Scan 74
Joseph Guarnerius, his work and his master [Andreas Gisalberti], 1906
14 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 38. See the scan on archive.org.
1who was not a Guarneri, not a Stradivari, nor Amati, but a man independent of all of them, a man of quaint perceptions of beauty in art, but nevertheless having sterling merits in meeting the requirements of the time.
3Pausing for a moment, we may take note of the different assertions, ideas and suggestions, concerning the likely pupilage of Joseph Guarnerius that have at different times appeared in print.
5One English book, after correctly stating the date and place of Joseph's birth, says he "became a pupil of Stradivarius, but he was not a mere imitator, and was guided by positive principles." After referring to the absurd fiction about the origin of the "prison Josephs," it states, among other particulars, that "at the commencement of his career, his instruments showed no particular marks of skill." We may suppose these were not evident to the writer, but the public of the time, for whom they were made, must have thought sufficiently well of them to buy them and wish for more; an encouragement and inducement to continue in the same path which led to the production of so many world-renowned masterpieces.
7The well-known work on Antonio Stradivari, by Fétis, says of Joseph Guarnerius that "it even seems that his relationship with the members of his family was not intimate; for it was neither with Joseph (assumed his cousin), nor yet with Peter Guarnerius that he learnt his art, but with Anthony Stradivarius."
9Neither of the above writers gives any details or reference regarding these statements.
11It is also further remarked that "Joseph Guarnerius del Jesu worked at Cremona from 1725 to 1745. His first attempts (he was forty-two years of age, reckoning by the dates of his birth and death in the same work) were not marked by any characteristic sign of originality, except a certain indifference in the choice of his materials, in the forms, which are variable, and in the varnish."
13Really, the author points out in the latter part of this paragraph, the only essentials in which originality could be expressed; if these were the exceptions, of what did
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.