2,500 Violins which bear his name. Many of these he made throughout.
The early ones are much appreciated, and having been wisely varnished
over at first, now begin to show the good results of such handling.
The career of Vuillaume was singularly eventful. Commencing life from
the first stage of the ladder, he gradually mounted to the highest, by
the help of the usual nurses of fortune, skill and perseverance. He
was a great lover of Cremonese instruments, and was intimately
associated with Tarisio. At the death of the celebrated Italian
connoisseur, he purchased the whole of his collection. He employed a
number of skilful workmen, some of whom have achieved independent and
individual reputations, and will be found noticed in their proper
places in this work.
VUILLAUME, N. F., Brussels. Brother of the above. Was well known both
as a maker and connoisseur. Born in 1802; died 1876.
VUILLAUME, Claude Francois, born 1807.
VUILLAUME, Sebastien, Paris, nephew of J. B. Vuillaume, made a few
excellent instruments. He died in the same year, 1875.
SECTION IX
The German School
There is no trace of any German Violins of the time of Gasparo da
Salo, or Maggini. This is certainly remarkable, and the more so when
we consider how near were the German makers of Lutes, &c., to the old
Italian town where Violins were being made. It is evident from this
non-production of Violins that the Tyrolese were content with their
Viols and Lutes, and did not recognise the wonderful effects of the
little Violin until it had become pretty nearly perfected by the
Italians. The manufacture of Lutes, Viols, and Guitars in Germany had
in 1650, or a little later, reached its zenith, and the exquisite
pieces of workmanship, in the shape of Lutes, Viols da Gamba, and
Viols d'Amore, richly inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory, and
tortoiseshell, made at this period, evidence the high state of the
art.
To Jacob Stainer is due the credit, to a great extent, of changing the
system of modelling so long in vogue in Germany. Although so great a
maker, he was seemingly unable to free himself entirely from the
proclivities common to his countrymen as Violin makers. There
remained, after all Stainer's changes, the German sound-hole and extra
arching, &c. Yet it must be readily admitted that the example which
Stainer put before his countrymen was of great value, and served to
engender an improved style throughout the Violin manufacture of
Germany. The exceptional merits of this famous German artist were soon
recognised, and his followers were legion. Among them were Sebastian
Kloz, George Kloz, Egidius Kloz, and other members of that, perhaps
the largest, family of Fiddle-makers the world has seen (had they been
as good as they were numerous, what stores of prized Violins would
have been bequeathed to us!); Reiss, of Bamberg; Rauch, of Breslau;
and Leopold Widhalm, of Nuremberg, who was one of Stainer's best
imitators; and others less known.
There were several German makers--led, possibly, by the example of
Stainer and Albani the younger--who turned their attention to Italy,
as furnishing models superior to their own, and thus combined the
styles of both countries; while they endeavoured to copy closely the
Italian masters, without attempting to be original. Niccolo Amati was
the maker whom these men chiefly copied, and most successfully did
they perform their task. These copies, however, did not meet the
success to which they were entitled, and the popularity of Stainer's
mode was then so great that the instruments made upon systems other
than his found no favour in the Fatherland. The makers who were
copyists of the Italian masters were Ruppert, Bachmann, Jauch, and
Eberle of Prague.
When we consider the long list of makers forming the German School, we
cannot fail to feel surprised that the number of really good artists
was not much larger; and our surprise increases when the close
proximity of the Tyrolese workers to the chief Italian centres of the
manufacture of Violins is also considered. If the names of Jacob
Stainer and Mathias Albani be excepted, the list is singularly
destitute of makers famous for originality. The Germans were certainly
great in the manufacture of the older stringed instruments, but seem
to have made a poor beginning in the making of Violins. The form
selected was bad, and they failed to improve upon it to any great
extent. It would be quite impossible to furnish anything approaching a
complete list of German makers, their number being so extended, and so
many of their instruments being anonymous, and withal so weak in
character that it is hard to discern them. Every care, however, has
been taken to render the following list as complete as possible.
SECTION X
German Makers
ALBANI, Mathias, Botzen. M. Fetis, quoting the Biographical Dictionary
of Moritz Berman, with regard to Albani, states that he was born in
1621, and died in 1673. The form is somewhat like Stainer's, but
higher and heavier in construction. The varnish is very rich. Wood of
good quality.
ALBANI, Mathias, Botzen, about 1650-1712.
Mathias Albani Fecit
Bulsani Tyrol 1651.
Matthias Albanus Fecit
Bulsani in Tyroli 1680.
Son of the above. This maker should, perhaps, have been classed with
those of Italy, his style being Italian; but as he was the son of the
well-known German maker, it was thought best that his name should
follow that of his father under the head of German makers. The son has
shown but faint marks of having been tutored by his parent in the art
of Violin-making. He is said to have visited Cremona, in order to
receive instruction there under Amati, and this circumstance may have
given to his work that Italian air which is so pleasing to the
connoisseur.[1] This maker is often credited with the work of the
elder Albani, it having been supposed that there was but one of that
name. The model is good, and the workmanship throughout demands high
praise. Gerber states that the famous Violinist, Tomaso Albinoni,
possessed two Violins of this maker, dated 1702 and 1709.
[Footnote 1: He appears to have worked for a time in Rome, from which
city some instruments are dated.]
ALBANI, Paolo, Palermo, about 1633. Probably related to the Albanis of
Botzen. _See_ Italian makers.
ALETZIE, Paolo, Munich. _See_ Italian makers.
Paulus Aletzee hof
Lauten und Geigenmacher
in Munchen 1710.
ARTMANN, ----, Weimar, near Gotha, 18th century. Was originally a
joiner. Copied Amati very cleverly. The varnish is frequently of amber
colour.
BACHMANN, Carl Ludwig, born at Berlin, 1716. Court musician and
Violin-maker. The work is clean, and not without style. Bachmann was a
performer on the Viol. In 1765 he was appointed instrument maker to
the court of Frederick the Great. Bachmann, in conjunction with Ernest
Benda, founded in 1770 the concerts for amateurs at Berlin. He died in
1800.
BACHMANN, O., Halberstadt, Violin-maker, and author of a handbook on
the construction of bow instruments, published in 1835 at Leipsic.
BAUSCH, Ludwig C. A., Leipsic, born at Nuremberg in 1815. Pupil of B.
Fritsche in Dresden.
BAUSCH, Ludwig B. Son of the above.
BAUSCH, Otto B., Leipsic, born 1841, brother of the above.
BECKMANN, Sweno, Stockholm, about 1700. The work is rough.
BEDLER, ----, about 1750.
BELA, Szepessy, born at Budapest in 1856. Now living in London.
BINDERNAGEL, ----, Gotha, 18th century. Copied Amati chiefly. There
are a few of his instruments which are on the model of Stradivari, and
are highly valued in Germany.
BUCHSTADTER, Gabriel David, Ratisbon, 18th century. His Violins are
not equal in merit. Some have excellent wood, others very indifferent.
When one of his best instruments can be procured, it is a good
substitute for a second-class Italian.
CHRISTA, Joseph Paul, Munich, 1730.
Josephus Paulus Christa, Lauten
und Geigenmacher in Munchen. 17--
DIEL, Martin (spelt Diehl by later members of the family), Mayence,
worked with Nicolaus Dopfer, and later with Carl Helmer of Prague. He
was a son-in-law of Dopfer.
DIEL, Nicolaus, born 1779, son of Martin, worked with his uncle Jacob
Steininger of Frankfort. He succeeded to the business of his father.
Died 1851.
DIEL, Johann, brother of Nicolaus.
DIEL, Jacob, son of Nicolaus, settled in Bremen 1834, later in
Hamburg. Died 1873.
DIEHL, Nicolaus Louis, Hamburg, son of Jacob Diehl, died 1876.
DIEHL, Friedrich, Darmstadt, born 1814, son of Nicolaus, received a
bronze medal, Paris Exhibition, 1867.
DIEHL, Johann, Mayence.
DIEHL, Heinrich, son of Johann.
DOPFER, Nicolaus, 1768. The instruments of this maker are well made;
the model is less raised than that of many German makers. He made a
few large Tenors. Dopfer was the master of Martin Diehl.
DURFEL, J. G., Altenburg, 18th century. A well-known maker of
Double-Basses.
EBERLE, J. Ulric, Prague, about 1730-50. Was a good copyist of the
Italian masters. Eberle also made Viols d'Amour.
Joannes Udalricus Eberle,
Lautenmacher in Prag, 1730.
EDLINGER, T., Prague, about 1712.
EDLINGER, Joseph Joachim, Prague. Son of the above. Worked for some
time in Italy. Died 1748.
ELSLER, Johann Joseph, Mayence, 1720-50. Made many good Viols da
Gamba.
ERNST, Franz Anton, born in 1745 in Bohemia, died in 1805. He was an
eminent Violinist, and received lessons from Antonio Lolli. In 1778 he
was engaged as Court musician at Gotha. He took great interest in
Violin-making, and made several excellent instruments.
FELDEN, M., Vienna, about 1550. Maker of Viols.
FICHTOLD, Hans, about 1612. Lute-maker.
FICHTL, Martin, Vienna, 1757. Large pattern, good varnish, wood of
excellent quality.
FICKER, Johann Christian, Cremona, 1720. Said to have lived in the
midst of the greatest makers the world has had; if so, he certainly
did not make himself acquainted with the art of Violin-making as
understood in Cremona. His instruments may have been made at
Mittenwald, and dated from Cremona.
FICKER, Johann Gotlieb, Cremona, 1789.
FISCHER, Zacharie, Wurtzburg, 1730. This maker adopted the practice of
baking the wood for the manufacture of Violins.
FISCHER, Anton, Vienna, died 1879.
FREY, Hans, Nuremberg and Bologna, born about 1440. A celebrated maker
of Lutes. He was the father-in-law of Albert Durer. John Evelyn, in
his Diary, 1645, after speaking in praise of the cheese and sausages
of Bologna, refers to the great celebrity of the Lutes by the old
makers of that city, and mentions Hans Frey. He says they "were of
extraordinary price, and the workmen were chiefly Germans."
FRITZCHE, ----, Leipsic, about 1780-1810.
GEDLER, Johann A., Fussen, about 1750.
GEDLER, Johann B., Fussen, about 1780.
GEISSENHOF, Franz, Vienna, died 1821. The initials F. G. sometimes
branded on the button. Stradivari model. Good work.
GERLE, Johann, Nuremberg, 1533 to about 1550. Maker of Lutes and
Viols. He also published a book on the Lute, 1533.
GRIESSER, Matthias, Innspruck, 1727.
GRIMM, Carl, Berlin, born about 1794. He died at Berlin, 1855, and was
succeeded by a son, Ludwig Grimm.
GROBITZ, A., Warsaw, about 1750.
GUGEMMOS, Fussen, Bavaria, 17--. Indifferent work.
HAENSEL, Johann A., Berlin. Contributed an article to the "Leipsic
Musical Gazette" in 1811, entitled "Ueber den Bau der Violin."
HAMBERGER, Joseph, Presburg, 1845.
