Part 20

Became a pupil of Richard Duke. He commenced business in one of the shops of the Royal Exchange, where he soon enjoyed considerable patronage. John Betts does not appear to have made a great number of instruments, but employed many workmen, into whose instruments he inserted his trade label. He was, perhaps, the earliest London dealer in Italian instruments. His quaintly-worded business card runs:--

"John Betts, Real Musical Instrument Maker, at the Violin and German Flute, No. 2, under the North Piazza of the Royal Exchange, makes in the neatest manner, Violins the patterns of Antonius Stradivarius, Hieronymus Amati, Jacobus Stainer, and Tyrols. Equal for the fine, full, mellow tone to those made in Cremona. Tenors, Violoncellos, Pentachords, &c., &c., &c."

The sound-holes of Betts' instruments are rather wide; broad purfling; scroll well cut.

BETTS, Edward, nephew of John Betts; was a pupil of Richard Duke, whose work he copied with considerable skill. Of course, in trying to imitate Duke he was copying Amati, Richard Duke having spent his life in working after the Amati pattern, without attempting to model for himself. The care bestowed by Edward Betts on his instruments was of no ordinary kind. The workmanship throughout is of the most delicate description; indeed, it may be said that neatness is gained at the expense of individuality in many of his works. Each part is faultless in finish, but when viewed as a whole the result is too mechanical, giving as it does the notion of its having been turned out of a mould. Nevertheless, this maker takes rank with the foremost of the English copyists, and in his instruments we have as good specimens of undisguised work as can be readily found. They will be yearly more valued.

[Illustration: _Plate XVII_. THE "BETTS" STRADIVARI. 1704. (R. D. WADDELL, ESQ.)]

BOLLES, ----, An early maker of Lutes and Viols.

BOOTH, William, 1779 to about 1858, Leeds.

BOOTH, ----, son of the above, Leeds, died 1856.

BOUCHER, ----, London, 1764.

BROWN, James, London, born 1770, died 1834. Worked with Thomas Kennedy.

BROWN, James, London, son of the above, born 1786, died 1860.

BROWNE, John, London, about 1743. Worked at the sign of the "Black Lion," Cornhill. Good work. Amati pattern. Scroll well cut; hard varnish.

CAHUSAC, ----, London, 1788. Associated with the sons of Banks.

CARTER, John, London, 1789, worked with John Betts, and afterwards at Drury Lane on his own account.

CHALLONER, Thomas, London. Similar to Wamsley.

COLE, Thomas, London, 1690.

Thomas Cole, near Fetter Lane In Holborn, 16--

COLE, James, Manchester, 19th century.

COLLIER, Samuel, 1750.

COLLIER, Thomas, 1775.

COLLINGWOOD, Joseph, London, 1760.

CONWAY, William, 1750.

CORSBY, ----, Northampton, 1780. Chiefly made Double-Basses.

CORSBY, George. Lived upwards of half a century in Princes Street, Leicester Square, where he worked and dealt in old instruments.

CRAMOND, Charles, Aberdeen, 19th century.

CRASK, George, Manchester. He made a large number of instruments, chiefly imitations.

CROSS, Nathaniel, London, about 1700-50. Worked with Barak Norman. He made several good Violins. Purfling narrow; excellent scroll.

CROWTHER, John, 1760-1810.

CUTHBERT, London, 17th century. Maker of Viols and Violins. Many of the latter have merit. Model flat, and wood of good quality. Very dark varnish.

DAVIDSON, Hay, Huntley, 1870.

DAVIS, Richard. Worked with Norris and Barnes.

DAVIS, William, London. Succeeded Richard Davis in the business now carried on by Edward Withers.

DEARLOVE, Mark, Leeds.

Dearlove and Fryer, Musical Instrument Manufacturers, Boar Lane, Leeds, 1828.

DELANY, John, Dublin. Used two kinds of labels, one of them very small--

Made by John Delany, No. 17, Britain Street, Dublin. 1808.

In the other, which is larger, he states that he made Violins that his name might be of immortal memory.

Made by John Delany, In order to perpetuate his memory in future ages. Dublin. 1808. Liberty to all the world black and white.

DENNIS, Jesse, London, 1805.

