Bow & Bridge

Norris, John

1739–1818

As printed

  1. A dictionary of violin makers (1896)

    As printed on this page: “Barnes, Robert. Pupil of Thomas Smith at the “Harp and Hautboy” in Piccadilly; a fellow-apprentice was John Norris, with whom he started a business in 1765. No instruments of theirs is known except a violoncello, which was probably made by E. Aireton, but is stamped with their name on the back. They first lived i…”

    p. 7

  2. Old violins (1905)

    NORRIS, John, b. 1739, London; d. March 10, 1818; pupil of Thomas Smith; went into partnership with Robert Barnes in 1765.

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    scan page 287, line 17

    1. NIGGELL, Simpertus. A maker of viols and violins. Fussen, 1743-66; transition maker of viols and violins; flat pattern.
    2. NORBORN, John. London, 1723.
    3. NORMAN, Barak, b. 1688; d. 1740. (See p. 125.)
    4. NORRIS, John, b. 1739, London; d. March 10, 1818; pupil of Thomas Smith; went into partnership with Robert Barnes in 1765.
    5. NOVELLO, Pietro Valentino, brother of Marco Antonio Novello. Venice, eighteenth century.
    6. NOVELLO, Marco Antonio, a brother of Pietro Valentino Novello; in Venice at the same time; good work.
    7. NOVERSI, Cosimo. Florence, seventeenth century.

  3. Dictionary of Violin makers (1928)

    NORRIS (John) — London circa 1800. Pupil of Th. Smith. Mainly known as a dealer.

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    scan page 214, line 13

    2. NORMAN (Barak) — London circa 1730. Maggini style. Viols and lutes. Good quality woods and varnishes. No 256.
    4. NORRIS (John) — London circa 1800. Pupil of Th. Smith. Mainly known as a dealer.
    6. O
Show all 5 printings

  1. An encyclopedia of the violin (1925)

    NORRIS, JOHN, London, b. about 1739, d. 1818.

    scan pages 60, 62 · line 21See the scans: 60, 62source record

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    scan page 60, line 21

    2. NORMAN, BARAK, London, b. about 1678, d. 1740.
    4. NORRIS, JOHN, London, b. about 1739, d. 1818.
    6. NOVELLO, MARCO ANTONIO, Venice, 1780 to 1795.

  2. Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922)

    Norris, John. — London. Geb. um 1739, † 1818

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    scan page 359, line 43

    1. Wahrscheinlich ein Schüler von Th. Urquhart, an den seine frühesten Arbeiten erinnern. Einer der berühmtesten Geigen- und Lautenmacher der altenglischen Schule, dessen Violen, Theorben und Lauten usw. die Hand eines Meisters verraten. Im Jahre 1715 war er mit Nathaniel Croß verbunden. Er wählte feines Holz, der Lack ist gut, nur etwas dunkel, und seine Geigeninstrumente haben manche Verwandtschaft mit denen der Brescianer Schule. Außer seinem Zettel findet man manchmal auch sein Monogramm an der Außenseite des Bodens. Er soll der erste Engländer gewesen sein, der ein Violoncello gemacht hat. Violinen von ihm kommen äußerst selten vor. Drei Baßviolen waren 1872 im South Kens. Mus. ausgestellt. Die F-Löcher in seinen Altviolen zeigen noch die alte Schlangenform. Er hielt darauf, daß nur die Arbeiten, die er allein gemacht hatte, seinen Namen trugen, oder bemerkte ausdrücklich, welche Teile von ihm herrührten. Eine Baßviola im Pariser Konservatorium (Nr. 173) dürfte von ihm gemacht sein. Eine Violine aus dem Jahre 1719 besitzt J. T. Chapman. Eine Viola da Gamba von sorgfältiger Arbeit, hübsch eingelegt, befindet sich in Berlin, staatl. Samml. Nr. 826. Eine andere mit der allerdings zweifelhaften Jahreszahl 1692 besitzt das Donaldson-Museum (Royal College of Music) in London, eine gleiche von 1698 W. C. Hill & Sons in London. Eine Baßviola von 1711 besitzt Alfred Keil in Lissabon. Viele seiner Gamben sind jetzt in Violoncelli umgebaut, doch gibt es auch Violonce!!i, die er selbst als solche gemacht hat.
    2. Geigenzettel: Abb. 569 und 570.
    4. Norris, John. — London. Geb. um 1739, † 1818
    5. Schüler von Thomas Smith. Er verband sich ursprünglich mit Rob. Barnes und betrieb mit diesem einen ziemlich ausgedehnten Geigenhandel; über seine eigene Geschicklichkeit läßt sich nicht viel sagen, da fast alle mit der Firma Norris & Barnes versehenen Instrumente von anderen Geigenmachern, die in ihrem Auftrag arbeiteten, gemacht sind.
    6. Geigenzettel: Made by Norris and Barnes / Violin Violincello and Bow Makers / To Their Majesties / Coventry Street, London (gedruckt).