HAMM, Johann Gottfried, Rome, 18th century. Made instruments of a wide
pattern, often with ivory edges, and branded inside with his initials.
HAMMIG, W. H., Leipsic. Now living.
HASSERT, ----, Eisenach, 18th century.
HASSERT, ----, Rudolstadt, 18th century.
HELMER, Carl, Prague, born 1740. Pupil of Eberle of Prague.
HILDEBRANDT, Michael C., Hamburg, 1770.
HILTZ, Paul, Nuremberg, 1656. Maker of Viols.
HOFFMANN, Martin, Leipsic, about 1680 to 1725. Maker of Lutes and
Viols.
HOFFMANN, Johann Christian, Leipsic, about 1720. Son of Martin
Hoffmann. Lute and Viol maker.
HORNSTAINER, Joseph, Mittenwald, about 1730. Made a few Double-Basses
of good quality.
HORNSTAINER, Matthias, Mittenwald, about 1800.
HORIL, Jacob, Rome, about 1742.
HULLER, August, Shoeneck, about 1775.
HUMEL, Christian, Nuremberg, about 1709.
HUNGER, Christoph Friedrich, Leipsic, born at Dresden, 1718, died
1787. One of the best German makers.
JAIS, Johann, Botzen, about 1776. There were other makers of this
name.
JAUCH, Johann, Gratz, Styria, Austria. Worked in Dresden about 1774.
KARB, ----, Konigsberg, Maker of Viols.
KAMBL, Johann A., Munich, 1640.
Johan Andreas Kambl Churfurstl.
Hof Lauten und Geigenmacher
in Munchen.
KEMBTER, ----, Dibingen, about 1730. Stainer model. Good wood, and
work well purfled.
KIAPOSSE, Sawes, St. Petersburg, 1750.
KIRCHSCHLAG, ----, Tyrol, 1780.
KLOZ, Matthias, Mittenwald, 1656-1743. Is reported to have been a
pupil of Stainer. The work is good and the varnish in some cases of a
mellow quality, in others somewhat thin. Some of the wood that he used
was cut at the wrong season, and is consequently worm-eaten.
KLOZ, Sebastian, Mittenwald, 1696-1750, son of Matthias Kloz.
Sebastian Kloz, in
Mittenwald, An 17--
The instruments of this maker are much esteemed. The model is flat as
compared with most Violins of the German school. The varnish varies.
KLOZ, George, Tyrol, 1687-1737, brother of Sebastian Kloz. Instruments
well made, chiefly yellow in colour; wood often worm-eaten.
KLOZ, Egidius, Mittenwald, 1675-1711.
KLOZ, AEgidius, Mittenwald, 1733-1805. Son of Sebastian. One of the
best of this very large family of makers.
KLOZ, Joseph, Mittenwald, son of Egidius.
KLOZ, J. Karl, about 1741. Good work, dark varnish, ornamental border
round label.
KNITTLE, Joseph, Mittenwald.
KNITTING, Philip, Mittenwald, 1760.
KOHL, Johann, Munich, 1580. Lute-maker to the Bavarian Court.
KOLDITZ, J., Rumburg, died 1796.
[Illustration: _Plate XV_. CHAPEL OF THE ROSARY. CHURCH OF ST.
DOMENICO, CREMONA.]
KOLDITZ, Mathias Johann, Munich, 1720.
Mathias Joannes Koldjz,
Lauten und Geigenmacher in
Munchen 17--
KRAMER, H., 1717, Viol-maker.
KRINER, Joseph, Mittenwald, 1786.
LASKA, Joseph, Prague, born at Rumburg, 1738, died 1805. Worked with
J. Kolditz.
LEMBOCK, Gabriel, Budapest, 19th century. Maker; also known as a
repairer of old instruments.
MANN, Hans, Naples.
MAUSSIELL, Leonard, Nuremberg, 1745. Stainer pattern, excellent
workmanship. Thin yellow varnish, raised edges. The style and work is
not unlike that of Tecchler.
MAHER (MAIER), Andreas Ferdinand. Good varnish, sometimes with lion
scrolls.
Andreas Ferdinandus Mahr,
Hof Laut und Geigenmacher
in Salzburg. Anno 17--
MEUSIDLER, Johann, Nuremberg, about 1550. Maker of Viols.
MOHR, Philip, Hamburg, 17th century. Viol-maker.
MOLDONNER, Fussen, Bavaria, 18th century.
NIGGEL, Simpertus, Fussen, 17--. Flat model, good workmanship. Branded
inside with initials S. N.
OHBERG, Johann, Stockholm, 1773. Workmanship of average merit. Varnish
mostly of yellow colour.
OTT, Johann, Nuremberg, about 1463. Lute-maker.
OTTO, Jacob August, born at Gotha, 1762, died 1830. Violin-maker to
the Court of Weimar. Received instructions from Franz Anton Ernest. He
published a work in 1817 entitled, "Ueber den Bau und die Erhaltung
der Geige und aller Bogeninstrumente," and another work with more
information in 1828, the first English edition of which was published
in 1848.
OTTO, Georg August, son of Jacob August, born 1807, died 1859.
Succeeded to the business of his father at Jena.
OTTO, Christian, Halle, second son of Jacob August. Born 1813, died
1876.
OTTO, Heinrich, Berlin, third son of Jacob August. Born 1815, died
1858.
OTTO, Carl, Ludwigslust, fourth son of Jacob August. Born 1825.
Violin-maker to the Court of Mecklenburg. Died in 1883.
OTTO, C. U. F., Stockholm, fifth son of Jacob August. Died 1884.
OTTO, Ludwig, St. Petersburg, son of Georg August. Born at Cologne;
died 1887.
OTTO, Louis, Dusseldorf, son of Carl, now living.
OTTO, Hermann, St. Petersburg, son of Ludwig. Died 1884.
PARTH, Andreas Nicholas, Vienna, 18th century.
PFRETZSCHNER, Johann Gottlob, Cremona, 1750. Very commonplace.
PFRETZSCHNER, Carl Friedrich, Cremona, son of the preceding; no merit.
PLACK, F., Schoenbock, 1730-45.
POSSEN, L., Schoengau, Bavaria, about 1553. Maker of Viols and Lutes.
RAUCH, ----, Wurtzburg.
RAUCH, Jacob, Manheim, 1720-50. Brother of the above. Court
Violin-maker.
RAUCH, Sebastian, Hamburg, 1725. High model, rough workmanship. A
maker of this name is said to have worked at Leitmeritz, Bohemia,
about 1750. Possibly the same.
RAUCH, ----, Breslau, about 1750.
REICHEL, Johann Gottfried, Absam, 18th century.
REICHEL, Johann Conrad, Neukirchen, 18th century.
REICHERS, August, Berlin, 19th century. Pupil of Bausch of Leipsic.
RIESS, ----, Bamberg, about 1750.
ROSCHER, C. H. W., Bremen, about 1871.
ROTH, Christian, Augsburg, 17th century.
RUPPERT, Franz, Erfurt, 18th century.
RUPPERT, J. N., Erfurt, 1719-28.
SAINPRAE, Jacques, Berlin, 17th century. A Baryton Viol of this maker
is among the musical instruments at the Kensington Museum. It is said
to have belonged to Johann Quantz, the famous flute-player.[2] The
Baryton was a favourite instrument with Haydn. He composed several
pieces for the instrument, and was fond of playing it. The Baryton, or
Viol di Bordone, is of the character of the Viole d'Amour, being
strung with sympathetic metal strings. It is, however, a large and
more complicated instrument.
[Footnote 2: The flute-playing of Johann Joachim Quantz in 1728 gave
so much pleasure to the Crown Prince of Prussia, afterwards Frederick
the Great, that he decided to take lessons from Quantz, who was then
in the service of Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland.
Quantz was stationed alternately in Dresden and Warsaw. He became a
member of the orchestra of Augustus in 1718, when Jean Baptiste
Volumier was its director, of whom mention has been made (page 208)
relative to his having been sent to Cremona in 1715 to await the
completion of twelve Violins ordered of Stradivari.]
SAWICKI, C. N., Vienna, 1792-1850.
SCHEINLEIN, Mathias F., 1710-71. High built; dark varnish.
SCHEINLEIN, Johann Michael, Langenfeld, son of the above. Similar
characteristics.
SCHELL, Sebastian, Nuremberg, 1727. Lute-maker.
SCHLICK, ----, Leipsic.
SCHMIDT, ----, Cassel, 1800-25. Copied Stradivari indifferently; wood
of an inferior kind.
SCHONFELDER, Johann A., Neukirchen, about 1743.
SCHONGER, Franz, Erfurt, 18th century.
SCHONGER, Georg, Erfurt, son of the above.
SCHORN, Johann, Innspruck, about 1680. An excellent maker; the varnish
is similar to that of Albani; high modelled. He appears to have
removed to Salzburg. There are Viols of his make dated from there in
1696 and 1699.
SCHORN, Johann Paul, Salzburg, about 1700-16. Court instrument-maker.
SCHOTT, Martin, Prague. Chiefly known as a maker of Lutes.
SCHWARTZ, Strasbourg, about 1845. Several of this name worked in
Strasbourg.
SCHWEITZER, J. B., Budapest, died 1875. Flat model, neat workmanship.
Made a few Tenors.
STADELMANN, Daniel, Vienna, 1680-1744. Good work, model of Jacob
Stainer. Thin varnish, sometimes yellow colour.
STADELMANN, Johann Joseph, Vienna, 18th century. Copied Stainer;
average merit.
STAINER, Jacob, Absam, born July 14, 1621, at Hall.
