Violins and Violin Makers Part 6

KNITL, JOSEPH, Mittenwald, 1790.

KRINER, JOSEPH, Mittenwald, 1785.

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LACa.s.sO, ANTONIO MARIA, Milan, probably the same as Lausa.

LAGETTO, Paris, about 1650. Followed the Amati patterns.

LAMBERT, JOHANN HENRY, Berlin, 1760.

LAMBERT, ---- Nancy, 1760. A prolific but not very careful maker, which gained him the name of the Lute Carpenter.

LANDOLPHI, CARLO, Florence, 1750. An excellent maker, who followed the Cremona patterns with considerable success.

LANDOLPHI, FERDINAND, Milan, about same date.

There appears to be some doubt whether there was more than one Landolphi, his name being Carlo Ferdinand, but being mentioned as of both Florence and Milan, and the Christian names given separately, there may have been two. Fetis only mentions Carlo, and locates him at Milan.

LAUSA, ANTONIO MARIA, 1675. A capital imitator of Magini and Gaspar di Salo's instruments, but is said not to have succeeded in rivalling them in tone.

LAUTTEN, L. W. No particulars of this maker; but we find a violin by him in a Catalogue, described as "fine and handsome."

LECLERC, ---- Paris, 18th Century.

LENTZ, JOHANN NICHOLAUS, London, about 1800. Considered a good workman.

LEWIS, EDWARD. London, about 1700. An excellent maker, used good wood, fine varnish, chiefly of a yellow colour, and was notable for his excellent finish.

LINELLI, or LINAROLLA, ---- Venezia, about 1520. A maker of rebecs, viols, and viols da gamba.

LOTT, JOHN FREDERICK, London, born 1775, died 1853. An excellent workman, who made many instruments for Thomas Dodd. He is also very generally known as a first-rate double ba.s.s maker.

LOTT, GEORGE FREDERICK, son of the above, was also an excellent workman, and is said to have been chiefly employed by dealers.

LOTZ, THEODORE, Prestburg, about 1735, has a good reputation as a maker of violins.

LUPOT, FRANCOIS, Stuttgard, about 1770.

LUPOT, NICHOLAS, son of Francois, born at Stuttgard, 1758; went to Orleans, 1786, and Paris, 1794; died 1824. This artiste deserves the t.i.tle of the King of the French makers. He followed the model of Stradiuarius, used excellent wood and good varnish, much in the style of that master. His violins are very fine in tone and resemble the Italian more than any other maker's. Tolbecque, the violinist has two very fine specimens. His instruments have been frequently selected by the French Conservatoire as prizes for their pupils. They now fetch high prices. Dubourg calls him "a studious artist, whose instruments are in request when a good Cremona is unattainable." He also says, "sixty guineas have been refused for one of his best violins." Spohr in his "Violin School," also recommends his instruments. This artiste published a work on the construction of violins, called "La Chelonomie, on le parfait Luthier."

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MAGGINI, GIOVANNI PAOLO, Brescia, 1590 to 1640. This celebrated artiste was a pupil of Gaspar di Salo. His instruments are highly esteemed, and are both rare and valuable. They are generally of a large pattern, with elevated model, reaching almost to the edges; narrow ribs, double purfling, frequently ending on the top and bottom of the back with an ornament in the shape of a leaf--and fine yellowish brown or golden coloured varnish, of good quality. Some few are said to have deep brown varnish. They possess a tone of a peculiar character--deep, solemn, and somewhat plaintive. Dubourg describes it as "less soft than that of a Stradiuarius, and less potent than a Guarnerius, approaching that of a viol, and has in it a touch of melancholy." From their size these instruments had not been in great favour with violinists until the celebrated DeBeriot introduced one, which from its splendid tone brought them at once into esteem, and for which he has been offered almost fabulous sums.

MAGGINI, PIETRO SANTO, Brescia, son of Giovanni Paolo, 1630 to 1680.

