Books › The arts and crafts book of the worshipful Guild of violin-makers of Markneukirchen, from the year 1677 to the year 1772, 1894 › scan 36
Scan 36
The arts and crafts book of the worshipful Guild of violin-makers of Markneukirchen, from the year 1677 to the year 1772, 1894
8 lines. Read by computer on 29 August 2026. Printed page 28. See the scan on archive.org.
1Tieffenbrugger (sic.), who flourished in the year 1510.
3From the beginning they were probably obliged to use for the better class of instruments, old and seasoned maple wood from Bavaria, the Tyrol, and other parts near to the Italian frontier, and, without doubt, they were also early in possession of valuable Italian instruments, which, once, recognised and used as models, were accessible to all the artists and craftsmen in the town.
5In all probability, a few apprentices early found their way, during their wanderings, to Italy and other centres of instrument manufacture, and thus new ideas and extended knowledge reached the workmen engaged in the home industry. The two Fickers mentioned by Friedrich Niederheitmann in his "Charakteristik der Italienischen Geigenbauer" (Leipzig, 1877), point back to the first of the family of that name, a family still inhabiting Markneukirchen, and which, as we have already seen, has produced several masters.
7Niederheitmann points out that the violins made by Johann Ficker in the years between 1719 and 1738 in Cremona have nothing in common with the peculiarities of the great Italian masters, of whose school Ficker was reckoned a member, but rather display an original technical intelligence. This traditional spirit of original art makes itself felt to this day in the studios of Markneukirchen, where violins of genuine German make are constructed, and sold at high prices, while in the other factories are turned out mere imitations of the most celebrated Italian masters, such as Amati, Stradivarius, Maggini, and Guarnerius.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.