The story of the violin

Everyone this source names

This document prints 14 names. A name found this way is the weakest thing this site records: the book names the person, and nothing more is said. It is not a line in a record — the lines that actually rest on this source are listed above, each with its own confidence. 0 of the names below reach a record on this site; lines from this source have been written for 0. The rest are names and nothing else — which is an honest description of the evidence, and an invitation: if you know one of these makers, we want to hear from you.

1. Hamburg scan page 272, line 3 mention only — no record here yet

   Hamburg, died much esteemed as professor at the Conservatory of Prague, founded in 1811. Of the two brothers Eck, the last of the scions of the Mannheim school, Joh. Friedr. Eck (born in 1766 at Mannheim) was the more distinguished artist, being considered by some as one of the finest German violinists of the eighteenth century; but his younger brother and pupil, Franz Eck (1774-1809 or 1810), occupies an abiding special place in the history of violin-playing as the teacher of Spohr. Last to be mentioned here, because standing in the traditions of the early Mannheim school, is Leopold Mozart (born in 1719 at Augsburg, died at Salzburg in 1787), father and teacher of the immortal Wolfgang Amadeus, and author of a once famous violin method, the first published in Germany sixteen years after Geminiani's work. He was until his death concert-master and vice-conductor to the Archbishop of Salzburg. — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — surname not established — the line carries a trade term but no surname resolves to it — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

2. Fran scan page 290, line 3 mention only — no record here yet

   François Francour, and Baptiste Anet. The last-named was the first who tried and failed in the attempt to introduce into Paris the art and art principles of Corelli, whose pupil he was. The antagonism of the "twenty-four" drove him to Poland, where he died, an exile for his artistic convictions. Somewhat better fared his pupil, Baptiste Senaillé¹ (born 1687, died 1730), who had become imbued with Italian traditions during a several years' engagement at Modena. The same was the experience of the most important and greatest of early French violinists, Jean Marie Leclair —at least as far as outward immediate success is concerned. By his work and example he succeeded nobly in planting the best Italian art principles on French soil. Leclair was for two years a pupil of Somis in Turin. On his return to France the "twenty-four," as usual, objected to the introduction of unwelcome new ideas; but charitably, by way of compensation for his superior attainments, he was given an inferior position in the grand chorus of the opera, with a salary of four hundred and fifty francs, for which he was supposed to play in the ballet and accompany the chorus. After some years of drudgery in this position —unworthy of his talents—he resigned, and lived henceforth in retirement as teacher, and composer for his instrument. This excellent artist was assassinated in the streets of Paris on the evening of October 22nd, 1764. He was born in 1697, at Lyons. Many of — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — surname not established — the line carries a trade term but no surname resolves to it — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

3. Amati, Many scan page 132, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   Many were the pupils¹ and imitators of the Amati school, as might be expected from the fame of these masters and the supremacy they exercised during four generations, and also considering how popular the violin was already by the middle and end of the seventeenth century, not alone in Italy, but in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. Four or five of even the most industrious workers could never have supplied the ever-increasing demand for instruments. So we find, at first gravitating towards Cremona and presently radiating, chiefly from Nicolaus's workshop and spreading in all directions, the best fiddle-making talent. Soon there is hardly a larger-sized town in North and Middle Italy which cannot boast some violin-maker, who directly or indirectly benefited from the Cremonese master, and in his turn perpetuated the received traditions to the best of his — trade term as printed: "violin-maker" — surname inherited from the headword at line 3: "AMATI SCHOOL." — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

4. Jacobus, It scan page 141, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   It appears as historically certain that Stainer stayed in Absam all his life, except for one visit he paid to Salzburg in 1643, to deliver in person a viola bastarta and receive for it thirty florins, and occasional journeys to Hall and Innsbruck, where he sold his violins to strangers attracted by his reputation, or went to have a child christened or to pay his taxes. He married when he was twenty-four, bought a house (see Fig. 23)—which, it is said, stood by the roadside and was surrounded by large linden trees—and had many children. With the children (nine of them) came the cares, in spite of the fact that in 1658 he was appointed Court violin-maker to his Highness the Archduke Leopold, with the title "honoured and noble sir," and was famous in the land and beyond for his violins. Probably they fetched but a small profit, incommensurate to the time it cost the fastidious and scrupulous master to make — trade term as printed: "violin-maker" — surname inherited from the headword at line 1: "Jacobus Stainer" — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

