rcm museum of instruments catalogue part iii: european stringed instruments

ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC

MUSEUM OF INSTRUMENTS

CATALOGUE PART III

EUROPEAN

STRINGED

INSTRUMENTS

RO

YA

LC

OL

LE

GE

OF

MU

SIC

MU

SE

UM

OF

IN

ST

RU

ME

NT

SC

AT

AL

OG

UE

PA

RT

III EU

RO

PE

AN

ST

RIN

GE

DIN

ST

RU

ME

NT

S

The Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments houses an

internationally renowned collection of nearly 900 musical instruments

and accessories from c.1480 to the present, including the Tagore,

Donaldson, Hipkins, Ridley, Hartley, Walton, Fleming, Steele-Perkins

and Freddy Hill collections and instruments on loan from the Royal

Collection Trust. Part I of the Museum’s Catalogue, European Wind

Instruments, was published in 1982, followed by Part Ia, Addenda (1998)

and Part II, Keyboard Instruments (2000). The present volume has been

produced with the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council

from its Special Project scheme, the Leche Trust and the Radcliffe Trust.

R C M

M I

50731-Cover 5/4/07 17:29

E

S I

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page i

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page ii

R C M

M I

C · P III

E

S I

E W C N

P R C M

L

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page iii

Copyright © Royal College of Music London, 2007

ISBN: 0 946119 08 2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by

any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Published by the Royal College of Music

Prince Consort Road

LONDON

SW7 2BS

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.cph.rcm.ac.uk

Based on the design by Tim Harvey for Catalogue Part II

Typeset and printed in Great Britain by

BAS Printers, Romsey, Hampshire

Front cover: Pedal harp, Georges and Jacques-Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1785, RCM 199

Frontispiece: Division viol, Barak Norman, London, 1692, RCM 46

The production of this volume has been supported by grants

from the Leche Trust, the Radcliffe Trust and the RCM

Research Fund.

The research for this catalogue was supported by the AHRC.

The AHRC funds postgraduate training and research in the arts and

humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance.

The quality and range of research supported not only provides social and

cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.

For further information on the AHRC, please see our website

www.ahrc.ac.uk.

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page iv

Pitch notation vii

Introduction viii

Contributors and photograph credits ix

Acknowledgements ix

Conventions xi

Colour Plates 1

THE CATALOGUE

Psalteries, Dulcimers, Zithers, Stringed Drum and Aeolian HarpsSpitzharfe (double psaltery), north German, first quarter of 18th century, RCM 104 18Spitzharfe (double psaltery), north German, first quarter of 18th century, RCM 118 22Salterio, Michele Barbi, Venice, 1744, RCM 124 24Double dulcimer, Jean-Nicolas Lambert, Paris, c.1750, RCM 208 26Cimbalom, Venczel József Schunda, Budapest, c.1880, RCM 308 28Epinette des Vosges, A Lambert, Val d’Ajol, c.1800, RCM 344 30Epinette des Vosges, French, 19th century, RCM 58 30Zither, south German or Austrian, 19th century, RCM 163 31Streichmelodion (bowed zither), ?Moravian, second half of 19th century, RCM 127 32Tambourin de Béarn (stringed drum), French, 1754, RCM 213 33Aeolian harp, English, c.1790, RCM 297 34Aeolian harp, William Rolfe, London, c.1800, RCM 364 34

HarpsSmall harp, Welsh, early 19th century, RCM 260 36Welsh triple harp, Bassett Jones, Cardiff, 1838, RCM 295 38Pedal harp, Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1775, RCM 114 40Pedal harp, Georges and Jacques-Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1785, RCM 199 42Pedal harp, Sebastian Erard, London, 1800, RCM 298 44Pedal harp, Jacob and James Erat, London, c.1830, RCM 309 47Pedal harp, Johann Andreas Stumpff, London, c.1837, RCM 373 48Portable Irish Harp, John Egan, Dublin, c.1829, RCM 108 50

Lutes, Chitarrones, Mandolinos, Neapolitan Mandolins and Regional LutesLute, Adam Ulman, Venice, second half of 16th century, RCM 13 54Lute, ?Padua, c.1580, labelled Vendelinus Tieffenbruker, RCM 9 56Lute (formerly ?chitarrone), Vendelio (Wendelin) Venere, Padua, 1600, RCM 203 58Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker (Magno Dieffopruchar), Venice, 1608, RCM 26 60Lute (formerly chitarrone), Domenico Sellas, Venice, mid 17th century, RCM 10 64Chitarrone, Italian, mid 17th century, RCM 25 66Lute, south Italian, 19th century, RCM 200 68Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, Rome, 1724, RCM 107 70Mandolino, ?Francesco Presbler, Milan, 1733, RCM 109 72Mandolino, Francesco and Giuseppe Presbler, Milan, 1778, RCM 110 73Mandolino, Antonio Preda, Madrid, 1778, RCM 17 74Mandolino, Antonio Preda, Madrid, 1778, RCM 18 74Mandoline, David, Paris, 1786, RCM 165 76Brescian mandolin, Italian, second half of 19th century, labelled Joseph Gallina, RCM 19 77Neapolitan mandolin, Domenico Vinaccia, Naples, 1780, RCM 28 78Neapolitan mandolin, ?Milan, late 19th century, RCM 255 79Neapolitan mandolin, ?Italian, c.1900, RCM 535 79Neapolitan mandolin, Lyon and Healy, Chicago, c.1900, RCM 374 80Neapolitan mandolin, ?Italian, early 20th century, RCM 316 80Mandolone (bass mandolin), Italian, second half of 18th century, RCM 14 81Svenskluta (Swedish theorbo), Lorents Mollenberg, Stockholm, 1817, RCM 135 82Torban (theorbo), Ukrainian, 19th century, RCM 151 83Bandura, Ukrainian, 19th century, RCM 286 84Balalaika, Russian, 19th century, RCM 162 85Balalaika, Russian, 19th century, RCM 314 86

v

Contents

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page v

Citterns and English GuitarsCittern, Girolamo Campi, ?Brescia (or ?Pescina), c.1580, RCM 48 88Hamburger Cithrinchen (bell cittern), Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, 1676, RCM 27 92English guitar, J C Elschleger, English, c.1750, RCM 21 94English guitar, Michael Rauche, London, 1767, RCM 333 95English guitar, Longman, Lukey & Co, London, c.1770, RCM 315 96English guitar, John Preston, London, c.1770, RCM 161 97English guitar, John Preston, London, c.1770, RCM 331 98English guitar, John Preston, London, c.1770, RCM 332 99English guitar with keys, English, c.1790, RCM 241 100

Guitars, Chitarra Battente, Guitar-cittern, Lyre Guitar and Harp-lutesGuitar, Belchior Dias, Lisbon, 1581, RCM 171 102Guitar, Giovanni Tesler, Ancona, c.1620, RCM 141 106Guitar, Italian, c.1630, RCM 105 108Guitar, attributed to Jakob (Giacobus) Stadler, Naples, c.1650, RCM 6 109Guitar, attributed to René Voboam, Paris, c.1650, RCM 32 112Guitar, ?French, second half of 17th century, RCM 22 115Guitar, Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, first decade of 18th century, RCM 16 118Guitar, Colin, Paris, third quarter of 18th century, RCM 167 120Guitar, Josef Pagés, Cadiz, 1809, RCM 173 121Guitar, ?English, c.1835, RCM 170 122Guitar, Joseph Gerard, London, c.1840, RCM 172 123Guitar, J H Zimmermann, German, c.1905, RCM 487 124Machete, Portuguese, 19th century, RCM 130 125Chitarra battente, ?Italian, 18th century, RCM 20 126Guitar-cittern, Sveno Beckman, Stockholm, 1757, RCM 23 127Lyre guitar, François Roudhlof & Nicolas Mauchand, Paris, early 19th century, RCM 134 128Harp-guitar, [Edward Light], London, c.1800, RCM 166 129British lute-harp, Edward Light, London, c.1816, RCM 284 130Harp-lute, G Packer, Bath, after 1816, RCM 126 132

Viols, Violas d’Amore, Baryton and Hardanger FiddleTreble viol, ?English, c.1600, RCM 184 134Bass viol, attributed to Edward Lewis, London, c.1690, RCM 206 136Division viol, Barak Norman, London, 1692, RCM 46 138Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, Greifswald, 1710, RCM 44 140Pardessus de viole, Louis Guersan, Paris, 1759, RCM 149 142Viola d’amore, ?Bohemian, first half of 18th century, RCM 34 144Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, Prague, 1740, RCM 35 145Viola d’amore (Englische Violet), Johann Ulrich Eberle, 1737, RCM 33 146Baryton, Magnus Feldlen, Vienna, 1647, RCM 204 148Hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle), attributed to Erik Johnsen Helland, Bø, c.1845, RCM 291 150

Lira da BraccioLira da braccio, ?English, first third of 19th century, labelled Joan Karlino, RCM 52 152

Violins, Violas, Cellos, Philomeles, Rebecchino and FiddlesViolin, ?English, ?early 18th century, RCM 31 154Mute violin, English, late 18th century, RCM 43 156Violin, William Forster junior, London, 1819, RCM 346 157Violin, Thomas Howell, Bristol, 1836, RCM 54 158Violin, Jules Grandjon, Paris, c.1870, RCM 36 159Violin (lacquered), Chinese or Japanese, late 19th century, RCM 186 160Quarter-size violin, ?c.1900, RCM 182 161Sixteenth-size violin, c.1900, RCM 366 161Sixteenth-size violin, c.1900, RCM 283 161Viola, ?Flemish, ?early 17th century, RCM 347 162Viola, Enrico Catenar, Turin, 1661, RCM 350 164Viola, attributed to Giovanni and Francesco Grancino, Milan, c.1685, RCM 53 166Viola in viol form (?formerly viol), ?19th century, RCM 185 168Cello, Gaetano Pasta, Brescia, 1714, RCM 351 169Cello neck and pegbox, ?French, early 18th century, RCM 49 170Philomele, German, mid 19th century, RCM 50 171Philomele, German, mid 19th century, RCM 29 172

vi

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page vi

Rebecchino (lira), ?Italian, ?late 19th century, RCM 212 173Gusle, Serbian, 1930, RCM 380 174Fiddle, 19th century, RCM 131 175Fiddle, 19th century, RCM 390 176

Pochettes, Kit and Pochetto d’Amore Pochette, attributed to Mathias Wörle, Augsburg, c.1675, RCM 40 178Pochette, ?German, 17th century, RCM 55 180Pochette, Italian, ?1695, RCM 61 181Pochette, Italian, ?late 17th or early 18th century, RCM 60 182Pochette, ?German, late 17th or 18th century, RCM 56 183Pochette, Italian, ?late 18th or 19th century, RCM 174 184Pochette, ?19th century, RCM 190 185Pochette, ?Flemish, ?18th century, RCM 39 186Kit, English, 18th century, RCM 42 188Pochette, Portuguese or Spanish, ?19th century, RCM 37 189Pochette, French, ?late 17th or 18th century, RCM 59 190Pochette, French, ?late 17th or 18th century, RCM 57 191Pochetto d’amore, Giovanni Battista Genova, Turin, c.1765, RCM 38 192

Trumpets MarineMarien Trompet, ?German, ?second half of 17th century, RCM 244 194Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault, Paris, late 18th century, RCM 289 196

Hurdy-gurdies and Organized Hurdy-gurdiesVielle à roue, French, 17th century, RCM 117 200Vielle à roue, Varquain, Paris, 1742, RCM 123 202Vielle à roue, Roullau, Paris, 1742, RCM 228 203Vielle à roue, François Feury, Paris, c.1760, RCM 119 204Vielle à roue, French, 18th or 19th century, RCM 120 205Vielle à roue, Pajot, Jenzat, second half of 19th century, RCM 381 206Small vielle à roue, Errard, Mâcon, second quarter of 19th century, RCM 106 207Vielle organisée, César Pons, Grenoble, late 18th century, RCM 122 208Vielle organisée, French, c.1760, RCM 121 210

Translation of terms 213Bibliographical references 214Index of instruments by RCM number 219Index of makers, dealers and repairers of RCM instruments 220Index of previous owners 221Index of names (general references) 222Index of institutions and collections 223Index of places of manufacture 224Index of places (general references) 224

Pitch notation

vii

50731-i-xii 5/4/07 17:31 Page vii

donors. Its first honorary curator was Alfred James

Hipkins (1826–1903) of Broadwoods. He had played a

leading role in the revival of early keyboard instruments

as lecturer, performer and writer and was a key figure in

the establishment of the College’s collections, persuading

others to give instruments and lending and giving some of

his own. After his death his collection was given in his

memory by his son and daughter, John and Edith Hipkins

(a few instruments in 1903, the rest in 1911). The other

crucial influence in the forming of the collections was that

of Arthur Frederick Hill (1860–1939) of W E Hill & Sons;

it was he who first suggested to Donaldson that he might

present his collection. Hill later became honorary curator

of the Donaldson Museum (also of the College’s loan

collection of stringed instruments) and gave fine oil

paintings of musicians to the College. There was also an

honorary keeper, Arthur Howard Frere (1861–1931);

Philip James succeeded Frere in 1931 and Hill in 1939.

