

OLD VIOLINS
Cremona,
lins,

altos,

and

violoncellos

1800-10; rough work; varnish yellow. Antonio. Rota, Giuseppe Turin, 1825 ; his work similar to that of Pressenda ; varnish is red-brown.

model, without linings, corner blocks, or purfling ; loud tone, and dark
flat

were of a

brown

varnish.

Sacchini,
in 1686.

Sabattino.

Pesaro

Roth, Johann and Christian. Both about 1675, the former at Darmstadt and the latter at Augsburg.

RoTTENBRoucK.
1700-25;

Brussels, pattern of Araati

Sacquin. Paris about 183060 ; instruments well made, especially the double basses ; followed the Stradivari pattern.

red-brown varnish. RovETTA, Antonio. Bergamo,

1840-70.

RozE.
low.

workmanship
RuGGERi

Orleans, 1755-65 ; good varnish yel;

Saint-Paul, Antoine. Paris, about 1765-90. He was sonin-law and successor of Louis Guersan ; his advertisement
says,

(Rugieri), Francesco. 1668-1720. Was the first of a

family of makers in Cremona, very often confused with Rogeri of Brescia. (See p.
50.)

" II fait et vend toutes sortes d'instruments de rausique sgavoir; violons de Cremone, violons de sa fa^on et de toutes sortes d'auteurs ; alto-violas, basses et contrebasses."
Pierre.
;

Saint-Paul,
(Rugieri),

Paris,
instru-

RuGGEai
b. in

Giacinto,

1740.

son of Francesco

Ruggeri
Guido.

Sajot.

Paris, 1730-35
flat

Cremona.
(Rugieri), 1720. (Rugieri),

ments with
poor.

RxiGGERi

backs ; varnish yellow-brown ; the work

Salino, J. B. very arched

Cremona about

Ruggeri Pietro Giacomo and Giovanni Battista. Both working in

Brescia about 1700-25.

Rome
;

in 1760

varnish

bad,

brown.
Salle,
le

Pfere.

Paris about

Ruggeri

Vincenzo, son of Francesco Ruggeri. Cremona about 1700-30, is

(Rugieri),

also said to have worked in Brescia. He made many altos and violoncellos ; work

rough

last

family to
also used

member of this make violins. He

"il

labels, for the

Per" on his same reason,

distinguish

probably,
his

viz., to

work from that of the Rogeri of Brescia. Ruggeri, Gianbattista. Cremona,

ci7'.

beautiful copies of Guarneri ; fine repairer and great connoisseur. Salomon, Jean Baptist Deshayes. Rheims, 1747-70 (?) ; went to Paris,where his widow carried on the firm, employing Namy ; later he settled in the Rue de I'Arbre-sec (about He died before 1772, 1769). for in that year Namy is mentioned as working for the

1825-53. violins ;

He made

few

widowed Madame Salomon.

1693.

Ruppert,

Johann

Heinrich.

Erfurt about 1720.

His vio-

He made few vioHns, but they show good work, and are on a similar pattern to

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

those of Louis Guersan, his

271

contemporary
-

they

have

yellow brown varnish ; unequal maker ; some good violoncellos and bass viols.

new instruments, following the Stradivari or Guarneri del Gesii patterns ; tone clear and strong; the work carefully done ; reddish oil varnish.
Scarampella, Paolo
;

Salzakd, F.

Paris.
Battista.

b.

Sept.

Sanoni, Giovanni
;

Verona, 1740; instruments much arched rose-coloured varnish good work.

;

25, 1803, Brescia ; d. April 7, 1870. carpenter by trade, but made many violins, violoncellos, guitars, and mando-

Santagiuliana,

Giacinto.

lines.

Venice, 1830. Sante. Pesaro, 1670. Sante, Giuseppe. Rome, 1778. Santo, Giovanni. Naples, 1700-30; copied Amati small pattern ; well made varnish poor.

Scarampella, Stefano, son of Paolo Scarampella. Brescia,

1843;
settled

made many good

in Mantua; violins.

Santo Sekafino ; b. at Udine worked in Venice about

;

1710-48.

{Seep. 90.)

(Santo SenMilan, 18th century; good ; resembles Grancino. Saraceni, Domenico. Florence, 17th century. Lyons, Saraillac, Francois.
tino).

Sanzo

Santino

1678-1712.

Sassano.

Fine Italian maker;

rarely met with ; yellow varnish ; beautiful free tone.

Saunier,

Edmond.

1754-80,

Bordeaux and Paris. Was a pupil of Lambert of Nanc3% the " Carpenter," but did
superior work.

Anton. Mittenwald, 1753. ScHEiNLEiN, Johann Michael, son and pupil of Matthaus Friedrich Scheinlein ; 1751, Langenfeld; large Stainer pattern, but avoided the arching ; full and pleasant tone ; but wood not being thick enough, so not durable. Scheinlein, Matthaus Friedrich, 1710, Langenfeld in Franken (Franconia) ; d. there, 1771. A violinist, but taking great interest in violin-making, began by repairing old instruments and finished by making new ones

Schaendl,

dark brown varnish work careful. S c H E l M A y E R, Christian.

; ;

much arched

Savani,
1809.

Giuseppe.

Carpi,
;

Sawitzki (Sawicki), Nicolaus b. 1792, Poland; d. 1850; settled in Vienna ; good. SCARAMPELLA, GiuSCppC, SOU of Paolo Scarampella ; 183880 (?), Brescia, Paris, Florence. He restored the viola and the famous violoncello of Stradivari kept in the Istituto Musicale of Florence, and in 1884 succeeded Castellani as keeper of the collection of instruments there ; makes

Cologne. ScHLicK, Leipzig. Schmidt. Cassel, 1817 ; Stradivari pattern, but edges are larger and purfling not so close to the sides; spirit varnish
;

wood

of

bad

quality.

ScHMiEn.
tury.

Vienna, 18th

cen-

ScHONKELDER, Johanu Adam. Neukirchen in 1743. ScHONGER, Franz. Erfurt, 18th century fairly good. ScHONGER, Georg, son of Franz Schonger. Erfurt better
;
;

; ;

272

OLD VIOLINS
Segher, Girolamo;
b.

than his father, and left some good violins Italian pattern good repairer. 1680ScHORN, Johann Paul
; ; ;

1646.

a pupil of Nicola Amati, and was working under him,

1680-82.

Was

1716, Innsbriick ; made excellent violins ; much arched; good varnish. ScHttNEMANN, Otto. German appointed Director of the School of Violin-Making at

Seni, Francesco.
1634.

Florence in

Schwerin.
Ratisbon, school ; good. ScHusTEB, Gebriider. Brothers
Peter.

ScHULz,
1854
;

German

Serasati, Domenico. Naples, 1710-50; fair. SiciLiANo (Ciciliano), Antonio. Venice about 1600. tenor and a bass viola da gamba in the Modena MuseuiQ, Vienna. SiciLiANo, Gioacchino, son of

who make cheap

chen.

fiddles, 75s.,

good tone, at MarkneukirSchuster, Michael. Also connected with the business in Markneukirchen, Saxony. Schwartz, Bernard. French

Antonio Siciliano. Venice about 1680. SiLVESTRE, Hippolyte 1808, Saint - Nicolas - du - Port (Me;

urthe)

1879,

near

Nancy.

