Books › Old violins, 1905 › scan 142
Scan 142
Old violins, 1905
6 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 124. See the scan on archive.org.
1generally the art atmosphere of the small Italian courts must not also be taken into account; but when attention was called to improved tonal quality, and a timbre, power, and sensibility undreamed of by the old viol-makers became de rigueur, in response to the demands of virtuosity and the advance of the musical art, Italy was bound to win; such Tyrolean woods, such varnish, such sun, such sentiment, as was required for the perfect evolution of the violin, could hardly be found outside Italy. Both Spain and Germany confessed to the fact, nor could England put it aside. Accordingly, the highest praise that was ever given to an English maker was given to Benjamin Banks (1727-95), who was called "The English Amati"; but to this day no one has ever been called "The English Stradivari"!
3Passing by Aireton (died in 1807), who copied Amati, but used yellow varnish; Henry Jay (1744-77); the famous kit-makers (the kit is a tiny instrument with normal neck and finger-board, used chiefly by dancing-masters), the Kennedys, father and son (1730-1870), most prolific but mediocre fabricators, chiefly of violins and tenors; Panormo and Parker, the two first excellent eighteenth-century makers; we make special mention of John Rayman, one of, if not the earliest, English violin-maker. "An extraordinary Rayman" was amongst the violins owned by Britton, the musical coal-heaver. Urquhart was also a maker of exceptional originality.
5Pamphilon (1685) was a fair and excellent workman,
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.