LINELLI, or LINAROLLA, —— Venezia, about 1520. A maker of rebecs, viols, and viols da gamba.
LOTT, JOHN FREDERICK, London, born 1775, died 1853. An excellent workman, who made many instruments for Thomas Dodd. He is also very generally known as a first-rate double bass maker.
LOTT, GEORGE FREDERICK, son of the above, was also an excellent workman, and is said to have been chiefly employed by dealers.
LOTZ, THEODORE, Prestburg, about 1735, has a good reputation as a maker of violins.
LUPOT, FRANCOIS, Stuttgard, about 1770.
LUPOT, NICHOLAS, son of Francois, born at Stuttgard, 1758; went to Orleans, 1786, and Paris, 1794; died 1824. This artiste deserves the title of the King of the French makers. He followed the model of Stradiuarius, used excellent wood and good varnish, much in the style of that master. His violins are very fine in tone and resemble the Italian more than any other maker's. Tolbecque, the violinist has two very fine specimens. His instruments have been frequently selected by the French Conservatoire as prizes for their pupils. They now fetch high prices. Dubourg calls him "a studious artist, whose instruments are in request when a good Cremona is unattainable." He also says, "sixty guineas have been refused for one of his best violins." Spohr in his "Violin School," also recommends his instruments. This artiste published a work on the construction of violins, called "La Chelonomie, on le parfait Luthier."
M.
MAGGINI, GIOVANNI PAOLO, Brescia, 1590 to 1640. This celebrated artiste was a pupil of Gaspar di Salo. His instruments are highly esteemed, and are both rare and valuable. They are generally of a large pattern, with elevated model, reaching almost to the edges; narrow ribs, double purfling, frequently ending on the top and bottom of the back with an ornament in the shape of a leaf—and fine yellowish brown or golden coloured varnish, of good quality. Some few are said to have deep brown varnish. They possess a tone of a peculiar character—deep, solemn, and somewhat plaintive. Dubourg describes it as "less soft than that of a Stradiuarius, and less potent than a Guarnerius, approaching that of a viol, and has in it a touch of melancholy." From their size these instruments had not been in great favour with violinists until the celebrated DeBeriot introduced one, which from its splendid tone brought them at once into esteem, and for which he has been offered almost fabulous sums.
MAGGINI, PIETRO SANTO, Brescia, son of Giovanni Paolo, 1630 to 1680. Followed the same style as his father, but was more particularly famous for his double basses, which the Italians consider to be the best ever made, after those of Gaspar di Salo.
MAIER, ANDREA FERDINAND, Salzburg, 1746. Little is known of this maker except that he made the small instrument on which the immortal Mozart first learned to play the violin, which event, could he have foreseen, would no doubt have compensated him for the want of more general fame.