Beretta, Felice

As printed

1. A dictionary of violin makers (1896)

   Beretta, Felice. Worked at Como about 1760-85. Was a pupil of Giuseppe Guadagnini. His violins are inferior, he used bad wood and yellow …

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   25. Benti, Matteo, b. 1579. A maker in Brescia, was contemporary with G. P. Maggini. His instruments are little known, but are fairly well made on the Brescia model; a violin was dated 1601. In a Paris museum is a beautiful lute of his, richly inlaid, and splendidly made.
   27. Beretta, Felice. Worked at Como about 1760-85. Was a pupil of Giuseppe Guadagnini. His violins are inferior, he used bad wood and yellow varnish of poor quality. A printed label found in an alto of ordinary make was: "Felice Beretta, allievo di Giuseppe Guadagnino, fece in Como, l'anno 1784." A similar label was dated 1782.
   29. Bergé. A maker at Toulouse in 1771.

2. A dictionary of violin makers (n.d.)

   Beretta, Felice. Worked at Como about 1760-85. Was a pupil of Giuseppe Guadagnini. His violins are inferior, he used bad wood and yellow …

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   11. Benedict, José. A maker at Cadiz in 1738. Label: "Compuesto en Cadix p. José Benedict, año del 1738."
   12. Benedicti, Donate de. In Cremona, 1674.
   13. Benti, Matteo, about 1579. A maker in Brescia, was contemporary with G. P Maggini. His instruments are little known, but are fairly well made on the Brescia model; a violin was dated 1601. In a Paris museum is a beautiful lute of his, richly inlaid, and splendidly made.
   14. Beretta, Felice. Worked at Como about 1760-85. Was a pupil of Giuseppe Guadagnini. His violins are inferior, he used bad wood and yellow varnish of poor quality. A printed label found in an alto of ordinary make was: "Felice Beretta, allievo di Giuseppe Guadagnino, fece in Como, l'anno 1784." A similar label was dated 1782.
   15. Bergé. A maker at Toulouse in 1771.
   16. Bergonzi, Benedetto, d. 1840. A descendant of the Bergonzi family, who worked in the same house in the Piazza San Domenico, Cremona. Was a clever restorer of violins.
   17. Bergonzi, Carlo, of Cremona, the first of the great Bergonzi family of makers, b. about 1680; d. 1747. He began to put his own name in his instruments about 1716. He was the most celebrated pupil of Antonio Stradivari, whose pattern he copied very closely. Was also said to have been a pupil of Nicola Amati. After the death of Ombono Stradivari (d. 1742), Carlo inherited all the working materials which had belonged to Antonio Stradivari, and in 1746 he and his son Michel Angelo (then aged 24) moved into Antonio Stradivari's old dwelling, in the Piazza San Domenico. His violins, which are more scarce than his violoncellos, are generally made on a flat model, like the early instruments of Stradivari; he enlarged the pattern later on. The sound-holes, placed lower and nearer the edge, are longer and more open than those of Stradivari; the scrolls, flatter than usual, are boldly cut; the arching is decided; the wood is always very fine; the varnish, a beautiful red-brown or rich amber colour, is rather heavy, a sign of decadence, but gives the instruments a peculiar type of their own. The tone is sonorous and penetrating. The work is always beautifully finished. His violoncellos and double-basses are especially good, the latter being some of the finest known. Unluckily he made them on too large a pattern, and many have been cut down to suit

3. An encyclopedia of the violin (1925)

   BERETTA, FELICE, Como, 1760 to 1789.

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   21. BENEDICT, JOSE, Cadix, 1667 to 1744.
   22. BENTI, MATTEO, Brescia, b. 1580, d. after 1637.
   23. BERATI, ——, Imola (Prov. Bologna), 18th century.
   24. BERETTA, FELICE, Como, 1760 to 1789.
   25. BERGE, ——, Toulouse, 1760 to 1771.
   26. BERGONZI, BENEDETTO, Cremona, d. Cremona, 1840.
   27. BERGONZI, CARLO I, Cremona b. 1686, d. 1747. One of the best, if not the best pupil of Stradivarius. After the death of Stradivarius' sons, Bergonzi took over the house and workshops of his master. The color of his instruments is reddish brown or amber, but is sometimes applied a little too thickly, and therefore shows a tendency to dissolve or melt. His instruments of late years have gained greatly in value, the last ones bearing the year mark of 1700. A violinist in Munich has one labeled 1696, but the chef d'oeuvre by Bergonzi is now in the possession of Baron Liebig at Vienna. The label used by Bergonzi is reproduced on Plate 11, and one of his instruments on Plate 9.