Named in 5 books printed between 1896 and 1928. Read by software from scans of those pages, not yet checked by a person against the page. Entries from 5 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

What this record rests on is An encyclopedia of the violin (1925); An Encyclopedia of the Violin (1926); Dictionary of Violin makers (1928); Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922); Old violins (1905), naming this maker and nothing more. Entries from 5 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. Nothing else on this site confirms it and no claim has been invented beyond that naming — not established, until someone can tell us more.

What the books say

Places and dates of work
NORRIS, JOHN, London, b. about 1739, d. 1818. reported1
Places and dates of work
NORRIS, JOHN, London, b. about 1739, d. 1818. reported1
Places and dates of work
NORRIS (John) — London circa 1800. Pupil of Th. Smith. Mainly known as a dealer. reported1
Places and dates of work
Norris, John. — London. Geb. um 1739, † 1818 reported1
Places and dates of work
NORRIS, John, b. 1739, London; d. March 10, 1818; pupil of Thomas Smith; went into partnership with Robert Barnes in 1765. reported1
Born (date and place)
Born 1739. As printed in the cited source: “NORRIS, John, b. 1739” reported1
Died (date and place)
Died 1818. As printed in the cited source: “NORRIS, JOHN, London, b. about 1739, d. 1818” reported1
Places and dates of work
As printed on this page: “Barnes, Robert. Pupil of Thomas Smith at the “Harp and Hautboy” in Piccadilly; a fellow-apprentice was John Norris, with whom he started a business in 1765. No instruments of theirs is known except a violoncello, which was probably made by E. Aireton, but is stamped with their name on the back. They first lived i…” reported1

How the pages were read

8 of the 8 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. 2 of them rest on a section heading above a list of names, not on a trade word printed on their own line: “VIOLIN MAKERS IN EUROPE”, “DICTIONARY OF 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 5 sources, all read from machine text. The count weighs how well each source was read, not just how many are cited. A stack of half-read sources does not outweigh one page read properly.

  1. Alberto Bachmann, An encyclopedia of the violin (1925). archive.org, encyclopediaofvi0000albe_h3k7. https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofvi0000albe_h3k7.machine textcited for 2 linessource record

    scan page 60, line 21

  2. Alberto Bachmann, An Encyclopedia of the Violin (1925). archive.org, encyclopediaofvi0000albe_u1d5. https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofvi0000albe_u1d5.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 62, line 21

  3. Arnold Sewell, Dictionary of Violin makers (1928). archive.org, dictionaryofviol0000arno. https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofviol0000arno.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 214, line 13

  4. Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart (1922). archive.org, diegeigenundlaut02lt. https://archive.org/details/diegeigenundlaut02lt.machine textcited for 1 linesource record

    scan page 359, line 43

  5. Haweis, H. R. (Hugh Reginald), 1839-1901, Old violins (Edinburgh, Grant, 1905). archive.org, oldviolins00hawe. https://archive.org/details/oldviolins00hawe.machine textcited for 2 linessource record

    scan page 287, line 17

  6. 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

    p. 7