British Violin Makers - by W Morris (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The classic, comprehensive reference to the subject features a biographical dictionary of craftsmen, along with many of their signatures and marks. The new foreword by music scholar Benjamin Hebbert explains the important role British violin makers played in the development of the instrument.

From the Back Cover

Originally published in 1904 and expanded in 1920, this comprehensive illustrated reference work features a biographical dictionary of craftsmen and a critical description of their work, along with many of the luthiers' signatures and marks. The author includes introductory essays on the "Old School" makers of the eighteenth century and the revival of violinmaking in Britain by the "Modern School." Reverend Morris also devotes whole chapters to the manufacture of violin bridges and the various string makers. The author's expertise as a folklorist informs the chapter "Legend, Art, and Myth," which explores the violin's role in the culture and literature of the British Isles, including an amusing collection of fiddle-related proverbs and colloquial expressions. The appendixes address such issues as violin fatigue, the use of the names "fiddle" versus "violin," and the effects of wood and climate on tone.

Rev. W. Meredith Morris (1867-1921) was well known for his studies of the music, dialect, and folklore of his native Wales.

About the Author

Rev. W. Meredith Morris (1867-1921) was well known for his studies of the music, dialect, and folklore of his native Wales. Music scholar Benjamin Hebbert (St. Cross College, University of Oxford) trained as an instrument maker in London before studying as a musicologist at Leeds University, at the University of Oxford, and as a Coleman Fellow in Art History at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His particular areas of expertise are early British and Italian stringed instruments, and he is an increasingly respected authority in both Europe and the United States. His doctoral studies are directed towards an analysis of instrument making in seventeenth-century London. He has worked within the violin industry and lectures on historical aspects of instrument making to violin makers at London Metropolitan University, where he is also an honorary research fellow.