Development of the violin.
After Duiffopruggar the following makers were those who chiefly laboured to perfect the violin:—Gaspard da Salo (middle of the 17ᵗʰ century), Giovanni Paolo Maggini (1590-1640), Andreas Amati (1520-1580), his sons Antonius and Hieronymus Amati, the son of the latter, Nicolas Amati (1596-1684), the pupils of the same: Jacob Stainer (1621-1683) and Antonius Stradivarius (1644-1737). Of the Amati violins, those of Nicolas Amati are the best; the most perfect specimens of violin making, at present unsurpassed, were made by Stradivarius. In his instruments everything is perfected, — tone, model, varnish, etc.
a. Rabab—Arabian bowed instrument
(of Persian origin).
b. Raba—Indian violin.
After Stradivarius the finest violins are those of his pupil Joseph Guarnerius del Gesu (1683-1745), and there are many of them which rank with those of Stradivarius. To the Guarnerius family of violin makers belong Andreas Guarnerius, pupil of Amati (middle of the 17ᵗʰ century), his son Joseph Guarnerius (1680-1730), Peter Guarnerius and the son of the elder (Andreas) Guarnerius (1725-1740). The names Stradivarius and Joseph Guarnerius mark the highest achievement of violin making, and to the present day none have succeeded in surpassing them. Of other Italian violin makers who have furnished us with good instruments may be mentioned Alessandro Gagliano (1695-1725), Carlo Bergonzi (1712-1750), Laurentius Guadagnini (close of the 17ᵗʰ and beginning of the 18ᵗʰ century), Joh. Bapt. Guadagnini (1755-1785), Dominicus Montagnana (1715-1750), Vincent Ruggeri, Giov. Bapt. Ruggeri, and Peter Jacob Ruggeri (beginning of the 18ᵗʰ century). In France, good violins were made by Lupot (18ᵗʰ century), Gand, Bernardel (19ᵗʰ century) and Vuillaume (1798-1875). In Germany, besides Stainer and his pupil Albani of Botzen, Klotz, (father and son) 17ᵗʰ and 18ᵗʰ century in Mittenwalde; Witthalm (18ᵗʰ century, Nuremburg); Bausch (father and son, Leipsic, 1805-1871 and 1829-1871), Jacob Diehl (Hamburg). In England, B. Banks, Salisbury (1727-1795); R. Duke, London (1754-1780); Jacob Fendt and C. Harris (early part of the present century), and Matthew Hardie (Edinburgh), have left many good violins.