Garth E.

I picked up these 2 old books over the summer. I thought they might be good historic reference material. Both first editions from 1864 and 1881. Hart The Violin And It's Music 484 pages and Sandy's and Forster History of The Violin 390 pages. Both books were in terrible condition with the spleens apart and the covers separated. I had to graft the spleens and clamp, glue and re-enforce front and back covers.....and a few other adjustments to make them readable, which now they are.

I wonder why they would even bother, wouldn't a yard sale bring in more cash.

It would seem that is a logical place to start then. After reading the guild article posted by Jacob I see that the whole Markneukirchen area had many makers in the first half of the 19thc. I suppose if I could figure out if this is an Amati copy or Stainer copy that may help a bit. The repair work is pencilled in English dated 1888, so it may have been shipped to England and had the English pegs installed at that time. Thanks Sospiri.

Agreed...maybe longer. Anyway it's almost 200 years old, it's German. That's all it needs to be. Thank-you again for your help Jacob.

So quite possibly this violin could have been made by one maker who belonged to a guild in Markneukirchen or Klingental sometime in the mid 19thc. Connecting the violin to a specific maker might be difficult, but maybe there's some clues in the construction I'm missing. Hopf might be a good starting point, given the comments here.

Thanks Chicago Dogs, the British connection was suggested once by a luthier. However Jacob suggests Saxon...and the notch. The newspapers are authentic civil war papers. I still have a few left. At one time I had hundreds of old documents and that kind of thing. I've had to let go of many things over the years.

I'm really bad with dates, what would you estimate?

Jacob I didn't want to assume the notch automatically designates it Saxon. I'll go through all my mental notes to see where I misread my hunch.

I've been trying to figure out if my 3/4 violin is possibly French made. I've been reading the many posts here and of course I could be wrong, but I've thought maybe it is French. Maybe late 19th c. Mirecourt. To me the scroll and the f holes suggested French school. No label. Repair made in 1888. Thank-you for your patience with my inquiries.

Very interesting and enjoyable Davide. I've been involved with documentaries and know the hours it takes to put one together. As for the music, it was just fine. Thin Lizzy or Led Zeppelin would have been awkward....at best. IMHO.

It's easy to see why so many get confused as to what style of violin they have. When I purchase my next old violin... I never want one with a label. 99.9% fake and misleading. I would rather spend a few thousand for a difficult to repair 18thc. instrument from a good luthier than think I can get a deal on e-bay.

Interesting to see guesses. Why do you think 1840's or earlier? The photos don't help me too much, however I'm still on the learning curve.

In spite of the machine head modifications would this instrument be a late 19th c. German copy?

I think the Invesco ad has piqued my interest in the possibilities of cello music by this composer. Can anyone recommend anything by Philip Sheppard. I think this mix is cello and violin.

Thanks for posting. A great learning thread for a lot of us.