Chapter III: Section VI: Italian Makers

Acevo--Albanesi--Albani--Aletzie--Alvani--AMATI, ANDREA; evidence as to date of birth; his Violins small; founded the School of Cremona; probably a pupil of Gasparo da Salo; his model high, and sound-hole inelegant; his varnish deep golden; his "Charles IX. Set" of twenty-four Violins, six Tenors and eight Basses--Amati, Niccolo--AMATI, the Brothers ANTONIO and GIROLAMO; probable date of birth; comparison of the respective work, material, and tone of the two brothers--AMATI, NICCOLO, son of Girolamo; date of birth and death; the greatest of his illustrious family; gradual change in style; the "Grand Amati," followed by his great pupil, Stradivari; its exquisite proportions and character; singular beauty of his material, and elegance of design; differences between Niccolo Amati and his several copyists, Italian, German, and English--AMATI, GIROLAMO; date of birth; his work ascribed to other makers; character of his instruments and his varnish; the last of the Amatis--Ambrosi, Pietro--Anselmo, Pietro--Antoniazzi, Gaetano--Antonio of Bologna--Antonio, Ciciliano--Assalone, Gasparo . . . . . . . . . 77-94

Bagatella, Antonio--Bagatella, Pietro--BALESTRIERI, TOMMASO; probably a pupil of Stradivari; his work rough, but vigorous, tone and varnish good; his instruments rising in value--Bassiano, Lute-maker, Rome--Bellosio, Anselmo--Bente, Matteo--BERGONZI, CARLO; pupil of Antonio Stradivari; his work closely resembling that of his great master, and of the highest class; increasing appreciation; comparison of his instruments with those of Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri; character of his varnish, &c.; Violoncellos and Double-Basses of this maker--Bergonzi, Michel Angelo--BERGONZI, NICCOLO; character of his work--Bergonzi, Zosimo--Bergonzi, Carlo--Bergonzi, Benedetto--Bertassi, Ambrogio--Bertolotti (see Salo)--Bimbi, B.--Borelli, Andrea--Brensio, Girolamo--Brescia, da, Battista--Broschi, Carlo--Busseto, Giovanni . . . . . . . . . . 95-104

Calcagni, Bernardo--Calvarola, Bartolommeo--Camilli, Camillo--CAPPA, GIOFFREDO; pupil of the Brothers Amati; character of his work, in Violins and Violoncellos--Casini, Antonio--Castro--Catenar, Enrico--Celioniati, Gian Francesco--Cerin, Marco Antonio--Ceruti, Giovanni Battista; a prolific workman--Ceruti, Giuseppe--Ceruti, Enrico, son of Giuseppe; his work much valued by Italian players; exhibited in London and Milan Exhibitions--Cristofori, Bartolommeo--Circapa, Tommaso--Cocco, Cristoforo--Contreras, Joseph--Cordano, Jacopo Filippo--Costa, Pietro Antonio dalla; skilful copier of Amati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104-110

Dardelli, Pietro; a Franciscan Monk; his Viols and Lutes--Despine, A.--Dieffoprugcar, Magno (Magnus Tieffenbrucker)--Dominicelli, Ferrara--DUIFFOPRUGCAR, GASPAR; high character of his Viols . 110-112

Farinato, Paolo--Ficker, Johann Christian--Ficker, Johann Gottlieb--Fiorillo, Giovanni--Frei, Hans; Lute and Viol-maker 112-113

