Bow & Bridge

Bergonzi, Michel Angelo

As printed

  1. The Violinist's Guide: Written for the Use of the Violin Buying Public (1916)

    Bergonzi, Michel Angelo. Cremona, 1722-1761. Son of Carlo. Inheriting from his father tools and wood; work resembles that of his father in wood, varnish and tone but lacks his artistic finish.

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    2. Bergonzi, Carlo. 1715-1747. Best pupil of Antonio Stradivari; studying during the Golden Period of master's life. One of the four great Cremonese makers and instruments prized next to Stradivari and Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu. Violins very scarce; fewer in existence than those of any other of great makers. Easier to secure one of his 'cellos than violins. Violins celebrated for beauty and remarkable tone; largely imitated, especially by the French.
    4. Bergonzi, Michel Angelo. Cremona, 1722-1761. Son of Carlo. Inheriting from his father tools and wood; work resembles that of his father in wood, varnish and tone but lacks his artistic finish.
    6. Cappa Gioffredo, 1585-1645. Considered pupil of Brothers Amati. Workmanship delicate, similar to Amati's. Varnish deep red to amber brown. Sweet tone.

  2. A dictionary of violin makers (1896)

    Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that …

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    2. Bergonzi (Baganzi), Francesco. Is named as early as 1687. May have been the father of Carlo.
    4. Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that of Carlo, he flattened the model and exaggerated the curves; followed both small and large patterns; the varnish is hard and thick, the tone is nasal. But his double-basses show better work and have a powerful tone, serving well in an orchestra. Label: "Michel Angelo Bergonzi, figlio di Carlo, fece in Cremona, 1740." Another is known, dated 1755.
    6. Bergonzi, Nicola, eldest son of Michel Angelo. Worked in Cremona about 1755-82. His instruments show a great falling off; made on a similar model to that of his father; his work is often highly finished but is wanting in character; the scroll is cramped, the wood often too close-grained, the varnish poor and thin. Label: "Nicolaus Bergonzi, Cremonensis, faciebat anno 1760"; a tenor dated 1781 is known. He made a great number of violins.

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

    Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that …

    scan page 19, line 7; scan page 19, line 8See the scans: 19, 19source record

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    scan page 19, line 7

    2. Bergonzi (Baganzi), Francesco. Is named as early as 1687. May have been the father of Carlo.
    4. Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that of Carlo, he flattened the model and exaggerated the curves; followed both small and large patterns; the varnish is hard and thick, the tone is nasal. But his double-basses show better work and have a powerful tone, serving well in an orchestra. Label: "Michel Angelo Bergonzi, figlio di Carlo, fece in Cremona, 1740." Another is known, dated 1755.
    6. Bergonzi, Nicola, eldest son of Michel Angelo. Worked in Cremona about 1755-82. His instruments show a great falling off; made on a similar model to that of his father; his work is often highly finished but is wanting in character; the scroll is cramped, the wood often too close-grained, the varnish poor and thin. Label: "Nicolaus Bergonzi, Cremonensis, faciebat anno 1760"; a tenor dated 1781 is known. He made a great number of violins.
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  1. Old violins (1905)

    BERGONZI, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo; b. 1722; d. after 1765.

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    scan page 265, line 33

    1. BERGONZI, Carlo. Cremona; the first of the great Bergonzi family of makers; b. (?); d. 1747.
    2. BERGONZI, Carlo, third son of Michel Angelo. (See p. 86.)
    3. BERGONZI (Baganzi), Francesco. Named as early as 1687.
    4. BERGONZI, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo; b. 1722; d. after 1765.
    5. BERGONZI, Nicola, eldest son of Michel Angelo.
    6. BERGONZI, Zosimo, brother of Nicola.

Named in 4 books printed between 1896 and 1916. Read by software from scans of those pages, not yet checked by a person against the page. Entries from 4 books stand under this name, and the software judged them likely the same person. Tell us if that is wrong and we will split the record.

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Details and sources

Record note

Not established is the honest state of this record: it rests on one or more sources naming this maker, and nothing else on this site confirms it. Printed in: A dictionary of violin makers (1890); A dictionary of violin makers (1890); A dictionary of violin makers (1896); Old violins (1905); The Violinist’s Guide: Written for the Use of the Violin Buying Public (1916). Entries from 4 books stand under this name, and the software judged them likely the same person. Tell us if that is wrong and we will split the record. No claim beyond what those sources state has been invented here; if you can add to it, we want to hear from you.

What the books say

Places and dates of work
Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that … reported1
Places and dates of work
Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that … reported1
Places and dates of work
Bergonzi, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo, b. 1722; d. after 1765. Worked in Cremona about 1740-65. His work is heavy and altogether inferior to that … reported1
Places and dates of work
BERGONZI, Michel Angelo, son of Carlo; b. 1722; d. after 1765. reported1
Places and dates of work
Bergonzi, Michel Angelo. Cremona, 1722-1761. Son of Carlo. Inheriting from his father tools and wood; work resembles that of his father in wood, varnish and tone but lacks his artistic finish. reported view the page image1

How the pages were read

5 of the 5 lines here were read from machine text (software that turns a photo of a page into words), not by a person looking at the page image. 3 of them rest on a section heading above a list of names, not on a trade word printed on their own line: “A DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS.”, “DICTIONARY OF VIOLIN MAKERS”, “Old Italian Violin Makers”.

Notes

  1. Read from machine text (software that turns a photo of a page into words, or a typed transcription), not by a person looking at the page image. ↩

The books behind this record

This record draws on 4 sources. Each is listed below with how it was read, because a claim read from a photo of the page is stronger than one read from machine text.

  1. Stainer, C. (Cecie), 1867-1937, A dictionary of violin makers (London: Novello, n.d.). archive.org, dictionaryofviol00stai. https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofviol00stai.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

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  2. Stainer, C. (Cecie), 1867-1937, A dictionary of violin makers (London: Novello, n.d.). archive.org, dictionaryofviol1899stai. https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofviol1899stai.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 19, line 7

  3. Stainer, C. (Cecie), 1867-1937, A dictionary of violin makers (London ; New York: Novello, Ewer, 1896). archive.org, dictionaryofviol00stai_0. https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofviol00stai_0.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 17, line 7

  4. Haweis, H. R. (Hugh Reginald), 1839-1901, Old violins (Edinburgh, Grant, 1905). archive.org, oldviolins00hawe. https://archive.org/details/oldviolins00hawe.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 265, line 33

  5. The Violinist’s Guide: Written for the Use of the Violin Buying Public (Chicago: The Violinist Publishing Company, 1916), pp. 19–43. Google Books, zXQHAQAAMAAJ. https://books.google.com/books?id=zXQHAQAAMAAJ.Primaryread from the pagecited for 1 linesource record

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