Violin tone and violin makers

by Hidalgo Moya; Towry Piper

HULINZKY, Thomas Andreas.—Prague. Died 1788. A pupil of Eberle, and a careful workman. Used a ticket bearing a device similar to that of Hellmer.

HULSKAMP.—A Westphalian who migrated to New York. He exhibited a “freak fiddle” with a round hole in the belly instead of the usual sound-holes in London in 1862.

HUNGER, Christoph Friedrich.—Leipzig. Died 1787. A maker whose instruments are highly thought of in Germany. His father, who worked in Borstendorff, was also a violin maker.

HUREL, Jean.—Paris. Court maker about the end of the eighteenth century.

HUSSON.—Nineteenth century. A Mirecourt family of makers, one of whom, Charles, worked with Gand and Bernardel and was noted for his bows, some of which are stamped with his name.

JACOBS, Hendrik.—Amsterdam; late seventeenth century to about 1735. The most important maker of the Dutch school. Legend has been busy with his name, and according to the story, he worked with Niccolò Amati, and married his daughter. To make matters complete he should have succeeded to the business, but tradition stops short of this denouement. There seems to be nothing like direct evidence that he had any Italian training. He frequently imitated Amati with considerable exactness, and employed wood resembling that used by the Cremona maker; he also used a fine quality of varnish, usually red-brown in colour. His violins vary in size, but many of them are built more or less on the lines of the grand Amati. The scrolls are generally somewhat mean looking, and narrow, when viewed from the front; but the writer has seen exceptions where he was more successful with this feature. Sound-holes vary in form, some being of Amatese cut, and others hinting of the school of Stainer. His instruments are not so rare as is frequently supposed, the fact being that many of them still figure either as the work of Amati or of other Italian makers. One such, in the possession of a well-known French professor, recently came under the writer’s notice, and had been confidently declared to be an early example of Stradivari. Jacobs used whalebone purfling, which in some cases has been removed, and wooden purfling inserted by other hands. Whether he personally inserted Amati tickets into his instruments, as some Italians did, is not clear. The tone of a well-preserved example is usually excellent. The name seems to have been at first “Jacobsz,” the final “z” being dropped in the labels usually seen. The older books speak of a Peeter Jacobs, who, if he ever existed, apparently cannot now be traced. Vidal supposes that he was really identical with Pieter Rombouts, another Amsterdam maker contemporary with Jacobs, and supposed to have worked with him.

JACOT, Jean Charles.—Metz. Died 1887. Made some well-made instruments; a son was established in Paris.

JACQUOT.—Nineteenth century; Nancy, Paris. A well-known family of makers. The founder was Charles, born at Mirecourt 1804, died 1880, near Paris. Worked with “didier” Nicolas, and later with Breton. Was first established at Nancy, went to Paris in 1854 and there produced his best work. An excellent workman, and a good judge of old instruments. He received numerous medals. Pierre Charles, born 1828, was his son, and took over the business in Nancy. He died there in 1895, and also received medals. Well-finished work, usually of Stradivari pattern. Two of his sons, Etienne Charles Albert, born 1853, and Jules Victor, born 1855, have carried on the business.

JAEGER.—Markneukirchen. Makers of the name have been at work from early in the eighteenth century down to very recent times.

JAIS.—Mittenwald, Botzen; eighteenth century. There were several makers of the name. Some of their instruments have a fine red or yellow-brown varnish of Italian character, and the build and general style of the work is not unlike that of Albani. Joannes Jais seems to have worked in Botzen until after 1780. Good work, label with an ornamental border. Andreas Jais worked in Mittenwald and Tölz down to about 1750. Made a good many instruments of high build and frequently with well-carved lion-heads. A son named Johannes died in Tölz in 1762. Anton, apparently a grandson, was at work until after 1830. Pretty wood and good varnish.