DEVEREUX, John, Melbourne. When in England he worked with B. Simon Fendt.

DICKINSON, Edward, London, 1750. Made instruments of average merit. The model is high.

Edward Dickinson, Maker, at the Harp and Crown in the Strand, near Exeter Change, London. 17--

DICKESON, John, 1750-80, a native of Stirling. He would seem to have lived in various places, some instruments dating from London and some from Cambridge. He was an excellent workman, and chiefly copied Amati. His work much resembles that of Cappa.

DITTON, London, about 1700. Mention is made of an instrument by this maker in Tom Britton's Catalogue.

DODD, Thomas, son of Edward Dodd, of Sheffield.

T. Dodd, Violin, Violoncello and Bow Maker, New Street, Covent Garden.

He was not a maker of Violins. Numerous instruments bear his name, but they are the work of John Lott and Bernard Fendt. The merit of these instruments is of the highest order, and they are justly appreciated by both player and connoisseur. Thomas Dodd deserves to be mentioned in terms of high praise, notwithstanding that the work was not executed by him, for his judgment was brought to bear upon the manufacture during its various stages, and more particularly in the varnishing, in which he took the liveliest interest. He had a method of mixing colours, the superior qualities of which he seems to have fully known, if we may judge from the note on his labels, which runs thus: "The only possessor of the recipe for preparing the original Cremona varnish. Instruments improved and repaired." This undoubtedly savours of presumption, and is certainly wide of the truth. Nevertheless there is ample evidence that the varnish used by Thomas Dodd was very excellent, and had a rich appearance rarely to be met with in instruments of the English school. Dodd was encouraged in the art of varnish-making by persons of taste, who readily admitted the superior qualities of his composition, and paid him a handsome price for his instruments. He was thus enabled to gratify his taste in his productions by sparing no means to improve them. He ultimately attained such a reputation for his instruments as to command no less a sum than 40 or 50 pounds for a Violoncello. Commanding such prices, it is evident that he spared no expense, or, what was to him a matter of still greater importance, no time. He was most particular in receiving the instruments in that incomplete stage known in the trade as "in the white," _i.e._, without varnish. He would then carefully varnish them with his own hands, guarding most warily the treasured secret of the composition of his varnish. That he never departed from this practice may be inferred from the fact that the varnish made by the workmen in his employ, apart from the establishment, for their own instruments, is of an entirely different stamp, and evidently shows that they were not in their master's secrets.

The instruments bearing the Dodd label are not valued to the extent of their deserts, and there can be but little doubt that in the course of time they will be valued according to their true merits. They were made by men of exceptional talent, who were neither restricted in price nor material. Under such favourable conditions the results could not fail to be good.

DODD, Thomas, London. Son of Thomas Dodd, musical instrument dealer, of St. Martin's Lane. The father, although not a maker of Violins, possessed excellent judgment, both as regards work and makers, which enabled his son to profit considerably during his early years whilst working with Fendt and Lott.

DORANT, William, London, 1814.

DUKE, Richard, worked from 1750-80.

Richd. Duke, Londoni fecit 17--

Richard Duke, Maker, Holborn, London. Ann. 17--

The name of this maker has long been a household word with English Violinists both amateur and professional. Who has not got a friend who is the fortunate owner of a veritable "Duke"? The fame of His Majesty Antonio Stradivari himself is not greater than that of Richard Duke in the eyes of many a Fiddle fancier. From his earliest fiddling days the name of Duke became familiar to him; he has heard more of him than of Stradivari, whom he somehow confuses with Cremona. He fondly imagines that Cremona was a celebrated _maker_, and Stradivari something else; inquires, and becomes more confused, and returns again to "Duke," with whom he is thoroughly at home.

Many excellent judges have wondered how it came to pass that Richard Duke should have been so highly valued, there being, in their estimation, so little amongst his remains worthy of the reputation he gained. The truth is that no maker, with the exception of the great Cremonese artists, has been so persistently counterfeited. The name of Duke has been stamped upon every wretched nondescript, until judges who had not the opportunity of seeing the genuine article mistook the copies for the original, and hence the confusion. When, however, a really fine specimen of Duke is once seen, it is not likely to be forgotten. As copies of Amati such instruments are scarcely surpassed, varnish, work, and material being of the best description. The copies of Stainer were not so successful.