These were purely honorary titles, however, and the

period from 1938 to 1964 showed the vulnerability of

historic material in a conservatoire lacking an on-site

curator, adequate funds and accommodation. Sir George

Dyson, Director 1938–52, believed that the historic

collections should be reduced; both museums were

dismantled during the war and over two-fifths of the

instrument collection vanished. He published a checklist

(1952, based on earlier notes by Karl Geiringer) of the

remaining 261 instruments. The showcases and keyboard

instruments were dispersed along the corridors and in

the inner hall, suffering from vandalism, theft, poor

atmospheric conditions and woodworm infestation.

However, most of the collection did escape the

uninformed restoration to which many instruments

elsewhere were subjected.

The RCM Museum of Instruments

The appointment of Sir Keith Falkner as Director in 1960

and then of Oliver Davies as Reference Librarian in the

re-opened Parry Room Library brought a revival. In 1964

I was asked to catalogue the instrument collection; it was

immediately evident that fumigation and rehousing were

urgently needed so I requested permission to undertake

conservation measures and start planning a new museum.

The College appealed for funds to re-house, conserve

and document the collection and was fortunate in gaining

support from the Leche Trust, in association with the late

Mr Angus Acworth, the Chase Charity and the Pilgrim

Trust. With their generous aid, and that of other donors

to the Appeal, a new Museum was built and was opened

by H M Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 23 April

1970. In 1968 E A Keane Ridley presented his collection

of wind instruments, formerly housed in Luton Museum,

and subsequently added further instruments to the gift.

Many individual donations followed, as well as collections

given by Geoffrey Hartley (1985), the Amaryllis Fleming

Trust (2002), Richard Walton (2002), Crispian Steele-

Perkins (2003), and Freddy Hill (2005); a few significant

purchases have been made with the aid of grants and

donations, including the Harp Stockbooks of the London

firm of Erard (see pp.44, 46). There are now nearly 900

viii

IntroductionIt is due to the vision of its Founder, the Prince of Wales,

later King Edward VII, and of Sir George Grove, its first

Director, that the Royal College of Music owns a

celebrated musical instrument collection, as well as

manuscripts, early printed music, concert programmes

and portraits of musicians. As the Prince stated in his

inaugural speech on 28 February 1882:

A school giving the best instruction … is but a branch

of what I desire to found. I wish to establish an

institution having a wider basis and a more extended

influence than any existing school or college of music

in this country ... It will be to England what the

Berlin Conservatoire is to Germany, what the Paris

Conservatoire is to France, or the Vienna

Conservatoire to Austria – the recognised centre and

head of the musical world.

The collection of instruments has been built up from

gifts since the opening of the College in 1883. Apart from

many individual donations, a number of large collections

have been presented. The first of these was of Indian

instruments, given by the Rajah Sourindro Mohun

Tagore in 1884. Two years later a collection of

instruments was given by the Prince of Wales, to be

followed by the loan of further instruments from the

Royal Collection in 1909.

The Donaldson Museum

At the state opening in 1894 of the College’s present

building, George Donaldson (1845–1925), later Sir

George (see illustration on p.217), presented a collection

of highly important instruments, music, paintings and

sculpture in a museum (now used as the Library reading

room) which he had designed and furnished in Italian

Renaissance style. It contained a minstrels’ gallery from a

castle near Siena, a coffered ceiling, stained glass in the

windows and carved cassoni supporting some of the

showcases (see photograph on p.xii). Donaldson, a

wealthy art dealer and collector who had created the

historic music rooms for the International Inventions

Exhibition in the Royal Albert Hall in 1885, had formed

the collection during the previous 30 years. He presented

a finely bound copy of The Catalogue of the Donaldson Museum

(privately printed, with text by A J Hipkins) to the Prince

of Wales in 1896 and a copy to the College in 1898,

followed in 1899 by the Houdon bust of Gluck and 24

further instruments. When the College concert hall was

being planned, he proposed to create a larger museum at

street level, ‘to make this Museum not only the most

beautiful, but also the finest musical collection in Europe’.

This offer was declined by the new Director, Sir Hubert

Parry, but Donaldson nonetheless continued to give and

loan further instruments until his death in 1925.

The ‘General Museum’

Besides the Donaldson Museum in the basement of the

College there was a ‘General Museum’ with the Library

on the top floor, to house the instruments given by other

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page viii

ix

instruments and accessories in the collection and the high

proportion of exhibits of outstanding importance places it

amongst the world’s major collections.

Since 1970 conservation work has been carried out

and extensive documentation has been built up. A few

instruments were restored to playing order in the 1970s

and have been used in lectures, concerts and recordings.

The Museum has published a series of full-size plans of

instruments since 1974, and in 1982, with the aid of the

Radcliffe Trust, Part I of the Catalogue, European Wind

Instruments, by E A K Ridley. Part 1a, Addenda, was

completed and published in 1998 and Part II, Keyboard

Instruments, in 2000. Besides contributing to the education

of students, the Museum has provided tours and research

facilities, joined in collaborative research projects and

hosted international conferences. In 2005 a re-structuring

led to its incorporation, with the Department of Portraits

and Performance History, in the RCM Centre for

Performance History (CPH).

Further information on Donaldson, his collection, catalogue and

museum, can be found in Wells 2007a, pp.102–25, and on the

RCM Museum in Wells 2007b (full titles of all references cited in

this volume are in the Bibliographical References, pp.212–15).

The Catalogue of European Stringed Instruments

This volume describes 129 instruments of which 84 were

given by Donaldson. His interest was primarily in

European stringed instruments and in those of beautiful

form and decoration; he also collected the curious and

unusual. He may have felt that fine instruments of the

violin family should not be in a museum since they are

barely represented in his collection. It contains the earliest

surviving baryton, and one of the world’s most important

collections of early guitars, including the instrument by

Dias, believed to be the earliest surviving guitar;

investigation this year has shown that it came from

Donaldson and might formerly have been in the Medici

collection. He also collected early decorated cases, of

which two survive (Guitar case, French, c.1700, RCM 92,

and Violin case, French, 18th century, RCM 30). Details

of these are obtainable from the Museum and will be

published in due course. Catalogue Part IV, Bows for European

Stringed instruments (Knast 2007) can be found on the CPH

website (www.cph.rcm.ac.uk).

Loaned instruments are not included in the catalogue.

In recent years the display has benefited from the loan by

Adam Whone of an interesting violin (by William Prior,

1710) that is in baroque condition, with the front

detached; this is illustrated and described in Milnes 2001,

pp.398 & 403–4.

Due to the lack of earlier accession records, persistence

has been required to establish the provenance of some

instruments and a few remain unknown. Apart from

references in periodicals, correspondence and internal

reports, the main sources of information from before 1964

are the proof copy of The Catalogue of the Donaldson Museum

(1896), with annotations made in 1943 by Dyson, his

checklist (Dyson 1952) and the College Gift Book. In 1964

I instituted the Accession Register. In recent years the

typescript checklist made by A H Frere (1926), and kindly

returned to the RCM by Paul James, has provided

significant new information, and in 2004 Michael, John

and Anthony Mott generously presented their copy of

Donaldson’s catalogue to the Museum. Research this year

has established the date of Donaldson’s second gift as

1899 (not 1900, as stated in earlier catalogue volumes)

and of the earliest copy of his catalogue as 1896 (not 1894

as previously stated).

See also Conventions, p.xi.

Contributors and photograph credits Measurements, descriptions and the paragraphs on

construction and alterations in the Commentaries were

provided by Christopher Nobbs; also much of the

Conventions text.

The remaining sections and Commentaries were

written by Elizabeth Wells, who also edited the volume.

In the descriptions of a few instruments she added

further text, mainly based on earlier documentation

written for the Museum by Stephen Barber, Charles

Beare, Ian Harwood, and Dietrich Kessler (see also

Acknowledgements).

The Bibliographical References were compiled by

Geoffrey Govier and Elizabeth Wells, incorporating an

earlier index by Keane Ridley and Peter Horton.

The photographs were taken over many years, most

being by Alfred Barnes; others were taken by Paul Collen,

Ian Harwood, Christopher Nobbs and Elizabeth Wells,

and the X-ray images by William Debenham.

Photographs of three instruments, RCM 39, 347 and 350,

are reproduced by courtesy of J & A Beare, and the

portraits of John Thomas and Sir George Donaldson by

kind permission of the Royal Society of Musicians and

Michael Mott respectively.

The photographs were assembled by Paul Collen,

Andrew Earis, Geoffrey Govier, Jenny Nex and Elizabeth

Wells.

Computerization was assisted in 2004–5 by Andrew

Earis; assistance with copy-editing was given by Jenny

Nex and Andrew Earis under the direction of Paul Banks,

who oversaw the publication of the volume. The indexes

were compiled by Jenny Nex.

AcknowledgementsThe preparation of this volume of the catalogue has been

supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council

(AHRC) through its Project Fund scheme for higher

education museums, galleries and collections. Its

publication has been made possible by grants from the

Leche Trust and the Radcliffe Trust and a donation from

Mrs Morella Cottam. The College acknowledges with

gratitude this generous support.

The grant from the AHRC also covered an associated

condition audit, conservation work (including cleaning,

repairs and stringing where appropriate) and further

photography of the stringed instruments; in addition,

online versions of the earlier volumes were produced for

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page ix

x

the CPH website. This eleven-month project was thus of

the greatest significance in making the collection more

accessible to remote users as well as to museum visitors.

Since the project coincided with the re-structuring of

the collections and my last months as curator, it was

agreed that I should give the catalogue further time in

retirement, to add information and complete the editing.

I was grateful for the chance to resolve many questions

and provide fuller coverage.

This volume has been the most challenging of the four

completed so far, due to the wide range of instruments

covered and the extent to which many of them have been

altered (it is, of course, those very alterations, as well as

fine decoration, which ensured their preservation). I

would like firstly to thank my co-author Christopher

Nobbs for his dedicated work. It has throughout been a

pleasure to collaborate with him and the Museum has

been exceedingly fortunate to be able to call upon his

expertise as instrument maker and conservator, not only

for the measurements and descriptions but also for the

conservation work he undertook.

Secondly, thanks are due to those who have contributed

to the preparation of this volume for publication (see also

Contributors) and made many constructive suggestions:

Paul Banks, Head of the Centre for Performance History,

who has given much time and care to copy-editing,

computerization of page layouts and liaising with the

printers; Jenny Nex, my successor as Curator; Andrew

Earis; Paul Collen; and in 2004–5, Geoffrey Govier; also

to Alfred Barnes for his excellent photographs and to the

printers B A S for the quality of their work.

I am grateful to former and present staff of the RCM

Museum and Library, especially Oliver Davies, former

Reference Librarian, then Keeper of the Department of

Portraits and Performance History; Pamela Thompson,

Chief Librarian; and Peter Horton, current Reference

Librarian, who has given much assistance in the last year.

I also thank Andrew Page and Viktor Thaller, who

supplied translations from Serbian, and Michael Biddle,

who kindly assisted with the task of inputting data in 2005,

as did Laura Sherlock and Hannah Terlingen.

The catalogue has gained from earlier documentation

commissioned by the Museum, especially the plans and

notes by Stephen Barber and Ian Harwood, and X-rays

by William Debenham, and from discussions and

correspondence with many specialists worldwide. Their

willingness to share expertise and support the cataloguing

project has been of the greatest value. In particular I

would like to thank Charles Beare, from whose advice and

generous help the collection has benefited since the mid

1960s; other members, past and present, of J & A Beare,

especially Andrew Fairfax; Ian Harwood, John Isaacs,

Dietrich Kessler, James Munson and Alan Harbour, who

carried out restoration and conservation work in the early

1970s; and James France, then at the National Gallery,

who conserved painted surfaces.

We are indebted to all those whose catalogues and

other publications have aided our work. Amongst these

the dendrochronological analysis undertaken by John

Topham on some of the instruments for his survey

(Topham 2003) was of particular value.

