Violin tone and violin makers

by Hidalgo Moya; Towry Piper

STAINER, Jacob.—Absam (Tyrol). Born 1621. Died 1683. The most celebrated of all the German school of makers. He is the subject of much tradition and has a small literature devoted to him. The main facts of his life have now been made public for a good many years, and much legendary rubbish has been swept away. The Stainer model has been imitated by fiddle-makers all over Europe, both during his lifetime and since. Amongst the first to copy him were the Kloz family, and in Rome, Florence, and Venice his imitators have been numerous. In this country his influence was almost paramount for upwards of a century, and only by slow degrees was it ousted by the superior form of instrument designed by the Amati family and perfected later by Stradivari. Whether he ever worked in Cremona is at least open to doubt, and the evidence which has been adduced in support of the tradition is not sufficiently strong to justify its unconditional acceptance. He employed a varnish which proves to demonstration that he was conversant with the composition of that in use by the Amati, but it is clear from the work of other makers that there was no particular mystery attaching to the ingredients of Cremonese varnish, and his use of a preparation which is not distinguishable from it does not afford any unequivocal proof of his ever having been to Cremona. The general appearance of Stainer’s instruments is familiar to all who take more than a merely passing interest in a violin; not because of the number of genuine specimens to be met with, but from the number of other makers who have copied him. As a workman he was of the first rank, but whether he worked in Italy or not, there is not a fiddle of his in existence which has the true Italian cut. The violins are usually about the size of the ordinary Amati instruments, but some of them are rather larger, and measure a full fourteen inches or a shade over in length. The varnish ranges in colour from yellow to brown; the red specimens are not often seen, but a few very handsome rose-coloured violins, of most beautiful workmanship, have survived. The wood of the backs generally shows some figure, and is often finely marked; for some of the bellies he used the fine-grained wood frequently employed by Tyrolese makers, but in his finest examples the pine is of broader grain. A good many of the instruments have lion heads, the carving of which is well executed. The scrolls are well cut, but lack the grace seen in those of better Italian work. It seems to be doubtful if Stainer himself used printed tickets, but there is no doubt that other makers, some of whom were contemporaries, and possibly workmen of his, inserted printed Stainer labels into their work. Stainer’s arching has been the subject of so much exaggeration on the part of copyists of all nationalities that many people have an altogether false idea of its true proportions. In a good specimen of Stainer’s violins the swell of the form is not really higher than that of an average Amati; now and then he did exceed this limit, but it was not his general practice. Violas are rarely seen, and violoncellos are by no means common. Forster and numerous other English makers have left numerous copies of the last-mentioned instruments, some of which are in every way excellent. The tone of a fine Stainer violin is of beautiful quality, and in examples met with by the writer, its timbre resembled that of Amati. It is almost needless to say that forgeries are innumerable, and are not unfrequently somewhat difficult to detect, not only on account of their intrinsic merit, but from the fact that his manuscript tickets have been cleverly imitated.

STAINER, Marcus.—Absam, Kuefstein, Laufen (Austria); seventeenth century. A brother of the above, he worked in a variety of places, and is reputed to have forged the labels of the more celebrated Jacob. The few examples seen by the writer resembled those of Jacob in form, and had dark red-brown varnish. One of these was a viola, of good workmanship and tone. He also used lion and other carved heads. He seems to have been alive until after 1680.

STAUDINGER, Mathaeus Wenceslaus.—Wurzburg; eighteenth century. In some of the labels the name is spelt Stautinger. The violins are very scarce, but are of fine workmanship.

STEINER, Joseph.—Lengberg. Died 1908. Seems to have been a merry blade, and a man of varied accomplishments. Experimented with varnishes. The violins are well made and of good form, but not often seen. The number of the instrument appears on the label.

STEININGER.—Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A family of makers said to have sprung from Füssen. The most important of them was François Xaver, born in 1778, died about 1850. He changed his abode many times and worked in Darmstadt, Frankfort on the Maine, Paris, and St. Petersburg. His work is careful, and French in character.

STIRRAT, David.—Edinburgh; early nineteenth century. Pupil of Matthew Hardie.

STOHR, Jacob.—St. Polten; about 1790-1830. Examples scarce. Stradivari outline, higher arching, light brown varnish, backs usually in one piece. There were other makers of the name; probably sons.

STORCK.—Strasburg, Augsburg; eighteenth century. About half a dozen makers.

STORIONI, Lorenzo.—Cremona. Born 1751; died 1801. This maker is usually instanced as the last of the old Cremonese school. He was a prolific workman, and a considerable number of his instruments are in existence. His varnish is, however, of a different nature, and resembles that of the Neapolitan school. His pattern varies a good deal. Now and then his outline and arching are after the style of Amati, but in most cases there is more or less resemblance both in general appearance and the cut of the sound-holes to the work of Guarneri del Gesù. It has been said that violas by him are unknown; but this is incorrect. Some very fine examples are in existence, and in more than one instance they have been sold as the work of del Gesù. The colour of his varnish is usually a red-brown of varying shades. As a general rule the finish of his violins is rough, and the purfling carelessly worked, but occasionally he took more pains, and produced handsome fiddles with prettily figured wood. The scrolls are of bold, masculine cut, and very characteristic. The backs commonly have plain or small figured wood of native growth. Bellies of very fine material. The tone of his instruments is rich and full. Violoncellos are comparatively scarce, but are very fine in tone and in high repute amongst players. G. B. Ceruti took over his business, and is said to have been employed by him.

STOSS.—Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This was a large family of makers, numbering fourteen or more members, and originating in Füssen. Most of them worked in Vienna, and one or two of them made instruments of more than average merit. Many of their tickets are of the ornamental kind, exhibiting various devices and engraved borders. Johann Baptist Stoss worked in Prague, and died there in 1850. The best known amongst them was Martin, who died in Vienna in 1838. He used various tickets, and is best represented by his violoncellos, which frequently show handsome wood and are carefully made.