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

Books › A dictionary of violin makers › scan 18

Scan 18

A dictionary of violin makers

18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.

1Baud. A maker at Versailles. A violin of his, made without bars, which he thought interfered with the vibrations, was not favourably reported on.
2Baumeester. See "Boumeester."
3Bausch, Ludwig Christian August, b Jan. 15, 1805, at Naumburg; d. May 26, 1871, at Leipzig. Pupil of B. Fritsche in Dresden, then settled in Leipzig as a violin bow maker. Other members of the firm were Ludwig Bausch and Otto Bausch (b. 1841).
4Bausch was a celebrated maker of violin bows in Dessau. It is said that Spohr gave him advice as to the construction of the bow. 1840, he received a silver medal at the Dresden Exhibition.
5Beckmann (Bekman), Sweno. A maker at Stockholm about 1700-50. His instruments are roughly made.
6Bedler, Norbert. A maker in Würzburg in 1723. Was appointed maker to the Bavarian Court. In a viola di bordone in the Paris Conservatoire Collection is the label. "Norbert Bedler, luthier de la Cour de Bavière à Wurtzbourg, 1723."
7Bela, Szepessy, b. Nov. 30, 1856, Budapest. Apprenticed to Samuel Nemessany in Budapest, from August, 1868, till May 24, 1874. Then went to Vienna and worked under Zach till Oct. 20, 1879. Was then in Munich, but left, 1881, to settle in London, where he has his own business. He has personally made and varnished up to the present time 104 violins, 4 violas, and 2 violoncellos. He generally follows the Stradivari and Guarneri patterns, but in a few cases that of Nicola Amati, he uses oil varnish of soft quality, a yellow-red colour. His instruments are much liked.
8Bellone, Pietro Antonio, known as Il Pescorino. A maker in Milan in 1694. Label: "Pietro Antonio Bellone, detto il Pescorino, fece in contrada larga di Milano, 1694, al segno di S. Antonio da Padova."
9Bellosio, Anselmo. A maker in Venice about 1720-80. Pupil of Santo Serafino. He made good violoncellos, but as a rule his instruments are not so well made as those of his master. M. A. Cerin was a pupil of his. Label: "Anselmij Bellosij, fecit Venetiis, 17—."
10Belviglieri, Gregorio. A maker in Bologna in 1742. His violins are fairly good.
11Benedict, José. A maker at Cadiz in 1738. Label: "Compuesto en Cadix p. José Benedict, año del 1738."
12Benedicti, Donate de. In Cremona, 1674.
13Benti, 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.
14Beretta, 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.
15Bergé. A maker at Toulouse in 1771.
16Bergonzi, 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.
17Bergonzi, 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

Makers on this page

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