Sommerviller, Was first a

pupil of Blaise at Mirecourt, then of J. B. Vuillaume at

Paris.

maker who
both makers.

burg, 1795-1822;

settled at Strastwo sons,

SiLVESTRE,

Pierre,

brother

of

Schwartz, Georges Fr^d^ric 1785-1849; and Th^ophile

Guillaume, 1787; Strasburg, of Bernard 1861, sons Schwartz. Pupils of their father, and at his death succeeded to his business, which became " Fr^res Schwartz." Theophile was chiefly concerned in the instrumentmaking, Georges gave his time to making bows ; he gained a well-merited reputation. His bows are generally marked near the nut with "Schwartz, Strasbourg." Theophile GuilSchwartz, son of Theophile laume, Guillaume Schwartz; b. Sept. 3, 1821. In 1852 he succeeded to the business in Strasburg at 2 Place Saint - Thomas
;

Hippolyte; b. Aug. 9, 1801, at Sommerviller, near Nancy; d. 1859, Lyons. Was also a
pupil of Blaise at Mirecourt, then went to Paris ; worked with Lupot; excellent violins; made about 350 instruments, " Pierre bearing his label Silvestre k Lyon, 185 ." When working with his brother, the label used was "Petrus et Hippolytus Sil:

vestre fratres fecerunt Lug" dun. Simon. Salzburg, 1722. Simon, Claude. Paris, 1783-88. Simon, P. ; b. 1808, Mirecourt. Went to Paris in 1838, where

chiefly repairer.

ScHWEizER, Johann Baptist. Budapest, 1798-1875; pupil of Geisenhof in Vienna his violins not arched work neat.
;
;

he worked for some months under D. Peceate then to J. made most B. Vuillaume excellent bows, and generally marked them with " Simon, Paris," near the nut. Mirecourt. SiMONiN, Charles.
; ;

Was

apprenticed

to

J.

B.

Vuillaume at Paris, and became one of his most able

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

In 1841 he settled Geneva, then went to Toulouse excellent maker. SiMOUTRE, Nicolas. 1788, Mirecourt ; d. 1870, at Metz. His son, Nicolas Eugene, was alsc a maker. SiMouTRE, Nicolas Eugene, son
in
;

273

workmen.

Snoeck, Marc.

Brussels, 1744-

Clever repairer. SoccHi, Vincenzo.

1661.

Bologna,
Paris, 1750-

SocuuET,

Louis.

of Nicolas Simoutre. 1834-89, Mirecourt. Was first a pupil of his father, then of Darche in 1852 at Paris ; then of Ch. Roth in 1856 at Strasburg worked in Strasburg, Mulhausen, Basle, and Paris a prolific writer on his art. Simpson, James, and Son.
;

Were
makers
SiRJEAN.

musical
in

instrument
in

London in 1794. Maker of bows

Paris, 1818. Sirr, A. Prague, 1854. Stradivari pattern, which improve

with age.

Slaghmeulen, Jan Baptist van der. Antwerp, 1672. The

varnish a pale brown. Smith, Thomas. London, 174090. Pupil and successor of Peter Wamsley fine violoncellos Stainer pattern rising in price. John Norris was a
; ;
;

80. Not good. SoLiANi, Angelo. Modena, 1752-1810. SoMER, Nicolas. Paris, 1725-50. German maker, Speiler. 18th century. Sprevger, Anton. 1834, Mittenwald. Makes violins and violoncellos on the Stradivari and Guarneri patterns ; oil varnish of good quality. Stadelmann (Statelmann), Daniel Achatius. 1680-1744, Vienna, who showed great ability in imitating the Stainer pattern ; he used thin varnish of a deep amber colour ; the work is well finished. Stadelmann (Statelmann), Johann Joseph, son of Daniel A. Stadelmann ; good copyist of Stainer, 1764. Stadl, Michael Ignatius.

Vienna

in 1770.

Fair.

Stainer, Andreas. Was working in Absara about 1660

made few

violins.

pupil of his. Label " Made by Thos. Smith at the harp and hautboy in Pickadilly. London, 1756 " similar labels were used until 1766. Sjuth, William. Hedon, York:

Stainer, Jacob, son of Martin Stainer and Sabina Grafinger.

(Seep. 93.)

shire, in 1786.

Sneider,
1700-25.

Giuseppe.

Amati. arched ; varnish is a rich yellow colour instruments made by Girolamo, son of Nicola Amati, have often been attributed to Sneider.
;

Pavia, pupil of Nicola slightly Violins

Stainer, Marcus, brother and pupil of Jacob Stainer he worked in Laufen, Austria. Stanza, Giuseppe, b. 1663 in Venice. Pupil of Nicola
;

Amati

at

Cremona.

Snoeck

(Schnoeck), Egidius. Brussels. 1731. Amati pattern ; dark varreddish

nish.

Statlee, Anderl. Genoa, 1714. Pupil of Girolamo, son of Nicola Amati. Steininger, Franc^ois. Paris, 1827. Excellent maker. Steininger, Jacob. Frankfort, Nicholas Diehl was a 1775. pupil of his. Stirbat (Stirrat), David. Edinburgh, 1810-15 ; good.
vS

274
Storioni,

OLD VIOLINS
Lorenzo.

Cremona.

Worked

1751-80, at 3 Con-

trada Coltellai ; he was one of the latest, if not the last of the celebrated makers of Cremona,andhis instruments, though of great merit, show signs of decadence in the art.

and Martin. Fussen, Bavaria ; worked in Vienna ; fair makers. Stoss, Franz. Fussen, Bavaria,
1750-98.

{See p. 88.) ^ Stoss, Bernard

Tassini, Bartolommeo, Venice, 1754 ; followed Testore. Taylor, 1750, London ; supposed pupil of Panormo good instruments, principally double-basses, and clever at repairing old ones. Techler (Tecchler), David 1666-1743. {Seep. 102.) Tedesco (Todesco), Leopoldo, 1625-58; pupil of Nicola Amati in Cremona, 1653-54.

Teoditi

(Teoditti),

Giovanni.

Rome,
(Stradiuarius), of Alessandro
1755.

17th century.
Pietro.

Stradivari
Antonio, son
Stradivari
(See p. 61.)

Tehnyanini,

Modena,

and Anna Moroni.

1671-

Testator, " II Vecchio." Milan, 1520; reputed transition maker

Stradivari, Francesco, son of

from

viol to violin.

Antonio
1743.

Stradivari.

Stradivari, Omobono, Antonio. 1679-1742.

son of

Straube

(Staube).

BerHn

Testore, Carlo Antonio, eldest son of Carlo Giuseppe Testore. Milan, 1735-65 ; followed the Guarneri model ; violoncellos and tenors very

about 1770-75. Few known, but good ; excellent repairer. Straus, Joseph. Neustadt,
1745-50.

good

Testore, Carlo Giuseppe

;

varnish golden-yellow. b. at ;

Strnad,

Caspar,

1750.

He
in

settled in Prague and worked there, 1781-95 ; good maker.

Novarra settled at Milan about 1687, and worked there till about 1720 pupil of Giovanni Grancino, for whose
;

Strobl, Johann. 18th century.

