Violins and Violin Makers Part 5

HARE, JOSEPH, London, 1720, is said to have been the first in England to introduce the flat model, all the makers before him and for some time after, following the elevated model of Steiner. He also introduced a varnish of greater transparency than was generally used at that time in England.

HARRIS, CHARLES, London, about 1815.

HARRIS, CHARLES. Son of the above.

HART, JOHN, of Princes Street, Leicester Square, London, pupil of Samuel Gilkes, is a maker; and restorer of instruments, in which latter capacity we have pleasure in stating him to be worthy of the extensive reputation he has acquired. He is also a great connoisseur in old instruments, and has the honour of having formed most of the fine collections in this country. The largest price ever given for a Violin was for one imported by him and which from its beauty, model, varnish and perfection of condition is known by the name of the King Joseph Guarnerius. This instrument is considered quite unique and was sold for 700 guineas. The celebrated collection of Charles Plowden, Esq., which embraces four fine instruments of Stradiuarius and four of Joseph Guarnerius, and which is acknowledged to be the finest collection in the world, was also formed by Mr. Hart. Mr. Plowden's taste being highly cultivated, he rejects any instrument which is not of the very highest order, and therefore it reflects great credit on Mr. Hart's judgment to have succeeded in placing so many fine instruments in the collection of so critical a connoisseur. We shall have occasion to mention other celebrated instruments in the Chapters on the Great Masters of the Art.

Ha.s.sERT, ---- Rudolstadt, 18th Century. Made instruments of a high model, which though he used good wood and finished them carefully, did not possess very good tone. Very few makers have succeeded in imparting superior tone to high built instruments.

Ha.s.sERT, ----, Eisenach, 18th Century, brother of the above--adopted a different system, and followed the flatter model of the Cremona School with considerable success. His instruments are remarkable for beautiful wood, and Otto speaks very highly of them, saying that many of them can only be distinguished from the genuine Italians by experienced judges.

In the present day we think Otto was partial to his own countrymen's work, and that there are very few German instruments which can be taken for Italian by judges.

HEESOM, EDWARD, London, 1750.

HELMER, CHARLES, Prague, 1740. This artiste was a pupil of Eberle, and is considered a careful workman, but used too light a ba.s.s bar, which, unless a stronger one be subst.i.tuted, depreciates the character of his instruments.

HILDEBRANT, MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER, Hamburg, 1765. Esteemed as a good maker.

HILL, WILLIAM, London, 1740. Made some good instruments, but they are said to be deficient in quality in consequence of being built on a wrong principle, the centres having too little wood.

HILL, JOSEPH, London, 1770, brother of the above. Reckoned a superior maker to his brother, and produced some very excellent Violoncellos which obtained him a good reputation, and caused him to be cla.s.sed high among English makers, but like the others, he is now depreciated in value below his real merits.

HIRCUTT, ---- English maker, about 1600.

HOFFMAN, MARTIN, Leipsic, is said to be chiefly known as a skilful lute maker. His Tenors are considered good, and Otto says his violins have an excellent quality of tone when unspoiled, but are not esteemed on account of their ungraceful appearance.

HOLLOWAY, J., London, 1794.

HORIL, ---- (Italian) about 1720.

HULLER, AUGUSTINE, Shoeneck, 1775.

HUME, RICHARD, Edinburgh. An early English lute maker; about 1530.

HUNGER, CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK, Leipsic, 1787. A good maker who followed the Italian style, used good wood and amber varnish. This maker is cla.s.sed among the superior German artistes, and his instruments are said to be beautiful.

J.

JACOBS, ---- Amsterdam, 18th Century. This maker imitated the Amatis and produced some good instruments after their Models which also partook of their sweet tone but had little power. One authority we have consulted calls this maker a pupil of Amati, and states that he used whalebone purfling.

JAYE, HENRY, London, 1615. Of this maker we have not been able to find any account unless it be to him that Mace (1676,) refers when he says, speaking of the makers of Viols, "Of such there are no better in the world, than those of Aldred, Jay, Smith" &c. He was certainly an excellent maker judging from an instrument we have seen which has been converted into a small Violoncello with four strings. It is handsomely finished, with ornamental purfling and good varnish and a well carved head. As a small violoncello the tone is also very good. Dated "in Southwarke," 1615.