Jacobus Stainer in Absam
prope Oenipontum. 16--
The celebrity of this maker is second only to that of the great
Cremonese artists. His admirers in Germany and England were, at one
time, more numerous than those of the principal Italian makers. In a
manuscript note which Sir John Hawkins added to his own copy of his
History of Music (1776), he says, "The Violins of Cremona are exceeded
only by those of Stainer, a German, whose instruments are remarkable
for a full and piercing tone." To the connoisseur of to-day such
commendation may seem inexplicable, and cause him to believe that
Fiddle admirers of past times were incapable of appreciating true
beauty of form, and its bearing upon sound, or else that fashion made
its influence felt on the Fiddle world as elsewhere. It would be
absurd to deny that the greatest German maker of Violins that ever
lived was a man of rare abilities, because it is indelibly written on
his chief works that he was a thorough artist. Therefore an expression
of surprise that Jacob Stainer has been estimated higher than even
Stradivari by the Germans and English, must not be understood as a
reflection on his abilities, since it refers to the form that he chose
to give to his works. To account for the apparent inconsistency in the
works of Stainer, and to strike the balance between his exceptional
abilities on the one side and his model on the other, is not easy. His
form was not a borrowed one; it is as original as that of
Stradivari--a fact which makes it more than ever unintelligible that
he should have been content with it. To arrive at anything approaching
to a satisfactory solution, we must endeavour to trace the history of
this model. Jacob Stainer was born in the Tyrol, and passed there his
early years, and probably received his first instructions from one of
the old Tyrolean Lute and Viol makers, at a period when they raised
their model, and introduced into the German School the scooping round
the sides of the backs and bellies, the inelegant sound-hole, the
harsh outline, and uncouth scroll. As experience ripened his
understanding, he may have felt that these characteristics of the
German School were not such as could be moulded with advantage by an
artist, whatever his talent might be, and resolved to do his best to
unlearn much that he had acquired. In order to do so with any chance
of success, but one course was open to him--that of studying the works
of the Italian masters. It has been stated that he went to Italy when
very young. With this view I do not concur. In all cases where there
is an absence of direct evidence, opinions can only be formed from
particular analogies bearing on the case under consideration. Now in
the case of Stainer we have nothing to guide us but his variations of
style, and dates of time and place. What is the result of a careful
investigation of every particle of evidence that we can glean? The
style is ever German, although the great maker is head and shoulders
above all his countrymen who followed his art. I am thus forced to
believe that had so excellent an artist visited Italy in his youth, as
reported, there would have remained but the faintest trace of its
origin. That men of less ability should be unable to entirely sever
themselves from their national style of work, even under circumstances
most favourable for such a release, I can readily understand; it is an
incapacity which has been exemplified over and over again; but Jacob
Stainer was not one of these ordinary men; he had not his superior in
the school of Cremona as a finished workman, with the single exception
of Antonio Stradivari. I believe, therefore, that the German style was
deeply rooted within him when he ceased to be young, and that if he
went to Cremona or Venice, it was not until he recognised the
inferiority of the school in which he had been bred, as compared with
that of Cremona or Venice. That he did not go far enough in his
"second thought" is pretty well acknowledged on all sides. His
originality was conceived in the German School, amid the worst
examples, and it was too late to undo what had gone before. Here,
then, lies, I consider, the key to the seeming anomaly that so great a
maker as Stainer should have adopted and clung to so clumsy a model.
That he became acquainted with much of the best work of the Italians
is evidenced by his improved style. The varnish he used furnishes even
stronger evidence of his having possessed a knowledge of the subject
equal to that of the Cremonese makers. Whether he acquired this
knowledge in Cremona or Venice cannot be stated with certainty, but I
am inclined to believe that he gained it in the first-named city. Who
but an artist acquainted with the best work of Italy in Violin-making
could have made those exquisite Violins known as "Elector Stainers"?
The wood, selected for its rare loveliness, the finished workmanship,
and charming rose-coloured varnish, render these works of art of which
one glimpse is a never-fading memory. These works show the diligent
zeal with which Stainer laboured in his studies of the Italian
masters. He contrived to give these instruments an air of grace quite
foreign to the best efforts of his brother German makers. In the
sound-hole and scroll is observable his seeming desire to leave behind
the German preferences; and although it must be admitted that he was
but partially successful in his endeavours to stamp out early
tendencies, the connoisseur cannot but be impressed with the results
of the artist's manipulations. Had such skill been exercised on a form
nearer akin to the Italian, the result would have been perfect.
Prior to the publication of the interesting facts obtained by Herr S.
Ruf, relative to the personal history of Jacob Stainer, we had no
really reliable account of this famous maker.[3] The industry and
research of Herr Ruf has not only supplied all the ascertainable facts
with regard to Stainer, but also served to trace the history of
Stainer fiction. The last-mentioned portion of Herr Ruf's labours is
singularly instructive as to the manner in which romance is spliced on
to what is intended to be sober history, and which results oftentimes
in the graft being rendered invisible, or even unsuspected. He tells
us that the first mention of Jacob Stainer is that made by Johann
Primisser, about a century after the death of the Violin-maker, and
that he merely states that there lived in Absam in 1673 a celebrated
maker named Stainer.
[Footnote 3: The notice of Jacob Stainer in the "Biographie
Universelle des Musiciens" contains information supplied by J. B.
Cartier, the well-known Violinist, which formed a portion of the
history of the Violin which Cartier proposed publishing, also from
notes made by Paul L. de Boisgelou, who brought together much curious
information relative to music and musicians.]
Early in the present century Counsellor Von Sardagna collected certain
particulars concerning Stainer, which were published in 1822. He
states that Stainer lived at Absam, that it is traditionally reported
that he went to Venice or Cremona, and died a madman. It appears that
this slight material was at once utilised for the manufacture of
nearly all the romantic accounts of Stainer with which we are
familiar. Herr Ruf says that in the year 1825 there appeared in a
German literary publication a poetical effusion entitled "Jacob
Stainer," and that in 1829 Dr. Johann Schuler published a novel of
great merit on the same subject.
Herr Ruf states that August Lewald in 1835 made the novel of Dr.
Schuler the basis of the romantic account of Stainer, published in his
"Guide Book to Tyrol," under the title of "An Evening in Absam," but
without any acknowledgment whatever. Notwithstanding the growth of
Stainer literature down to 1835, not a single historical fact
concerning the maker had been brought to light. In the year 1839 Herr
Ruf began his labours of research. He discovered at Hall a register of
the parish of Absam, wherein he found all the information we possess
as regards the birth and death of Stainer and his family. About this
period the poem of Dr. Johann Schuler, "Jacob Stainer," was dramatised
by Theodore Rabenalt. Other poems based on the same material appeared
in 1843, but still the facts of Stainer's life were all but unknown.
At length Herr Ruf was prevailed upon by Dr. Schafhault (an ardent
admirer and collector of Stainer's Violins) to prosecute his inquiries
concerning the great maker.
In the archives of the town and salt mines at Hall, Herr Ruf found
much information, which he published in the local newspapers, the
ephemeral nature of which naturally placed his valuable contributions
beyond the reach of those likely to value them. In the meantime
Nicolaus Diehl, of Hamburg, published a little book on Violins, into
which was imported a portion of the romance traceable to the novels or
poems on Stainer. Herr Ruf, feeling disappointed that his labours in
discovering the facts relative to Stainer had failed to clear away the
cloud of Stainer fiction, published in 1872 his book, "Der
Geigenmacher Jacob Stainer von Absam in Tirol," which gives us a full
account of his researches, and should have secured to him the full
credit due to his industry. His facts, however, like the good fiction
found in Dr. Schuler's novel, "Jacob Stainer," have been used by
German writers on the subject of the Violin without any
acknowledgment. Herr Ruf died at Hall in the year 1877.
It is said that Stainer was apprenticed to an organ-builder at
Innsbruck, but owing to his weak constitution he was unable to
continue in the business, and chose instead the trade of
Violin-making. Amongst the rumours concerning this maker may be
mentioned that of his having been a pupil of Niccolo Amati. It is
certain there is no direct evidence in support of it, neither is it
shown that his work is founded on that of Amati. I am satisfied that
Stainer was assisted neither by the Brothers Amati nor Niccolo Amati,
and I am strengthened in this opinion by the steadfastly German
character of a model which no pupil of Amati could have persisted in
using, even though based on his earliest traditions.
The marriage of Stainer took place October 7, 1645. On the 9th of
October, 1658, he was appointed by the Archduke Leopold (of Austria,
Governor of Tyrol) one of the "archducal servants," and on the 9th of
January, 1669, he obtained from the Emperor the title of "Violin-maker
to the Court." About this period he is said to have incurred the
displeasure of the Jesuits, which led to his being accused of the
crime of heresy. The accusation seems to have been based on the fact
of books of a controversial kind--chiefly Lutheran--having been found
in his possession. The penalty he suffered for daring to indulge in
polemical literature was six months' imprisonment, and his future
prospects were completely shattered. Prior to this misfortune he
appears to have been in pecuniary difficulties, and frequently at law
with one Salomon Hubmer, of Kirzchdorf, from whom he had obtained
money loans. In the year 1677 he petitioned the Emperor Leopold--who
was a great patron and lover of music--to render him pecuniary
assistance, but failed to procure it. Over-burdened with troubles, he
was bereft of his reason, and died insane and insolvent in the year
1683.
"Alas! misfortunes travel in a train,
And oft in life form one perpetual chain."
His widow was left with a family of eight daughters, she dying in
poverty in 1689, which chronological fact disposes of the fiction, so
widely circulated, that in consequence of the great grief he
experienced upon the death of his wife he withdrew from the world, and
became an inmate of a Benedictine monastery, and that he made within
its walls the famous instruments known as "Elector Stainers," which he
presented to the twelve Electors. Whether he made them to order, in
the usual manner, whether he presented them, or where he made them,
matters little; they are works of great merit, and need no mysterious
surroundings to call attention to them. The followers of Stainer have
been numerous, and are mentioned in the lists of German and English
makers. Probably no maker is more mistaken than Stainer: the array of
German instruments called by his name is at least ten times greater
than the number he actually made. Nearly every high-built tub of a
Violin sails under his colours. Instruments without any resemblance
whatever to those of Stainer are accepted by the multitude as original
Jacob Stainers. Much of this has arisen from the variety of style and
work said to have been shown in the instruments of this maker. That
this marked variety exists I do not believe. The pattern varies, but
the same hand is traceable throughout.
STAINER, Markus, Kufstein, Tyrol, about 1659, described as a brother
of Jacob. He styled himself on his label "Citizen and Violin-maker."
Citizenship carried with it special privileges, and this maker
apparently recognised the honour by having "Burger" after his name.
STAINER, Andreas, Absam, about 1660. Mention is made of a maker of
Baryton Viols of this name.
STAUGTINGER, Mathias W., Wurzburg, about 1671. Maker of Viols and
Lutes.
STEININGER, Jacob, Frankfort, about 1775. Son-in-law of the
Violin-maker Dopfer, and uncle of Nicolas Diehl, to whom he gave
instructions in Violin-making.
STEININGER, Franz, St. Petersburg, son of Jacob Steininger.
STOSS, ----. Makers of this name worked at Prague, Vienna, and Fussen,
about the end of the 18th century.
STOSS, Martin, Vienna, about 1824. Flat model, good workmanship.
Stradivari pattern, indifferent varnish.
STRAUBE, ----, Berlin, about 1775.
STRAUSS, Joseph, Neustadt, about 1750.
TIEFFENBRUCKER. There appear to have been several Lute-makers of this
name working in the 16th century in Germany and elsewhere. No genuine
Violins are known. _See_ DUIFFOPRUGCAR.
TIELKE, Joachim, Hamburg, about 1539-92. The name of Tielke is
associated with the most remarkable instruments of the Lute and Guitar
kind ever produced in relation to rich and chaste ornamentation. It is
said there are glowing accounts in old German books of the magnificent
instruments by Tielke, with elaborate designs in silver, gold, and
jewels.[4] The ornamentation and workmanship seen in the best
instruments of this maker bear the impress of Italian art of a high
order, and evidence the employment of Italian draughtsmen by the house
of Tielke. In the collection of instruments at Kensington is a
Chiterna (an instrument of the Lute kind) of this make. The body is
ornamented with tortoiseshell, with mythological figures in ivory and
precious stones. It is signed, and dated 1539. In the possession of
Mr. George Donaldson is a Guitar of this maker, signed, and dated
1592, which is considered to be the most artistic and highly
ornamented work known by Joachim Tielke. It is wonderfully preserved,
and admirably shows the style and character of the art-work of the
period.