Hallein

Sturge, H.

1811-53, Bristol; repairer, Huddersfield. Sui.oT, Nicolas. Dijon, 1825-40.

Eccentric maker.

SuRSANo (Sorsano), Spiritus. Cuneo, 1714-35 inferior.

;

instruments are often mistaken ; best workman in this family, but made few instruments. When the well-known Lindley " Grancino " violoncello was repaired in 1884, the removal of the Cremona label exposed the
his

work

Tachinardi.
Tadolini.
tury.

Cremona, 1690. Modena, 19th cenAntonio.

(Taningard),

original label in good preservation, as follows : " Carlo Giuseppe Testore allievo di Gio. Grancino in Contrada Larga di Milano, 1690." double-bass of his was played

Tanegia,

Carlo Milan, 1725-30.

Tanigardi
Tarr,
1829-55 ; made double-basses.

Georgio. Rome, 1735. William. Manchester,

on by the celebrated Bottehad a it at concerts splendid tone. Label :" Carlo Giuseppe Testore in Contrada larga di Milano al segno dell
sini
;

some

fair

aquila, 1700." sons. Carlo

He had two Antonio and

;:

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Paolo
Antonio, both violinICs.

275

each.
firm.

By

1887, 35,000

raakers.

instruments had been

made

Testore, Giovanni, son of Carlo

Testore, q.v.

by this

He was awarded

Testore, Paolo Antonio, second son of Carlo Giuseppe Testore and the last maker of this

Vienna, medal, a 1873 medal of honour, Santiago, prize medal, Philadel1875; phia, 1876 ; and gold medal,

name. Theriot,
Thibotit,

London,
J. B.

1885.

He was made

Paris, 1783. 1808Ainie Justin.

62, Caen. Thibout, Albert, son of Gabriel

Adolphe

1839-65, Paris ; succeeded his uncle, Gabriel Eugene, as " luthier de rOpera," and was suc-

Thibout.

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, April 10, 1877, and Officer, Jan. 15, 1892. H I V, Mathias and Georg. Vienna, 18th century; good.

Thir, Johann Georg.

1791.

Vienna,

T H o M A s s I N.
good.

ceeded

in

his

turn

by the

Worked under Clement at Paris, 1825-45;

brothers Gand.

Thibout, Gabriel Adolphe, son of Jacques Pierre Thibout, 1804; Paris, 1858; not as

Thompson (Thomson), Robert. London, at the sign of the

" Bass- Violin," in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1749-64 Stainer pattern. He was succeeded
;

good as

his father.

Thibout, Gabriel Eugene, son of Jacques Pierre Thibout. 1825 at Paris ; succeeded his brother, Gabriel Adolphe, as " luthier de I'Opera " in Paris ; 1861, Boulogne-sur-Mer. Thibout, Jacques Pierre. 1777First worked at 1856, Caen. Caen, then under Koliker at
Paris
;

by

his

sons,

Charles

and
Lon-

Samuel,
1775-85.

who worked about

Henry.

Thorowgood,
don,
*'

fine

maker

excellent

workmanship rivals tone ; best Cremona style ; varnish red on amber ground. Advt. " Nouveau procede approuve par ITnstitut. Thibout, luthier du roi, rue Rameau, no. 8, a Paris, 1825." Thibouville - Lamy, Jerome. A little before 1867 he became sole proprietor of the various factories at Mirecourt ; he gradually substituted mecha:

century. Label Made and sold by Henry Thorowgood at the Violin and Guitar under the North Piazza of the Royal Exchange, 17 , London."
18th

Thumhardt,

Munich and

nical for

manual labour, and while increasing the number of instruments made, at the same time reduced their price, so that at last he was able to exhibit at Vienna in 1873 his
famous
violins at 4s., 8s.,

Straubing in the 18th century ; German style. Tielke, Joachim. One of a family of makers. Hamburg, 1539-1701. He was celebrated for the lutes, theorbos, guitars, and especially the viols of all kinds which he made, of very fine tone, ornamented with the richest and most varied inlaid work one vioHn of his is also men;

tioned.

Til ley, Thomas.

1774.

London,
Jean

Tiphanon
Fran<;ois.

(Thiphanon),

and

Paris, 1775-1800.

:)

276

OLD VIOLINS
Bologna,

TiRLER,

Carlo. 18th century.

Torino (Torring).

Maker and
;

ToBiN, Richard. London, 17901840 ; pupil of Perry, Dublin ; worked for John Betts ; followed the Stradivari or Guarneri patterns ; good maker. A son of his was also a

repairer of violins 1800.

London,

ToRTOBELLO,
Rome, 1680
tern.
;

Franccsco.

Maggini pat-

maker.

Lived a few violins. ToLBEcuuE, Auguste, son of Auguste Joseph Tolbecque He was a 1830-51, Paris.
ToDiNi, Michele, 1625.
in

TouLY, Jean. Nancy, 1730-47. Label " Fait par moy Jean Touly a Nancy, 1747." TouRTE, Fran^'ois (" le jeune ");
:

Rome made
;

b.
1

1747, Paris

d. there,

April

835.

Was a younger brother

TouRTE,

violoncellist ; also violin -making under Rambaux in Paris ; made a small

worked at

of Xaver Tourte. {See p. 163. le Pere. Settled in Paris about 1740.

number of new instruments ; extremely clever at restoring

old ones.

Tourte, Xaver (I'aine), eldest son of Tourte pere. Trapani, RaflFaele. Naples, 1810; workmanship is good;
violins

large

patterns, with

ToNONi,

Antonio. Bologna, 17th century. ToNONi, Carlo, son of Felice. First worked, 1698-1739, Bologna ; settled in Venice. His instruments vary ; they are generally of a large pattern, not so highly arched as those of his brother Giovanni ; varnish similar to that of Santo yellow-brown colSerafino
;

prominent edges and heavy

purfling; the scroll Brescian type ; varnish thick and of a red-brown colour.

Trevillot, Claude.
1698.

Mirecourt,

Trinelli,

our.

He

monogram near
the tailpiece.

often branded his the button of

Giovanni. Italian. Trunco. Cremona, 1660. Truska, Simon Joseph, 1734Bohemia. 1809, Raudnitz, Entered Strahow Monastery, Dec. 8, 1758, taking the vows,
Jan.
1,

1761.

Became

pro-

Felice. Bologna, 1670-90. He worked with his son Giovanni; their violoncellos have a great reputation in Italy. ToNONi, Giovanni, son of Felice. Worked in Bologna till about 1705 ; few instruments of his are to be found. Rome, ToppANi, Angelo de.

Ton ON I,

musician and composer, and then began to

ficient

as

construct instruments, making violins, altos, violas

d'araore,

and

bass-viols.

Tubes,

James.

maker of

excellent bows. Street, London. Turner, William.

War dour
London
in

1720-40. His instruments are rarely seen, are similar to those of Techier, but more varnish goldenarched ; yellow ; sound-holes are cut
large.

ToRELU.

Verona, 1625.

splendid wood. Label " William Turner, at ye hand and crown in gravelle lane neere Aldgate, London, 1650." Tywersus. Instruments are similar to those of Andrea Amati. Nicolas Renault was {See p. 187. a pupil of his.

