The time has been when the instruments of this master, whose name is
perhaps yet as widely known as the Cremonese, were very highly esteemed
in England. In Germany it is so yet, and many of the amateurs of that
country flatter themselves that Steiner ranks first in the roll of
famous violin makers. Their celebrated violinist, Spohr, however, in
his remarks on the subject inserted in his Violin School does not
coincide with the opinion of his fellow countrymen to this effect, for
he puts Steiner in the second rank, reserving to the first Nicholas
Amati, Antonius Stradiuarius, and Joseph Guarnerius. In this decision
he also generally expresses the opinion of the travelled professional
violinists of his own country as well as all Europe. But it is well
known that in Germany a well preserved instrument of Steiner's best
period will sell for much more money than any where else. In England
more especially we adopt exactly the reverse valuation. Steiner will
not now command a greater price than many of the pupils of the great
masters, and perhaps to some extent this may arise from the immense
number of spurious instruments bearing his name, which the inferior
Tyrolese makers put forth to the world and palmed on a credulous public
as his genuine instruments. Perhaps no master has been more copied and
imitated, both in Germany and elsewhere. In England the violin makers
in the beginning of the eighteenth century, mostly copied the pattern
and model of Steiner. There must, therefore, be some good and powerful
reason for this general depreciation in value and reputation which
Steiner has suffered. This the candid inquirer readily finds in the
fact that the instruments of Steiner, which were generally constructed
on a high and peculiar model were only calculated for the production of
a thin though sparkling tone, while the Italians aimed, particularly in
the flatter instruments, to obtain a full rich and round tone. This
distinction is apparent even in the older Cremona makers, but if we
compare those of Steiner with those of Nicholas Amati, of Stradiuarius,
or Guarnerius, the thin tone of the former and the rich round tone of
the latter become instantly most striking. The consequence is that the
rich amateurs who form collections, and the great performers whose
interest it is to please by the quality of tone as well as the grace
and finish of their execution, no longer purchase the Steiner violins
except as matters of curiosity in the case of a very fine example. We
do not know any great player who uses a Steiner instrument, as we shall
show in another article. We therefore only now class Steiner among the
great masters, from his past reputation, and for certain special
instruments.
JACOB STEINER was a native of the Tyrol, and was born at Absom, near
Inspruck, about 1620. It is said that an old instrument by Kerlino,
which he found in the house, gave him his first tendencies towards the
art of violin making. Certain it is however that while yet a youth he
obtained employment in the workshop of Nicholas Amati. This was an
excellent school for the young aspirant, and after some years he made
some instruments which, with the exception of sixteen which will be
mentioned later, are considered to be the finest specimens of his
talent. These fine violins are the product of his Cremonese
inspiration, and bear a written label signed by himself and dated from
Cremona about 1644. These instruments are modelled higher than those of
his master, thus showing a singular divergence from the principle of
gradual decrease in the height of the model of the Amatis, from Andrew
to Nicholas. This divergence from that principle, which ended in the
flat model of Stradiuarius, must be considered to be the real cause of
the loss of favour which the Steiner violins, though beautiful in other
respects, have undergone. Steiner exaggerated the old practice instead
of following the new lights of science, and while the latter have
yielded the brightest results, the former has tarnished the real talent
of this otherwise excellent artiste. Probably another reason for the
defective tone of Steiner's instruments in comparison with the
Cremonese and Brescian, is the practice of modelling his violins with
an extraordinary and peculiar rise to about the foot of the bridge, and
then keeping it nearly flat. Otto describes it thus, "the breadth of
this raised part is about the same as the bridge itself, and then it
falls off towards the edges. The model is precisely similar towards the
neck and on the broad part (beneath the finger board.)" This description
is only imperfect in this point that sufficient stress is not laid on
the words _fall off_. It is literally a falling off, and on the
principles of acoustics must of necessity make the tone thin. Andrew
Amati, on the contrary, built nearly as high, but beautifully and
gradually sloped them down to the purfling, and his instruments, though
small in tone, are yet full, round and sweet. In other respects Steiner
at this period was a most careful maker, and his instruments show very
fine finish and workmanship. They are of the small pattern, with the S
holes rather shorter than the Cremonas, somewhat narrow and beautifully
formed; the head also smaller and particularly round and smooth. The
varnish is similar to that of the Amatis, and the wood of the belly has
a fine open grain.
After the production of these instruments at Cremona, Steiner removed
to his native place and having married the daughter of Antonius Amati
appears to have lost his ambition, and made many very inferior
instruments. His history at this period is somewhat melancholy. Pressed
by the necessities of a family and the want of active patronage, his
genius languished and he became negligent and careless in his work.
This continued for some time till fortune again smiled upon him, when
not being compelled to sell for immediate wants he again resumed his
careful finish and began to be distinguished as a good maker. At about
this period Klotz and Albani became his pupils, and he produced some
excellent instruments, which are often distinguished by the scrolls
being ornamented with lions heads which are beautifully carved. These
and the heads of other animals are supposed to denote the crests of his
patrons at this period. They are dated from about 1650 to 1667 at
Absom. Fetis says the French violinist, Alard, has a violin of this
period of the greatest beauty, and that there is in Paris a genuine
Steiner, which he has heard Sivori play upon, which although of a very
small pattern has an unusually brilliant tone.
Now comes the most brilliant period of this artiste's history in a
musical sense, though somewhat romantic and mysterious otherwise.
Retiring to a monastery, it is said after the death of his wife, he
there passed the remainder of his life, but there does not appear to be
any positive information when he died. While there, however, he
resolved to distinguish the close of his career by the construction of
some violins of super-eminent beauty and quality. This he accomplished
by the aid of the superior, who obtained for him some very fine wood,
out of which those most famous instruments, known by the name of
_Elector Steiners_ were made by him. These are the violins which by
common consent most entitle this artiste to rank with the great
masters. They are of the very highest quality of the Steiner tone,
which Dubourg describes as "a pure ringing ethereal tone, comparable to
that of a woman's perfect voice--a shape of elegance--studied finish in
every detail, and a diaphonous varnish of golden hue." Such are the
characteristics, says this enthusiastic admirer of these productions of
Steiner's third or last epoch. There were sixteen of these violins, one
of which he presented to each of the twelve Electors, and the remaining
four to the Emperor. Unfortunately thirteen of them appear to have been
lost, and the remainder have all been in royal hands, the Empress Maria
Theresa, the Duke of Orleans, grandfather of King Louis Philippe, and
Frederick William of Prussia, and been presented by them (except the
last) to eminent foreign violinists.
We have now presented a concise sketch of the career of this celebrated
artiste, and it is to be regretted that none of his more celebrated
violins are known to be in this country, to enable us to judge more
accurately, whether he succeeded, in any of them, in producing any
close approximation to the rich round tone of the best Cremona makers.
The best of those known to English connoisseurs are characterised by
the thin though brilliant tone we have described, which, when compared
with the Italian masterpieces, has led to their general depreciation in
the estimation of the highest authorities and the most distinguished
performers on the violin.