[Footnote 4: Engel's "Descriptive Catalogue of the Musical Instruments
in Kensington Museum," 1874.]
TIELKE, Joachim, Hamburg, about 1660-86. Viol and Violin maker. The
dates met with on the instruments signed "Tielke" cover a period of
upwards of a century and a half, and thus evidence the existence of
the house, in connection with the manufacture of musical instruments,
through two or more generations. There is, of this maker, a Viola di
Bordone in the collection at Kensington, dated 1686. Mention is made
by Fetis of a Violin dated 1670, which was in the possession of Andre
of Offenbach; and a Chiterna dated 1676, similar to that in the
Kensington collection, is owned by Mr. George Donaldson. M. Chouquet,
in his catalogue of the collection of instruments at the
Conservatoire, Paris, refers to a Lute (No. 136) by Tielke.
VOEL, E., Mayence, about 1840. Excellent workmanship, scroll well cut.
Stradivari model. The character of work is not unlike that of Bernard
Fendt.
VOGEL, Wolfgang, Nuremberg, 1650.
[Illustration: _Plate XVI_. ANTONIO STRADIVARI. Date 1708. (HECTOR
HAVEMEYER, ESQ.) ANTONIO STRADIVARI. Date 1736. GIUSEPPE GUARNERI DEL
GESU. Date 1735. (G. HART.)]
VOGLER, Johann Georg, Wurzburg, about 1750.
Johann Georg Vogler, Lauten
und Geigenmacher in Wurzburg. 17--
VOIGT, Martin, Hamburg, about 1726.[5]
[Footnote 5: About thirty makers named Voigt or Voight hail from
Germany, some contemporary and others dating from the 18th and 19th
centuries. Their work is not of sufficient importance to require
special notice.--EDITORS.]
WAGNER, Joseph, 1730, Constance.
WEICKERT, Halle, 1800.
WEIGERT, ----, Lintz, about 1721. Maker of Viols.
WEISS, Jacob, Salzburg, 18th century.
Jacob Weiss, Lauten und
Geigenmacher in Salzburg.
WENGER, G. F., Salzburg, 18th century.
WIDHALM, Leopold, Nuremburg, 18th century.
Leopold Widhalm Lauten und
Geigenmacher, Nurnberg Fecit, A.
One of the best imitators of Stainer. The wood is frequently handsome,
the work finished with care. Varnish, although wanting the delicacy of
that of Stainer, is generally of good quality; its colour is mostly
pale red. Nearly all his instruments are branded with the initials
inside. His name has frequently been spelt Withalm.
WITTING, J. G., Mittenwald, about 1775.
WYEMANN, Cornelius, Amsterdam, 18th century.
ZWERGER, Antoni, Mittenwald, about 1750. Neat work, good wood, varnish
of the character of that seen on the instruments of Kloz.
SECTION XI
The English School
It is somewhat remarkable that the Continental writers on the Violin
should have omitted to mention any English maker, either ancient or
modern. Such an omission must have occurred either from want of
information concerning our best makers, or, if known, they must have
been deemed unworthy of the notice of our foreign friends. There is no
mention of an English maker in the work of Fetis, "Antoine
Stradivari," 1856, although numerous very inferior German and Italian
makers are quoted. The same omission is also conspicuous in
"Luthomonographie Historique et Raisonne," 1856, and Otto's "Ueber den
Bau der Bogeninstrumente," &c., 1828. It may be that Continental
connoisseurs have credited themselves with the works of our best
makers, and expatriated them, while they have inexorably allowed bad
English Fiddles to retain their nationality. However, it is my desire
that my foreign brothers should be enlightened on this point, and in
all candour informed of the array of makers that England has at
different times produced, and is yet capable of producing, did but the
new Violin command the price that would be a fair return for the time
and skill required in the production of an instrument at once useful
and artistic. It will be my endeavour to show forth the qualities of
those of our makers whose names, as yet, seem never to have crossed
the Channel, so that when these pages on the English School are read
by distant connoisseurs, and the merits and shortcomings of the makers
therein are fairly weighed by them, the good shall be found so to
outweigh the indifferent as to entirely change the opinions formed of
us as makers of the leading instrument.
Until the early nineteenth century makers of Violins in England would
appear to have been comparatively numerous, if we take into
consideration the undeveloped state of stringed instrument music at
that period in this country. Among those makers were men of no
ordinary genius--men who worked lovingly, guided by motives distinct
from commercial gain, so long as they were allowed to live by their
work. When, however, the duties on foreign musical instruments were
removed, the effect was to partially swamp the gallant little band of
Fiddle-makers, who were quite unable to compete with the French and
German makers in _price_ (not _excellence_, be it distinctly
understood, for we were undoubtedly ahead of our foreign competitors,
both in style and finish, at this period). The prices commanded by
many English makers previous to the repeal of the duty were thoroughly
remunerative. Five to twenty pounds were given for English Violins,
while Violoncellos and Tenors commanded prices proportionately high.
The English Violin-makers were thus enabled to bestow artistic care in
the making of their instruments. When, however, they were suddenly
called upon to compete on equal terms with a legion of foreign
manufacturers, the result was not so much that their ardour was
damped, as that they themselves were extinguished, and served as
another instance of the truth of the adage that "the good of the many
is the bane of the few."
In matters of magnitude, whether artistic or otherwise, competition is
undoubtedly healthy, there being always a small body of patrons who
are willing to check the tendency to deteriorate, common to all
productions, by encouraging the worker with extra remuneration, in
order that a high degree of excellence may be maintained; but in
matters confined to a small circle, as in the case of Violin-making,
the number of those willing to encourage artistic workmanship is so
minute as to fail even to support _one_ maker of excellence, and thus,
when deprived suddenly of its legitimate protection, the art, with
other similar handicrafts, must drift into decadence. If we look
around the Violin world, it is everywhere much the same. In Italy
there is no Stradivari in embryo, in France no coming Lupot, in
Germany no Jacob Stainer, and in England no future Banks or Forster.
Why so? The answer is twofold. Partly there is fault in the _demand_,
arising from the marked preference of this age for cheapness at the
expense of goodness; partly, too, there is a fault in the _supply_, a
foolish desire on the part of the makers to give maturity to their
instruments, wherein they always completely fail, yet they will not
give up their conceit. Here, again, were we dealing with matters of
greater magnitude, the evil influence would be lessened, the artistic
impulses would still be felt, though in a less degree; whereas so
contracted is the circle of the Violin world, that under any stress
the support given to makers willing to bestow an artist's care on
their work is totally inadequate.
The case of modern Violin-makers is unfortunate. Old Violins being
immeasurably superior to modern productions, the demand must
necessarily set steadily for the former, and the modern maker has only
the few patrons of new work to support him. It cannot be expected that
the players of to-day should patronise the modern Violin in order that
the next generation should reap the benefit. Years since it was quite
a different matter. The makers were well paid for their work, and new
instruments were then made to supply wants similar to those which the
horrid Mirecourt or Saxon copy fulfils at present. As with other
things, so is it also with Violins; if they are to be produced with
the stamp of artistic merit, they must be paid for accordingly;
without patronage the worker necessarily becomes careless. Finding
that his skill fails to attract attention, he gradually sinks down
into the mere routine of the ordinary workman. When Italy shone
brightest in art, the patronage and remuneration which the workers
received was considerable. Had it been otherwise, the powers of its
Raffaele, its Cellini, and last (though not least to the admirers of
the Violin), its Stradivari, would have remained simply dormant. Art,
like commerce, is regulated in a great measure by supply and demand.
In Raffaele's day, sacred subjects were in demand; the Church was his
great patron, and aided him in bringing forth the gift which nature
had implanted within him. In modern times, landscape-painting became
the favoured subject, particularly in England; the result of which
preference has been to place us in the foremost rank in that branch of
art. The stage furnishes another instance of the effect that patronage
has in bringing forth latent talent. If the history of dramatic art be
traced, it will be found that its chief works were written when the
taste of an appreciative public could be securely counted upon. As it
waned, so the writers of merit became rarer; or perhaps it would be
more correct to say, the plays produced became less meritorious, the
authors being constrained to pander to the prevailing tastes.
As further evidence of the effect of patronage on art, a case in point
is found in the manufacture of Venetian glass. The Venetians,
centuries ago, became famous for their works in glass, and the
patronage they enjoyed was world-wide; but their country being thrown
into an unsettled condition, capital drifted from it, until the
blowing of glass, together with other industries, was comparatively
extinguished. Within recent years the art of making glass has shown
signs, even in Venice itself, of reviving with all its former vigour
in the workshops of Salviati, the success of which is due in great
measure to English capital.
With regard to English Violin manufacture, there would be no reason
why Violins should not, at the present moment, be produced in England
which should fully reach the standard of merit maintained in our
forefathers' days, if only the patronage of the art occupied a larger
area. The present dearth of English makers does not arise from any
national want of talent for this particular handicraft; in fact, we
have plenty of men quite as enthusiastic as our foreign friends for a
vocation which, in England also, must be pronounced to be alike
venerable in its antiquity and famed for the dexterity of its genius.
The earliest makers of Viols in England seem to have been Jay, Smith,
Bolles, Ross, Addison, and Shaw, names thoroughly British. We may take
this as good evidence that the making of Viols in England originated
with the English, and was not commenced by settlers from the
Continent. Doubtless the form of the English Viol and its brethren was
taken from the Brescian makers, there being much affinity between
these classes of instruments. In the few Violins extant by Christopher
Wise the Italian character is very striking. In them we see a flat
model, excellent outline, and varnish of good quality. The Viols of
Jay have the same Italian character. Later on we have names of some
reputation--Rayman, Urquhart, and Barak Norman. In the absence of any
direct evidence as regards the nationality of these makers it is
requisite to endeavour to trace the style belonging to their works. It
will be observed that there was a great improvement in the style of
work and varnish of instruments made in England, commencing with the
time of Rayman, and it is probable that this step in advance was
obtained from intercourse with Italy or the German Tyrol. Starting
with Rayman, there is a German ring in the name which makes me think
that he came from Germany, and, if so, brought with him the
semi-Italian character of work common to the makers who lived so near
Brescia. If the work and style of Rayman be carefully examined, it
will be seen that there is much in common with the inferior Brescian
makers. The outline is rugged, the sound-hole is of that Gothic form
peculiar to Brescia; the head is distinct from that of the early
English type. At the same period Urquhart made instruments of great
merit, the varnish of which is superior to that of Rayman, but is
evidently composed of similar ingredients. Its superiority may have
arisen from a different mode of mixing only. The name of Urquhart has
a North British sound, and it is probable that he was born in
Scotland, and settled in London as an assistant to Rayman, who would
impart to him the style of foreign work.
The semi-Italian character pervading the instruments made in England
at this period seems to have culminated in the productions of Barak
Norman, whose best works bear even a more marked Brescian character
than those of Rayman. The model varies very much, sometimes being
high, at other times very flat; in the latter case the results are
instruments of the Maggini type. Barak Norman frequently
double-purfled his instruments, and inserted a device in the purfling,
evidently following Maggini in these particulars. With Barak Norman
ends the list of English copyists of the Brescian makers.