1650

"

: ;

"

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

Ugar, Crescenzio. Rome work is German 1790 character brown varnish.
; ;

277
in

in in

two
1854,

violins

at

Munich

Ungarini, Antonio.
1762.

B'abriano,

which had a fine tone, and was awarded the medal of honour. Horlein was a
pupil of his.

Uruuhart, Thomas. A maker in London about 1650-80 he was probably a Scotchman. His work resembles that of Jacob Ray man, with whom he may have worked, and shows great merit. His violins are of two sizes, some on
;

Venzi, Andrea. Florence, 1636. Theodor. Verbruggen, Is known as one of the makers

a small, others on a large pattern, very arched, the corners not very prominent, the purfling narrow and placed close to the edge ; the oil varnish, of a yellowish-brown or sometimes red colour, is of
excellent quality, and is similar to Italian varnish ; the tone is clear and silvery. His violins and violas are rare, and no violoncello of his has been seen. Urquhart is sure to rise in value, and some of
his

Antwerp in 1641 by a double-bass which he made for use in the Cathedral. Verini, Andrea. 1884. Padua Verle, Francesco. " In about 1590. Label
in
:

Padova Francesco Verle. Vermesch, le P^re. Beaumontsur-Oise in 1781.

Paris Veron, Pierre Andre. good work about 1720-50
;
;

pattern Italian. Brescia Vetrini, Battista. about 1629; small pattern;

wood

is

excellent

good

yellow varnish.
Christophe. Vetter, Jeane Strasburg in 1744. Versailles, ViARD, Nicolas.
1790.

work

is

splendid in

finish.

Vaillant

Francois.
poor.

(Vaillot or VaiUaut), Paris, 1736-83

;

ViBERT, J. B. Paris, 1775. Vibrecht, Gysbert. Amster-

good workmanship

varnish

dam, 1700-10. ViLLAUME et Giron.

violin
:

In

of

fairly

good work-

Valentine, William. London, died about 1877 ; made good

double-basses. Valler. Marseilles, 1683. Vandeli.i, Giovanni. Modena, 1796-1839; fair work. Vanderlist. Paris, 1788-89. Guadagnini pattern and varnish. He branded his name on his instruments. Label " Luthier, rue des VieuxAugustins, pr^s de I'^gout de la rue Montmartre, Paris. Varotti, Giovanni. Bologna,

manship was the printed " Villaume et Giron, label Troyes, 170."
ViMERCATi, confound
Pietro.

Do
Gaspar,

with

not a

A maker in lute-maker. Brescia in the I7th century; have been a is thought to pupil of Carlo Tononi in Venice ; instruments arched
;

Maggini pattern.
ViNAcciA, Antonio. The head ofa family of makers ; worked in Naples, 1766-74 ; pattern ofGagliano. Two sons, Gennaro and Gaetano, were also makers, but chiefly of manj

1813.

Varquain.

Paris, 1742.

Vauchei,, Joseph. about 1840. He

Damm
exhibited

dolines.

278
ViNACciA,
Pasquale,

OLD VIOLINS
son
of
in

" mention honourable " at the

Gaetano, 1806-81. ViNCENZi, Luigi.

1775. ViORiLi.o,

Carpi

and

1780;
tern.

Giovanni. Ferrara, followed Stainer patdi.

1867 Paris Exhibition; gold silver medalist, Paris, 1867 and 1878 followed the Tourte pattern, but made the head of his bow less square ;
;

his

ViR,

Hieronirao

Bresa,

derful finish

Silesia.

ViTOR, de. A maker in Brescia in 1740 ; instruments similar in appearance to those of

workmanship shows wonand elegance. He was awarded a silver medal at the Paris Exhi-

given

Maggini large pattern ; fine workmanship. Vitus de Angelis. Bologna,

;

bition in 1878, the only prize to bow-making ; and some of his bows exhibited after his death at the Ant-

werp Exhibition were awarded

a gold medal, he branded his bows with " F. N. Voirin, a Paris " ; to this was added, on those bows exhibited at
Paris,

1609,

VivoLi,
1642.

Giovanni.

Florence,

Mayence, 1840; his instruments follow the Stradivari more than the German pattern ; general workmanship good. VoGEi., Wolfgang; d. Feb. 17,
VoEL, E.

1878,

" Exposition,
;

1878." VtTiLLAUME, Claude

b.

1772,

Nuremberg; instru1650, ments much liked. VoGLER, Johan Georg. Wiirzburgin 1749. Label: '* Johann Georg Vogler, Lauten und Geigenmacher in Wiirzburg, 17 " His son was the celebrated Abb^ Georg Joseph

Mirecourt; d. 1834. He is the first member known of this family of violin-makers.

VuiLLAUME,

fourth son of

Claude Frani^-ois, Claude Vuii1807, Mire-

laume

b.

March

court. His son, was also a maker.

S^bastien,
b.

VuiLLAUME, Jean

1700

d.

Vogler.

instruments, VoGT. Good Vienna, in the Speigel-Gasse. VoiGT, Martin. Hamburg, 1726. His work is similar to that
of Tielke.

maker in Mirecourt 1740. is said to have been a pupil of Stradivari, but his work
shows no sign of
it.

back

inlaid in

bass-viol, the ivory, having

Baptiste, ViTiLLAUME, Jean eldest son of Claude Vuiilaume. 1798, Mirecourt; 1875,
at Paris.
{See p.

UO.)

Apollo, Venus, Mercury, and Diana represented, was dated Hamburg, 1726, and was exhibited at the South Kensington Museum, London, 1872. VoiRiN, Fran^-ois Nicolas. 1833,
at

Nicolas, second ViTiLLAUME, son of Claude Vuiilaume.

1800-71, Mirecourt.

Worked

with Jean Baptiste, his elder brother, for ten years at

Paris.

Mirecourt; 1885, Paris. After working at Mirecourt, he went to Paris in 1855, and

for fifteen years made bows for J. B. Vuiilaume ; he obtained as " coUaborateur " a

ViTiLLAUME, Nicolas Francois, third son of Claude Vuiilaume. 1876, Bra1802, Mirecourt He worked with his bant.
;

brother, Jean Baptiste, Paris ; made fair instruments, and

"

; ; :

: ;

DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS

was a
vari.

279

fine copyist of Stradi-

Blasius Weigert Lauten und Geigenraacher in Linz, 1721."

VuiLLAUME, Sebastien, son of Claude Fran<,'ois Vuillaume

b.

AVeisz (Weiss), burg, 1733-61.

Jacob.

Salz-

1835;

d. 1875, Paris.

He

Wenger,

Gregor

Ferdinand.

was the last maker of this family, and continued to make bows on the same pattern as Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, having in his possession the machine for cutting bows which J. B. V. had invented shortly before his death.
Bronze and
Paris, 1867
;

Salzburg, 1750-60.

Wenger. Padua, 1622. Wettenengel, Gustav Adolph.

Neukirchen, Saxony, 1828. wrote an excellent practical treatise on violin-making.

He

Wevmann,

Cornelius.

Am-

silver medals Havre, 1868.

sterdam, 1682. WiDHALM (Withalm), Leopold. Nuremberg, about 1750-80;

imitated Stainer; wood carefully chosen, sometimes too thin ; the varnish red colour, good quality. Several of his
violins

Wagner,
of lutes

Benedict.

maker

and

violins in

Estwan-

gen

in 1769.