GABRIELLI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA; his Violoncellos and Violins of high character--Gaffino, Giuseppe--GAGLIANO, ALESSANDRO; pupil of Antonio Stradivari; character of his work--Gagliano, Gennaro--Gagliano, Niccolo--Gagliano, Ferdinando--Gagliano, Giuseppe--Gagliano, Giovanni, Antonio, and Raffaele--Galbusera, C. A.--Garani, Michel Angelo--Garani, Niccolo--Gaspara da Salo (see Salo)--Gatinari, Francesco--Geroni, Domenico Ostiano--Gibertini, Antonio--GOBETTI (_Gobit_) FRANCESCO; comparisons of his work with those of Montagnana, Santo Serafino, and Ruggeri--Gofriller, Matteo--Gofriller, Francesco--Gragnani, Antonio--GRANCINO, PAOLO; pupil of Niccolo Amati; a true artist; classed with Stradivari, Bergonzi, Amati, and Guarneri; his Violas and Violoncellos--Grancino, Giovanni--Grancino, Giovanni Battista--Grancino, Francesco--Grulli, Pietro--GUADAGNINI, LORENZO, and Giovanni Battista; high character of their work--Guadagnini, Gaetano--Guadagnini, Giuseppe--Guadagnini, Carlo--Guadagnini, Antonio--GUARNERI, ANDREA; the pioneer of his family; worked with Stradivari and Niccolo Amati--GUARNERI, GIUSEPPE, son of Andrea; his Violins, Violas, and Violoncellos--GUARNERI, PIETRO, brother of Andrea--GUARNERI, PIETRO, grandson of Andrea--GUARNERI, GIUSEPPE (del Gesu); his monogram and cypher; evidence of his birth; sketch of his life, and characteristics of his work; comparison with Stradivari and Gasparo da Salo; his "three epochs;" lustrous quality of his varnish; different characters of his wood; the tradition of his "Prison Fiddles"; a "Prison Joseph"--Guidanti, Giovanni--Guillami . . 113-147

Harton, Michael . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Kerlino, Joan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Lagetto, Luigi--Landolfi, Carlo Ferdinando; original and generally good quality of his work--Lanza, Antonio Maria--Lavazza, Santino--Lavazza, Antonio--Linarolli, Venturo--Loly, Jacopo . 147-148

MAGGINI, GIOVANNI PAOLO; pupil and follower of Gasparo da Salo; other makers' productions frequently attributed to him; comparison of his work with that of Da Salo--MALER (Lutinist); termed the "Stradivari of Lutes;" Thomas Mace on the art of judging Lutes and Viols--MANTEGAZZA, PIETRO GIOVANNI; eminent as a restorer--Maratti--Mariani, Antonio--Meiberi, Francesco--Mezadri, Alessandro--Mezadri, Francesco--MONTAGNANA, DOMENICO; pupil of Antonio Stradivari; splendid specimens of his art still extant; his cognomen, "The Mighty Venetian;" rising value of his instruments; comparison with Stradivari and Bergonzi; superior character of his varnish--Montaldi, Gregorio--Morella . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149-158

Nadotti, Giuseppe--Nella, Raffaele . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Ortega . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Pandolfi, Antonio--PANORMO, VINCENZO; follower of Antonio Stradivari; residence in London and in Ireland; his struggles with adversity; light and graceful character of his work--Pansani, Antonio--Pasta, Antonio--Pasta, Domenico--Picino--Platner, Michel--Pollusca, Antonio--PRESSENDA, GIOVANNI FRANCESCO; superior work and varnish studied in Cremona; contrast with contemporary workers; humble origin; his connection with Storioni, and with Polledro, the Violinist; his models, Stradivari and Amati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158-163

Racceris--Rinaldi, Gioffredo--Rocca, J. A.--Rodiani--Rota, Giovanni--Rovetta--ROGERI, GIOVANNI BATTISTA ("Bononiensis," from or settled in Bologna); his instruments of large Amati pattern--ROGERI, PIETRO GIACOMO--RUGGERI, FRANCESCO ("Il Per"); early artistic genius; foremost position of his family in Cremona; pupil of Niccolo Amati and worthy of him; brilliancy of his varnish--RUGGERI, GIACINTO--RUGGERI, VINCENZO--RUGGERI, GIAMBATTISTA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163-167

