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Scan 581
Grove's Dictionary of music and musicians, 1927
18 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 519. See the scan on archive.org.
1partner, and their nephew Hippolyte Chrétien Silvestre, succeeded him in business. Other distinguished French makers were: Seb. Phil. Bernardel, Jacques Bocquay, C. Boullangier, François Chanot, who made a violin of guitar shape, his brother Georges, a clever copyist of Stradivari and Guarneri, and Georges, the son of the latter, who settled in London (see supra) where he was succeeded by his sons, Charles Henry, Charles Jacquot, Koliker, Charles Maucotel, who settled in London, and his brother, Charles Ad. Maucotel, François Médard, Claude Aug. Miremont, Didier Nicolas, Claude Pierray, F. S. Pique, a copyist of Stradivari of high merit. Finally we must mention Jacques Pierre Thibout, a maker of merit, who encouraged Tarisio to bring his rare Italian instruments to Paris.
3German Makers.—The ravages of the Thirty Years War, which had devastated the whole country, had completely extinguished the rare lute and viol-makers' art which during the 15th and 16th centuries stood highest in Europe. Only the Tyrolean Mountains had enjoyed comparative immunity from the horrors of that time. There, in the quiet village of Absam, was Jacob Stainer, the most famous German violin-maker, born, 1621, and in the same year Mathias Albani, an excellent maker, first saw the light of day at Bozen; he was, however, far surpassed by his son Mathias (c. 1650–1680), who worked on the lines of Amati and produced a number of very fine instruments.
518th-century German makers of merit were: Paul Alletsee (Aletzie) Munich; his oldest known violins are dated 1698. About 1720 he appears to have worked temporarily at Venice, as the beautiful viole d'amour, which belonged to L. van Waefelghem (q.v.) had a label which read 'Paolo Aletzie, Venetia, 1720'; workmanship and varnish were of the finest quality. He was especially famed for his basses. His son-in-law, Joh. Andr. Kämbl, succeeded him as court instrument-maker in Munich in 1738. Anton Bachmann (1716–1800), court instrument-maker, Berlin, and his son Carl Ludwig B. worked on Italian models; the latter was chiefly noted for his violas. Martin Diel of Mainz was the first of a long line of violin-makers, extending over a period of more than 150 years. Martin and his son Nicolaus made some good violas and violoncellos. Friedrich Diehl (as the name was spelled by later members of the family) received a bronze medal at the Paris exhibition in 1867. Nicolaus Döpfer, the master and father-in-law of Martin Diel, made some good large violas. Joh. Andr. Dörffel was founder of the Graslitzer violin-making industry. Johann Udalric Eberle was a good copyist of Italian masters, noted for his fine violes d'amour. Thomas Edlinger of Augsburg worked at Prague and was the master of Eberle.
7Christoph Friedrich Hunger, Leipzig (1718–1787), excellent maker, specially noted for his violas. Joh. Jauch, Mathias Klotz Mittenwald (1653–1743), founder of Mittenwald violin industry, studied in Italy, achieved good workmanship on the Stainer model. He was surpassed by his son Sebastian (1696–1743), and the latter's son Joseph (c. 1743, d. after 1808), noted for fine workmanship, and a flatter model. Georg, brother of Sebastian, was also a good maker but careless in the selection of wood. Other members of the family are more or less indifferent. Leonard Maussiel, Stainer pattern, work resembling Tecchler's; Sympert Niggell, flat model.
9Johann Gottlob Pfretzschner (1753–1823), member of a violin-maker's family of several generations, was the first Markneukirchen maker to abandon the Stainer model in favour of that of Stradivari.
11Daniel Achatius Stadlmann of Vienna and Widhalm of Nuremberg were both excellent imitators of Stainer.
1319th-century makers: Ludw. C. A. Bausch, Leipzig, chiefly repairer and famous bow-maker; W. H. Hammig, Leipzig; Karl A. Hörlein, Würzburg; Gabriel Lemböck, Vienna; Neuner, Berlin; Jac. Aug. Otto, head of a numerous family of violin-makers, author of a book on the construction of the violin—other notable members of this family were Ludwig O. of Cologne, afterwards Petersburgh, his son Hermann, and Louis O., Düsseldorf; Béla Szepessy, known as Béla, who settled in London.
15Netherlandish Makers.—Mattys Hofmans, worked at Antwerp c. 1685–1725; Hendrick (also referred to as Peter) Jakobsz, latter 17th to early 18th century, copied Niccolo Amati with great skill and is said to be the first who used whalebone for his purfling; Pieter Rombouts, Amsterdam (1674–c. 1740), produced fine workmanship and varnish; he also used whalebone for purfling. Jan Koeuppers worked at the Hague between 1755–1780, and the Frenchman, Lefebre, at Amsterdam between 1720–1735.
17In the above article we have only been able to mention the most important makers of those countries in which violin-making attained a high degree of excellence. For that reason we cannot include the names of wholesale manufacturers who work at the great industrial centres of violin-makers, Markneukirchen, Mittenwald, Klingenthal, in Germany, Graslitz in Austria and Mirecourt in France. Further particulars about the most important of those named may be found under their several names in this Dictionary, while these as well as all the rest may be found in the works of Hart v. Lütgendorff, and Dr. Kinsky's Catalogue of the Wm. Heyer Museum, vol. ii. (See below: Bibliography.)
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