I am grateful to those who gave support or information

from the earliest stage, and thank the many curators,

archivists and specialists who have provided research

access or kindly responded to questions. It is not possible

to name them all but besides those already mentioned

they include: Bjørn Aksdal, Mario Armellini, Mia

Awouters, Anthony Baines, Margaret Downie Banks,

Giulia Bartrum, Alexander Batov, Ian Bent, Tony

Bingham, Margaret Birley, Joël Dugot, David Van

Edwards, Eszter Fontana, Peter Forrester, Andrew

Garrett, Florence Gétreau, Ann Griffiths, Benjamin

Hebbert, Gunther Hellwig, Friedemann Hellwig, Myrna

Herzog, Peter Holman, Rudolf Hopfner, Philip Kass,

Vladimir Koshelev, John Koster, John Leach, Laurence

Libin, Richard Luckett, Anne Macaulay, Thomas

MacCracken, Jonathan Marsden, Darryl Martin, Renato

Meucci, Eric Mott, Arnold Myers, Susan Orlando,

Michael Prynne, Hans Riben, Valentina Ricetti, Keane

Ridley, Christiane Rieche, The Hon. Lady Roberts,

Gabriele Rossi-Rognoni, Stanley Sadie, Lynda Sayce,

Lindsay Stainton, Bradley Strauchen, Geneviève Thibault

de Chambure, Peter Thornton, Sir Matthew Thorpe,

Grant Tomlinson, Dorothea Warburg, Laurence Witten,

Adam Whone, Daniel Leech Wilkinson, Bridget Wright,

and James Yorke.

Finally I would like to acknowledge the encouragement

and support of Sir Keith Falkner, Director of the RCM

1960–74, which enabled conservation and documentation

of the collection to commence, and that of the RCM

Council, Dame Janet Ritterman and the present Director,

Colin Lawson, which has made it possible to complete this

volume.

Elizabeth Wells

February 2007

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page x

Conventions

Descriptions and measurements

In the descriptions instruments are regarded as if seen

vertically, pegbox up, tail down. Where appropriate,

‘treble’ and ‘bass’ are used to specify the sides of the

instrument. When ‘left-hand’ (LH) and ‘right-hand’ (RH)

are used (for harps, for example) the orientation is that of

the player. A selection of basic measurements is given at

the beginning of each entry; others occur in the

descriptive text.

Measurements are given in millimetres; larger

measurements, such as overall lengths and body heights

and lengths, are rounded to the nearest half millimetre

(expressed as ‘½’) but where the end-points are less

precise, as with many string lengths, they are rounded to

the nearest millimetre. Most of the smaller measurements,

taken with a vernier calliper, are given to the nearest 0.1

of a millimetre. Where a measurement is necessarily

approximate it is preceded by c. (circa).

Overall length includes anything protruding, such as tail-

buttons, hitchpins or feet; where these are present, another

measurement excluding them is given. If the instrument is

concave at the tail the maximum length is given.

Body length is treated in the same way. The upper limit

is taken where rib meets neck; if this is not perpendicular

to the front, the measurement is taken as near as possible

to the level of the top of the front. On some instruments,

such as lutes and mandolins, where the neck joint slopes

and the back of the neck joint gives a longer body length,

two measurements are given. Body length on some

instruments (pochettes, for example) is normally the

soundboard length but in some cases it is to a false joint;

anomalies are noted.

Body widths are taken at the widest point on lute-form

bodies; on viols and violins they are taken at the widest

point of upper and lower bouts and narrowest point of

middle bouts. With festoon shapes the widest part of the

lower body is taken as ‘lower bouts’.

Rib height is taken as the width of the ribs between

front and back. Several heights may be given where rib

heights vary by design but irregularities due to original

workmanship or repair are ignored.

The depth of lute-form instruments is taken at the

deepest point including the front but excluding bridges.

String lengths are vibrating lengths, from ‘speaking’

edge of nut to ‘speaking’ edge of bridge; on instruments

with bridges that are missing or obviously displaced,

estimated string lengths have been taken to old bridge

marks or to soundhole notches on bowed instruments; on

fretted instruments twice the length from the nut to the

octave fret is sometimes given.

Makers’ names

Not all the names appearing in inscriptions on

instruments are those of the actual makers. Some of the

names inscribed are those of dealers: in some cases they

are those of instrument makers who marked their names

on instruments made in their workshops but by others, or

bought in for resale.

Selected information on makers and on relevant

instruments in other collections is given in some entries,

especially those where the information would not

otherwise be readily available or in cases where recent

research has brought new understanding. Further detail

on makers and instruments can be found through the

Bibliographical References; also in Grove 2001, in the

specialist publications listed in its bibliographies and in the

catalogues of other collections.

Inscriptions are printed in italics. The use of spelling,

capitalisation, punctuation and superscripts follows the

character of the inscription though long ‘s’s have been

modernised. The solidus / is used to indicate a new line

of text. Characters that are missing or unclear are in

braces, thus: {a} or {-}; for an indeterminate number of

missing characters or words, ellipsis is used: {…}.

Editorial matter is in square brackets. Any inscription

specific to the instrument has been included in the

Inscriptions section; manuscript or printed text on

material used for lining is mentioned in the Description or

Commentary sections. Labels are inside on the back of the

instrument unless otherwise indicated.

Materials

References to materials are descriptive and generic and

are not necessarily specific. Although in many cases a

material has been named with reasonable certainty, no

microscopic analysis of woods, bone, ivory, shell, or

pigments, etc., has been undertaken so identifications are

conjectural. Materials that are uncertain are preceded by

a question mark. Discrimination between coniferous

woods (for instance, of the fronts of violins and viols) has

not been attempted except in a few cases.

Terminology and translation

Instruments that have been modified are listed according

to their original state; in one or two cases, where the

original form is uncertain, it is given in parentheses after

the earliest recognisable state, for example: lute (formerly

?chitarrone).

Foreign words are in italics, with the exception of those

that have been naturalized (for example, viola d’amore

and pochette).

Translation of terms: a table of German, French and

Italian equivalents of some of the terms used is on p.213.

The naming of parts of instruments follows

conventional usage; terms which could be ambiguous are

used as follows in this catalogue:

Arching: the lengthways and transverse curvature of a

violin or viol front or back, achieved by carving or

bending.

Button: see Heel

Capping-strip: covering strip (end-clasp) around the tail and

sides of lute- and mandolin-type instruments.

Chip-carving: low relief woodcarving, usually knife-work, of

simple geometric forms such as diaper, dart or zigzag

shapes.

Composition (‘compo’): moulding compound made from

various mixtures of chalk, resins, linseed oil and glue, used

to form repeated decorative elements; usually combined

xi

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page xi

with carving, gesso and gilding.

Curl: flame, the distinctive striped figure in hardwoods

such as maple.

Depression: region of concavity in the arching of fronts and

backs.

Ebonised and black-stained: ebonised when a black pigment in

some kind of varnish medium has been used; black-stained

when a dyestuff, ferrous or similar, has been used to

blacken wood.

Edging: ornamental bands on an edge, not set back.

Festoon outline: more complex undulating outline.

Fielding: punched or carved background to relief carving.

Finial: ornamental termination of a pegbox, including

scrolls, carved heads and hook-forms.

Front: soundboard, except for those of Spitzharfen,

dulcimers and harps.

Gilding: gold leaf or shell gold, as distinct from gold paint,

bronze powder or metal leaf.

Graft: symmetrical scarf-type joint, for example where the

original pegbox has been put back on a new neck.

Heel: the deepening of the neck where it joins the body; the

lower extremity, usually formed from a small extension of

the back covering the base of the heel, is the button.

Hookbar: the usual attachment for a viol tailpiece.

Line: a single ornamental strip (to avoid potential

ambiguity if stringing were used).

Loose bridge: a bridge held in place by string pressure alone

on plucked instruments.

Marquetry and inlay: marquetry: decoration assembled from

veneers cut simultaneously and glued onto a ground-

work; inlay (intarsia): decorative elements glued into a

recess cut in a ground-work.

Moustaches: ornamental terminals of guitar and lute bridges.

Neck-block: top-block (cf Tailblock).

Outline: the profile of the instrument in plan-view.

Plectrum-guard: scratch-plate; protective plate on mandolins

and other plectrum instruments.

Purfling: an inlaid line that resembles the composition and

dimensions of conventional violin purfling.

Ribs: the sides of citterns, flat-backed guitars, violins,

fiddles, viols and festoon-outline pochettes; the individual

staves of the backs of lute-form instruments.

Rose: any inserted or integral decoration in a soundhole.

Saddle: integral or inserted edge on a guitar bridge or

similar, to define the speaking length of string; or an

inserted bearing strip on the lower edge of the front for

strings passing over to hitchpins on the rib or capping-strip.

Soundhole: an opening in front or back.

Staves: the strips forming the backs of harp soundboxes,

vaulted-back guitars, boat-shaped pochettes and trumpets

marine.

Tailblock: bottom-block or end-block.

Tailbutton: the attachment point for tailpiece gut.

Viol-form: outline with sloping shoulders and/or corners

without points.

Violin-form: outline with pointed corners and ribs joining the

neck almost at a right angle.

Wound strings: covered (overspun) strings.

xii

The Donaldson Museum in 1894

50731-i-xii 3/4/07 14:21 Page xii

1

Spitzharfe (double psaltery), North German, first quarter of 18th century, RCM 104: RH soundboard, treble strings

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:24 Page 1

2

Double dulcimer, Jean-Nicholas Lambert, Paris, c.1750, RCM 208

Portable Irish Harp, John Egan, Dublin, c.1829, RCM 108

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:24 Page 2

3

Pedal harp, Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1775, RCM 114

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:24 Page 3

4

Pedal harp, Georges and Jacques-Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1785, RCM 199: with detail of the lower section of the soundboard

50731-001-016 5/4/07 17:35 Page 4

5

Pedal harp, Sebastian Erard, London, 1800, RCM 298 Welsh triple harp, Bassett Jones, Cardiff, 1838, RCM 295

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:24 Page 5

6

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, Venice, 1608, RCM 26: with detail of back

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 6

7

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, ?Brescia (or ?Pescina), c.1580, RCM 48: detail of pegbox [above], front [left], back [right]

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 7

8

Hamburger Cithrinchen (bell cittern), Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, 1676, RCM 27

Guitar, Belchior Dias, Lisbon, 1581, RCM 171

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 8

9

Guitar, attributed to Jakob (Giacobus) Stadler, Naples, c.1650, RCM 6

Guitar, attributed to René Voboam, Paris, c.1650, RCM 32

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 9

10

Guitar, ?French, second half of 17th century, RCM 22

Guitar, Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, first decade of the 18th century, RCM 16

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 10

11

Lyre guitar, Roudhlof & Mauchand, Paris, early 19th century, RCM 134

Treble viol, ?English, c.1600, RCM 184

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 11

12

Division viol, Barak Norman, London, 1692, RCM 46 Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, Greifswald, 1710, RCM 44

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:25 Page 12

13

Baryton, Magnus Feldlen, Vienna, 1647, RCM 204

Violin, ?English, ?early 18th century, RCM 31

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:26 Page 13

14

Viola, Enrico Catenar, Turin, 1661, RCM 350: front, side and back [above]; details of pegbox [below]

50731-001-016 5/4/07 17:35 Page 14

15

Viola, ?Flemish, ?early 17th century, RCM 347

Pochette, ?Flemish, ?18th century, RCM 39

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:27 Page 15

16

Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault, Paris, late 18th century, RCM 289

Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault,

Paris, late 18th century, RCM 289:

detail of pegbox

50731-001-016 3/4/07 14:27 Page 16

P

D

Z

S D

A H

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 17

RCM 104 Spitzharfe (Double Psaltery)

North German, first quarter of 18th century

Inscriptions

Spurious, scratched on underside: Davido Rizzio /1566

Brief Description

Large and elaborate Spitzharfe, or double psaltery, a tall,

harp-shaped box, tapering in width and depth, with two

soundboards

Dimensions

height overall without feet (currently

detached) and finial (missing): 1571

depth, soundboard to soundboard: at base 104, at

finial 66

width, including mouldings at base: 485

width at cheek⁄bentside corner: 463

width of capital: 137

Description

Played vertically with the short treble side towards the

player, the bass strings on the left and the treble strings on

the right; this is the orientation used in describing the

instrument’s layout. The scaling for the LH strings is for

brass and for the RH strings is for iron. The instrument

formerly stood on two carved feet, probably not original,

of ?lime stained black (they can be seen attached to the

instrument in James 1930, pl.VI); it was surmounted by

a carved finial, now missing. The rim and the two

soundboards form a simple box construction. The

soundboard edges are covered with partially gilded ogee

mouldings framing the sides, which are decorated with

gilded strap-work on a green ground. Larger gilded ogee

mouldings form a plinth at the base and a capital at the

top. The LH soundboard has one soundhole and the RH

soundboard two; all contain terraced roses of pierced and

gilded leather, paper and card. Both soundboards, of

quartered ?spruce, are decorated with flowers in gouache

laid straight on the wood; sides are of similar wood.