Wagneh, Joseph.
18th century.

Constance,

have double purfling,

his

and are branded with

initials inside.

Waldaner. Fussen, 1770. Walter, Jean. Paris, 17751800.

WiGHTMAN, George. Only known by his label " George

:

Wamsley, Peter. A maker in London about 1715-51. He had at one time a great reputation,
especially
for
his

Wightraan,

Wood

Street,

London, 1761." WiLLEMs, Hendrick.

violoncellos. He copied the Stainer pattern very closely, and also made a few imitaof Stradivari instrutions ments ; but in his attempts an Italian quality obtain to of tone he thinned the wood too much, making the tone His violonsound hollow. cellos with thicker wood have a fine tone, so have his doublebasses; the latter are rare, and generally have red varnish.

Ghent, Belgium, 1650-1700. An alto of large pattern has remarkably fine wood used for the
belly
; ;

the corners are pro;

minent and squared at the Brescian model end the neck ends in a lion's head
the outline and the beautiful finish could almost be

mistaken for Italian work, but the varnish is too dry. Nearly all his instruments have beautiful wood for the belly, but walnut, lime-tree,
or

London Weaver, Samuel. known by his printed label, " All sorts of musical instruments made and sold by Saml. Weaver on London
Bridge.

plane-tree

wood

is

fre-

Weickert.

Halle, 1800.

Weigert,

Johann Blasius. Linz, 1721 ; a viola d'amore " Joann known, labelled
:

quently used for the back and the sides, especially in the case of the basses. WiLLEMS, Hendrick. Ghent; some time after the previous Hendrick already mentioned. He made a violoncello or bass with five strings, labelled

" Heyndrick

Willems

tot

280

OLD VIOLINS
neri patterns, using good varnish, amber colour.
oil

A violin, Ghendt, 1717." dated 1743, had the belly

made of carefully selected pine, the back of walnut, and the sides (very exceptional) of raaple. WiLLEMS, Jooris. Ghent, 163065 ; a cornet-player, 1634-71. The first mention of him is in
August 1634; used lime-wood and finely - figured maple
;

Witting, Johann Georg. Mittenwald, about 1775 ; his instruments are well made dark varnish.

WoRNUM,

1742-1815. Robert, music-seller in Glasshouse Street, also a violin and violoncello maker.

WoRTE,
1639.

Matthias.

Augsburg,

Italian style.

Prague, ISth century. Wii.LER. Wise, Christopher. Transition

maker of

viols
;

and

violins in

Wright, Daniel. London, 1745. Label: "Made by Daniel Wright in Holborn, London."
Zach.

small pattern, yellow not much arched ; varnish, good quality ; careful " Christopher work. Label Wise, in Half-Moon Alley, Bishops-Gate, Lonwithout don, 1656."
:

London, 1656

Vienna

makes good

Withers, Edward. ceeded to William

business
at
31

He

sucDavis's

instruments. Giacorao, Modena, 1756-1822. Zanoli, Giacomo. Padua, 1740. Zavoli, Giambattista. Verona, 1730; rough work; German

Zanfi,

style.

Coventry

Zanotti,

Antonio.

Lodi and

Street, London, in December 1846. Both Charles Maucotel

and BouUangier worked under him at one time. Withers, Edward, eldest son
of Edward Withers, b. Oct. 22, 1844. Pupil of his father and

John

Lott.

Commenced

busi-

ness at 31 Coventry Street,

London,

in 1856;

makes about

twelve instruments per year, on the Stradivari and Guar-

Piacenza, 18th century. Zanti, Alessandro. Mantua, 1770; Stradivari pattern; poor varnish. Zenatto, Pietro. Treviso, 1634. FloFilippo. ZiMBELMANN, rence, 1661. ZivERGER (Zwerger), Anton. Mitten wald, 1750; good wood; dark varnish ; fair finish.

Mantua, 1734. ZANorn, Giuseppe.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
It
is

very

difficult to define
I

my

obligations to previous writers

to

and
and

advisers

when

owe almost everything

them

but

am bound

to state specially, that without Messrs Hill

& Sons' assistance

all.

counsel,

and the works of

I

Fetis, Vidal,

George Hart, Heron-Allen,

and Mr Fleming,
preceding
list

could not have written this book at

The
Miss

of makers has been largely adopted from

Stainer's elaborate

Music Primer, " Violin Makers," published by

Novello.

ENGLISH.
Hamilton,
J.

A.
1848.

Hamilton's
R.

"Catechism

for

the

Violin." Edition,

London,

Cocks

&

Co.

Fifteenth

1883, contains Preface

by John Bishop.
" Biographical
Notice
of

F^s,

Francois

Joseph.

Nicolo

Paganini."
Schott
JoussE,
J.

Includes a sketch of the history of the violin.

Svo.

&

Co.

"Theory and

Practice of the Violin."

London,

1811.

" Practice and Theory of the Violoncello " London, 1811. Appendix, 1815. Also " A Treatise on the Harmonic System, Divisions of Strings, &c. &c." London, 1822. Otto, Jacob Augustus. " Treatise on the Construction, Preserva-

MaCdokald, John.

(printed for Author).

tion,

and Repairs

of the Violin. "

London: Longmans,

1833.

281

282
DuBOUHG, George.
Small octavo,

OLD VIOLINS
"The
Violin."

H. Colburn.

London,

183fi.

fifth edition.

Enlarged by John Bishop, of

Mackintosh.

Cheltenham, 1878. R. Cocks. " Remarks on the Construction and Materials

employed

in the

Manufacture of the Violin."

Dublin, 1837.

8vo pamphlet. Paine, John. " A Treatise on the Violin. "

1850.

Printed for the Author,

PuRDY, George.

"A

Few Words

on

the

Violin."

W. G.

Goulburn, 1858.

Sandys, William, and Forster, Simon Andrew.

of the Violin."

" The History

London,

1864.

J.

R. Smith, Addison,

&

Lucas.
Cocks.

Large 8vo.

Ftis, Francois, Joseph.

"Notice of Anthony Stradivari." R. Large 8vo. 1864. Pearce, Joseph, jun. " Violins and Violin-makers." Longmans,
1866.

Adze, Willet.

"The
1871.

Violin

"Musical Notes," including "Violinists" and and its History." London, 1869. R. Bentley.

Davidson, Peter.

"The Violin." Pitman

Edinburgh, Aberdeen,
Gloucester, 1873.

Small octavo.

Fourth edition, 1881.

Reade, Charles.

"A

John Bellowes.
GoFFRiE, Charles.

Lost Art Revived." Large 8vo.

Violin."

"The

Philadelphia, U.S.A., 1876.

G. Andr^ Smith, H.
P.

&

Co.

8vo pamphlet.
Construction of the
Violin."

"The

Syracuse,

U.S. A., n.d. (1877).

Schebek,
its

Dr Edmund.
Origin."

Roblee & Co. " The Violin Manufacture

in Italy

and

German

London,

1877.

W.Reeves.

Large 8vo
n.d.

pamphlet.

Broadhouse, John.
(1879).