We now arrive at the copyists of Jacob Stainer and the Amati, a class
of makers who possessed great abilities, and knew how to use them. The
first name to be mentioned is Benjamin Banks, of Salisbury, who may
with propriety be termed the _English Amati_. He was the first English
maker who recognised the superior form of Amati's model over that of
Stainer, and devoted all his energies to successful imitation. Too
much praise cannot be lavished on Banks for the example which he
selected for himself and his fellow-makers.
Next follow the names of Forster, Duke, Hill, Wamsley, Betts, Gilkes,
Hart, and Kennedy, together with those of Panormo, Fendt, and Lott,
who, although not born in England, passed the greater part of their
lives here, and therefore require to be classed with the English
School. The mention of these makers will bring the reader to the
present time.
Upon scanning this goodly list, there will be found ample evidence
that we in England have had makers of sufficient merit to entitle us
to rank as a distinct school--a school of no mean order. We may
therefore assume that the Continental writers who from time to time
have published lists of makers of the Violin, and have invariably
ignored England, have erred through want of information regarding the
capabilities of our makers, both ancient and modern.
The following list will be found to enumerate nearly the whole of the
English makers, and indicate the distinctive character of their
respective works.
SECTION XII
English Makers
ABSAM, Thomas, Wakefield, 1833.
Made by
Thomas Absam,
Wakefield, Feb. 14,
1833.
ADAMS, Garmouth, Scotland, 1800.
ADDISON, William, London, 1670.
AIRETON, Edmund. Was originally employed in the workshop of Peter
Wamsley, at the "Harp and Hautboy," in Piccadilly. He made a great
many excellent Violins and Violoncellos, and chiefly copied Amati.
Varnish of fair quality; colour yellow. He died at the advanced age of
80, in the year 1807.
ALDRED, ----, about 1560. Maker of Viols.
ASKEY, Samuel, London, about 1825.
BAINES, about 1780.
BAKER, ----, Oxford. Mention is made of a Viol of this maker in the
catalogue of the music and instruments of Tom Britton, the small-coal
man.
BALLANTINE, Edinburgh and Glasgow, 1850.
BANKS, Benjamin, Salisbury, born 1727, died 1795.
Benjamin Banks,
Musical Instrument Maker
In Catherine Street, Salisbury.
1780.
To this famous maker must be given the foremost place in the English
School. He was a thorough artist, and would not have been thought
lightly of had he worked in Cremona's school, and been judged by its
standard. This may be considered excessive praise of our native maker;
but an unprejudiced judge of work need only turn to the best specimens
of Banks's instruments, and he will confess that I have merely
recorded a _fact_.
Banks is, again, one of the many instances of men who have gained a
lasting reputation, but whose histories have never reached the light
to which their names have attained. How interesting would it be to
obtain the name of his master in the knowledge of making instruments!
No clue whatever remains by which we could arrive at a satisfactory
conclusion on this point. That he was an enthusiast in his art is
certain, and also that he was aware to some extent that he possessed
talent of no mean description. This is evidenced by the fact that many
of his instruments are branded with the letters B. B. in several
places, as though he felt that sooner or later his works would be
highly esteemed, and would survive base imitations, and that by
carefully branding them he might prevent any doubt as to their author.
Many of his best instruments are found to have no brand: it would
seem, therefore, that he did not so mark them for some time. He
appears to have early shown a preference for the model of Niccolo
Amati, and laboured unceasingly in imitation of him, until he copied
him with an exactness difficult to surpass. Now that time has mellowed
his best works, they might pass as original Amatis with those not
perfectly versed in the characteristics of the latter. Many German
makers excelled as copyists of Amati; but these makers chiefly failed
in their varnish, whereas Banks was most happy in this particular,
both as regards colour and quality. If his varnish be closely
examined, its purity and richness of colour are readily seen. It has
all the characteristics of fine Italian varnish, being beautifully
transparent, mellow, and rich in its varieties of tints. It must be
distinctly understood that these remarks apply only to the very finest
works of this maker, there being many specimens which bear the label
of Banks in the framing of which he probably took but a small share,
leaving the chief part to be done by his son and others. Banks cannot
be considered as having been successful in the use of his varnish on
the bellies of his instruments, as he has allowed it to clog the
fibre, a blemish which affects the appearance very much, and has been
the means of casting discredit on the varnish among those unacquainted
with the real cause. The modelling is executed with skill.
Fortunately, sufficient wood has been left in his instruments to
enable time to exert its beneficial effects, a desideratum overlooked
by many makers of good repute. The only feature of his work which can
be considered as wanting in merit is the scroll, which is somewhat
cramped, and fails to convey the meaning intended, viz., the following
of Amati; but as this is a point having reference to appearance, and
therefore solely affecting the connoisseur, it may be passed over
lightly, and the more so when we consider that Banks was not the only
clever workman who has failed in head-cutting. He made Violins,
Tenors, and Violoncellos, all excellent; but the last-named have the
preference. His large Violoncellos are the best; those of the smaller
pattern are equally well made, but lack depth of tone. The
red-varnished instruments are the favourites.
BANKS, Benjamin, son of the above, born in September, 1754; died
January, 1820. Worked many years with his father at Salisbury,
afterwards removed to London, and lived at 30, Sherrard Street, Golden
Square.
BANKS, James.
James and Henry Banks,
Musical Instrument Makers
and Music Sellers,
18 Salisbury. 02
Brother of the above. For some years carried on the business of his
father at Salisbury, in conjunction with his brother Henry. They
ultimately sold the business and removed to Liverpool. The instruments
of James and Henry Banks are of average merit.
BARNES, Robert, 1710. Worked with Thomas Smith at the "Harp and
Hautboy" in Piccadilly. Afterwards partner with John Norris.
BARRETT, John, 1714.
John Barrett, at the Harp and
Crown in Pickadilly, 17--
Made by John Barrett at ye Harp &
Crown in Pickadilly, London, 17--
An average workman, who followed the model of Stainer. His shop bore
the sign of the "Harp and Crown." Barrett was one of the earliest
copyists of Stainer, and in the chain of English makers is linked with
Barak Norman and Nathaniel Cross. The wood is generally of a very good
quality, the varnish yellow.
BARTON, George, Old Bailey, London, about 1780-1810.
BETTS, John, born 1755, at Stamford, Lincolnshire, died in 1823.
Jo. Betts, No. 2,
near Northgate the
Royal Exchange,
London, 17--
Became a pupil of Richard Duke. He commenced business in one of the
shops of the Royal Exchange, where he soon enjoyed considerable
patronage. John Betts does not appear to have made a great number of
instruments, but employed many workmen, into whose instruments he
inserted his trade label. He was, perhaps, the earliest London dealer
in Italian instruments. His quaintly-worded business card runs:--
"John Betts, Real Musical Instrument Maker, at the Violin and German
Flute, No. 2, under the North Piazza of the Royal Exchange, makes in
the neatest manner, Violins the patterns of Antonius Stradivarius,
Hieronymus Amati, Jacobus Stainer, and Tyrols. Equal for the fine,
full, mellow tone to those made in Cremona. Tenors, Violoncellos,
Pentachords, &c., &c., &c."
The sound-holes of Betts' instruments are rather wide; broad purfling;
scroll well cut.
BETTS, Edward, nephew of John Betts; was a pupil of Richard Duke,
whose work he copied with considerable skill. Of course, in trying to
imitate Duke he was copying Amati, Richard Duke having spent his life
in working after the Amati pattern, without attempting to model for
himself. The care bestowed by Edward Betts on his instruments was of
no ordinary kind. The workmanship throughout is of the most delicate
description; indeed, it may be said that neatness is gained at the
expense of individuality in many of his works. Each part is faultless
in finish, but when viewed as a whole the result is too mechanical,
giving as it does the notion of its having been turned out of a mould.
Nevertheless, this maker takes rank with the foremost of the English
copyists, and in his instruments we have as good specimens of
undisguised work as can be readily found. They will be yearly more
valued.
[Illustration: _Plate XVII_. THE "BETTS" STRADIVARI. 1704. (R. D.
WADDELL, ESQ.)]
BOLLES, ----, An early maker of Lutes and Viols.
BOOTH, William, 1779 to about 1858, Leeds.
BOOTH, ----, son of the above, Leeds, died 1856.
BOUCHER, ----, London, 1764.
BROWN, James, London, born 1770, died 1834. Worked with Thomas
Kennedy.
BROWN, James, London, son of the above, born 1786, died 1860.
BROWNE, John, London, about 1743. Worked at the sign of the "Black
Lion," Cornhill. Good work. Amati pattern. Scroll well cut; hard
varnish.
CAHUSAC, ----, London, 1788. Associated with the sons of Banks.
CARTER, John, London, 1789, worked with John Betts, and afterwards at
Drury Lane on his own account.
CHALLONER, Thomas, London. Similar to Wamsley.
COLE, Thomas, London, 1690.
Thomas Cole, near Fetter Lane
In Holborn, 16--
COLE, James, Manchester, 19th century.
COLLIER, Samuel, 1750.
COLLIER, Thomas, 1775.
COLLINGWOOD, Joseph, London, 1760.
CONWAY, William, 1750.
CORSBY, ----, Northampton, 1780. Chiefly made Double-Basses.
CORSBY, George. Lived upwards of half a century in Princes Street,
Leicester Square, where he worked and dealt in old instruments.
CRAMOND, Charles, Aberdeen, 19th century.
CRASK, George, Manchester. He made a large number of instruments,
chiefly imitations.
CROSS, Nathaniel, London, about 1700-50. Worked with Barak Norman. He
made several good Violins. Purfling narrow; excellent scroll.
CROWTHER, John, 1760-1810.
CUTHBERT, London, 17th century. Maker of Viols and Violins. Many of
the latter have merit. Model flat, and wood of good quality. Very dark
varnish.
DAVIDSON, Hay, Huntley, 1870.
DAVIS, Richard. Worked with Norris and Barnes.
DAVIS, William, London. Succeeded Richard Davis in the business now
carried on by Edward Withers.
DEARLOVE, Mark, Leeds.
Dearlove and Fryer,
Musical Instrument Manufacturers,
Boar Lane, Leeds, 1828.
DELANY, John, Dublin. Used two kinds of labels, one of them very
small--
Made by John Delany,
No. 17, Britain Street, Dublin. 1808.
In the other, which is larger, he states that he made Violins that his
name might be of immortal memory.
Made by John Delany,
In order to perpetuate his memory in future ages.
Dublin. 1808.
Liberty to all the world
black and white.
DENNIS, Jesse, London, 1805.
DEVEREUX, John, Melbourne. When in England he worked with B. Simon
Fendt.
DICKINSON, Edward, London, 1750. Made instruments of average merit.
The model is high.
Edward Dickinson,
Maker, at the Harp and Crown in the Strand,
near Exeter Change,
London. 17--
DICKESON, John, 1750-80, a native of Stirling. He would seem to have
lived in various places, some instruments dating from London and some
from Cambridge. He was an excellent workman, and chiefly copied Amati.