Above the LH soundhole is King David as harpist.

Over the proximal RH soundhole is a bird on a flowering

tree stump, and above the distal soundhole a woman

playing a lute (see pp.18, 20, 21). Under the figures are

painted brackets of scrolling acanthus surrounding the

soundholes. A total of seven combination bridges/

hitchrails and two nuts, of ebonised ?beech, are glued to

the soundboards; they are of triangular section and similar

to harpsichord bridges in the Flemish tradition. All the

wrestpins are angled steeply away from the nuts, by c.15°.

The complex stringing is arranged as follows:

LH soundboard (bass strings)

Compass: C, D, E to g2, a2, b2, c3, d3, e3 (i.e. without

C♯, D♯, g♯2, a♯2, c♯3, d♯3). All strings share the same nut and

the compass is thirty diatonic notes with sixteen

accidentals. Starting from the lowest note, eleven octave

strings go to the shortest, distal bridge, to which they are

also hitched.

From C to g the 8� strings use the central bridge as both

bridge and hitchrail (except the lowest string which is

hitched above the capital at the top). From a to e3 the 8�

strings pass over the central bridge to be hitched on the

far side of the proximal bridge, allowing their after-lengths

to vibrate sympathetically; the after-lengths are roughly

equal to the speaking-lengths and could also have been

plucked. For the diatonic notes there are two strings to a

note from C to F, three from g to g2, and two from a2 to

d3; e3 is single-strung. Sixteen chromatic notes, from F♯ to

f♯ 2, are single strings. These rest in saw-cuts at the nut so

that they are c.2mm behind the plane of the diatonic

strings, and their length is defined by passing over

individual iron staples. Instead of conventional nut pins,

the diatonic strings pass through slots filed in small

rectangular iron inserts in the nut, one for each course,

raising the strings clear of the wood. The same principle

is applied in a different way at the central bridge, where

the iron bridge pins have slots filed in their sides to hold

the strings about a millimetre above the wood (this applies

only to the strings which are hitched to the proximal

bridge and have tuned after-lengths). The lowest seven

pins of both 8�s are larger and drilled. The earlier

surviving strings and relative scaling show that this side

was strung in brass.

Heights of nuts: in bass 25mm, in treble 22mm; heights of

bridges, proximal to distal: bass 18, 21, 15.5mm; treble

17.1, 17.5, 12.8mm

String lengths: longest 8� string (and after-length where

applicable)

1430½ C 601 (601) c1 242 (241) f 2

1236½ F 462 (462) f 1 162 (164) c3

993 c 320½ (321½) c2 130 (130) e3

816 f

4� strings: c 967, f 759, c1 525, f 1 387mm

18

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of

LH soundboard showing painting of King David

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 18

19

Spitzharfe (double psaltery), North German, RCM 104:

LH soundboard, bass strings

Spitzharfe (double psaltery), North German, RCM 104:

RH soundboard, treble strings; see also colour plate, p.1

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 19

Gauge numbers (in black ink on the underside from bass

to treble):

8� 00000001122334445555555666{- - - -}

4� 1{-}22334455

RH soundboard (treble strings)

Two separate systems of strings share the same nut, and

the compass and tuning of the stringing is less clear on this

side. A conjectural compass of the proximal system could

be g to b2, seventeen diatonic notes, with two strings for

g1, three strings to a note from a1 to g2, two for

a2, and one for b2. Except for b2, these strings too have

notes. Curiously, the wrestpin layout and thus the

direction of winding on this side is the reverse of the usual

arrangement: the pins have to be turned counter-

clockwise to sharpen a note. This results in the direction

of turn being towards the player on both sides of the

instrument.

Heights of nuts: in bass 24mm, in treble 20mm; heights of

bridges, proximal to distal: bass 20, 22.8, 15.2, 18.5mm;

treble 16.4, 20, 12.4, 14.5mm

String lengths:

8� strings

1400 C 816 f 345 c2

1262 F 606 c1 265 f 2

1012 c 470 f 1 226 a2

4� strings (with after-lengths where applicable)

1106 c 452 (452) f 1 187 (187) c3

872 f 324 (325) c2 141 (140) f 3

595 c1 259 (257) f 2 102½ (100) b3

Gauge numbers:

proximal system, treble to bass

{-}999888777766554

distal system, treble to bass

999998888877777776666555{-}44

8888877777{?}6666555555433{- - -}

20

notched nut-plates instead of pins. There is an extra single

string between each of these courses, again in saw-cuts,

but the highest three are without staples. All these strings

are hitched to the proximal bridge.

String lengths: g 789, g1 386, g2 216, b2 187mm

The distal set is the most complex with three

bridges/hitchrails, probably arranged as one 8� and 2× 4�,

consisting of 28 diatonic notes, conjecturally C to g2, a2,

b2, with three strings to a note, except b3, which has two.

The 8� strings go to the bridge furthest from the nut and

are hitched to it. The 4� bass notes, C to c, go to the

shortest bridge of the system and are hitched to it: the

remaining 4� strings use this bridge but are hitched to the

central bridge, and their speaking lengths, as with the left-

hand soundboard arrangement, equal the after-lengths.

There are again single strings between all the diatonic

courses in saw-cuts, but there are only staples for the true

chromatic notes. However, a later modification on both

nut and bridges makes the original intentions of the

builder very hard to analyse in relation to the chromatic

Early, possibly original, strings on the RH side are wound

counter-clockwise onto wrestpins.

String gauges:

Proximal system: a 0.36, b 0.36, c1 0.33, d1 0.33, f 1 0.29,

g1 0.29mm

Distal system, 8� strings: B 0.41, g 0.33, a 0.33, b 0.33, e1

0.30, f 1 0.30, g1 0.30, a1 0.30, b1 0.30mm

Distal system, 4� strings: f 0.26, g1 0.26, a1 0.26, b1 0.26,

g2 0.23, a2 0.21, b2 0.21mm

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of RH soundboard

showing painting of a bird

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of underside

showing gauge numbers

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 20

Commentary

This is the most complex surviving Spitzharfe. It would

have been placed on a table though smaller examples

were held on the player’s lap. The soundboard painting is

north German in style, as are the paintings seated over the

soundholes rather than surrounding them, and the use of

a green and gold Brokatpapier on the collars of the roses.

The missing finial had to be detachable to gain access to

the lowest bass hitchpin. Lines are scribed along the bases

of the bridges, probably to check any flow of the ebonising

varnish when it was applied.

The placing of additional strings between those for the

diatonic semitones, as well as between those for the tones,

has parallels in triple harps, including the Welsh (see

RCM 295). These may have been additional sympathetic

strings or tuned in unison with one of the adjacent

diatonic strings to facilitate rapid repetition.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894

References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXIX

James 1930, p.87 & pl.VI

Grove 1984, v.2 p.74 ill

Wells 1984, p.14

21

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of RH soundboard

showing painting of a woman playing a lute

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of a rose showing

Brokatpapier on the collar

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of nut and wrestpins

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: detail of gilded strap-work

on the side

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 104: one of the carved feet

formerly attached

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 21

RCM 118 Spitzharfe (Double Psaltery)

North German, first quarter of 18th century

Inscriptions

Illegible remains of monogram on shield finial

Two paper labels on RH soundboard below soundhole,

only partly legible and torn:

Venetian Harp Cinque cent{. . .} / {. . .} Salaman [dealer’s

label]

Venetian {. . .} / 16th century [inventory label]

Brief Description

Spitzharfe, double psaltery in the form of a harp-shaped

box, tapering in width and depth, with two soundboards

Dimensions

height overall: 1144

depth, soundboard to soundboard: at base 69, below

finial 46

width, including mouldings at base: 305

width at cheek⁄bentside corner: 291

Description

On four carved and gilded paw feet, two of which survive.

Layout as RCM 104; the scaling for the LH (bass) strings

is for brass and for the RH (treble) strings for iron.

Sides and soundboard decorated with floral chinoiserie

in gold; edge mouldings gessoed and gilded; bridges

ebonised. Later dark brown varnish. Capital at top of

instrument carries a gessoed and gilded lion finial

supporting a shield. Each soundboard has a single

soundhole which originally had an inserted paper or

leather rose, now missing. Transverse soundboard ribs act

as braces across the soundbox and are cut out where they

pass under the bridges; the bridges combine the function

of bridge and hitchrail.

Chromatic strings lie in saw-cuts in nut and bridge,

c.2mm behind the level of the diatonic strings; there are

also saw-cuts for extra strings between some of the

diatonic semitones.

LH soundboard (bass strings)

Twenty-seven diatonic notes: a conjectural compass

would be G to f 2 with chromatic notes from c♯ to a♯1, and

octave strings for notes G, A, B and c. (Strings G, B, and

A were hitched to the sides of the finial but their bridge is

missing.)

Height of nut: bass 20mm, treble 19mm; heights of

bridges: 4� bridge 11mm, main bridge, bass 18mm,

treble 16mm

String lengths:

8� strings 4� strings

829 c 369 f 1 609 g

680 f 256 c2 572 a

484 c1 197 f 2 533 b

492 c1

Saw-cut positions for chromatic and extra strings marked

with an underscore (the saw-cut between eleven and

twelve not used). Twenty-one wrestpins for diatonic

strings, twelve for accidentals and four for 4� strings.

RH soundboard (treble strings)

Twenty-seven diatonic notes of which the top note is

single-strung; the highest nineteen notes have tuned

matching afterlengths going to the outer bridge. A

conjectural compass could be f to d3 with chromatic notes

(single strings) from c♯1 to f♯3.

Height of nut: 16mm; heights of bridges: proximal, bass

17.3mm, treble 15mm; distal, bass 16.6mm, treble

13.7mm

String lengths: longer strings (and afterlengths)

767 f 319 (317) c2 127 (131) f 3

621 c1 243 (243) f 2 84 (82) c3

460 f 1 170 (172) c3 75 (70) d3

There are 26 wrestpins in lowest row, 25 in central row

for diatonic strings and 18 in highest, irregular, row

nearest to nut, 16 of which are used for accidentals.

Commentary

Stringing and pinning very confused, especially on the

RH soundboard.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXIV

Wells 1984, p.14

22

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 22

2323

Spitzharfe, North German, RCM 118

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 23

24 24

RCM 124 Salterio

Michele Barbi, Venice, 1744

Inscriptions

Handwritten label on inside of back: Michael Barbi, Flor̃. /

Fecit V{…}ijs 1744

Brief description

Trapezoidal salterio with extension on the LH side for sub-

octave strings

Dimensions

: 985

: 341

: proximal side 680, distal side 368;

angle of front corners c.64º

: 129

: 65

: 52.5

: on main soundboard 68, on

extension, 51.5 and 28

Description

Black-stained frame of beech with ?spruce soundboard. Two

soundholes with pierced gilded paper roses; soundboard

framed with gessoed and gilded ogee mouldings.

LH extension of two posts tenoned into side of main

instrument with cross-piece forming a hitchrail for the

sub-octave strings; this frame encloses an additional quasi-

soundboard with two more gilded paper roses and further

gessoed and gilded edge-mouldings. There is a thin

backboard close behind it.

The surviving bridges, c.27mm high, are formed of

slotted strips of gessoed and gilded beech, of various

lengths, two sections for the RH set, and four for the LH

set. Brass wire provides a bearing for the strings; the nuts

at each end of the soundboard and on the extension are

also of brass wire, diameter 1.3mm. There are 24

quadruple-strung courses arranged to give a compass of

approximately thirty notes: a possible layout and tuning

could give g to d3 without g♯ and a♯. The twelve courses

on the RH bridges, give one pitch per course.

String lengths, bass to treble: (497), (473), 450, 427, 403,

381, 357, 334, 312, 286, 260, 240mm. The two lowest

courses may have had their own LH bridges, now missing.

One string of each of the lower ten courses is hitched to

the LH extension. These sub-octave string-lengths from

bass to treble are: (820), 803, 778, 753, 733, 705, 683, 655,

633, 611mm. The longest string may be a later addition.

The twelve strings on the LH bridges (two of which are

missing) are divided in a ratio of approximately 2:3 and

give two pitches per course. From bass to treble, string

lengths are: 225:334, 213:317, 205:304, 196:288,

185:274, 174:260, 165:245, 156:229, 145:215, 136:200,

125:185, 112:173mm.

