Bow & Bridge Violin and bow makers, as the old books printed them

Books › A dictionary of violin makers › scan 104

Scan 104

A dictionary of violin makers

30 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 94. See the scan on archive.org.

1deal of work for John Betts. He was an excellent workman, and cut most beautiful heads or scrolls to his instruments; he usually followed the Stradivari or Guarneri patterns. The tone of his instruments is good, and they are much liked in England. He died in great poverty in Shoreditch. A son of his was also a maker.
3Todesco. See "Tedesco."
5Todini, Michele, b. in Saluzzo about 1625. He lived in Rome, where, in 1676, he published his "Dichiarazione della galleria armonica eretta in Roma." He made a few violins, but is chiefly known as the maker of very ingenious mechanical musical instruments. He has been also called the inventor of the double-bass, but there is apparently nothing to support this assertion.
7Tolbecque, Auguste, son of Auguste Joseph Tolbecque; was born March 30, 1830, Paris. He was a distinguished violoncellist, but also worked at violin making under Rambaux, in Paris. He made a small number of new instruments, and was extremely clever at restoring old ones; he collected some fine instruments, which he sold to the Brussels Conservatoire in 1879. In 1858 he settled in Niort, Deux-Sèvres. Label: Ate. Tolbecque fils fecit Parigi, anno 1851."
9Tononi, Antonio. A member of the family of makers in Bologna in the 17th century.
11Tononi, Carlo, son of Felice. First worked in Bologna, then settled in Venice. His instruments vary a good deal; they are generally of a large pattern, not so highly arched as those of his brother Giovanni, and show beautiful workmanship; his varnish, somewhat similar to that of Santo Serafino, is a yellow-brown colour. A pocket violin, with beautiful inlaid work, was exhibited at Milan, 1881, its label was: "Carolo Tononus fecit Bononiae in Platea Castætonis, anno Domini 1698." In a violin in the Collection of the Liceo filarmonico, Bologna, is the label: "Carolus Tononi fecit Bononiae, anno 1717." Another label is: "Carolus Tononi Bonon. fecit Venetiis sub titulo S. Ceciliae, anno 1739." He often branded his monogram near the button of the tailpiece.
13Tononi, Felice. A maker in Bologna about 1670-90. He worked in association with his son Giovanni; their violoncellos have a great reputation in Italy, and are beautiful instruments, of fine tone and carefully finished workmanship; the varnish is a yellow-brown colour. Labels: "Tononi di Bologna fecit, anno 1670," and "Tononi di Bologna fece, anno 168—."
15Tononi, Giovanni, son of Felice. Worked in Bologna till about 1705. Very few instruments of his are to be found; he followed, and at the same time enlarged the pattern of Nicola Amati; his work is superior to that of his father. His violins are slightly arched and have varnish of a beautiful yellow colour; the tone is very fine. A violoncello had the following label: "Joannes de Tononis fecit Bononiae in Platea Paviglionis, anno 17—." Other labels are "Joannes Tononus fecit Bononiae in Platea Pavaglionis, anno Domini, 1690," and "Joannes de Tononis fecit Bononiae, anno 17—."
17Toppani, Angelo de. A maker in Rome about 1720-40. His instruments, which are rarely seen, are similar to those of Techler, but are more arched; the varnish is a golden-yellow colour, and the sound-holes are cut large. Label: "Angelus de Toppanis fecit Romæ, anno Dni. 1740."
19Torelli. A maker in Verona about 1625.
21Toring (Torring). Was a maker and repairer of violins in London about 1800.
23Tortobello, Francesco. A maker in Rome in 1680, who followed the Magnini pattern.
25Touly, Claude. In a five-stringed viol, with the upper and lower plates both arched, and with yellow varnish, was the printed label: "Par Claude Touly à Luneville 1752."
27Touly, Jean. A maker in Nancy about 1730-47. Label: "Fait par moy Jean Touly, à Nancy, 1747."
29Tourte, François ("le jeune"), b. 1747, Paris; d. there, April, 1835. Was a younger brother of Xaver Tourte. For eight years worked as a watchmaker, and thus gained sureness and delicacy of touch; he was not educated, and never even learnt to read and to write. He settled at 10, Quai de l'Ecole, and began to make bows; for his first experiments he used the staves of old sugar hogsheads from Brazil, but afterwards always selected fine Pernambuco wood of perfectly straight grain, strong and elastic, without excessive weight. By subjecting this in a state of flexion to a moderate amount of heat for some time, he obtained a permanent and regular bend; to do this without making the exterior brittle is always the great

Makers on this page

The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.