His work much resembles that of Cappa.
DITTON, London, about 1700. Mention is made of an instrument by this
maker in Tom Britton's Catalogue.
DODD, Thomas, son of Edward Dodd, of Sheffield.
T. Dodd,
Violin, Violoncello
and Bow Maker,
New Street,
Covent Garden.
He was not a maker of Violins. Numerous instruments bear his name, but
they are the work of John Lott and Bernard Fendt. The merit of these
instruments is of the highest order, and they are justly appreciated
by both player and connoisseur. Thomas Dodd deserves to be mentioned
in terms of high praise, notwithstanding that the work was not
executed by him, for his judgment was brought to bear upon the
manufacture during its various stages, and more particularly in the
varnishing, in which he took the liveliest interest. He had a method
of mixing colours, the superior qualities of which he seems to have
fully known, if we may judge from the note on his labels, which runs
thus: "The only possessor of the recipe for preparing the original
Cremona varnish. Instruments improved and repaired." This undoubtedly
savours of presumption, and is certainly wide of the truth.
Nevertheless there is ample evidence that the varnish used by Thomas
Dodd was very excellent, and had a rich appearance rarely to be met
with in instruments of the English school. Dodd was encouraged in the
art of varnish-making by persons of taste, who readily admitted the
superior qualities of his composition, and paid him a handsome price
for his instruments. He was thus enabled to gratify his taste in his
productions by sparing no means to improve them. He ultimately
attained such a reputation for his instruments as to command no less a
sum than 40 or 50 pounds for a Violoncello. Commanding such prices, it
is evident that he spared no expense, or, what was to him a matter of
still greater importance, no time. He was most particular in receiving
the instruments in that incomplete stage known in the trade as "in the
white," _i.e._, without varnish. He would then carefully varnish them
with his own hands, guarding most warily the treasured secret of the
composition of his varnish. That he never departed from this practice
may be inferred from the fact that the varnish made by the workmen in
his employ, apart from the establishment, for their own instruments,
is of an entirely different stamp, and evidently shows that they were
not in their master's secrets.
The instruments bearing the Dodd label are not valued to the extent of
their deserts, and there can be but little doubt that in the course of
time they will be valued according to their true merits. They were
made by men of exceptional talent, who were neither restricted in
price nor material. Under such favourable conditions the results could
not fail to be good.
DODD, Thomas, London. Son of Thomas Dodd, musical instrument dealer,
of St. Martin's Lane. The father, although not a maker of Violins,
possessed excellent judgment, both as regards work and makers, which
enabled his son to profit considerably during his early years whilst
working with Fendt and Lott.
DORANT, William, London, 1814.
DUKE, Richard, worked from 1750-80.
Richd. Duke,
Londoni fecit 17--
Richard Duke, Maker,
Holborn, London. Ann. 17--
The name of this maker has long been a household word with English
Violinists both amateur and professional. Who has not got a friend who
is the fortunate owner of a veritable "Duke"? The fame of His Majesty
Antonio Stradivari himself is not greater than that of Richard Duke in
the eyes of many a Fiddle fancier. From his earliest fiddling days the
name of Duke became familiar to him; he has heard more of him than of
Stradivari, whom he somehow confuses with Cremona. He fondly imagines
that Cremona was a celebrated _maker_, and Stradivari something else;
inquires, and becomes more confused, and returns again to "Duke," with
whom he is thoroughly at home.
Many excellent judges have wondered how it came to pass that Richard
Duke should have been so highly valued, there being, in their
estimation, so little amongst his remains worthy of the reputation he
gained. The truth is that no maker, with the exception of the great
Cremonese artists, has been so persistently counterfeited. The name of
Duke has been stamped upon every wretched nondescript, until judges
who had not the opportunity of seeing the genuine article mistook the
copies for the original, and hence the confusion. When, however, a
really fine specimen of Duke is once seen, it is not likely to be
forgotten. As copies of Amati such instruments are scarcely surpassed,
varnish, work, and material being of the best description. The copies
of Stainer were not so successful.
DUKE, Richard, London. Son of the above.
DUNCAN, ----, Aberdeen, 1762.
DUNCAN, George, Glasgow, contemporary.
EGLINGTON, ----, London, 1800.
EVANS, Richard, London, 1750. His label is a curiosity--
Maid in the Paris of
Lanirhengel, by Richard
Evans, Instrument maker,
in the year 17--
FENDT, Bernard, born at Innsbruck, in the Tyrol, 1756, died 1832. He
was evidently a born Fiddle-maker, genius being stamped, in a greater
or less degree, upon all his works. To Thomas Dodd belongs the credit
of bringing his talent into play. Dodd obtained the services of Fendt
upon his arrival in England, which the latter reached at an early age.
He remained with Dodd many years, frequently making instruments with
John Frederick Lott. The instruments so made bear the label of Thomas
Dodd. Lott being also a German, reciprocity of feeling sprung up
between him and Fendt, which induced Lott to exchange the business to
which he was brought up for that which his fellow countryman Fendt had
adopted, and henceforth to make Violins instead of cabinets. By
securing the services of these admirable workmen, Dodd reaped a rich
harvest. He found in them men capable of carrying out his instructions
with an exactness that could not be surpassed. Dodd was unable to use
the tools himself; but in Fendt and Lott he had men who were
consummate masters of them. When the instruments were finished, as far
as construction was concerned, they were clothed in coats of the
master's livery--"Dodd's varnish," the secret of making which he kept
carefully to himself. With these coats of varnish upon them the work
was doubly effective, and every point of excellence was made to shine
with the happiest effect. Upon leaving the workshop of Thomas Dodd,
Bernard Fendt worked for John Betts, making many of those copies of
Amati which are associated with the name of Betts, and which have so
high a value.
Although Fendt was German by birth, his style of work cannot be
considered as German in character. Having early quitted his post of
trade in Paris for England, and having in this country placed himself
under the guidance of Dodd, who steadfastly kept before his workmen
the originals of the great Italian masters for models, his work
acquired a distinctive stamp of its own, and in its turn gave rise to
a new and independent class of makers.
FENDT, Bernard Simon, London, born in 1800, died in 1852. Son of the
above. He was an excellent workman. It is to be regretted that he did
not follow the excellent example set by his father, and let time do
its work, without interruption, upon his instruments. Had he done so
they would, in many instances, have been equal to those of his parent;
but, unfortunately, he worked when the mania for obtaining supposed
maturity by artificial means was at its height, and shared the general
infatuation, and, in consequence, very frequently destroyed all the
stamina of his instruments. Subsequently he became a partner of George
Purdy, and carried on a joint business at Finch Lane, in the City of
London, from whence most of his best instruments date. Purdy and Fendt
had also a shop in the West End about 1843. He was a most assiduous
worker. The number of Violins, Tenors, Violoncellos, and Double-Basses
that he made was very great; indeed, his reputation would have been
greater had he been content to have made fewer instruments and to have
exercised more general care. His copies of Guarneri are most numerous,
numbering some hundreds. They are mostly varnished with a glaring red
colour, of a hard nature. He made many good Double-Basses of the
Gasparo da Salo form, the varnish on which is superior to that on his
Violins. He made also an excellent quartette of instruments--Violin,
Viola, Violoncello, and Double-Bass--for the Exhibition of 1851. They
were certainly the best contemporary instruments exhibited, but he
failed to obtain the prize medal.
FENDT, Martin, London, born 1812, died 1845. Brother of the above.
Worked for Betts.
FENDT, Jacob, London, born 1815, died 1849. Third son of Bernard
Fendt. The best maker among the sons of Bernard. His instruments are
beautifully finished, and free from the stereotyped character
belonging to those of his brother Bernard. As specimens of the
imitator's art they are unsurpassed. One cannot but regret that such a
consummate workman should have been obliged to waste his energies in
making new work resemble that of a hundred years before. The patronage
that he obtained was not of much value, but had he brought his work
into the market in its natural condition he could not have lived by
his trade. He was, therefore, compelled to foster that which he no
doubt felt to be degrading. The copies of Stradivari by Jacob Fendt
are among his best efforts. The work is well done; the discoloration
of the wood cleverly managed, the effects of wear counterfeited with
greater skill than had ever been done before, and finally, an amount
of style is thrown into the work which transcends the ingenuity of any
other copyist. Had he been allowed to copy the form of the old
masters, as Lupot did, without imitating the actual wear of the
instrument, we should have had a valuable addition to our present
stock of instruments of the Panormo class.
FENDT, Francis, London. Fourth son of Bernard; also worked in
Liverpool about 1856.
FENDT, William, London, born 1833, died 1852. Son of Bernard Simon
Fendt. Was an excellent workman, and assisted his father in the
manufacture of several of his Double-Basses.
FERGUSON, Donald, Huntley, Aberdeenshire.
FIRTH, G., Leeds, 1836.
FORSTER, William, born in 1713, died 1801.
William Forster,
Violin Maker,
in Brampton.
The family of the Forsters have played no unimportant part in the
history of Violins. The attention they commanded as makers, both from
artists and amateurs, has probably never been equalled in England.
Their instruments claimed attention from the moment they left their
makers' hands, their construction being excellent in every way.
William Forster was a native of Brampton, in Cumberland, where he
followed the trade of a spinning-wheel maker, occupying his spare time
in the making and repairing of Violins and musical instruments
generally. His labours, as far as they relate to Violin-making, appear
to have been of a very unpretending nature, but they served to impart
a taste for the art to his son William, who was the best maker of the
family.
FORSTER, William, London, born 1739, died 1807.
William Forster,
Violin Maker,
in St. Martin's Lane, London,
17--
Son of William Forster mentioned above. Worked with his father at
Brampton in Cumberland, making spinning-wheels and Violins--two
singularly diverse occupations. It was, however, to the latter
industry he gave the most attention, and he soon became the great
maker of the neighbourhood. He afterwards added another string to his
bow, viz., that of playing country-dances at the village festivities.
Thus armed with three occupations, he must have been well employed. He
seems to have early discovered that his abilities required a larger
field in which to show themselves to advantage, and accordingly took
the usual course in such circumstances--came to the Metropolis, in
which he settled about the year 1759. He soon obtained employment at a
musical instrument seller's on Tower Hill, and gave up, then and for
ever, the making of spinning-wheels, while by throwing all his soul
into the manufacture of Violins he soon gave his master's patrons the
highest satisfaction. He ultimately commenced business on his own
behalf in the neighbourhood of Duke's Court, St. Martin's Lane, where
his abilities attracted considerable attention, and secured him the
patronage of the _dilettanti_ in the musical world. For several years
he followed the path trodden by the makers of the period, and copied
Stainer. His instruments of this date are very excellent both in
workmanship and material, but are not equal to those of the Amati
pattern, which he commenced to make about the year 1770. These are
beautiful works, and have a great charm from their being so varied.