Followed the same style as his father, but was more particularly famous for his double ba.s.ses, which the Italians consider to be the best ever made, after those of Gaspar di Salo.

MAIER, ANDREA FERDINAND, Salzburg, 1746. Little is known of this maker except that he made the small instrument on which the immortal Mozart first learned to play the violin, which event, could he have foreseen, would no doubt have compensated him for the want of more general fame.

MALDONNER, ---- Bavaria, about 1760.

MALLER, LAUX, Venice. This artiste was an early and highly esteemed maker of lutes. Mace in his curious and very interesting book, "Music's Monument," mentions him as one of the best authors, _i.e._ makers. He also says he has "seen two of his lutes ('pittiful, battered, cracked Things,') valued at 100 apiece." Mace's book was published in 1676.

Think of 100 for a lute two hundred years ago, when the value of money was at least six times less than it is now! This would make the comparative value of a "battered" old lute about 600, a sum (with the exception of the King Joseph Guarnerius, mentioned elsewhere) exceeding the highest price we have heard of in modern times. Even the most splendid and perfect violins of Stradiuarius have never realised as much as this "pittiful battered lute!" In the face of this fact (as we suppose it is) we cannot be surprised that enthusiastic amateurs should in the present day give such large prices for the splendid productions of the great Cremona Makers.

MARIANI, ANTONIO, Pesaro, 1570 to 1620. An imitator of Gaspar di Salo.

MARATTI, ---- Verona, 1690. Made good toned violins, but the workmanship has little character.

MARQUIS DE LAIR, ---- A French maker about 1800.

MARSHALL, JOHN, London, 1760.

MARTIN, ---- London, 1790.

MAUCOTEL, CHARLES, London. An excellent workman, who has produced some beautiful instruments.

MAUSIELL, LEONARD, Nuremburg, 1725. A capital imitator of Steiner, whose style he followed so closely as to render it (as it is stated) difficult to distinguish the one from the other. This is one of the makers praised by Spohr in his "Violin School," as worthy attention when a good Cremona cannot be got.

MAYRHOF, ANDREA FERDINAND, Salzburg, 1740.

MEDARD, HENRY, Paris and Nancy. A French maker, who is generally considered to have been a pupil of Nicholas Amati, and was esteemed nearly equal to his master; but Fetis includes him in his list of the personal pupils of Antonius Stradiuarius.

MERLIN, JOSEPH, London, about 1780. A very ingenious person, who obtained the honour of being mentioned in Madame D'Arblay's "Diary and Letters." His violins were after the Steiner pattern, and well made, but did not approach the Steiner tone.

MEUSIDLER, JEAN, Nuremberg, about 1540. A maker of viols, viols da gamba, &c.

MEZZADIE, ALEXANDER, Ferrara, about 1700. A good maker who followed the Amati style, and is reckoned by Fetis as one of that school.

MIER, ---- London, 1786.

MILANI, FRANCISCO, Milan, is supposed to be a pupil of Guadagnini and followed his style,--about 1760.

MILLER, ---- London, about 1750.

MOHR, PHILIP, Hamburg, 1650.

MONTADE, GREGORIO, Cremona, 1735. Considered to be a pupil of Stradiuarius, but more probably an imitator.

MONTAGNANA, DOMINICO, Venezia, 1725. This excellent artiste made instruments generally of a large size, and used wood of a large and beautiful figure. The varnish exceedingly brilliant and of a rich yellow or yellow red colour, and the tone everything that can be desired. Mr. Perkins had a violoncello of this make, which was originally sold as a Joseph Guarnerius, and was said in the catalogue to be uncommonly fine and handsome. This is another of those careful artistes, whose productions are now in high esteem when one of the three great masters cannot be obtained, and which will very probably hereafter rank with them and become very famous.

MORRISON, JOHN, London, 1780 to 1819.

MORELLA, MORGLATO, Mantua, about 1550. Famous for rebecs, viols, and viols da gamba.

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