JAY, THOMAS, London, about 1700.

JAY, HENRY, London, 1750. It appears that this artiste was best known as a maker of Kits, which were very well made and for which he obtained the extraordinary price in those days of five pounds each. When we remember that four pounds was the price that Stradiuarius got for his best violins in his life time, and from an anecdote told by Mr.

Forster, that Cervetto could not even get that price for some he got direct from the maker, we see one of those extraordinary freaks of fas.h.i.+on for which, to use the expression of my Lord Dundreary, no fellow can account.

JAUCH, ---- Dresden, about 1765, is said to have made good instruments on Cremona models, and is generally placed among the good German makers.

JOHNSON, JOHN, London, 1753.

JULIANO, FRANCISCO, Rome, 1700.

K.

KAMBL, JOHANN, CORNELIUS, 1635.

KENNEDY, ALEXANDER, London, died 1785, and considered to be about 90 years of age. This artiste obtained considerable reputation for good and neat work. He followed the Steiner model, and used yellow varnish.

It is not known that he made any other instruments than violins.

KENNEDY, JOHN, London, died in 1816, and considered to be 86 years of age. Made violins and tenors of the Steiner model.

KENNEDY, THOMAS, son of John, London, bears the reputation of a good and neat artiste, and is said to have made at least 300 violoncellos and other instruments in proportion.

KEKLIN, JOAN, Brescia, about 1450. This artiste is believed by some inquirers to be the earliest maker of the violin proper, but Fetis says that the only instrument of his that is known, and which was in the possession of Koliker of Paris, and dated 1449, was not really a violin, but a viol with changed neck and mounted with four strings. It would appear, therefore, that the merit of the actual introduction of the real violin belongs properly to Gaspar di Salo.

KIAPOSSE, SAWES, Petersburg, 1748.

KLOTZ, MATTHIAS, Tyrolese, about 1675, considered by Fetis to have been a pupil of Steiner, and the first violin maker of this well known name.

He made some instruments, which established his reputation as a careful artiste.

KLOTZ, EGITIA. This maker, who appears to have been a son of Matthias, is often considered to be the best maker of this Family. He is commonly called the pupil of Steiner, but that must be doubtful. More probably he followed the Steiner traditions as exemplified by his father. He used amber varnish, good wood, and his instruments are well made and have his own name upon them.

KLOTZ, GEORGE, brother of Egitia.

KLOTZ, SEBASTIAN, another brother. We believe this artiste to be the best maker of the Klotz family. He built large sized violins, which possess a fine tone and have excellent varnish.

KLOTZ, MICHAEL,--1771.

KLOTZ, JOSEPH, son of Egitia, Mittenwald an der Iser, 1774. Otto says this artiste built after his father's system--but was better acquainted with the qualities of wood, and his instruments are therefore superior in tone, but are badly varnished in their original state.

THE KLOTZ FAMILY.

Spohr enumerates Klotz among the makers whose instruments are worthy of attention, but does not indicate which of them in particular. We have before expressed our opinion that Sebastian ranks highest in merit, which is corroborated by the most experienced connoisseur of the present day. Some violins of this name have achieved a high reputation.

Parkes, in his "Musical Memoirs," mentions a Klotz Violin belonging to Mr. Hay, the Leader of the King's Band, for which a n.o.ble Lord offered 300 and an annuity of 100. This seems a most extraordinary offer, for any instrument, unless it were a very fine Stradiuarius or Guarnerius.

KOHL, JEAN, Munich, Luthier to the Court, about 1570. Fetis states that from some old accounts he finds he was paid two florins for a lute, a strange discrepancy in value from the statement of Mace a century later.--(See Bolles.)

KOLDITZ, MATTHIAS JOHANN, Munich, 1722.

KOLDITZ, JAQUES, Rumbourg, in Bohemia, 1790; said to be very good.

KOLIKER, ---- Paris, a noted maker and collector, about 1750.

KNITTING, PHILIP, Mittenwald, 1760.