Scan 67
The Fiddle Fancier's Guide: A Manual of Information Regarding Violins …, 1892
8 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1—there were several of them—appear to have been of a highly artistic turn. Such work of theirs as I have seen was of a refined and decorative style.
3Ernst, Frank Anthony. Born in Bohemia, was a musician, writer and violin maker who did good service to the art in Germany by teaching Jacob Augustus Otto how to make instruments. I have not seen any by either master or pupil. Ernst began business in Gotha about 1778 as a musician at Court, and having a little leisure he turned his attention to making violins and succeeded, as is reported, in producing very good ones.
5Fent, Paris, 1763—1780. This maker has the reputation of being one of the highest class in France of his day. I have never been able to understand why his violins have not ranked above those of any French maker, unless the circumstance that he has been so unfortunate in the matter of worms has told against him, and, perhaps, in addition, the darkening down of his varnish. In all other respects his work is of the finest. His model was Stradivari. He spelt his name "Fent" in his tickets and his calling "lutier."
7Fendt, Bernhard. This maker was, it is supposed, a nephew of the Paris Fent. He was born at Innsbruck in 1756 and died in London in 1832. His name is spelt differently from that of his Parisian relative, who was not particularly good at spelling either in his own or in his adopted language, as may be seen by reference to last article. Bernhard learnt violin making with this uncle in Paris, and at the time of the French Revolution came to London, where he found employ-
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