Violin tone and violin makers

by Hidalgo Moya; Towry Piper

PACHERELE, Pierre.—Paris, Nice, Genoa, Turin. Died in Nice 1871. A fine workman, but a “roving blade.” He did much work as a repairer. Worked with Pressenda for several years, and made instruments which closely resemble and are equal to those of that maker. His ordinary instruments are of Stradivari pattern.

PACQUET.—Marseilles; late eighteenth century. Common-place instruments. Frequently worm-eaten.

PADEWET.—Nineteenth century. Four or more makers of the name are known. The family seems to have sprung from Vienna. Three of them worked in Karlsruhe. Johann I. died 1872. A skilful maker who obtained several medals. Johann II., who died in 1902, copied Stradivari, and seems to have made a large number of instruments. He received various medals, and was a well-known repairer.

PAGEOT.—Mirecourt. Died 1849. Name also spelt Pajeot. Bow-maker. Personally a skilful workman, but employed workmen who turned out bows wholesale, the prices beginning at sixpence each.

PAJOT.—Jenzat; nineteenth century. A family of makers, probably originating in Mirecourt. Chiefly makers of hurdy-gurdies.

PALLOTA, Pietro.—Perugia. Died about 1820. Little known.

PAMPHILON, Edward.—London; about 1681. He used a beautiful varnish of yellow colour, sometimes with a tinge of red. The fiddles are squarish, and stiff looking in outline. Scrolls small. The bottom of the shell is finished in a peculiar way. Some of the sound-holes are more curious than beautiful, the lower turns having a very wide sweep. Double-purfling was generally, but not always, employed. Writer has seen a few specimens containing Maggini labels. His own tickets are very scarce, and contain the day of the month when instrument was finished, in addition to the year.

PANDOLFI, Antonio.—Venice; eighteenth century. The work and tone are highly spoken of, but the writer has not seen examples.

PANORMO.—London, Paris; eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The last survivor of this celebrated family died in Brighton in 1891. The most important member of it was Vincenzo Trusiano Panormo, or as appears in many of his labels, “Vincent,” from whose son, Francis, were obtained the dates of his birth and death. He was born at Monreale, near Palermo, according to the story, in 1734, and died in London in 1813. Owing to the wide range of dates seen in labels (genuine or otherwise) it has been surmised that there were two Vincents, and one enthusiast claims to have discovered three. Various traditions are current as to his early life and training. According to one of them he worked with Carlo Bergonzi in Cremona. Nothing, however, seems to be definitely known except that in certain years he worked in Paris, that most of his life was spent in London, and that he was also for a time in Ireland. A large number of his works survive, the best of them being magnificent copies of the different types of Stradivari. As copies these specimens have never been surpassed, and but rarely equalled by any other maker; their tone is of Italian character, and far superior to that of the French copies, and they are covered with beautiful varnish, mostly of varying shades of yellow, but more rarely red. Panormo was a consummate workman, and given the material and the opportunity he was capable of building, as few others could, any instrument of the fiddle tribe, from a superb double-bass to a violin. His violoncellos are very fine. Unfortunately he did much work for the trade, which does him little credit, although far better than one is accustomed to see in work of its class. His best fiddles are handsomer and less heavy looking than those of Lupot. His son Joseph is best known as a violoncello maker. His violins look rather heavy in style as a rule, but there are exceptions. George Louis, usually known as Louis, died in London in or before 1845. He is said to have been the second son. The octagon bows bearing his stamp are frequently very fine. He specialised as a guitar maker, but turned out a good many violins. These vary in merit, but some are decidedly handsome. He was a good scroll-cutter.

PAQUOTTE.—Paris; nineteenth century. A Mirecourt family. The business in Paris was founded by Sebastien, who died in 1863. There were three or four makers, all good workmen.