Salterio, Michele Barbi, RCM 124

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 24

2525

Gauges of surviving strings (bass to treble):

1 - 0.45b 0.45b 0.52b

2 0.45b 0.45b 0.45b -

3 - - - 0.55b

4 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38

5 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.54b

6 0.38 0.38 0.38 -

7 0.36 0.36 0.36 0.54b

8 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38

9 - - - -

10 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38

11 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.53b

12 0.38 0.38 0.38 0.38

13 - 0.35 0.35 0.52b

14 0.33 0.33 0.33 -

15 0.33 0.33 0.33 0.52b

16 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29

17 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.54b

18 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29

19 - 0.29 - 0.46b

20 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29

21 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29

22 0.29 0.29 0.29 0.29

23 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.31

24 0.28 0.28 0.28 0.28

b = brass (remainder iron)

Diameter of undrilled iron wrestpins: 4.9mm.

Commentary

The instrument was raised on three carved and gilded feet

to tilt it towards the player. There seems to have been an

early failure in the joints of the extension to the main

instrument and iron reinforcing strips were added on the

underside; to fit these it was necessary to remove the left-

side foot, now missing.

It is difficult to see how plucking the strings would not

have displaced them, due to the almost non-existent

indentations on the bridges and nuts, so it is possible that

this instrument was played with beaters rather than

plucked (for information on other salterios see Kenyon de

Pascual 1997).

An associated tuning key of iron, with a hook for

making eyes in wire strings (see photograph), may have

belonged to the instrument originally though it could have

been made for a harpsichord.

Michele Barbi, originally from Florence (hence the

abbreviated form of ‘Florentinus’ in the inscription), made

virginals and salterios in Venice (Boalch 1995, p.11); the

texts of the labels in a salterio dated 1748 (Fryklund

collection, Musikmuseet, Stockholm) and another dated

1724 (Renato Meucci collection), made it possible to

decipher that in RCM 124 (formerly attributed

erroneously to ‘Barbitler’). The second of these

instruments was built in Rome in the year when the

Venetian composer Vivaldi was also there and wrote the

opera Il Giustino, the only work in his output that calls for

a salterio (personal communication from Renato Meucci).

Provenance


References

Vienna 1892, ill. p.67, pl.XVI, no.14

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVI

Colson ?1936, ill. p.265

Wells 1984, p.14

Toffolo 1987, p.220

Tuning key associated with Salterio, RCM 124

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 25

2626

RCM 208 Double Dulcimer

Jean-Nicolas Lambert, Paris, c.1750

Inscriptions

Stamped on inside front rim of both lids: J•LAMBERT /

A•PARIS

Brief Description

A double dulcimer (tympanon) consisting of a single

trapezoidal frame with a soundboard on each face

Dimensions

: proximal side 1046, distal side

473; angle of front corners c.50º

, , : 138

: 362

: soundboard to sound-

board c.50, including nuts 73.5

Description

Whichever dulcimer is played, the closed lid of the other

forms a base. The two dulcimers are dissimilar in size,

layout, stringing and decoration. The smaller instrument

had four strings to each of the 24 courses, later reduced to

21. The larger instrument had 24 courses of six strings

each, later reduced to 22 courses of four strings each. The

sides and the exteriors of the lids are coarsely grained in

reddish brown paint. The tops of the lids are edged, and

divided into two panels, with applied moulded strips; they

are hinged to the instrument with folded and riveted iron

flap-hinges, which share central plates on the instrument

and have removable pins. Each lid has a small turned foot

at each corner, the pair on the short side being a little taller.

Inside the lids, the inner rims are painted red, surrounding

a pale blue ground. On this are naïve paintings of trophies

of instruments surrounded by birds and flowers, within

floral borders. One lid-fastening hook of bent wire remains.

Smaller instrument

Soundboard of ?spruce; two soundholes, each holding a

rose of gilded wood terraced in three layers, with a

moulded edge overlapping the soundboard; the piercings

are plain holes. A later ornamental flower has been wired

to the lowest level of both roses, on a trembling stem of

helical spring; the flower head is of cut glass with petals of

metal foil; outside diameter of roses 83mm. A border,

possibly original, of scrolling leaves and floral corner

ornaments runs around the soundboard, and there is later

coloured découpage decoration depicting a shepherd and

various flowers.

The whole soundboard is covered with varnish,

probably dating from the application of the découpage.

Carved mouldings, gessoed and gilded, surround the

board. At each end, behind the mouldings, are sloping

ebonised areas forming the hitchplank and wrestplank.

The nuts of iron wire, diameter 2.3mm, lie in grooves in

the gilded moulding: the same wire is used on top of the

bridges. The wrestpins are notched at the top and are of

iron, diameter c.3.7mm.

Bridge heights: c.28mm; height of nuts above

soundboard: c.14mm; soundboard: long side 720mm,

short side 322mm; diameter of rose: outside 83mm.

Marks on the soundboard give an approximate

measurement of string lengths for the RH bridge: highest

note 320mm, lowest note 676mm. The LH bridge’s

division of its strings is very close to a 3:2 ratio in the bass

(465:315mm) but not in the treble (266:139mm).

Larger instrument

The roses in the two soundholes on this side have collars of

gilded wood, holding a simple design in pierced gilded leather.

This soundboard is painted in an opaque blue

distemper with gilded decoration of flowers, foliage, three

apes and two horn players. There is later découpage of

birds, insects and flowers; the surrounding plain ogee

moulding is gessoed and gilded.

The wrestplank and hitchplank areas have been much

reworked with many plugged wrestpin holes and an

added layer for the present set of hitchpins. There are no

bridge marks on this soundboard.

Bridge heights: LH 27mm, RH 22mm; height of nuts

above soundboard: 10mm. Soundboard: long side

803mm, short side 315mm. Rose diameter: outside

77mm, opening 61mm.

Commentary

The original positions of the bridges and to which

instrument they belonged are not clear. They are of two

different styles, with U-shaped string-clearance openings

in the ?LH bridges and elliptical openings in the ?RH

bridges; all are gessoed and gilded.

The exterior surfaces of the instrument were originally

ebonised and there are traces of at least three different

finishes; there appears to be no previous finish under the

inner lid paintings. A photograph given with the

instrument shows it on a stand, now lost, and with two

boxwood beaters with curved ends.

Jean-Nicolas Lambert (fl.1745) worked in Paris making

vielles à roue, mandolines, citterns, guitars, violins, cellos and

cornemuses; after his death in 1761, his widow continued

the business until 1789.

Provenance


References

Colson 1935, p.341 & ill., p.342

Spence 1966, p.38 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.14

Double dulcimer, J-N Lambert, RCM 208: detail of découpage

decoration on smaller instrument

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 26

2727

Double dulcimer, J-N Lambert, RCM 208: smaller instrument [above], larger instrument [below]; see also colour plate, p.2

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 27

28 28

RCM 308 Cimbalom

Venczel József Schunda, Budapest, c.1880

Inscriptions

Hungarian and German printed labels below soundholes

and glued to internal bracing:

In centre: SCHUNDA VENCZEL JOZSEF

Hungarian text on left: CS. ÉS KIR. SZAB. / UDVARI-

HANGSZAR-GYÁR / a magy. Kir. Operaház szállitója /

BUDAPEST / IV., Magyar-utcza 18. és 26. szám. /

Mindennemü / fuvó-, vonó-, ütö-hangszerek / és hangszerrészek.

German text on right: KAIS u. KÖN. PRIV. / HOF-

INSTRUMENTEN-FABRIK / SCHUNDA VENCZEL

JOSEF / Lieferant der Königl. Oper / BUDAPEST / IV.,

Ungargasse Nr18 und 26 / Alle Gattungen / Blas-, Streich-,

Schlaginstrumente / und Instrumenten-Bestandtheile

Embossed on the outside of the back of the instrument:

SCHUNDA V.J. BUDAPEST.

Brief description

Cimbalom, a Hungarian dulcimer with an almost

complete chromatic compass from D to e3, and with

pedal-operated dampers

Dimensions

: 1485

: 1080

, : 780

: at back 320, at front 275

: at back 270, at front 275

: c.80

: at back 880, at

front 810

STRING LENGTHS

851 D 751 e 457 f 1 268 f 2

850 E 738 f 444 f♯1 275 f♯2

835 F 734 f♯ 328 g1 236 g2

836 F♯ 717 g 434 g♯1 260 g♯ 2

820 G 705 g♯ 318 a1 275 a2

817 G♯ 688 a 418 a♯1 198 a♯ 2

806 A 671 a♯ 310 b1 219 b2

802 A♯ 655 b 304 c2 189 c3

786 B 494 c1 295 c♯2 182 c♯3

788 c 637 c♯1 303 d2 159 d3

770 c♯ 481 d1 300 d♯2 169 d♯3

768 d 624 d♯1 288 e2 162 e3

755 d♯ 467 e1

Description

Trapezoidal case with canted corners, on four slightly

splayed turned legs of stained beech. Walnut casework in

‘renaissance-revival’ style with moulded framed panels of

embossed floral ornament on the sides. Single pedal and

lyre. Lockable cover of softwood with veneered walnut

sides and ebonised top. Soundboard ebonised with four

soundholes, each of seven plain holes. Sloping hitchplank

(LH side) and wrestplank (RH side) veneered in ?ash.

Drilled wrestpins diameter 6.9mm. Both planks reinforced

with iron bolts passing through structure to bottom

boards; thirteen each end. Two damper-rails, pivoted on

plated iron arms each end, and raised by central lifter-

rods connected to the pedal.

Thirty-five courses of strings: nineteen quadruple-strung,

fifteen trichord, and one bichord. Five sets of individual

turned chessmen bridges (?hornbeam) linked by shared

bases and wire bearings. Bridges for B, c, a♯, and for g♯1/d2

stained black. Bridges c.38mm high, wire diameter 3.4mm

(nut wire diameter 5mm). Some of the treble strings have

individual nuts for adjusting string length.

LH proximal set of eight bridges, for notes: D, F, G, A,

B, c♯, d♯, f.

Central distal set of ten bridges, giving two pitches

each, notes: g1/c1, a1/d1, b1/e1, c2/f 1, c♯2/f♯1, d2/g♯1, e2/a♯1,

f 2/g2, f♯2/a2, g♯ 2/b2.

LH distal set of two bridges, for notes: a♯2* and c3*.

RH proximal set of eighteen bridges, for notes: E, F♯,

G♯, A♯, c, d, e, f♯, g, g♯, a, a♯, b, c♯1, d♯1, d♯2*, c♯3*.

RH distal set of three bridges, giving two pitches each,

for notes: d3, d♯2, e3.

(*The two courses giving a♯2, c3, c♯3, d♯3 are subdivided

using three small additional bridges and two piano-style

‘agrafes’ bolted through the soundboard to the framing

below.)

Commentary

The largest and most fully developed form of dulcimer,

invented by Venczel József Schunda (1845–1923) in the

1870s.

The museum also holds the accompanying photograph

of a cimbalom ensemble using another cimbalom by

Schunda.

Provenance

Gift of Tristram Fry, 1965

References

None located

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 28

2929

Cimbalom, Venczel József Schunda, RCM 308

Cimbalom Ensemble (see Commentary) RCM Museum of Instruments

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 29

3030

RCM 344 Epinette des Vosges

A Lambert, Val d’Ajol, c.1800

Inscriptions

Branded on soundboard: A. LAMBERT / A LA

FEUILLÉE

Brief Description

Epinette des Vosges, a box-zither with two stopped strings

and three drone strings of metal

Dimensions

: 485

: at tail 61.5, at nut 48.5

: at tail 30, at nut 23

: 378

Description

Front, back and sides of cherrywood. Two soundholes,

one heart-shaped, the other a quatrefoil; bridge and nut

of wire. Front and back overlap sides. Four small wire

nails protrude from underside to prevent movement of

instrument as it is played. Pegbox of beech; fourteen

diatonic wire frets of staple form. Distance of frets from

nut: 37, 75, 94, 124, 149, 164, 186, 206, 222, 233, 250,

263, 272, 284mm.

Commentary

These small zithers were played with a plectrum of quill

or whalebone; the melody strings were stopped with a

small wooden rod to play in unison, or with the thumb

and first two fingers together to play in thirds.