"Facts about Fiddles."

to

London,
London,

W.

Reeves.

Porter, Thomas.
(1879).

"How

Choose a Violin."

n.d.

F. Pitman.
J.

8vo.
for the Construction and and Arrangement of the New Model Printed by H. K. Lewis. Large folio.

Nicholson,

" Designs and Plans

of Violin,

New Model

Violin." London, 1880.

"

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hart, George.
1875, 1884,

283
London,

"The
1880.

Violin,

its

Famous Makers."
Sohott.

Dulan

&

Large post 4to and

small 8vo.

" The Violm and its Music." London, 1881. Hart, George. Dulan & Schott. GejiDnder, George. George Gemiinder's " Progress in Violinmaking." Astoria, New York, 1881. Published by the Author.
Reade, Charles.
" Jack of All Trades. "

London,

1882.

Chatto

&

Windus.
" Opuscula
Fidicularum."

Heron-Allev, Edward.
1882.

London, London,

Hughes. Heron-Allen, Edward. " De Fidiculis Opusculum " H.

Mitchell
1883.

&

Mitchell

&

Hughes.
Arts

Heron-Allen.
(translated).

" Markneukirchen

and

Crafts

Book

Cl)"The Messie," (2) "The Tuscan," (3) " Gio. Novello, Ewer & Co. " Hodges v. Chanot " London, 1882. Chanot, Georges.
Hill
Sons.

&

Paolo Maggini."

Mitchell

&

Hughes.

Large 8vo pamphlet.

1883.

Engel, Carl.
Family."

"Researches into the Early History of the Violin

London,

ITALIAN.
Zannetti, Gasparo.
Tartini, Giuseppe.

"

II

Scolaro."

Milan, 1645.

Letter from the late Signer Tartini to

Signora Maddalena Lombardini, translated by Dr Burney.

London,

1771.

R. Bremner.

Bagatella, Antonio.

" Regole per

la

Costruzione de' Violini,

Viole, Violoncelli, et Violoni."

Padova, 1786.

spese delb

Accademia.
Pancaldi, Carlo.

" Progresso Italiano nella Costruzione del Violino

Palermo, 1845.

operato da Antonio Gibertini da Parma."

Tipografia Maddalena.

Small 8vo.
in

Regli, Francesco.

" Storia del Violino

Piemonte." Turin, 1863.

Enrico Dalmazzo.

Large 8vo.

"

284
LoMBARDiNi, Paolo.

OLD VIOLINS
" Cenni
sulla celebre scuola

Cremonese degli

stromenti ad arco, "

Cremona,

1872.

Tipografia dalla Noce.

Large
RiNfALDi,

8vo.

Benedetto-Gioffredo.
Turin, 1873.
Rinaldi.

" Classica

Fabbricazione

di

Violini."

Valdrighi,

Luigi

Francesco.
1878.
9.

Large 8vo pamphlet. " Liuteria Modenese antica

8vo.

moderna."

Modena, Musurgiana No.

1881.

Toschi.

" Strumenti ad arco

Rinforzati."

Modena,

G. T. Vincenzi e Nep.

Large 8vo pamphlet.

FRENCH.
Rousseau, Jean.
8vo.

" Traite de

la Viole."

Paris, 1687.

Ch. Ballard.
les

Leblanc, Hubert.
Entreprises

" Defense de
et

la

basse

de Viole contre

du Violon
1740.

les

pretensions du Violoncelle.

Amsterdam,
Jacquot, a.

P. Mortier.
in Lorraine."
la Vielle."

16mo.

" Music Terrasson, a. " Sur

Leclair, Jean Marie.
8vo.

Paris, 1741.

" Tablature ideale du Violon. " Paris, 1766.

Paris, 1806.

SiBiRE, L'Abbe.
I'Aullur et 8vo.

" La Chelonomie."
Millet.

Brussels, chez

Second Edition,
fait

1823.

Weissenbruch.

Chanot, Francois.
3

" Rapport
Paris, 1819.

h.

I'Academie des Beaux Arts

Avril 1819."

4to.

Contanger (Le Dr Henri). Gaspard Duiffoprugcar et les Luthiers Fischbacher. Paris, 1893. lyonnais du xvie Siecle.
Savart, F^lix.

"M^raoire sur

la

Construction des Instruments k

Roret.
Paris,
8vo.

Cordeset i Archet."

Paris, n.d. (1819).

Maugin,

J.

C.

"Manuel du
,

Luthier."

1834.

Roret.

l2mo.

Maugin,

J.

C.

et

Maigne, W.

" Nouveau Manuel Coraplet du

Paris,
1836.

Luthier."

Paris, 1869.

Roret.

Desmarais, CypRiEN.

Dentu

et Sapia.

"Arch^ologie du Violon." Large 8vo pamphlet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
FouRGEAUD, Alexandre. " Les Violons de Dalayrac."
Leclerc.

285
Paris, 1856.

Large 8vo pamphlet.

Prince.]

[Youssoupow,

" Liithomonographie
s/jm.,

Historique

et

Raisonnee."

Frankfort
'*

1856.

Ch. Fugel.

Large

8 vo.

Gallay,

Jules.

Les

Instruments
Juanst.

Archet a I'Exposition
Grenoble,

Universelle de 1867."

8vo.

Grivel, Victor.
1867.

" Vernis
8vo.

des Anciens Luthiers."

F. Allier.

Gallay, Jules.
Bibliophiles.

Parfait Luthier de

"Les Luthiers Italiens." Nouvelle edition du TAbbe Sibirc. Paris, 1869. Academic des
" Des Cordes du Violon." Lille, 1876. Danet. " Les Instruments a Archet, les Faiseurs, les
leur

Plassiard,

J.

A.

ViDAL, Antoine.
Joueurs

d'Instruments,

Histoire

sur

le

Continent

Europeen."
de Chambre.

Suivi d'un Catalogue generale de la

Musique
forte

Orne de planches gravees a

Paris,

I'eau

par
4to.

Frederic Hillemacher.
Edition-de-luxe.

1876

J.

Claye.

3 vols.

Coppee, Francois.

" Le Luthier de Cremone."

12mo.

London, 1880.
Bale, 1883.

Dulan

&

Co.

SiMOUTRE, N. E.

"Aux Amateurs du

Violon."

G.

A. Bonfantini.

GERMAN.
Reich ardt, Johann Friedrich.
Violinisten."

" Ueber

die Pflichten des Ripien-

Berlin

und

Leipzig, 1776.

G.

J.

Decker.

Bagatella, Antonio. "Ueber den Bau der Violine." Leipzig, Kuhnel. 8vo. n.d. (1806). WETrENGEL, GusTAV Adolph. " Neuer Schauplatz der KUnste

und Handwerke." Ilmenda, 1828. B. F. Voigt. " Theoretisch-praktisches Handbuch Bachmann, Otto.
G. Basse. Geigenbaues." Baader, J. "Chronikdes Marktes." Mittenwald. " Die Violine." Neuberg a/d., 1864. Abele, Hyacinth.
Leipzig, 1835.
Zrechter.

des

A.

Small 8vo.

286
Schubert, F. L. DiEHL,
NicoLAUs

OLD VIOLINS
" Die
Violine. "

Leipzig, 1865.