DUKE, Richard, London. Son of the above.

DUNCAN, ----, Aberdeen, 1762.

DUNCAN, George, Glasgow, contemporary.

EGLINGTON, ----, London, 1800.

EVANS, Richard, London, 1750. His label is a curiosity--

Maid in the Paris of Lanirhengel, by Richard Evans, Instrument maker, in the year 17--

FENDT, Bernard, born at Innsbruck, in the Tyrol, 1756, died 1832. He was evidently a born Fiddle-maker, genius being stamped, in a greater or less degree, upon all his works. To Thomas Dodd belongs the credit of bringing his talent into play. Dodd obtained the services of Fendt upon his arrival in England, which the latter reached at an early age. He remained with Dodd many years, frequently making instruments with John Frederick Lott. The instruments so made bear the label of Thomas Dodd. Lott being also a German, reciprocity of feeling sprung up between him and Fendt, which induced Lott to exchange the business to which he was brought up for that which his fellow countryman Fendt had adopted, and henceforth to make Violins instead of cabinets. By securing the services of these admirable workmen, Dodd reaped a rich harvest. He found in them men capable of carrying out his instructions with an exactness that could not be surpassed. Dodd was unable to use the tools himself; but in Fendt and Lott he had men who were consummate masters of them. When the instruments were finished, as far as construction was concerned, they were clothed in coats of the master's livery--"Dodd's varnish," the secret of making which he kept carefully to himself. With these coats of varnish upon them the work was doubly effective, and every point of excellence was made to shine with the happiest effect. Upon leaving the workshop of Thomas Dodd, Bernard Fendt worked for John Betts, making many of those copies of Amati which are associated with the name of Betts, and which have so high a value.

Although Fendt was German by birth, his style of work cannot be considered as German in character. Having early quitted his post of trade in Paris for England, and having in this country placed himself under the guidance of Dodd, who steadfastly kept before his workmen the originals of the great Italian masters for models, his work acquired a distinctive stamp of its own, and in its turn gave rise to a new and independent class of makers.

FENDT, Bernard Simon, London, born in 1800, died in 1852. Son of the above. He was an excellent workman. It is to be regretted that he did not follow the excellent example set by his father, and let time do its work, without interruption, upon his instruments. Had he done so they would, in many instances, have been equal to those of his parent; but, unfortunately, he worked when the mania for obtaining supposed maturity by artificial means was at its height, and shared the general infatuation, and, in consequence, very frequently destroyed all the stamina of his instruments. Subsequently he became a partner of George Purdy, and carried on a joint business at Finch Lane, in the City of London, from whence most of his best instruments date. Purdy and Fendt had also a shop in the West End about 1843. He was a most assiduous worker. The number of Violins, Tenors, Violoncellos, and Double-Basses that he made was very great; indeed, his reputation would have been greater had he been content to have made fewer instruments and to have exercised more general care. His copies of Guarneri are most numerous, numbering some hundreds. They are mostly varnished with a glaring red colour, of a hard nature. He made many good Double-Basses of the Gasparo da Salo form, the varnish on which is superior to that on his Violins. He made also an excellent quartette of instruments--Violin, Viola, Violoncello, and Double-Bass--for the Exhibition of 1851. They were certainly the best contemporary instruments exhibited, but he failed to obtain the prize medal.

FENDT, Martin, London, born 1812, died 1845. Brother of the above. Worked for Betts.

FENDT, Jacob, London, born 1815, died 1849. Third son of Bernard Fendt. The best maker among the sons of Bernard. His instruments are beautifully finished, and free from the stereotyped character belonging to those of his brother Bernard. As specimens of the imitator's art they are unsurpassed. One cannot but regret that such a consummate workman should have been obliged to waste his energies in making new work resemble that of a hundred years before. The patronage that he obtained was not of much value, but had he brought his work into the market in its natural condition he could not have lived by his trade. He was, therefore, compelled to foster that which he no doubt felt to be degrading. The copies of Stradivari by Jacob Fendt are among his best efforts. The work is well done; the discoloration of the wood cleverly managed, the effects of wear counterfeited with greater skill than had ever been done before, and finally, an amount of style is thrown into the work which transcends the ingenuity of any other copyist. Had he been allowed to copy the form of the old masters, as Lupot did, without imitating the actual wear of the instrument, we should have had a valuable addition to our present stock of instruments of the Panormo class.

