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Scan 360
Dictionary of music and musicians, 1908
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 306. See the scan on archive.org.
1varnish, of a brown or dullish red colour. Among the makers were Nathaniel Cross (1720), the partner of Barak Norman, who used a ✚ as a device; John Johnson of Cheapside (1750–1760); Thomas Smith, a capital maker of large solid instruments on the Stainer model, who succeeded to the business of Wamsley at the 'Golden Harp' in Piccadilly (1740–90), and Robert Thompson, at the 'Bass Violin' in St. Paul's Churchyard (1749), where he was succeeded by his sons Charles and Samuel (1770–1780). To these may be added Edward Heesom (1748); Edward Dickenson, at the Harp and Crown in the Strand; and John Norris and Robert Barnes (1760–1800), who worked together in Great Windmill Street, and in Coventry Street, Piccadilly. Norris and Barnes sold their business to John Davis, who in turn disposed of it to Edward Withers. He was succeeded in business by his two sons, Edward and George, who are dealers in violins at the present time, the former in Wardour Street, the latter in Leicester Square. William Forster also began with the Stainer pattern. [See FORSTER, WILLIAM.]
33. SCHOOL OF AMATI-COPYISTS. Foremost among these stands Benjamin Banks (1750–1795). He learnt the trade in the workshop of Wamsley: and though he early migrated to Salisbury, where he spent the greater part of his life, belongs in all respects to the London school. Banks copied Amati with great fidelity. Though his violins are less in request, his tenors and basses, of which he made large numbers, are excellent instruments, and produce good prices. He used a fine rich varnish, in several tints, yellow, red, and brown. His son Benjamin returned to London: two other sons, James and Henry, carried on his business at Salisbury, but at length migrated to Liverpool. Joseph Hill (1760–80) at the 'Harp and Flute' in the Haymarket, and a fellow-apprentice with Banks in the shop of Wamsley, made solid instruments which are still in request, but adhered less strictly to the Amati model. Edward Aireton, another pupil of Wamsley's, worked on this model. But the chief of the older Amati-copyists is the celebrated Richard Duke of Holborn (1760–80). Duke's high reputation amongst English makers is amply justified by his works, which must be carefully distinguished from the myriad nondescripts to which his name has been nefariously affixed. Duke, in obedience to a fashion, though a declining one, also copied Stainer, but, in Mr. Hart's opinion, less successfully. His pupils, John and Edward Betts, followed him in imitating Amati. The latter was the better workman. 'Each part,' says Mr. Hart, 'is faultless in finish; but when viewed as a whole the result is too mechanical. Nevertheless, this maker takes rank with the foremost of the English copyists.' John Betts occupied a shop in the Royal Exchange, where his business was still carried on in the latter part of the 19th century. The Forsters followed the prevailing fashion, and copied not only Nicholas Amati, but Antonius and Hieronymus and also, unfortunately, Stainer.
54. LATER IMITATORS OF THE CREMONA SCHOOL. We now reach a group of makers dating from about 1790 to 1840, and forming the last and in some respects the best section of the London School. These makers forsook altogether the imitation of Stainer, occupied themselves less with that of Amati, and boldly passed on to Stradivarius. It has been loosely stated that many of these English Violin-makers copied Stradivarius and Guarnerius. This is not the case. The English makers never copied Guarnerius until after Paganini had made his sensational appearances, playing upon an instrument of that master. (See PAGANINI.) Lupot and others were doing the same in Paris. Richard Tobin, John Furber, Charles Harris, Henry Lockey Hill, Samuel Gilkes, Bernard Fendt the elder (known as 'Old Barney'), and John Carter are among the best London makers of this period; and Vincenzo Panormo, though of Italian extraction, really belongs to the same school. It should be noted that one of the best of these makers, Furber, made his best instruments as one of John Betts' workmen. When he left Betts and set up for himself his work declined, and there is no comparison between his two periods. Contemporary with these makers was that eccentric genius John Lott, junior. The father, John Lott, senior, had been a notable maker of Double Basses, being a pupil of Panormo in this branch of the art. He worked for Dragonetti, who used instruments both by the master and the pupil. The younger John Lott was immortalised by Charles Reade in his word Jack of all Trades, and was one of the most skilful 'forgers' of old instruments that the world has ever known. He worked also in conjunction with that remarkable trio of imported makers, Maucotel, Boullangier, and Georges Chanot the second, splendid workmen, whose instruments are to be found masquerading under many great names. Stradivarius was the chief model of these makers, and in reproducing his style they gave to the world a host of valuable instruments. The elder Fendt is commonly accounted the best maker of violins since the golden age of Cremona, though the vote of the French connoisseur would be in favour of Lupot. Bernard Fendt the younger, and his brother Jacob, together with Joseph and George Panormo, sons of Vincenzo, continued this school in another generation, though with unequal success. The Kennedy family (Alexander 1700–86, John 1730–1816, Thomas 1784–1870) were second-rate makers of the same school. The abolition of the import duty on foreign instruments, together with the accumulation of old
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