Scan 103
Joseph Guarnerius, his work and his master [Andreas Gisalberti], 1906
10 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 61. See the scan on archive.org.
1A long time back it was pointed out that any resemblance between the work at any time of Stradivari and Joseph Guarnerius is so remote as to be unworthy of consideration. That this is really the case has of late years been more and more evident, until it may now be said that the tracing of Stradivari's teaching through the resemblance of the work of the two makers has been given up as leading to no certain result. That the method of procedure was the most likely to bear good fruit there is no doubt, as reference to other makers and their pupils have in other instances so strongly helped it.
3In the case of Gisalberti and Guarneri, however, the teacher, in most violent contrast to his pupil, has suffered almost total obliteration from the list of known makers, small or great, and has been held in remembrance by only very few of his compatriots.
5Turning aside again for a moment, but in connection with the above remarks on analogy in work, my hypothesis may be referred to as to the inspiration, if not actual tuition, of Andreas Gisalberti, from some member of the Mariani family of Pesaro. In connection with this I received information from a connoisseur that while travelling in Italy, he had heard of a tradition that Gisalberti, otherwise Santa Ballarini, was known at Ancona (about thirty-five miles from Pesaro) as a man of universal talent, a natural musician, a writer of sacred music, and on intimate terms with a clerical dignity of the church there; that he was a sculptor as well, and that he carved many wall brackets, besides doing other artistic work.
7A not less interesting item of information was that "he was said to have married into the Mariani family"—the violin makers of that name. This, if true, gives a strong confirmation of the aptness of my conjecture.
9I may mention, with regard to this last, that my informant had not read any remarks as to the probable inspiration of Gisalberti's work, nor heard of my hypothesis.
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