Some are copies of Antonio and Girolamo Amati, variously modelled;
others are copies of Niccolo Amati. The wood and varnish also vary
very much, but the high standard of goodness is well maintained
throughout. His varnish was, during the last twenty years of his life,
very fine in quality, and in the manufacture of it he is said to have
been assisted by a friend who was an excellent chemist. He made only
four Double-Basses, three of which were executed for the private band
of George III. Forster's instruments were the favourite equipment of
Robert Lindley, and their value in his day was relatively far higher
than at the present moment. When Lindley died attention was turned to
Italian Violoncellos, and a vast number having been brought to
England, the value of Forster's productions was very considerably
depreciated; now, however, that the cultivation of stringed instrument
music has been so much extended, they are rapidly rising again to
their former level, Italian instruments being a luxury not obtainable
by every one, and age having so benefited the tone of Forster's
Violoncellos as to render them excellent substitutes.
FORSTER, William, London, born in 1764, died 1824.
William Forster, Junr., Violin,
Violoncello, Tenor & Bow Maker,
18-- Also Music Seller No 43
to their Royal Highnesses the
Prince of Wales and the Duke of
Cumberland.
Son of William Forster, the second of the family. Although this maker
did not attain to the celebrity of his father, his instruments are
often fully as good. The workmanship is very neat, and the modelling
excellent, the varnish being equal to that on his father's
instruments.
FORSTER, William, London, born in 1788, died 1824. Son of William
Forster, mentioned above. He was a very good workman: he made but few
instruments.
FORSTER, Simon Andrew, London, born in 1801, died about 1870. Brother
of William, mentioned above. He learned his business from his father
and Samuel Gilkes, who worked for William Forster. He made several
instruments between the years 1828 and 1840, which are of average
merit. Best known as joint author with W. Sandys of a "History of the
Violin" (London, 1864).
FRANKLAND, ----, London, about 1785.
FURBER, ----, London.
John Furber, Maker,
13, John's Row, top of Brick Lane,
Old St., Saint Luke. 1813.
There were several makers of this family, some of whom worked for
Betts, of the Royal Exchange. Many of their instruments are excellent,
and should unquestionably be more valued than they are. John Furber
made several Violins of the grand Amati pattern, and also copied with
much ability the "Betts" Stradivari, when the instrument belonged to
Messrs. Betts in the Royal Exchange, for whom he worked.
FURBER, Henry John, son of John Furber, London. He has made several
excellent instruments, and maintained the character for good
workmanship which has been associated with the name of Furber for
upwards of a century.
GIBBS, James, 1800-45. Worked for Samuel Gilkes and others.
GILKES, Samuel, London, born in 1787, died in 1827.
Gilkes.
From Forster's,
Violin and Violoncello Maker,
34, James Street, Buckingham Gate,
Westminster.
Was born at Morton Pinkney, in Northamptonshire. He became an
apprentice of Charles Harris, whose style he followed to some extent.
Upon leaving Harris he engaged himself to William Forster, making many
instruments for him, retaining, however, all the features of the style
of Harris. In the year 1810 he left the workshop of Forster, and
commenced business on his own account in James Street, Buckingham
Gate, where the few instruments bearing his name were made. Too much
cannot be said in praise of much of the work of this excellent maker.
The exquisite finish of many of his instruments evidences that the
making of them was to him a labour of love. Amati was his favourite
model.
GILKES, William, London, born 1811, died 1875. Son of Samuel Gilkes.
Has made a great number of instruments of various patterns, chiefly
Double-Basses.
GOUGH, Walter. An indifferent workman.
HARBOUR, ----, London, about 1785.
HARDIE, Matthew, Edinburgh, date from about 1800. He was the best
maker Scotland has had. The model is that of Amati; the work
throughout excellent. The linings are mostly of cedar. He died about
1825-26.
HARDIE, Thomas, Edinburgh. Worked with his father, Matthew Hardie. He
was born in 1804, died 1856.
HARE, John, London. About 1700. His label shows that he was in
partnership, his name being joined to that of Freeman, and the address
is given as "Near the Royal Exchange, Cornhill, London." Much
resembles the work and style of Urquhart. Varnish of fine quality.
HARE, Joseph, London, probably a son of John Hare, above-mentioned.
Varnish of excellent quality.
Joseph Hare, at ye Viol and Flute,
near the Royal Exchange, in Cornhill, London.
172--
HARRIS, Charles, London, 1800. This maker is known only to a few
dealers, as he made chiefly for the wholesale merchants of his day.
His name was rarely affixed to his instruments, but those thoroughly
acquainted with his work agree in giving him a foremost place among
the makers of this country. He was, like many other makers of that
period, engaged in two occupations differing very much from each
other, being at the same time a Custom-house officer and a maker of
Violins. The former circumstance brought him into contact with
mercantile men, and enabled him to obtain commissions to make Violins
for the export trade. His business in this direction so increased that
he obtained the services of his relative, Samuel Gilkes, as his
assistant. He never aimed at producing a counterpart of the instrument
that he copied by resorting to the use of deleterious means to
indicate upon the surface of an instrument the ravages of time. He
faithfully copied the form, and thus did what Lupot was doing at the
same period. The finish of these instruments is excellent, and as they
are covered with a good quality of varnish, they have every
recommendation of appearance.
HARRIS, Charles. Son of the above. Neat workmanship. Well-cut scroll.
Sound-holes not well formed. Yellow varnish. Worked for a short time
for John Hart.
[Illustration: _Plate XVIII_. GIUSEPPE GUARNERI DEL GESU. (THE
"VIEUXTEMPS.") ANTONIO STRADIVARI (INLAID). Date 1687. (FROM THE
PLOWDEN COLLECTION.)]
HART, John Thomas, born December 17, 1805, died January 1, 1874.
John Hart,
Maker,
14, Princes Street, Leicester Square,
London. Anno 18--
He was articled to Samuel Gilkes in May, 1820, of whom he learned the
mechanical branch of his profession. He afterwards centred his
attention upon the peculiar characteristics of the Cremonese and
Italian Violin-makers generally, and in a comparatively brief space of
time obtained an extensive acquaintance in that direction. His
unerring eye and powerful memory of instruments once brought under his
notice secured for him the highest position among the connoisseurs of
his time. Commencing business at a period when the desire to possess
instruments by the famous Italian makers was becoming general among
amateurs, and being peculiarly fortunate in securing an early
reputation as a judge of them, he became the channel through which the
greater part of the rare Italian works passed into England, and it has
frequently been said that there are very few distinguished instruments
in Europe with which he was unacquainted. Among the remarkable
collections that he brought together may be mentioned that of the late
Mr. James Goding, the remnant of which was dispersed by Messrs.
Christie and Manson in 1857; the small but exquisite collection of Mr.
Charles Plowden, consisting of four Violins of Stradivari and four of
Guarneri, with other instruments of less merit, the whole of which
again passed into Mr. Hart's possession upon the death of their owner;
and, lastly, a large portion of the well-known collection of the late
Mr. Joseph Gillot, sold by Christie and Manson shortly after the
famous sale of pictures belonging to the same collector.
HAYNES, Jacob, London, 1746. Copied Stainer. The style resembles that
of Barrett.
HEESOM, Edward, London, 1748. Copied Stainer.
HILL, Joseph, London, 1715-84. Pupil of Peter Wamsley. His
Violoncellos and Tenors are well-made instruments.
Joseph Hill, Maker,
at the Harp and Flute,
in the Hay Market.
London.
HILL, William, London, 1741. Son of the above. Very good work.
William Hill, Maker, in Poland Street,
near Broad Street, 17--
HILL, Joseph, London, 1800-40. Son of the above.
HILL, Lockey, London, 1800-35. Brother of the above. Made many
excellent instruments.
HILL, William Ebsworth, London, 1817-95. Son of Lockey Hill. Made
several instruments in his younger days, but, like the rest of our
English makers, he long since discovered that new work was
unremunerative, and turned his attention to repairing and dealing in
old instruments, and became the founder of the well-known firm of W.
E. Hill and Sons, of Bond Street. He exhibited at the Exhibition of
1862 a Violin and Tenor, thus showing that Violin-making was not quite
extinguished in England.
HOLLOWAY, J., London, 1794.
HUME, Richard, Edinburgh, 16th century. A maker of Lutes, &c.
JAY, Henry, London, 17th century. Maker of Viols, which are capital
specimens of the work of the period. The varnish is excellent.
JAY, Thomas, London. Related to the above. Excellent work.
JAY, Henry, London, about 1744-77.
Made by Henry Jay,
in Long Acre, London. 1746.
A maker of Kits chiefly. At this period these juvenile Violins were in
much demand by dancing-masters. A few years ago a very choice
collection of these instruments was made by an Irish gentleman
residing at Paris, who obtained specimens from all parts of Europe.
Henry Jay also made Violoncellos, some of which have the names of
Longman and Broderip on the back.
JOHNSON, John, London, 1750.
Made and sold by John Johnson,
at the Harp and Crown, in Cheapside,
17 London. 53
The Violins bearing his label are dated from Cheapside. Johnson was a
music and musical instrument seller. In "The Professional Life of
Dibdin," written by himself, we have the following reference to this
City music-seller: "My brother introduced me to old Johnson, who at
that time kept a capital music-shop in Cheapside.[1] I soon, however,
grew tired of an attendance on him. He set me down to tune
Harpsichords, a mere mechanical employment, not at all to my taste."
"I saw plainly that I might have screwed up Harpsichords in old
Johnson's shop to all eternity, without advancing my fortune; and as
to the songs and sonatas that I brought him for sale, they had not
been performed at the theatres nor Vauxhall, nor any other place, and
Johnson would not print them." "The Thompsons, however, of St. Paul's
Churchyard, published six ballads for me, which sold at
three-halfpence a-piece, and for the copyright of which they
generously gave me three guineas." Though we may not feel disposed to
apply the term "generous" to a payment of half-a-guinea for a Dibdin
ballad, yet in all probability we are indebted to the Thompsons for
this particular recognition of merit. Happily true genius, when in
straits, generally finds relief. Were it otherwise, and had the
Thompsons been as deaf to Dibdin as John Johnson appears to have been,
"Tom Bowling," "Poor Jack," and many other compositions of sterling
merit, might never have been written.[2]
[Footnote 1: Dibdin's brother was captain of a merchant vessel, and
was intimate with Johnson the music-seller. On the death of Captain
Dibdin his brother composed "Tom Bowling," the music and words of
which bespeak the fraternal love of the composer.]
[Footnote 2: Dibdin was evidently discouraged in consequence of
Johnson's refusal to publish his songs: he says, "After I had broken
off with Johnson, I had some idea of turning my thoughts to merchants'
accounts--the very last thing upon earth for which I was calculated."]
KENNEDY, Alexander, London, 1700-86. Was a native of Scotland. He was
the first maker of Violins in his family, which was connected with the
manufacture for nearly two centuries.
Alexander Kennedy, Musical Instrument
Maker, living in Market Street, in Oxford
Road, London, 17--
KENNEDY, John, London, born 1730; died 1816. Nephew of Alexander
Kennedy. Made Violins and Tenors.
KENNEDY, Thomas, London, born 1784; died about 1870. Son of the above.
Probably made more instruments than any English maker, with the
exception of Crask.