Provenance

Gift of Miss Eastman, 1973

References

Wells 1984, p.14

RCM 58 Epinette des Vosges

French, 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief Description

Epinette des Vosges, a box-zither with two stopped strings

and three drone strings

Dimensions

: 501

: at tail 70, at nut 55

: 21

: 382

Description

Front of ?cherrywood with two soundhole piercings, one

spade-shaped, the other a quatrefoil in a circle; bridge and

nut of wire. Back and sides of cherrywood; sides inlaid

with two ornamental strips of boxwood. Pegbox with

rudimentary scroll and pegs of ?hornbeam; fourteen

diatonic wire frets of staple form. Distance of frets from

nut: 31.5, 71, 92, 125, 153, 165, 188, 207, 225, 237, 255,

264, 272, 287.5mm.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXI

Wells 1984, p.14

Epinette des Vosges, RCM 344 [above]; Epinette des Vosges, RCM 58 [below]

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 30

3131

RCM 163 Zither

South German or Austrian, 19th century

Inscriptions

Initials on interior of side under fingerboard: M.D.

Brief description

Asymmetrical shallow box-zither with five stopped strings

and 25 open strings

Dimensions

: 502

: 308.5 (narrower part 194½)

: 31.5 excluding feet

: stopped strings 388; open strings: shortest

391, longest 440

Description

Soundbox of coniferous wood veneered in rosewood with

the underside ebonised, standing on three ball feet of

?ivory; 26 metal frets, seventeen over full width of finger-

board; nut also of fret wire. Three semi-tones omitted at

top end of fingerboard: f♯3, g♯

3, a♯

3; fret markers (studs of

mother-of-pearl) centrally positioned behind the fifth,

ninth and twelfth frets, and on bass side behind the sec-

ond, seventh and fourteenth frets. Stopped strings tuned

by guitar-style machine screws with ivory pegheads; nuts

for all strings formed by vertical pins. Open strings tuned

with oblong-headed wrestpins. The strings pass over a

wire to define their speaking length, and are hitched to an

ebonised comb, which also acts as a bridge, at the other

end of the soundbox. Diameter of soundhole: 80mm.

Commentary

Zither in ‘Salzburg’ form, the melody strings plucked with

a thumb plectrum and the accompaniment by the fingers.

Provenance

Unknown, given before 1952

References

Wells 1984, p.14

Zither, South German or Austrian, RCM 163

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 31

32 32

RCM 127 Streichmelodion

?Moravian, late 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Streichmelodion, a bowed zither with four metal strings, laid

on a table for playing

Dimensions

: 602

: 317

: upper bouts 206, middle bouts 112, lower bouts 264

: 29

: 366 (distance to octave fret 181)

Description

Outline with sloping shoulders; the corners form in-

turned points. Front two-piece, of fine to medium grain;

thin elongated f-shaped soundholes; single purfling front

and back; the front varnish golden, the back reddish. Back

of one piece of maple of moderate curl; three turned bone

acorn-shaped feet, one each side of upper bouts and one

at back of pegbox. Plain maple neck. Asymmetrical

pegbox with ebonised front face, the back carved as a

stylised leaf. Zither tuning pins. The orientation of strings

is the reverse of that on a violin, the treble strings lying

nearest to the player. Metal frets, thirty in all, stapled to

ebony fingerboard; inlaid fret markers of mother-of-pearl

discs at frets five, nine, twelve, and fifteen. Nut of fret

wire, with vertical metal guide-pins behind instead of

grooves in nut; bridge top also inlaid with fret wire.

Commentary

The Streichmelodion (originally called the Breitoline) was

invented by Leopold Breit in Brno in 1856; it was

preceded by Petzmayer’s Streichzither (1823). From 1900 its

successor the Schossgeige, in violin form, was adopted, as

well as Schossbratschen and Cellomelodions.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVII

Streichmelodion, ?Moravian, RCM 127

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 32

3333

RCM 213 Tambourin de Béarn

French, 1754

Inscriptions

On back, in red paint on a green ground: LE. I. AVRIL /

1.7.54.

Brief description

A mid 18th-century tambourin à cordes or stringed drum

with six gut strings

Dimensions

: 820

: at top 217, at bottom 120

: 75

: 698

: upper 25.5; lower 18.8

Description

Front of coniferous wood of very fine grain; two

leather/vellum roses, 98mm and 88mm in diameter, and

between them an irregular-looking coat-of-arms of which

the blazon appears to be: ‘Or, in dexter chief the sun in

splendour, in fess a spur sable, in base a lion reversed

demi-salient gules over a well, to sinister a lion rampant of

the third above a tower, the well and tower proper, the

shield surmounted by a coronet, the whole supported by

two maidens on a compartment of florid scroll-work’

(personal communication from Andrew Garrett).

Gilded floral designs on front and sides. Sides and back

of cherrywood. Front and back are each stiffened with

four transverse bars. The six strings are hitched to

?boxwood buttons at the tail, pass over an ebony saddle

to the bridges, and at the top over another saddle to the

boxwood pegs in the end of the top-block.

Commentary

An instrument of the courtly pastoral tradition imitating

the rustic stringed drum of the Béarnais region in

southern France; with its strings tuned to tonic and

dominant, it would have been played with the three-holed

galoubet. It has been suggested that the decoration might

indicate an association with a wedding (Gétreau 2005);

alternatively, the arms on the escutcheon might be of the

so-called canting variety, of a significance more obvious to

a francophone, involving one or more puns on le soleil, un

éperon, un puits, une tour and deux lions rouges. In view of the

specific, although possibly not original, date painted on

the instrument, the intention might have been to practise

on player or listener some sort of poisson d’avril. The coat

of arms could be later than the instrument.

At the upper (tuning-peg) end the bridge has a ledge

with a wire staple or agrafe for each string to increase the

down-bearing pressure. In front of the lower bridge there

are metal plates on the sides which may have held a single

metal rod across the strings to increase down-bearing.

This angle of down-bearing would have been extreme and

the plates look like later additions. If the rod were in place

the string length would be shortened to 667mm.

Provenance


References

Gétreau 2005a, pp.83–4 & ill.

Tambourin de Béarn, French, RCM 213

Tambourin de Béarn, French, RCM 213: detail of coat of arms

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:29 Page 33

3434

RCM 297 Aeolian Harp

English, c.1790

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Aeolian harp, a box-zither designed to be placed in the

opening below a sash window and sounded by a draught

of air passing over it

Dimensions

: 819

: 120

: 72

: max 50, min 26.6

: 559

Description

Rectangular soundbox, wedged-shaped in cross-section;

cover of coniferous wood, supported on end blocks to

allow the passage of air across the strings. Soundboard

and soundhole framed with red and black painted lines;

the whole instrument varnished. Two movable bridges of

simple triangular section; twelve gut strings. The cover is

not full length so that the wrestpins are accessible without

removing it. Height of bridges: 11.5mm; diameter of

soundhole: 39mm.

Commentary

The strings should be of a range of different diameters, so

as to favour different harmonics.

Provenance

Gift of Mrs E P Alexander (née Wilson), before 1964

References

Wells 1984, p.14

RCM 364 Aeolian Harp

William Rolfe, London, c.1800

Inscriptions

In ink on cover: William Rolfe’s New Invented Eolian Harp /

No 112 Cheapside

Brief description

Twelve-stringed Aeolian harp for use below a sash

window

Dimensions

: 810

: 122

: 77.7

: max 53, min 26

: 656

Description

Rectangular soundbox of maple varnished pale gold, of

wedge-shaped cross-section; edges and soundhole framed

with painted black lines. Two movable black-stained

bridges cut out underneath. Cover 779mm long of yellow

pine on maple end blocks, with four iron pins that locate

in holes in soundboard. In fitted and lined mahogany box

with edging of boxwood lines.

Provenance

Bequeathed by Vincent Desborough before 1977

References

None located

Aeolian harp, English, RCM 297 [above]; Aeolian harp, William Rolfe, RCM 364 [below]

50731-017-034 3/4/07 14:30 Page 34

H

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 35

RCM 260 Small Harp

Welsh, early 19th century

Inscriptions

Old paper label on RH stave nearest soundboard, hand-

written: Antique Welsh Hp/XVII century

Brief description

Small Welsh harp with twenty strings

Dimensions

: 1051

: 615



: from staple to centre of wrestpin

1 (833) 8 418 15 186

2 781 9 371 16 166

3 716 10 329 17 149

4 649 11 289 18 133

5 584 12 257 19 119

6 525 13 231 20 106

7 470 14 206

Description

Twenty peg holes in soundboard; one plugged tuning-

pin hole in neck for longest string. Shallow front of slab-

cut coniferous wood with grain running lengthways;

transversely arched; flat lengthways. Staple above each

bridge-pin hole. Six soundholes in three pairs, slightly bev-

elled above and below. Straight-sided back of five ?beech

staves with wider central stave. Ogee mouldings applied

to top and bottom edges of back and around edges of

soundbox; bottom edge of soundbox covered with larger

ogee mouldings with traces of gilding; bottom end of

soundbox closed. Turned and fluted top-block with

traces of gilding. Neck tenoned to it and pegged with a

nail through the tenon; small fluted scroll crest on treble

section of neck; bass end of neck tenoned into pillar.

Straight pillar with fluted scroll finial and stopped ogee

mouldings on inside edges. Both scrolls have traces of

gilding. Old, possibly original, tapered iron reinforce-

ment strip nailed to underside of neck from treble end

to note 15 to strengthen area of short grain. Strings

attached to RH side of neck; square-headed wrestpins.

Brownish-black paint over a red finish which is exposed

in many places.

Commentary

The harp was originally painted red with gilding of

mouldings, scrolls and fluting; it was probably made as a

toy imitating the form of a full-size Welsh harp. It is

strung in brass wire at present, all of the same gauge.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, according to A H Frere’s

1926 list; if so, it must have been given after 1899.

According to Ann Griffiths (personal communication), it

may have been John Thomas’s first harp, acquired by his

father c.1833–4 in Newton Nottage, Porthcawl, from the

widow of Thomas Evans (1728–1819), the harpist and

composer of ‘Y Ferch o’r Scer’ (‘The Maid of Scer’). See

also Harp RCM 295.

References

?Griffith 1896, p.149


Rimmer 1965, pp.96–102 & ill.

Baines 1966, p.65 & ill.

Grove 1984, v.2 p.140

Wells 1984, p.14

36

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 36

37

Small harp, Welsh, RCM 260

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 37

RCM 295 Welsh Triple Harp

Bassett Jones, Cardiff, 1838

Inscriptions

Engraved on brass plate on neck: Rif 4 Cymreigyddion y Fenni/

I JOHN THOMAS yn Unarddeg Oed/Am Ragori ar y Delyn./

HYDREF 1838/Bassett Jones/Gwneuthurwr/Caerdydd/Rif 115

[No. 4. Abergavenny Welsh Gathering. To John Thomas,

aged eleven, for excellence on the harp. October 1838.

Bassett Jones, maker, Cardiff. No. 115.]

Brief description

Welsh triple harp, designed to be played on the right

shoulder

Dimensions

: 2035

: 1895

: 1150

: 1055



: (the row of longer diatonic strings: see

Description)

1 1535 B1 14 821 a 26 337 f 2

2 1506 C 15 766 b 27 315 g2

3 1475 D 16 792 c1 28 292 a2

4 1435 E 17 660 d1 29 272 b2

5 1388 F 18 612 e1 30 255 c3

6 1331 G 19 565 f 1 31 240 d3

7 1274 A 20 523 g1 32 225 e3

8 1207 B 21 485 a1 33 214 f 3

9 1141 c 22 451 b1 34 202 g3

10 1074 d 23 420 c2 35 192 a3

11 1007 e 24 390 d2 36 175 b3

12 943 f 25 364 e2 37 154 c4

13 882 g

Description

Three rows of strings: two outer diatonic rows, one of 37

strings, the other of 30 beginning at B, and a central chro-

matic row of 32, beginning at F♯. There are eight plugged

unused holes on the bridge-strip at the lower end of the

shorter diatonic row.

Soundboard cross-grained, framed with thin painted

black lines: bridge-strip and edges moulded and gilded.

Back of nine staves. Neck and pillar of ?beech, also with

thin black outlining.

Pillar with carved and gilded volutes and acanthus at

top and bottom. Carved and gilded acorns and oak leaves

along top of neck and across lower end of soundboard.

Soundbox has turned and scalloped top-block forming

junction to neck. Semi-opaque reddish varnish.

Commentary

This harp is unusual in having been designed to be played

on the right shoulder. Bassett Jones worked in Smith

Street, Cardiff.

The triple harp originated in Italy in the late 16th cen-

tury; although superseded elsewhere by the pedal harp at

the end of the 18th century, it survived in Wales, thereby

also preserving elements of baroque harp performance

practice. The outer rows of strings were tuned as unisons,

which enabled very rapid playing of repeated notes.

