Scan 13
Joseph Guarnerius, his work and his master [Andreas Gisalberti], 1906
12 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1being exported not by parcels of ten or twenty but many thousands every year.
3This speaks loudly concerning the growing requirements of musical people in most parts of the world.
5As the process of manufacturing grew in years and quantity, the fact of the diminution in numbers of the works of the old type of Italian liutaros was impressing itself more strongly than ever, the best known names among the old Italian masters were on the lips of all who were interested in the acquisition of good instruments, works by their presumed pupils which bore any supposed resemblance to those of their instructor were soon relieved of their labels and put forward as by the master himself; when these were not obtainable the inevitable close copy or forgery took the place.
7Thus as time moved onward the works of masters in the different working centres of the old art rose and are still rising in value, the desire for possessing violins with the magic of a great name attached thereto being intensified, a large number of makers known in their own day as of the first class were, one after another, relegated to the shades of oblivion.
9Thus, among others that may yet come forward again for public recognition was a name, Andreas Gisalberti, that in the following pages will, for the first time, be placed before readers of our day as a maker of renown, and for long, until recently, among the large army of forgotten ones, yet judging from circumstances in connection with what of his work is at present known, besides the association of his name with Joseph Guarnerius as his teacher, he must have been recognised in his own day as fairly prominent among the brethren of his craft.
11At present his works may be said to be very rare, but when his name begins to be handed about again and attention drawn to it in different parts of Europe, there is every likelihood many will emerge from this obscurity and receive adequate recognition of their merits.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.