LENTZ, Johann Nicolaus, London, 1803. He used mostly one kind of wood,
viz., close-grained maple. Varnish nearly opaque.
Johann Nicolaus Lentz, fecit
near the Church, Chelsea. 1803.
LEWIS, Edward, London, 1700. The work is well executed throughout, and
the varnish superior.
LISTER, George, 18th century.
LONGMAN AND BRODERIP, Cheapside, London, about 1760. They were
music-publishers and instrument-sellers, and were not Violin-makers.
Benjamin Banks, Jay, and others, made many of the instruments upon
which the name of Longman is stamped. Muzio Clementi was at one time a
partner in the firm. The business ultimately passed to Collard and
Collard.
LOTT, John Frederick, 1775-1853. Was a German by birth. He was engaged
in the cabinet business early in life. He was induced by Fendt to turn
his attention to making Violins, and ultimately obtained employment
under Thomas Dodd, making many of the Violoncellos and Double-Basses
that carry the label of Dodd within them. His work was of a most
finished description. His Double-Basses are splendid instruments, and
will bear comparison with Italian work. His varnish was far from equal
to his finish. The time he spent in making these instruments was
double that which any other English maker expended over similar work.
There is not a single portion of any of his Double-Basses that has
been carelessly made; the interior is as beautifully finished as the
exterior. The machines on many of his Basses were made by himself--a
very unusual circumstance. The scrolls are finely cut. He was
certainly the king of the English Double-Bass makers.
LOTT, George Frederick, London, born 1800; died 1868. Son of the
above. Many years with Davis, of Coventry Street. Was an excellent
judge of Italian instruments, and a clever imitator.
LOTT, John Frederick, London, younger brother of the above, died about
1871. Was articled to Davis. Has made many clever imitations. He was
also an ardent lover of Cremonese instruments, and thoroughly
understood their characteristics. His career was both chequered and
curious, sufficiently so, indeed, to cause our eminent novelist,
Charles Reade, to make it the subject of "Jack of all Trades: a
Matter-of-Fact Romance." Jack Lott (as he was familiarly styled)
therefore shares with Jacob Stainer the honour of having supplied
subject-matter for writers of fiction. It must, however, be said that
whilst Dr. Schuler's "Jacob Stainer" is mainly pure fiction, "Jack of
all Trades" is rightly entitled "a matter-of-fact romance." I have
many times heard John Lott relate the chief incidents so graphically
described by Charles Reade.
MACINTOSH, Dublin. Succeeded Perry and Wilkinson. Died about 1840.
MARSHALL, John, London, 1750.
MARTIN, ----, London, about 1790.
MAYSON, Walter H., Manchester, 1835-1904. A prolific maker. His later
work is highly spoken of.
MEARES, Richard, about 1677. Maker of Viols.
Richard Meares, without Bishopsgate,
near to Sir Paul Pinder's, London. Fecit 1677.
MIER, ----, London, about 1786.
MORRISON, John, London, about 1780-1803.
NAYLOR, Isaac, Headingly, near Leeds, about 1778-92.
NICHOLS, Edward, 18th century.
Edwardus Nichols,
Fecit ad exemplar Antoni Straduarii Cremonensis, 1763.
NORBORN, John, London, about 1723.
NORMAN, Barak, London, 1688-1740.
Barak Norman
and
Nathaniel Cross,
at the Bass Viol in St.
Paul's Church Yard,
London. Fecit 172--
The instruments of this maker are among the best of the Old English
school. His instructor in the art of Viol and Violin-making is
unknown, but judging from the character of his work it is very
probable he learned from Thomas Urquhart. This opinion is strengthened
upon examining his earliest instruments. We there find the same
peculiarities which mark the individuality of Urquhart. Later in life
he leaned much to the model of Maggini.
During his early years he was much esteemed as a maker of Viols, many
of which have all the marks of careful work upon them. On all of these
instruments will be found his name, surrounded with a design in
purfling, under the finger-board, or his monogram executed in
purfling. The same trade token will be found in his Violoncellos. All
endeavours to discover any existing English Violoncello, or record of
one, anterior to Barak Norman, have failed, and, consequently, it may
be assumed that he was the first maker of that instrument in England.
Here, again, is evidence of his partiality for the form of Maggini, as
he copied this maker in nearly all his Violoncellos. All the
Violoncellos of Barak Norman have bellies of good quality; the
modelling is executed skilfully, due care having been observed in
leaving sufficient wood. His Tenors are fine instruments. Many of
these were made years before he began the Violoncellos--a fact which
satisfactorily accounts for the marked difference in form peculiar to
them. The build is higher, and the sound-hole German in character; the
varnish is very dark. About the year 1715 Barak Norman entered into
partnership with Nathaniel Cross, carrying on the joint business at
the sign of the Bass Viol, St. Paul's Churchyard. In a Viol da Gamba
which belonged to Walter Brooksbank, Esq., of Windermere, is a label
in the handwriting of Nathaniel Cross, in which he adds the power of
speech to the qualities of the quaint Gamba; the words are, "Nathaniel
Cross wrought my back and belly," the sides and scroll being the work
of his partner.
NORRIS, John, London, born 1739; died 1818.
Made by Norris and Barnes,
Violin, Violoncello, and Bow
Makers, To their Majesties,
Coventry Street, London.
Articled to Thomas Smith, the successor of Peter Wamsley. Similar work
to that of Thomas Smith. He became a partner of Robert Barnes.
PAMPHILON, Edward, London, 17th century.
Edward Pamphilon,
April the 3rd, 1685.
The Violins of this maker were formerly much prized. The model is very
high, and the appearance somewhat grotesque. It is to be regretted
that the splendid varnish often found on these instruments was not put
upon better work.
PANORMO, Vincent. (_See_ Italian School.)
PANORMO, Joseph, London. Son of Vincent Panormo. His work was
excellent. His Violoncellos are decidedly superior to his Violins.
PANORMO, George Lewis, London. Brother of the above. Made Violins of
the Stradivari pattern.
PANORMO, Louis, London. Made Guitars chiefly.
PARKER, Daniel, London, 18th century. This is another maker of the
English school, who was possessed of exceptional talent, and whose
instruments are well worthy of attention from those in search of good
Violins at a moderate cost. To Parker belongs, in conjunction with
Benjamin Banks, the merit of breaking through the prejudice so long in
favour of preference for the Stainer model.
The dates of his instruments extend from the year 1740 to 1785. He
left his Violins thick in wood, which has certainly enhanced their
value now that time has ripened them. He used excellent material,
which is often very handsome. The varnish is of a mellow quality, and
fairly transparent. A large number of these Violins have been passing
under other makers' names, and have been but little noticed.
PEARCE, James, London, 18th century.
PEARCE, W., London, contemporary.
PEMBERTON, Edward, London, 1660. This maker has been often mentioned
as the author of a Violin said to have been presented to the Earl of
Leicester by Queen Elizabeth, and to suit this legend Pemberton's era
has been put back a century. The date given above will be found in the
Violins of this maker.
PERRY AND WILKINSON, Dublin, 17-- to 1830. The instruments bearing the
labels of these makers are frequently excellent in tone, material, and
finish.
POWELL, Thomas, London, 18th century.
Made by Thomas
Powell, No. 18, Clemens
Lane, Clare Market.
1793.
PRESTON, London, about 1724. Appears to have used his trade label in
the instruments he sold, made by makers he employed.
PRESTON, John, York, 18th century.
John Preston, York,
1791. Fecit.
RAWLINS, Henry, London, about 1781.
Restauratus Henricus Rawlins
Auspicio Giardini
Londini 1781.
He appears to have been patronised by Giardini, the Violinist,
according to the label here given. Giardini held the post of leader at
the Italian Opera at this period.
RAYMAN, Jacob, London, 17th century.
Jacob Rayman dwelling in
Blackman Street, Long--Southwark.
1641.
Jacob Rayman, at ye Bell
Yard in Southwark,
London, 1648.
The subject of this notice was probably a German, from the Tyrol, who
settled in England about 1620, and may be considered as the founder of
Violin-making in this country, there being no trace of any British
Violin-maker previous to that time. His work is quite different from
that of the old English Viol-makers. The instruments of Rayman are of
a somewhat rough exterior, but full of character. The form is flat,
considering the general style of the work. The sound-holes are
striking, although not graceful in any way. The scroll is diminutive,
but well cut. The varnish is very fine. In the catalogue of the
effects of Tom Britton, mention is made of "an extraordinary Rayman."
RICHARDS, Edwin, London, contemporary. Maker and repairer.
ROOK, Joseph, Carlisle, about 1800.
ROSSE (or Ross), John, Bridewell, London, about 1562. Made Viols and
Bandoras.
ROSS, John, London, about 1596. Son of the above. Maker of Viols. The
varnish is excellent in quality.
SHAW, London, 1655. Viol maker.
SIMPSON, London, 1785.
John Simpson,
Musical Instrument Maker,
At the Bass Viol and Flute,
In Sweeting's Alley,
Opposite the East door of the Royal Exchange,
London.
SMITH, Henry, London, 1629. Maker of Viols.
SMITH, Thomas, London. Pupil of Peter Wamsley, and his successor at
the Harp and Hautboy.
Made by Thos. Smith, at the Harp and
Hautboy, in Pickadilly, London. 1756.
SMITH, William, London, about 1770.
TARR, William, Manchester. Made many Double-Basses from about 1829.
TAYLOR, London, about 1800. A maker of much merit. Instruments of the
character of Panormo.
THOMPSON, London, 1749.
THOROWGOOD, Henry, London. Little known.
TILLEY, Thomas, London, about 1774.
TOBIN, Richard, London, 1800. Pupil of Perry, of Dublin. His
instruments are much appreciated by the best judges. In cutting a
scroll he was unequalled amongst English makers.
TOBIN, London. Son of the above.
URQUHART, London, 17th century. Nothing is known concerning the
history of this excellent maker. The style may be considered as
resembling that of Jacob Rayman, and it is possible he worked with
him. His varnish is equal to that on many Italian instruments.
VALENTINE, William, London, died about 1877. Made many Double-Basses
for Mr. Hart, which are highly valued.
WAMSLEY, Peter, London, 18th century. One of the best English makers.
His copies of Stainer are very superior.
Made by Peter Wamsley,
At ye Golden Harp, in Piccadilly,
London. 17--
WISE, Christopher, London, about 1650. Yellow varnish, neat
workmanship, flat model, small pattern.
WITHERS, Edward, Coventry Street. Succeeded William Davis.
WITHERS, Edward. Son of the above. Wardour Street, Soho. Was
instructed by John Lott.
YOUNG, London, about 1728. Lived in St. Paul's Churchyard. Purcell has
immortalised father and son in the first volume of his Catches.
"You scrapers who want a good Fiddle well strung,
You must go to the man that is old while he's Young;
But if this same Fiddle you fain would play bold,
You must go to his son, who'll be Young when he's old.
There's old Young and young Young, both men of renown,
Old sells, and young plays, the best Fiddles in town;
Young and old live together, and may they live long,
Young, to play an old Fiddle; old, to sell a new song."
SECTION XIII
The Violin and its Votaries