Merzeburger.
der

Louis.

" Die

Geigenmacher
1866, 1877.

Alten

Italienischen Schule."

Hamburg,

J. F. Richter.

" G. a. W.'s weil ViolinWettengel, Gustav Adolph. bogenmachers zu Markneukirchen. " Weimar, 1869. B. F.
Voigt.

Wasielewski, Joseph Wilhelm von.

Jahrhundert."
RiTTEH, Hermann.
Weiss.
4to.

"Die

Violine

irn

XVII.
G.

Bonn, 1874.

M. Cohen.
Alta."

"Die Viola

Heidelberg, 1876.

Niederheitmann, Friedrich.
in Italien

und Tyrol."
" Eine

Hamburg,

" Die Meister der Geigenbaukunst Aug. Cranz, 1876. 1876.

der
H:alienischen
8vo.

Cremona.
Geigenbauer. "

Charakteristik

Leipzig, 1877.

Carl Merzeburger.

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES
PLATE
I

{to

face page \%)

ADuiffoprugcar viol da Garaba, owned by Mr George Donaldson. This matchless antique is doubtless one of many, but most of the rest have perished ; it stands almost alone as a poetic specimen of the phantasy of the old viol makers. It is elaborately decorated on the back, after the taste of the period, with an excess of ornament, which the fine instinct of the subsequent makers of violins rejected as prejudicial to tone. The habit of adopting a creature's head, or a face, for a scroll long lingered, and is not unknown in the work of Stradivarius. In England numerous copies of Duke that have been palmed off as original have lion heads. These instruments were usually "made in Germany," and it appears to have been a favourite practice there to use such carved scrolls.

PLATE
(the "

II {to face

page

Z9>)

A Maggini violin De Beriot") owned by Mr Antonietti. The Maggini here given is an admirably preserved specimen of the great Brescian master, who, next to Stradiuarius, did more than any one man to inspire and define the ideal shape, from which even the Araati at first departed, but which Strad had the genius to restore and perfect. The corners, however, have been rubbed, and not in every case renewed, otherwise it is in as perfect a condition as can be expected in so old a fiddle. The scroll is cut with a care and an advanced finish which reminds us of the bolder Strad period, 1700-30. Maggini, oddly enough, was little honoured in the first quarter of this century, but De Beriot had the insight to discern his merits ; and from the time he adopted him for his masterly and full-toned performances, the Magginis rose, and have been continuing to rise, in public
estimation.
2S7

288

OLD VIOLINS
PLATE
III {to face paffp, 50)
is

Her

late Majesty's

Amati tenor

in beautiful condition
It

it

is

was, doubtand it bears on less, originally made to order for some great prelate its back a noble coat of arms hardly decipherable, and the image of John Baptist carrying a Iamb (" Behold the Lamb of God " John i. 36). The instrument was used in Her late Majesty's private band by Mr Hann (1898). Like many old viols it has been somewhat reduced in size. For the loan of this instrument I am indebted to the good offices of Sir Walter Parratt, director of the late Queen's
elaborately ornamented, in lieu of the usual purfling.
;
!

private band.

PLATE IV
istic

{to

face page 5%)

Paganini's Joseph Guarnerius. This is a fine and very characterspecimen of the mighty Del Gesii. It is in his most powerful and massive style (the head almost brutal in its bull-dog strength),

with

full rich

find so

much

colour thickly laid on to match. Seldom, indeed, do we varnish left on the back of so old a violin. The instru-

into Paganini's

ment has been very carefully dealt with. The story of how it passed hands is well known. An Italian amateur, who evi-

its

dently knew its value, lent it to the great maestro, and, after hearing marvellous qualities, as drawn forth by the Magician of the Violin, declared that no other hand should henceforth set its chords in Paganini left it to his native town of Genoa, and there it vibration. may still be seen in the Town Hall. It was his favourite instrument

and the giant Joseph Guarnerius was well matched with the giant
Nicolo Paganini.

PLATE V
The Rode and Spanish

{to

face page 66)

it

violins

and the Spanish tenor,

will

be

observed, are all inlaid. Strad was no bigot, and although we may confidently assert that he disapproved of all inlaying or decoration on the bellies or backs, and confined it to its narrowest limits when resorted to in lieu of the usual strip of purfling, he probably judged that if it did not encroach upon the vibratory surfaces much beyond a common purfle, it was comparatively harmless. It is likely that the Rode Strad,whose history I am unable to record, was made for Royalty or some great Prince Cardinal of the Church, the extra decoration

being considered due to the high rank of the patron, or wrought in obedience to a special request. We have many evidences that Strad

; ,

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES

289

was not above pleasing the individual whims of his clients. He was himself an expert carver, and could inlay with the best of them when he chose. The Rode Strad was sold to Messrs Hill by M. Lamoureux, the eminent French conductor, and by them to Dr Oldham of Brighton. The Strad 'cello is a good specimen of The size is brought down characterStrad's improved bass model. istically, and the comparative smallness of the upper, contrasting with the ample development of the lower part, gives the instrument an appearance of lightness and grace whilst the delicate and somewhat narrow head, with its sufficiently massive and finely cut out scroll, admirably balances the whole to the eye with a certain " chic " quite a la Strad.
;

PLATE VI
and

{to

face pa(/e 68)

This plate contains profiles of the three Strads shown in Plate V. is interesting as displaying the variety exhibited in Strad's The Spanish Strad has quite an Amatis6 scroll, scroll carving. long, light, and very restrained, and undeveloped at the lower extremity. Notice the greater freedom of the Rode scroll, quite in Strad's best manner. The Rode model is also flatter in the back, but the bellies are all flat in the approved style, after the earlier Amati groove had almost entirely disappeared from the Cremona model.

PLATE

VII

{to

face page S2)

Panoramic View of Cremona, taken outside Poi-to Po from the banks of the river, and engraved about 1830 by Caporali. Names of buildings, counting from the right of the print 1. Church
:

Hall Cathedral ; 5. Town Hall Tower ; 6. Torrazzo, the Cathedral Tower, the highest in Italy; 7. Church of S. Marcellino ; 8. Church of S. Domenico ; 9. Church of S. Agostino 10. Church of S. Lucca ; 11. Church of S. Omobono, patron of the town ; 12. Church of S. Agata 13. Church of S. Ilario ; 14. Church of S. Luca. Signor Sacchi, a native of Cremona, has kindly identified all the above for me.
of S. Pietro
3.
;

2.

Tower

of the old prisons near the

Town

Battisterio

4.

PLATES

VIII AND IX

{to

face pages 106, 110)

These portraits of Tourte, Lupot, Vuillaume, and Ebsworth Hill being fully dwelt on in the text, need no further comment.

290

OLD VIOLINS
PLATE X
{to face

f age

162)
fully explained

This plate of backs,

in the text.

bellies,

and bows, has been

PLATE XI

{to face

page

\?>2)

Landseer sketched a series, Portraits of Paganini abound. which, however, are slightly of the nature of caricatures. It was The Maestro's features were so marked, difficult to do otherwise. his long hair so weird, the tall forehead, the wide sensitive mouth, the dark eyes, the ungainly and gaunt, almost dislocated attitudes of the man lent themselves freely to a lively and not always sympathetic or respectful pencil. The portrait, a rare one, here produced, hits the happy mean. The finest representation of him is, however, Danton's small bust (admirably reproduced by Mrs Haweis' pencil in " My Musical Life," where see my biographical study of Paganini).