38

Provenance

Gift of General Sir Gwilym Ivor Thomas, 1957; the harp

was won by his father, John Thomas (1826–1913), harpist

and composer, at the age of twelve (not eleven as stated

in the inscription). After studying at the Royal Academy

of Music, where he had to change to the pedal harp, he

was appointed professor there and at the RCM, also

Harpist to Queen Victoria, then to King Edward VII.

Besides performing for some sixty years in London (for

example at the Royal Italian Opera), and making suc-

cessful concert tours abroad 1852–62 (impressing Berlioz),

he published arrangements and his own compositions

and promoted Welsh music (see Oxford DNB 2004; also

Rensch 1989, pp.208–10). His son also presented a

marble bust of John Thomas, by William Davies, 1863,

his harp platform and stool (now lost), manuscripts of his

compositions and photographs. See also Harp RCM 260.

References

Griffith 1896, p.149


Rensch 1969, pl.33b

Wells 1984, p.14

Rensch 1989, pp.134, 208

Droysen-Reber 1999, pp.34, 304

Oxford DNB 2004, v.54, p.350

John Thomas (1826–1913), harpist and composer (Bergamasco,

St. Petersburg). © Royal Society of Musicians

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 38

39

Welsh triple harp, Bassett Jones, RCM 295: with detail of the interior of the sound box; see also colour plate, p.5

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 39

40

RCM 114 Pedal Harp

Georges Cousineau, Paris, c.1775

Inscriptions

Brand at top end of front: COUSINEAU

Brief description

Single-action pedal harp with 34 strings and crochet (hook)

action

Dimensions

: 1662, without feet 1625

: 1150

: 810



, : 242

:

1 1402 12 932 23 402

2 1368 13 879 24 370

3 1330 14 820 25 342

4 1295 15 757 26 314

5 1253 16 696 27 290

6 1214 17 636 28 264

7 1172 18 589 29 240

8 1125 19 545 30 216

9 1080 20 505 31 192

10 1034 21 468 32 168

11 982 22 434 33 150

34 128

Description

Grain of soundboard laid crossways; gilded bridge-strip

with staples to define speaking length of strings. Four

soundholes, each consisting of six holes around a central

hole. Soundboard decorated with painted birds, insects

and flowers; scalloped gilded band-edging, also along

bridge-strip. Back of seven staves of maple of fine curl;

bottom of soundbox closed. Neck and action-cover of

ebonised limewood. Acanthus volute crested and embell-

ished with flowers and garlands, both carved and compo-

sition, finished with gold and silver leaf, and bronze

powders. Gilded pillar entwined with carved flowers,

painted and gilded. Four later gilded claw feet. Seven iron

folding pedals, operating 29 crochets. Drilled tuning-pins

with tapered square heads and shoulders. Nuts formed of

iron pins narrowed to locate strings, and with decorative

cut-glass heads; some are replacements. Crochets mounted

on threaded rods for height adjustment. Secondary nuts

formed of individual notched iron inserts lie below the

crochets. Tuned in E♭; no action fitted for the two highest

and three lowest strings.

Commentary

This harp by Georges Cousineau (1733–1800) has one of

the earliest French harp mechanisms, of the type devel-

oped by Jean-Henri Naderman (1734–99); the hooks pull

the strings inwards against the secondary nuts. Cousineau

père was later joined by his son Jacques-Georges

(1760–1836). Besides making improvements to the mech-

anism of the harp (see RCM 199), the Cousineaus sold

other instruments and published harp music and tutors.

These included the Méthode de Harpe… by Cousineau fils,

who was also a teacher, composer and harpist, perform-

ing at the Paris Opéra; in 1805 he became Luthier and

then Maître de Harpe to the Empress Josephine (see

Droysen-Reber 1999, p.298).

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXI

Wells 1984, p.14

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 114: detail of volute

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 114: detail with action cover

removed

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 40

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 114; see also colour plate, p.3

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 114: detail of crochets

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 114: detail of lower end

41

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 41

RCM 199 Pedal Harp

Georges and Jacques-Georges Cousineau,

Paris, c.1785

Inscriptions

Handwritten on ribbon painted on signboard:

COUSINEAU PERE ET FILS LUTHIERS DE LA REINE

Handwritten at top of soundbox inside action housing:

No10

Engraved on pierced brass bearing-plate of action:

COUSINEAU PERE ET FILS A PARIS

Brief description

Single-action pedal harp with 35 strings and Cousineau’s

béquille (crutch) action

Dimensions


: 1087

: 917



: front to back 343, width 445

:

1 1418 13 926 25 360

2 1390 14 868 26 330

3 1354 15 803 27 301

4 1318 16 740 28 277

5 1284 17 675 29 248

6 1244 18 623 30 228

7 1203 19 575 31 205

8 1161 20 530 32 182

9 1120 21 492 33 161

10 1076 22 454 34 138

11 1030 23 421 35 115

12 982 24 388

Description

Soundboard cross-grained; no soundholes; edges and

bridge-strip bordered with chequered banding of mother-

of-pearl and ebony. The soundboard is decorated with

three oil paintings below the inscription: at the top, a

coastal scene with strand, two boats and figures; in the

middle an Arcadian landscape with two figures; and at the

bottom a tower, bridge, mill and stream with a fore-

ground figure. Back of nine staves of figured maple,

ebonised. Mechanism to operate the béquilles is under-

glazed and gilded cover on neck. Edges of neck and pillar

decorated with guilloche ornament. Acanthus volute with

pendants from centres; further acanthus decoration at

base of pillar and on top of pedal-box; ornament both

carved and composition. Neck, pillar and pedal-box

gessoed and gilded. Seven folding pedals of iron. Closed

bottom to soundbox; four original iron feet, with traces of

gilding.

Tuning-pins with square tapered heads with traces of

gilding. Adjustable nuts in the form of iron studs mounted

on brass plates, sliding against fixed plates, and moved by

a threaded rod; the rods have squared heads for adjust-

ment by a watch-key.

The béquille action, instead of pulling the string down

onto a second nut or fret to raise the pitch a semitone,

pinches the string laterally between two levers rotating in

opposite directions. This principle was to be improved

and simplified by Erard with his rotating fourchette discs,

where two tines pinch the string, using one moving part,

The ‘bell-cranks’, transmitting the pull of the pedals to the

axles of the béquilles, share a common axle at the pillar end

of the neck, and the connecting rods for each set of

béquilles are returned by a spiral spring at the soundbox

end of the neck. The seven springs are tensioned by ratch-

ets. Tuned in E♭; there is no action for the top two strings.

Commentary

There is a set of plugged tuning-pin holes in the neck, and

the brass plate carrying the adjustable nuts does not fit

into the layout and style of the neck with the same ele-

gance as the rest of the design. Originally the harp prob-

ably had simpler nut pins, fixed directly into the neck.

The ebonising of the back may also date from this modi-

fication; the black varnish is laid onto figured maple, and

there is no other ebonising on the instrument.

Cousineau’s béquille mechanism was an improvement

upon the earlier crochet system, holding the string more

firmly, so the difference in timbre between the open and

‘stopped’ strings was reduced.

This fine harp is one of a small number that were

decorated with scenes rather than floral motifs and orna-

ment. The paintings reflect the predilection amongst

French artists of the period for working after earlier

Flemish styles. See also Harp RCM 114.

Provenance


References


Rensch 1969, pl.33b

Wells 1984, pp.13–14 & ill.

42

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 199: detail with part of action

cover removed

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 42

43

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 199; see also colour plate, p.4

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 199: detail of volute and

béquilles

Pedal harp, Cousineau, RCM 199: detail of soundboard

painting, upper section

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 43

44

Commentary

Sebastian Erard (1752–1831), one of the most important

inventors in musical history, transformed both the early

piano and the pedal harp. His single action, patented in

1794 with other radical improvements in construction,

introduced a rotating fourchette to pinch and raise the pitch

by a semitone. This was the basis of all succeeding pedal

harp actions, to be followed by the addition of a second

row of fourchettes to raise the pitch a further semitone in his

double action (1810). These developments were described

and illustrated by his nephew and successor, Pierre Erard,

in The Harp in its Present Improved State Compared with the

Original Pedal Harp (1821), a copy of which is in the RCM

Library.

The Museum also holds the Harp Stock-books of the

London firm of Erard, which were purchased with the aid

of generous grants and individual donations in 1994. The

Stock-books cover the sales of 6,862 harps from

c.1798–1917. The earliest entries are brief and that for

no.333 simply records the purchaser’s name, though the

harp can be dated to 1800 from other entries: no.357 was

bought by The Princess of Wales in November 1800. A

note added to the entry for no.333, ‘Now Mrs

Maitland’,

is likely to refer to a subsequent owner of the harp rather

than to a change of name for Mme de Ronssecy, judging

from notes in other entries. Later entries are more detailed

and provide a wealth of information on the development of

successive models and on their distinguished purchasers

worldwide (Wells 1994, pp.17–19).

Provenance

Presented by Lady Anne Rhys, 1949. According to the

Erard Stock-book entry, the harp was originally pur-

chased by ‘Mede Ronssecy’, who was one of the harpist

émigrés active in London in the 1790s as a teacher, also

publishing compositions for the harp c.1800. Mme de

Ronssecy bought several Erard harps, probably acting as

an agent for pupils, so may not have owned no.333. Sub-

sequent owners were Mrs Maitland; George Coats, 1st

Baron Glentanar (1849–1918); his daughter Charlotte,

The Honourable Mrs Lionel Walrond; her sister, Maud,

Duchess of Wellington (died 1946); and the Duchess’s

daughter, Lady Anne Rhys.

References

Wells 1984, p.14

Wells 1994, p.18

RCM 298 Pedal Harp

Sebastian Erard, London, 1800

Inscriptions

Engraved on action cover: Sebastian Erard’s PATENT No.

333./No18 Great Marlborough Street LONDON

Engraved on plaque on top of capital: This harp was made

about the year 1800./It was originally purchased by/Madame de

Konssecy [sic]/who afterwards became Mrs. Maitland. [sic]/It

was subsequently purchased by George Coats,/1ST BARON

GLENTANAR, & given to his daughter/The Honourable MRS

Lionel Walrond, in 1935./This lady gave it to her sister, Maud,

Duchess of Wellington.

Brief description

Single-action pedal harp with 42 strings and Erard’s

fourchette (fork) action

Dimensions


: 1205

: 1016




:

1 1508 15 875 29 292

2 1472 16 812 30 268

3 1437 17 754 31 247

4 1404 18 690 32 228

5 1368 19 632 33 207

6 1328 20 583 34 190

7 1292 21 537 35 172

8 1250 22 497 36 156

9 1208 23 461 37 140

10 1159 24 428 38 124

11 1107 25 397 39 112

12 1055 26 367 40 101

13 995 27 342 41 88

14 935 28 314 42 79

Description

Soundboard cross-grained, decorated with painted flow-

ers, urns and trophies, in neo-classical style; edges and

bridge-strip gilded. Back of semicircular section ebonised,

with five hinged swell shutters. Pillar ebonised with fluting

gilded. Capital with three ram’s heads linked by garlands,

with swags above, gilded. Neck ebonised, with gilded edge

mouldings. Action consists of 39 fourchettes operated by

seven pedals; the eighth pedal controls the swell shutters

in the back. Sliding adjustable nuts fixed by two set-screws

each. Tuned in E♭; the top three notes have no action and

fixed nuts. Square-topped tuning-pins, with shoulders; the

end of each string held in a slot instead of a drilled hole.

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 44

45

Pedal harp, Erard, RCM 298; see also colour plate, p.5

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 45

46

Harp Stock-books of the London firm of Erard, RCM 497: entries for harps 1017–1025, of which the last two were sold to an agent

in Calcutta RCM Museum of Instruments

Sebastian Erard (1752–1831)

Engraving by Charles Achille d’Hardiviller (1830)

RCM Centre for Performance History

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 46

47

Provenance

No records found; given before 1964

References

None located

RCM 309 Pedal Harp

Jacob and James Erat, London, c.1830

Inscriptions

Engraved on brass cover plate: J. & J. ERAT. PATENT

HARP/Manufacturers./23 Berners StrtLondon. N

o1813 [with

the royal arms]

Brief description

Double-action pedal harp with 43 strings and Erard’s


Dimensions


: 1215

: 970




:

1 1472 16 804 30 245

2 1440 17 739 31 227

3 1406 18 668 32 208

4 1375 19 610 33 193

5 1341 20 555 34 176

6 1300 21 510 35 162

7 1252 22 469 36 150

8 1216 23 432 37 136

9 1200 24 408 38 125

10 1150 25 370 39 112

11 1094 26 345 40 105

12 1039 27 318 41 95

13 993 28 292 42 80

14 933 29 268 43 70

15 866

Description

Imitation of Erard’s Grecian double-action harp (patent

of 1810) in simulated satinwood, with neoclassical gilt

ornament, both carved and composition. Soundboard

diagonally laid and painted pale yellow with gilded

mouldings along sides. Fluted pillar with winged caryatids

on capital, their hands joined with wreaths, and winged

figures with lyres each side of pillar at base. Back of semi-

circular section with five swell shutters. Action consists of

two rows of 42 fourchettes; adjustable nuts with slots and

two set-screws each. Tuned in C♭; compass E♭1 to e♭4.

