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

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Scan 420

Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, 1919

15 lines. Read by computer on 11 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.

1Hill, W. E., & Sons, a celebrated firm of violin-makers and dealers in London. It is claimed that 'Mr. Hill, the instrument maker' referred to in Pepys' Diary (1660) was an ancestor of the present owners. Joseph H. (1715–84) established himself circa 1750 as an instrument-maker in London; on his death his five sons, who also were good violinists, succeeded to the business; the oldest, William Ebsworth (b. London, 1817; d. Hanley, April 2, 1895) adopted the present name of the firm; his instruments took first prizes at the expositions in London (1851) and Paris (1867). The present proprietors are his four sons Alfred Ebsworth, Walter Edgar, William Henry and Arthur Frederick; all are practical violinists and investigators of the history of their instrument; from materials gathered by them, Lady M. L. Huggins has written Giov. Paolo Maggini. His Life and Work (1892); they are the joint authors of Antonio Stradivari. His Life and Work (1909; a standard work).
3Hill, Wilhelm, pianist; b. Fulda, March 28, 1838; d. Homburg, June 6, 1902. Pupil of H. Henkel and Hauff. In 1854 he settled in Frankfort, where his opera Alona was awarded the 2d prize in the competition for the inauguration of the new opera-house. Has publ. vln.-sonatas, op. 20 and 28; trios, op. 12 and 43; pf.-quartet, op. 44; songs, pf.-pieces, etc. His song Es liegt eine Krone im tiefen Rhein achieved immense popularity. Cf. K. Schmidt, W. H. Leben und Werke (Leipzig, 1910).
5Hill, William, English organ-builder; b. London, 1800; d. there Dec. 18, 1870. With Dr. Gauntlett, introduced the CC compass. Mendelssohn frequently said that the organ of St. Peter's, London, built by H., was the finest in the world.
7Hil'le, Eduard, b. Wahlhausen, Hanover, May 16, 1822; d. Göttingen, Dec. 18, 1891. From 1840–2, student of philosophy at Göttingen; also learned music under Heinroth. For several years lived as mus.-teacher at Hanover, was cond. of a male choral society, and founded the 'Neue Singakademie.' Visited Berlin, Leipzig, Prague, Vienna, etc., for study, and founded the 'Singakademie' at Göttingen, where, in 1855, he had been app. academical mus. dir. He revived the academical concerts.—Songs, part-songs, and an opera, Der neue Oberst (Hanover, 1849).
9Hil'le, Gustav, excellent violinist; b. Jerichow-on-Elbe, n. Berlin, May 31, 1851. Studied 1864–8 at Kullak's Acad., Berlin, under R. Wüerst (theory); 1869–74 at the Hochschule f. Musik under Joachim (vln.). Lived in Berlin, as a solo player and comp., till 1879, when he was invited to join the Mendelssohn Quintette Club of Boston, Mass.; after 9 months' touring, accepted an engagement at the Mus. Acad. in Phila.; co-founder of the Leefson-Hille Cons. there, of which he was dir. until 1910, when he returned to Germany.—Works: 5 violin-concertos w. orch.; 1 Doppelconcert f. 2 vlns.; 1 canonic vln.-suite; 2 suites for solo vln.; 2 sonatas for piano and vln.; many pieces for solo piano; songs, etc.
11Hil'lemacher, two brothers; Paul(-Joseph-William) (b. Paris, Nov. 25, 1852) and Lucien (-Joseph-Édouard) (b. Paris, June 10, 1860; d. there June 2, 1909). Both studied at the Cons., and took the 1st Grand prix de Rome, the elder in 1876 with the cantata Judith, the younger in 1880 with the cantata Fingal. Well-known composers, they are remarkable for writing all their scores in collaboration.—Works: Symphonic legend Loreley (1882; won City of Paris prize); 4-act opera St.-Mégrin (Brussels, 1886; succ.); 1-act com. op. Une aventure d'Arlequin (Brussels, 1888); 1-act com. op. Le Régiment qui passe (Royan, 1894); 3-act lyric drama Le Drac (prod. Karlsruhe, 1896, as Der Flutgeist); 3-act grand opera Orsola (Paris, Opéra, 1903); 3-act lyric opera Circé (Op.-Comique, 1907); incid. mus. to Harancourt's Héro et Léandre (1893) and G. Sand's Claudie (1900); two orchl. suites, La Cinquantaine and Les Solitudes (after Harancourt); a legend, Ste.-Geneviève; and a Passion Mystery; also songs. They wrote a biogr. of Gounod (1905) for the series 'Les Musiciens célèbres.'
13Hil'ler, Ferdinand von, distinguished composer, conductor, pianist and writer; b. Frankfort, Oct. 24, 1811; d. Cologne, May 12, 1885. Scion of a wealthy Jewish family, he early became a pupil of Hofmann (vln.), Aloys Schmitt (pf.), and Vollweiler (harm. and cpt.); at 10 he played a Mozart concerto in public, and at 12 began composition. From 1825 he was a pupil of Hummel at Weimar; accompanied him to Vienna in 1827 (where his op. 4, a string-quartet, was publ.), and, as a boy of 15, saw Beethoven on his deathbed. From 1828–35 he lived in Paris, teaching for a time in Choron's School of Music, but afterwards living independently, perfecting himself as a pianist and composer, and on intimate terms with celebrated musicians. He gave concerts with Fétis and Baillot, and shone as an interpreter of Beethoven. In 1836, on his father's death, he returned to Frankfort, and during Schelle's illness cond. the Cäcilien-Verein. Aided by Rossini, in 1839 he (unsuccessfully) prod. his opera Romilda at Milan, and commenced an oratorio, Die Zerstörung Jerusalems, which impressed Mendelssohn, who invited him to Leipzig to superintend its production at the Gewandhaus (1840). In 1841, at one of two readings
14Hil'ler, Ferdinand von, distinguished composer, conductor, pianist and writer; b. Frankfort, Oct. 24, 1811; d. Cologne, May 12, 1885. Scion of a wealthy Jewish family, he early became a pupil of Hofmann (vln.), Aloys Schmitt (pf.), and Vollweiler (harm. and cpt.); at 10 he played a Mozart concerto in public, and at 12 began composition. From 1825 he was a pupil of Hummel at Weimar; accompanied him to Vienna in 1827 (where his op. 4, a string-quartet, was publ.), and, as a boy of 15, saw Beethoven on his deathbed. From 1828–35 he lived in Paris, teaching for a time in Choron's School of Music, but afterwards living independently, perfecting himself as a pianist and composer, and on intimate terms with celebrated musicians. He gave concerts with Fétis and Baillot, and shone as an interpreter of Beethoven. In 1836, on his father's death, he returned to Frankfort, and during Schelble's illness cond. the Cäcilien-Verein. Aided by Rossini, in 1839 he (unsuccessfully) prod. his opera Romilda at Milan, and commenced an oratorio, Die Zerstörung Jerusalems, which impressed Mendelssohn, who invited him to Leipzig to superintend its production at the Gewandhaus (1840). In 1841, at one of two readings

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