FENDT, Francis, London. Fourth son of Bernard; also worked in Liverpool about 1856.

FENDT, William, London, born 1833, died 1852. Son of Bernard Simon Fendt. Was an excellent workman, and assisted his father in the manufacture of several of his Double-Basses.

FERGUSON, Donald, Huntley, Aberdeenshire.

FIRTH, G., Leeds, 1836.

FORSTER, William, born in 1713, died 1801.

William Forster, Violin Maker, in Brampton.

The family of the Forsters have played no unimportant part in the history of Violins. The attention they commanded as makers, both from artists and amateurs, has probably never been equalled in England. Their instruments claimed attention from the moment they left their makers' hands, their construction being excellent in every way. William Forster was a native of Brampton, in Cumberland, where he followed the trade of a spinning-wheel maker, occupying his spare time in the making and repairing of Violins and musical instruments generally. His labours, as far as they relate to Violin-making, appear to have been of a very unpretending nature, but they served to impart a taste for the art to his son William, who was the best maker of the family.

FORSTER, William, London, born 1739, died 1807.

William Forster, Violin Maker, in St. Martin's Lane, London, 17--

Son of William Forster mentioned above. Worked with his father at Brampton in Cumberland, making spinning-wheels and Violins--two singularly diverse occupations. It was, however, to the latter industry he gave the most attention, and he soon became the great maker of the neighbourhood. He afterwards added another string to his bow, viz., that of playing country-dances at the village festivities. Thus armed with three occupations, he must have been well employed. He seems to have early discovered that his abilities required a larger field in which to show themselves to advantage, and accordingly took the usual course in such circumstances--came to the Metropolis, in which he settled about the year 1759. He soon obtained employment at a musical instrument seller's on Tower Hill, and gave up, then and for ever, the making of spinning-wheels, while by throwing all his soul into the manufacture of Violins he soon gave his master's patrons the highest satisfaction. He ultimately commenced business on his own behalf in the neighbourhood of Duke's Court, St. Martin's Lane, where his abilities attracted considerable attention, and secured him the patronage of the _dilettanti_ in the musical world. For several years he followed the path trodden by the makers of the period, and copied Stainer. His instruments of this date are very excellent both in workmanship and material, but are not equal to those of the Amati pattern, which he commenced to make about the year 1770. These are beautiful works, and have a great charm from their being so varied. Some are copies of Antonio and Girolamo Amati, variously modelled; others are copies of Niccolo Amati. The wood and varnish also vary very much, but the high standard of goodness is well maintained throughout. His varnish was, during the last twenty years of his life, very fine in quality, and in the manufacture of it he is said to have been assisted by a friend who was an excellent chemist. He made only four Double-Basses, three of which were executed for the private band of George III. Forster's instruments were the favourite equipment of Robert Lindley, and their value in his day was relatively far higher than at the present moment. When Lindley died attention was turned to Italian Violoncellos, and a vast number having been brought to England, the value of Forster's productions was very considerably depreciated; now, however, that the cultivation of stringed instrument music has been so much extended, they are rapidly rising again to their former level, Italian instruments being a luxury not obtainable by every one, and age having so benefited the tone of Forster's Violoncellos as to render them excellent substitutes.

FORSTER, William, London, born in 1764, died 1824.

William Forster, Junr., Violin, Violoncello, Tenor & Bow Maker, 18-- Also Music Seller No 43 to their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cumberland.

Son of William Forster, the second of the family. Although this maker did not attain to the celebrity of his father, his instruments are often fully as good. The workmanship is very neat, and the modelling excellent, the varnish being equal to that on his father's instruments.

FORSTER, William, London, born in 1788, died 1824. Son of William Forster, mentioned above. He was a very good workman: he made but few instruments.