SACCHINI--SALO GASPARO DA ("The Great Brescian,"); his real name Bertolotti; essentially a maker of Viols; primitive character of his instruments; evidence as to date of his work; Ganassi's work on the Art of Playing the Viol; six-stringed and four-stringed Viols; Martin Agricola and his "Musica Instrumentalis;" Quatuor of instruments, Decantus, Altus, Tenor, and Bassus; foundation by Da Salo of Italian Violin-making; gradual and tentative development of his system; high value of his labours as a pioneer; chief characteristics of his work; his nice discrimination in choice of material; Signor Dragonetti's four Double-Basses of this maker, and his presentation of one of them to the Monastery St. Mark's, Venice--Sanoni, Giovanni Battista--Santo, Giovanni--Sanzo--Sardi--Sellas, Matteo--SERAFINO, SANTO; exquisite finish of his work; variation of model; high character of varnish and work; his method of cutting; copied Amati and Stainer--Sneider, Josefo--Socchi, Vincenzo--Sorsana--Stregner, Magno--Storioni; follower of Guarneri del Gesu; his freak as to placing the sound-holes; creditable character of his work in several respects--STRADIVARI, ANTONIO; his renown beyond that of all others; researches as to records of his life; evidence as to date of birth, marriage, and death; Genealogical Table of his family; the inventory of his work remaining at his death; similarity of his early work to that of his master, Niccolo Amati; evidences as to later changes of style; his inheritance of his aged master's tools and models; his purchase of his house in Cremona; contemporary appreciation of his merits; his set of Violins, Altos, and Violoncellos for King James of England; valuable evidence of Desiderio Arisi, and of Vincenzo Lancetti; Count Cozio's purchase of Stradivari's models, tools, and drawings, and their present possession by the Marquis Dalla Valle; instruments made for the Duke of Natalona, the Duke of Savoy, and the Duke of Modena; the "Long Strad"; instruments for the Spanish Court; letter from the Marquis Ariberti; a "Chest of Viols;" a "Concerto;" Stradivari's "golden period," 1700; description of his instruments of this date; the "Betts Strad;" guiding principles as to differences of construction and quality of material; the "Dolphin Strad," its exquisite beauty; tranquil character of Stradivari's life; war in Cremona; Prince Eugene and Villeroy; visit of Philip V. of Spain to Italy, and entry into Cremona; set of instruments for Charles III. of Spain, and for Archduke Charles of Austria; letter from Lorenzo Giustiniani; set of Violins for Augustus, King of Poland; Veracini, the Solo-Violinist, and Stradivari; last epoch of the great maker; quality of his instruments at this period; comparison with those of contemporaries; place of his burial, in the Chapel of the Rosary, with diagram; Polledro's description of the personality of Stradivari; singular apathy of the Cremonese as to their great deceased citizen--STRADIVARI, FRANCESCO and OMOBONO, sons and successors of Antonio; character of their work; correspondence between his son and grandson, Paolo and Antonio, and the agents of Count Cozio di Salabue, relative to the purchase of the models, tools, and drawings of the Maestro--Sursano, Spirito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168-219

Tanegia, Carlo Antonio--Taningard, Giorgio--TECCHLER, DAVID; his instruments of German and Italian styles, finely formed, and of good quality; his Violoncellos of large size--Testore, Carlo Giuseppe--Testore, Carlo Antonio--Testore, Paolo Antonio--Tieffenbrucker, Leonardo--Todini, Michele; his method of stringing the Violono--Tononi, Carlo--Tononi, Carlo Antonio--Tononi, Giovanni--Tononi, Felice--Tononi, Guido--Trapani, Raffaele . . 219-222

Valenzano, G.--Vetrini, Battista--Vimercati . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Wenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Zannetto, Pellegrino--Zanola, Giovanni Battista--Zanotti, Antonio--Zanti, Alessandro--Zanure, Pietro--Zenatto, Pietro . 222-223

SECTION VII.--THE FRENCH SCHOOL.

Origin of the French School in the 17th century; followers of the Brescian and Cremonese types; mediocre character of their earlier efforts, with a few exceptions--De Comble and the second French School; Pique, Lupot, and Francois Gand; Silvestre, of Lyons--Introduction of the practice of Fiddle-baking; its failure--The copyist, and the Mirecourt factory, the "Manchester of Fiddle-making;" its destructive influence on the interests of true art . . . . 224-230