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

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Scan 46

A dictionary of violin makers

28 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 36. See the scan on archive.org.

1said to have been dated 1613; it had beautiful varnish and very good tone, but had a new head and neck. Two other violins are said to be dated 1566 and 1576 respectively. Gasparo's usual label was undated: "Gasparo da Salò in Brescia"; but his name has been much used in modern altos and violins made in imitation of the early Brescian type; many instruments with his label were really made by G. P. Maggini.
3Gattanani. A maker in Piedmont about 1785-90.
5Gattinari (Catenari), Enrico. See "Catenar."
7Gattinari, Francesco, son of Enrico Gattinari. A clever maker in Turin about 1700-5. A violin of excellent tone, rather arched, with effective red-brown varnish, was of good workmanship and was labelled "Francesco Gattinari, fecit Taurini, anno Domini 1704." An alto with thick red varnish was also well made.
9Gautrot. A maker in Mirecourt. His instruments are strongly and well made; he started a factory for instruments of all kinds at Château-Thierry in 1855.
11Gaviniés (Gavaniès), François, b. about 1700. Lived first at Bordeaux, but about 1730 moved to Paris with his son, and was living in rue St.-Thomas-du-Louvre, 1734-63. He made two very different kinds of instruments; the one inferior, the other, for which he used varnish and wood of good quality, was much liked. He generally branded them with his name. Instruments dated 1734, 1735, and 1751; also a six-stringed viol dated 1744 in the Paris Conservatoire Collection, are known. The Conservatoire also has, for the use of its pupils, one of his double-basses with the head sculptured to represent King David; its tone is excellent, it was made in 1757. Label: "Gaviniés, rue St-Thomas-du-Louvre, à Paris, 1734." He had a son, Pierre, the celebrated violinist.
13Gedler, Johann Anthony and Johann Benedict. Two brothers who worked together in Füssen, Bavaria, about 1750 to 1796. They made inferior instruments.
15Geisenhof (Gaissenhof, Geigenhof), Franz, b. 1754; d. 1821. A maker in Vienna. He made fairly good instruments on the Stradivari pattern. Sometimes branded them with his initials, "F. G." J. B. Schweizer was a pupil of his.
17Gemünder, August, b. 1814, Württemberg; d. Sept., 1895, New York. Pupil of his father, who was also a maker. Went to the United States, and settled in Massachusetts in 1846. He made excellent instruments, much used for solo playing. He made such an exact copy of the Amati violin belonging to Señor Sarasate that it was pronounced to be equal to the original.
19Gemünder, George, brother of August Gemünder, b. 1816, Ingelfingen; d. Jan. 15, 1899. Pupil of Vuillaume in Paris. Went to New York in 1849. He made excellent copies of many celebrated violins. In 1881 he published "George Gemünder's Progress in Violin Making."
21Gennaro. Worked in Naples, 1785-1820. He made very beautiful guitars, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ivory, &c. Labels: "Gennaro fabricatore, anno 1802, Napoli, Strada S. Giacomo, No. 26," and "Gennaro fabricatore, anno 1820, Napoli, Strada S. Giacomo, No. 42," found in a large guitar.
23Gerans, Paolo. Working in Cremona about 1614.
25Gerle, Conrad. An early maker of lutes, b. at Nuremberg; was living there in 1461 and died there 1521; was buried in the Church of St. Roch. He was celebrated both as a lute player and lute maker, his lutes, called "Lutz d'Alemagne," were well known in the 15th century. The Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung (Leipzig) published the old notice of his death: "An St. Barbara Abend starb der erbar Conrad Gerle, Lautenmacher. Dem Gott gnaedig sey, Amen."
27Gerle, Hans, (?) a son of Conrad. Date of birth unknown, about 1500; d. 1570. Lived in Nuremberg. Was a lute player, composer, and author, and as early as 1523 was famed for the lutes he made. In 1532 his portrait was published with the inscription, "Hanns Gerle, lutenist (lute player) in Nürnberg, anno 1532." He published a work on the lute in 1532, entitled: "Musica Teusch auf die Instrument der grossen und kleinen Geygen, auch Lautten, etc., durch Hans Gerle lutinist zu Nurenberg auszgangan, 1532" ("German music for instruments of large and little viols, also for lutes," edited by Hans Gerle, lute player at Nuremberg, 1532); a second edition appeared in 1546, entitled: "Musica und Tabulatur, auff die Instrumenten der kleinen und grossen Geygen auch Lautten, etc. Von newen corrigirt und durch aussgebessert durch

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