FORSTER, Simon Andrew, London, born in 1801, died about 1870. Brother of William, mentioned above. He learned his business from his father and Samuel Gilkes, who worked for William Forster. He made several instruments between the years 1828 and 1840, which are of average merit. Best known as joint author with W. Sandys of a "History of the Violin" (London, 1864).

FRANKLAND, ----, London, about 1785.

FURBER, ----, London.

John Furber, Maker, 13, John's Row, top of Brick Lane, Old St., Saint Luke. 1813.

There were several makers of this family, some of whom worked for Betts, of the Royal Exchange. Many of their instruments are excellent, and should unquestionably be more valued than they are. John Furber made several Violins of the grand Amati pattern, and also copied with much ability the "Betts" Stradivari, when the instrument belonged to Messrs. Betts in the Royal Exchange, for whom he worked.

FURBER, Henry John, son of John Furber, London. He has made several excellent instruments, and maintained the character for good workmanship which has been associated with the name of Furber for upwards of a century.

GIBBS, James, 1800-45. Worked for Samuel Gilkes and others.

GILKES, Samuel, London, born in 1787, died in 1827.

Gilkes. From Forster's, Violin and Violoncello Maker, 34, James Street, Buckingham Gate, Westminster.

Was born at Morton Pinkney, in Northamptonshire. He became an apprentice of Charles Harris, whose style he followed to some extent. Upon leaving Harris he engaged himself to William Forster, making many instruments for him, retaining, however, all the features of the style of Harris. In the year 1810 he left the workshop of Forster, and commenced business on his own account in James Street, Buckingham Gate, where the few instruments bearing his name were made. Too much cannot be said in praise of much of the work of this excellent maker. The exquisite finish of many of his instruments evidences that the making of them was to him a labour of love. Amati was his favourite model.

GILKES, William, London, born 1811, died 1875. Son of Samuel Gilkes. Has made a great number of instruments of various patterns, chiefly Double-Basses.

GOUGH, Walter. An indifferent workman.

HARBOUR, ----, London, about 1785.

HARDIE, Matthew, Edinburgh, date from about 1800. He was the best maker Scotland has had. The model is that of Amati; the work throughout excellent. The linings are mostly of cedar. He died about 1825-26.

HARDIE, Thomas, Edinburgh. Worked with his father, Matthew Hardie. He was born in 1804, died 1856.

HARE, John, London. About 1700. His label shows that he was in partnership, his name being joined to that of Freeman, and the address is given as "Near the Royal Exchange, Cornhill, London." Much resembles the work and style of Urquhart. Varnish of fine quality.

HARE, Joseph, London, probably a son of John Hare, above-mentioned. Varnish of excellent quality.

Joseph Hare, at ye Viol and Flute, near the Royal Exchange, in Cornhill, London. 172--

HARRIS, Charles, London, 1800. This maker is known only to a few dealers, as he made chiefly for the wholesale merchants of his day. His name was rarely affixed to his instruments, but those thoroughly acquainted with his work agree in giving him a foremost place among the makers of this country. He was, like many other makers of that period, engaged in two occupations differing very much from each other, being at the same time a Custom-house officer and a maker of Violins. The former circumstance brought him into contact with mercantile men, and enabled him to obtain commissions to make Violins for the export trade. His business in this direction so increased that he obtained the services of his relative, Samuel Gilkes, as his assistant. He never aimed at producing a counterpart of the instrument that he copied by resorting to the use of deleterious means to indicate upon the surface of an instrument the ravages of time. He faithfully copied the form, and thus did what Lupot was doing at the same period. The finish of these instruments is excellent, and as they are covered with a good quality of varnish, they have every recommendation of appearance.

HARRIS, Charles. Son of the above. Neat workmanship. Well-cut scroll. Sound-holes not well formed. Yellow varnish. Worked for a short time for John Hart.

[Illustration: _Plate XVIII_. GIUSEPPE GUARNERI DEL GESU. (THE "VIEUXTEMPS.") ANTONIO STRADIVARI (INLAID). Date 1687. (FROM THE PLOWDEN COLLECTION.)]

HART, John Thomas, born December 17, 1805, died January 1, 1874.

John Hart, Maker, 14, Princes Street, Leicester Square, London. Anno 18--