PLATE
For a

XII

{to face

page 238)

fuller list of labels, the

Mr

Vidal's

" Collector" had better consult most valuable book referred to in our Bibliography,

from which our seven specimens' are reproduced. I may observe that a forged fiddle may often have what purports to be a genuine reference, therefore, to these facsimiles may be useful. label. Buyers should also beware of labels bearing dates posterior to I have seen Stainer's so the death of the alleged makers. decorated. Stainer labels in two different sorts of type, i.e., the name in a running type and the rest in print, are never genuine. Duke copies of Stainer, often very good ones, sometimes present Notice that Gasparo and Gio Paolo Maggini never this peculiarity. dated their instruments. There exist numerous dated copies of Maggini generally recent copies De Beriot having brought the

great Gio into notice. These are all frauds. Stradiuarius changed his labels late in fife, using a v instead of , and spelling Stradivari or Stradivarius. This is called the cursive v. Some Stradivarius-labelled violins have all the figures of the date
printed, e.g., 1712.

These are forgeries. The last two figures in the real labels being always filled up in ink,which has much faded. It does not, however, follow that all thus filled in are genuine indeed, particularly favourite date for forged Stradivari most are frauds.

labels

is

1721.

INDEX
Albani, 102
Aldric, Paris dealer, 174

Aireton, 124

Dealers, see Chap. XV. Dodd, bow-maker, 133, 166 " Dolphin," a celebrated Strad,
74

Amateurs, their opinions, 225 Amati, the, 43, 44, 47 Americans, their wood, 233
Artot's Strad, 75

Duiffoprugcar, old maker, 12

da Gamba, 19 Duke, English maker, 132

his viol

Balzak, great violinist, 122 Band, Charles II.'s, 121 Banks, English maker, 130 Barak Norman, English maker,
125 Bernadel, French maker, 109, 189 Betts, English maker, 133 Bisexual violin nature, 22 Boquay, French maker, 105

Elector

fiddles

by
see

Stainer, 97

English makers,

Chap. VIII.

" False"

strings, 156 Fendt, Bernard, 132 Fiddles and umbrellas, 214 Fiddle flukes, 220 Fiddle frauds, 223 Fiddle judges, 224
.

Bows, see Chap. XL Buying fiddles, 235

Fiddles, new 227, 233

and

old, secret of,

Carlo Bergonzi, 83; supremacy,

230
94
;

gems, 173

influence,

Charles II.'s court, influence on music, 121 Charles Reade, 180, 217 Children, their fiddles, 68
Collecting mania, 12 Completeness of violin, 7 Control of vioHn, 9

Fingerboard, 207 " Finish " of old makers, 26 Foster, the family of, 126-127, &c. France,violinsin,6'eeChap. VII. Fran(,'ois Tourte, bow-maker, 164

Gagliano, 89 Gand, French maker, 109, 189 Gasparo da Salo, 30 Genesis of violin, see Chap. I.

Convalescent fiddles, 200

German
of,

Cracked

fiddles, 198

Germany,

strings, 158 fiddle - makers,

see

Cremona city, 42 Cremona gems, discovery

173

Cremona

influence, 94 Cross, English maker, 125

Chap. VI. Geronimo Amati, 44 GiUott's Mr, collection, 217 Giuseppe or Joseph Guarnerius,
53

292

INDEX
Mittenvpald violin manufacture, 186

Goding's, Mr, collection, 178 Golden Strad period, 73

Guadagnini, 86' Guarneri family, 51 Guild of Markneukirchen, 194197.

Montagnana, Venetian maker,

87

Mutes

or

sordini

to

deaden

sounds, 159
dealer, 180

Hart, John,
Hill,

Neglect of EngHsh makers,

118

William Ebsworth, 133 Holmes, Oliver Wendell, 226 Horses, fiddles and umbrellas, 214

Neglect of violins, 215 New fiddles, 227, 233 Nicolas Lupot, see Lupot. Nicolo Amati, the best of the
family, 47

Ignorance and neglect, 215

Jauues, French maker, 105 Jay, English maker, 124

Norman,
Jean and Nicolas Medard, 187 Joseph or Giuseppe Guarnerius,
53

see

Barak Norman.
Holmes,
a

Oliver Wendell
letter,

226 Ouri, the violinist, 170 Over-restoration, 203

Kennedys, the English, 1872 and 1885, 218 makers, 124

;

Paduan

Klotz family, 101, 191

Landolpho,

Italian, 216 Lott, John, English, 219 Luigi Tarisio, rediscoverer of Cremonas, 179, 181 ; see Chap.

strings, 158 Paganini, 9-56, 182 Pamphilon, English maker, 124 Panorrao, maker of guitars and fiddles, 124

Paris, Vuillaume at, 176-178

and

Tarisio

XIV.
Lupot, French maker, 106, 168188

Parker, English maker, 124 Peccate, Italian maker, 169

Pernambuco wood

for

bows, 161

Personal fascination in violinplaying, secret of it, 11 Pieray, 105 Pique, French maker, 108 Prelude and postlude, 7, 237 " Pucelle," a celebrated Strad, 78

Maggini, early Brescian maker,

32-40

Mantegazza, Venetian maker,

90

Manufacture of strings process,

155

Markneukirchen, early home of violin manufacture, 186, 193 "Master" Reiter, Mittenwald maker, 192 Maucotel, French, 188 Medard, early Tyrol maker, 187; see Chap. XIII.

Reade,

see

Reiter, see

Charles Reade. " Master."

224

Remenyi,

violinist, 170,

Restoration, 203

Revarder, Mirecourt maker, 188 Rosin, treatment and use of, 202 Rugerius, Italian maker, 50
Salo, early violin centre, 30 Savart's experiments, 25 Scale of prices, 236 Secret of old violins, 228

Menegand, French, 188

" Messie," a great Strad
77
violin,

Mirecourt, early

home

of violin

manufacture, 189

INDEX
Sound
qualities of old

293
see

and new

Treatment of viohn,

Chap.

violins, 227

XIV.
Tubbs, bow-maker, 169 " Tuscan," the celebrated Strad,
69

South Kensington Collections, see Kensington. Stainer, see Chap. VI. Stainer, Miss, "Violin Manual,"
189 Stradivarius, see Chap. V. Strange finds, 77

Uruuhart, English maker, 124

see Chap. IX. Violin constitution, see

Varnish,
II.

String gauge, 154

Strings, violin, see Chap. X.

Chap.

Story of the Markneukirchen Guild, 194-197 Subdivision of labour a cause of

decline, 231

Violin dealing
see

and

collecting,

Chap. XV.

Tarisio,

see

Luigi,

179,

and

Chap. XIV.
Techier, German school, 102 Thibouville - Lamy, French maker, 189 Tourte, bow-maker, 164

Violin progress, see Chap. I. Violin rise, see Chap. I. Violin treatment, see Chap. XIV. Viols, see Chap. I.; English, 119 Vision of Stradivari, 79 Vuillaume, 110, 168

Walmesley,
125

English

maker,

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