5. Claude, But scan page 173, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   But although France cannot boast of Victor Hugos, Alfred de Mussets, and François Millets in fiddle-making, and whatever the reason of this barrenness, she has produced a line of men who understood the art of imitation—an art, too—no doubt a very useful one—albeit fraught with danger to him who gives himself up to it exclusively at the sacrifice of originality. In this particular line French luthiers have remained almost unexcelled. It may be that it was this very cleverness at imitation which taught the French violin-makers from Médard and De Comble down to desist from all attempts at original work, that more likely than not would prove futile in the end. To this day the amateur, eager to procure an old violin, and yet not in the position to pay for a better Italian production, will most safely seek it among the — trade term as printed: "violin-makers" — surname inherited from the headword at line 3: "Claude Pierray (1725), Louis Guersan (1760); and, in more recent times, Chanot, Gand, and J. B. Vuillaume. France's contribution to the list of celebrated makers is very small, and, then, her best ones are but imitators.¹ This seems strange considering how artistic and emotional her people are, and how just that art should have appealed to them in its simple charm, not to mention that France was the nursery of the rebec and viol, and the home of the troubadour. Was it perhaps the centralisation of all artistic life in Paris which denuded the provinces of just those elements best suited for following this particular art?" — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

6. Public scan page 218, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   ¹ Public contests—artistic tournaments, in other words—between violinists were quite a common occurrence in those times; not seldom the very sacred precincts of the church were chosen as the arena for the combatants. — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — surname not established — the line carries a trade term but no surname resolves to it — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

7. Thomas, Baltzer scan page 269, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   Thomas Baltzer (born 1630 at Lübeck, died in London 1663) came to England in 1656, and was appointed leader of the king's band. It is said that he was a remarkable player in his day. As German contemporaries of Corelli may be mentioned:—Johann Furchheim and Joh. Jacob Walther, both connected with the Dresden Court in the second half of the seventeenth century; Franz Heinrich Biber (1638-98), capellmeister at Salzburg. Nicolaus Adam Strungk (1640-1700) is interesting, inasmuch as he was one of the first German violinists who went to Italy to study. Daniel Theophil Treu (born 1695 at Stuttgart) received likewise his education from Vivaldi in Venice, where he had been sent by the Duke of Württemberg. Georg Philipp Teleman (1681-1767), music director in Hamburg, is notorious for his fabulous fertility as a composer. He turned out compositions as a baker his loaves, though hardly any have survived. — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

8. Didactic, Leaving scan page 340, line 5 mention only — no record here yet

   Leaving now the concerto in its latest glory, we step back once more into the eighteenth century to gather up other—more modest—threads. With Geminiani (1740) and Leopold Mozart (1756) we had the first systematically-arranged violin methods, the one based on Corelli's teaching, the other on the traditions of the early Mannheim school. The study-material in both of them, however, was small—wholly insufficient for pupils' technical development, which became more and more urgent as the general standard of violin technique was being raised and difficulties in pieces increased. So next we find the, until then, barren field of didactic violin literature—the étude, the unaccompanied study for fingers and bowing and phrasing, cultivated. It has been perhaps the most liked, and therefore the most generally and happily cared for branch of composition for violinists. Unhampered by considerations of accompaniments, or by a rigid form in which only the more talented and scholarly could feel at home and at ease, the composer of études was able to follow his fancy, style, and technical predilection; and the result was that wealth of studies, études, caprices, etc., of every style, grade, and quality which in course of time has accumulated, and now forms the mountains which the — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — surname inherited from the headword at line 3: "DIDACTIC VIOLIN LITERATURE." — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

9. Most scan page 176, line 7 mention only — no record here yet

   ¹ Most prominent manufacturers of strings in Italy, descendants of the famous violin-maker of the same name, Alexander Gagliano. See Stradivari's pupils. — trade term as printed: "violin-maker" — surname not established — the line carries a trade term but no surname resolves to it — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

10. Gian, Pietro scan page 241, line 10 mention only — no record here yet

    Gian Pietro Guignon (born 1702 at Turin, died 1774 or 1775, in Paris). The last "king of violinists" of minstrel fame. — trade term as printed: "violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

11. Jacques, Altmann scan page 364, line 26 mention only — no record here yet

    Altmann and others (violin-makers in Germany). — trade term as printed: "violin-makers" — surname inherited from the headword at line 25: "Jacques Bocquay (1700-30), see Violin-making in France." — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

12. Henry, Lahe scan page 371, line 26 mention only — no record here yet

    Henry Lahe—Famous Violinists. — trade term as printed: "Violinists" (near match, edit distance 3) — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

13. Brescia, Brescian scan page 374, line 28 mention only — no record here yet

    Brescian violin-makers, 78, 84, 85, 93, 130, Appendix C — trade term as printed: "violin-makers" — surname inherited from the headword at line 27: "Brescia, 78, 86, Appendix C" — from OCR (read_as: ocr)

14. Most scan page 176, line 7 mention only — no record here yet

    ¹ Most prominent manufacturers of strings in Italy, descendants of the famous violin-maker of the same name, Alexander Gagliano. See Stradivari's pupils. — trade term as printed: "violin-maker" — surname not established — the line carries a trade term but no surname resolves to it — from OCR (read_as: ocr)