The top note has no mechanism or adjustable nut; the

lowest twelve notes have fixed nuts; the lowest eighteen

pairs of fourchette discs have exposed linkages on the outer

surface of the neck.

Commentary

The swell shutters have been removed. The eight lowest

nut pins are in a separate row indicating the use of wound

strings; there are nine as presently strung. Pedal harp, Erat, RCM 309

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 47

48

fourchettes, one row of 43, the other of 42; the top string has

no action and no adjustable nut; the string below has only

one fourchette disc operated by the first position of the

pedal. The adjustable nuts are on double-slotted brass

plates with two set-screws each. The lowest ten strings

have fixed nut pins. Tuning pins are square-headed, with-

out taper or shoulder, and drilled. Tuned in C♭; lowest

note E♭1.

Commentary

Stumpff’s imitation of Erard’s patent double action of

1810, with minor changes (see RCM 298). The lowest

eight strings are wound at present; originally, it would

appear, the lowest ten were wound. The inscriptions seem

to indicate purchase by Miss Grey in 1839 of a harp made

before the accession of Queen Victoria (in June 1837).

Johann Andreas Stumpff (1769–1846) was born in

Ruhla, Thuringia, where he trained under his father, a

piano maker (as did his brother Johann Georg, who con-

tinued the business); leaving home to travel, Johann

Andreas eventually emigrated in 1790 to London where

he established a harp and piano business. In 1812 he sold

his Henry Street premises to Broadwoods and moved to

Great Portland Street; the business ceased after his death.

He made frequent visits to the Continent, and became a

generous friend of Beethoven, Constanze Mozart and

Weber. As a poet, Stumpff was received into Goethe’s cir-

cle, and he also formed a significant collection, including

manuscripts of Mozart’s last ten string quartets and of

Beethoven; a highly respected figure in London, he

became the only German member of the Royal Institu-

tion in 1832. His correspondence shows that in 1827 a

double-action harp might cost £105 and that his trade

extended to St Petersburg and possibly India (Willetts

1977, pp.29–32). A letter from James Shudi Broadwood

shows that Stumpff ‘… long worked with Old Erard’

(Wainwright 1982, p.143).

Provenance

Gift of Dr Frederick Wood, 1978, with a maple-wood

box, RCM 373a, veneered in satinwood, 382mm long, to

hold strings and tuning key. Since the number (992) on it

does not match that on the harp, and there are only 36

slots for strings, it was probably associated originally with

a smaller and earlier single-action harp.

References

Wells 1984, p.14

RCM 373 Pedal Harp

Johann Andreas Stumpff, London, c.1837

Inscriptions

Engraved on brass cover plate on neck: PATENT HARP,

INVENTED BY / J. A. Stumpff. LONDON / No 44, Great

Portland St. Portland Place.

On LH side, below the royal arms: Maker, / TO HIS

MAJESTY THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN &c.

On underside of pedal box, handwritten in ink: JAS. / No:

1306; in pencil: Miss Grey, midsummer /1839

On edge of internal frame of soundbox visible through

swell shutter, handwritten in ink on paper label: 1306

Brief description

Double-action pedal harp with 44 strings and Erard’s


Dimensions


: 1229

: 1009




:

1 1461 16 799 31 235

2 1430 17 735 32 217

3 1398 18 675 33 198

4 1367 19 615 34 182

5 1334 20 592 35 165

6 1300 21 512 36 152

7 1264 22 472 37 140

8 1228 23 434 38 128

9 1186 24 405 39 117

10 1145 25 375 40 108

11 1094 26 347 41 98

12 1040 27 322 42 89

13 983 28 300 43 81

14 924 29 275 44 75

15 863 30 255

Description

Soundboard cross-grained, painted pale yellow with

bridge-strip and edges gilded. The rest of the instrument

painted to simulate satinwood and with gilded neoclassi-

cal ornament, both carved and in composition, in close

imitation of Erard’s Grecian harps. Back of semicircular

section built of laminations of limewood. Neck has gilded

lines and mouldings. The fluted pillar has a capital with

three winged caryatids, their hands linked with wreaths:

above them gryphons supporting lyres. Top of pedalbox

has a hippocampus each side of pillar; flowers and musi-

cal trophies on swell shutters. Action, controlled by seven

brass pedals with two positions, consists of two rows of

50731-035-052 5/4/07 17:33 Page 48

49

Pedal harp, Stumpff, RCM 373

Pedal harp, Stumpff, RCM 373: inscription and

fourchettes

Pedal harp, Stumpff, RCM 373: detail of hippocampus

on pedalbox

Pedal harp, Stumpff, RCM 373: inscription on under-

side of pedalbox

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:31 Page 49

50

John Egan’s advertisement for his Portable Irish Harp; see also

p.52 RCM Museum of Instruments

RCM 108 Portable Irish Harp

John Egan, Dublin, c.1829

Inscriptions

Engraved on brass action cover on LH side of neck:

J. Egan 30 Dawson St. Dublin / Harp Maker by Special Appoint-

ment to His Most Gracious Majesty George IVth/& the Royal

Family. / No1904 [with the royal arms]

Brief description

Small gut-strung harp with 33 strings, resembling in size

and outline the traditional wire-strung diatonic Irish harp

but with a dital-operated single action with Erard-style

fourchettes

Dimensions

: 904

: 858

: 546



:

1 833 12 566 23 256

2 821 13 534 24 240

3 806 14 504 25 221

4 787 15 470 26 206

5 765 16 440 27 191

6 746 17 407 28 176

7 714 18 375 29 155

8 685 19 345 30 146

9 655 20 321 31 131

10 630 21 298 32 114

11 598 22 275 33 94

Description

Four lowest strings wound. Grain of soundboard runs

crossways with only slight transverse arching. Button-

headed bridge-strip pegs except for the two lowest strings,

which are too close to the pillar so they have stopper knots

on underside of the soundboard. Soundbox of semicircu-

lar section, laminated of two skins of ?lime c.2mm thick;

one crescent-shaped transverse reinforcing bar; three

pairs of soundholes along centre of back. Lower end of

soundbox open. There is an extendable wooden leg, with

a brass cross-piece for foot, to take the weight of the

instrument when it is held on the player’s lap. Fastened to

the inner wall of the back, it slides under two iron staples

and can be fixed with a thumbscrew which protrudes

from the lower end of the back.

Seven ditals of ivory, engraved with note names,

protrude from a brass plate on the inner face of the

hollow pillar; the plate is slotted to latch the ditals

when depressed. Tuned in E♭; compass E♭ to b♭3. The

whole instrument is painted green over a paler green

undercoat and decorated with running foliage of sham-

rock between gold lines; bridge-strip and edges of sound-

board are gilded.

Commentary

John Egan invented his Portable Irish Harp in 1819 for

amateurs, adopting Erard’s single action combined with

ditals set in the curved pillar. The Museum also holds a

copy of Egan’s advertisement, which claims that his harp,

‘tho’ possessing all the general advantages of that instru-

ment [the pedal harp], is not One-third of its Price!’.

Three models at different prices were sold, the cheapest,

‘without the ivory Stops’, for £12. The inscription on

harp no.1920 (Belle Skinner collection) indicates that it

was made after the accession of William IV in 1830, so

RCM 108, no.1904, probably dates from c.1829.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXX

Armstrong 1908, p.145

Skinner 1933, p.116


Wells 1984, p.14

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:32 Page 50

51

Portable Irish Harp, Egan, RCM 108; see also colour plate, p.2

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:32 Page 51

52

John Egan’s advertisement for his Portable Irish Harp; see also p.50 RCM Museum of Instruments

50731-035-052 3/4/07 14:32 Page 52

L

C

M

N M

R L

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:34 Page 53

RCM 13 Lute

Adam Ulman, Venice, second half of 16th

century

Inscriptions

Printed label: Adam Ulman in Venetia

Handwritten on capping-strip: 13

Brief description

Renaissance lute, Venetian, much-altered and converted

to guitar stringing

Dimensions

: 898 (not including screw eye in tail)

: 516 (to original neck joint 487)

: 328

: 161

: 626

Description

Later front, bookmatched, with wide grain at sides; black

edging. Early rose, probably the original one associated

with the back, inserted in front; curvilinear foliate design

of trefoil leaves and tendrils; chip-carved integral collar;

eight small bars under rose which do not extend to front.

Only three main bars across front, which is fixed with two

treenails to top-block. Points of original fingerboard

(?rosewood) survive. Back of semi-circular transverse

section; eleven ribs, separated with black lines; ivory

capping-strip. Narrow parchment or vellum strips inside,

reinforcing rib joints. Later neck and pegbox covered in

re-used ebony and ivory ‘grotesque’ marquetry from

another source, featuring foliage, putti playing viol and

?shawm, deer and hounds; background of ivory, design in

ebony with incised lines whitened. Some pieces are from

the sides of a lute-style pegbox, other pieces from a

fingerboard of another instrument. The marquetry on the

back of the neck has been laid in eight irregular strips to

enable it to curve in two directions on the concave nar-

rowing of the neck. A blank oval plaque is inserted into the

lower end of the fingerboard marquetry. Seven metal frets.

The guitar bridge stands on a wide platform of

marquetry on a coniferous ground-work with traces of

paper between; the background of this marquetry is ebony

and the pattern and workmanship cruder and later. The

tie-bridge is drilled for five single stopped strings and two

off-fingerboard diapasons. The guitar-style pegbox has an

offset pegbox for the basses, box-like in construction to

raise the nut and covered in more scraps of marquetry.

Width of current fingerboard: at neck joint 85.6mm, at

nut 41.5mm; width of original fingerboard at neck:

c.104mm. Soundhole diameter: 108mm; centre from tail:

318mm.

Commentary

This may be the only surviving instrument by Adam

Ulman; unfortunately it has suffered at least two stages of

conversion to quasi-guitar states. The decoration applied

to the pegbox and neck could be from a German

instrument, possibly one by Hans Christoph Fleischer

(information from Friedemann Hellwig).

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.VIII

de la Condamine 1926, ill. p.46

Wells 1984, p.12

Toffolo 1987, pp.97 & 220

54

Lute, Adam Ulman, RCM 13: detail of label

Lute, Adam Ulman, RCM 13: detail of rose

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:34 Page 54

55

Lute, Adam Ulman, RCM 13: front, side and back

Lute, Adam Ulman, RCM 13: details of pegbox, front, back

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 55

RCM 9 Lute

?Padua, c.1580, labelled Vendelinus

Tieffenbruker

Inscriptions

Spurious printed label: In Padua Vendelinus Tieffenbruker [see

Commentary]

Brief description

Renaissance lute altered to a bass mandolin

Dimensions

: 954, without hitchbuttons 947

: 491 to original neck joint; to current neck

joint at front 505

: 329

: 149

: 588½ (twice distance to octave fret 580)

Description

Altered first to seven double courses with seven ivory

hitchbuttons in tail, but current nut and bridge are

notched for six double courses. Two-piece later front,

medium grain, very thick. Layered paper rose with

terraces of diminishing height; the layers have gothic

piercings, the walls plain holes. Bevelled edge to

soundhole; collar of alternate light and dark triangles of

pale wood and black mastic. Black edging to front; narrow

loose bridge. Later inlaid plectrum-guard. Back of eleven

ribs of alternate ebony and ivory with very fine black and

white lines between; semi-elliptical in transverse section;

joints lined with parchment with initial letters in red and

blue. Shallow capping-strip of ebony, cut down when

front was bent back in mandolin style. Remains of points

of earlier fingerboard at top of front (width 101mm).

Guitar-style peghead; posterior pegs of rosewood with

ivory buttons. Later neck of ?beech ebonised, inlaid with

ebony and ivory lines. Later ebony fingerboard edged

with ?kingwood; eight frets in sawcuts, eight more glued

to front; ivory nut notched for six pairs of strings.

Width of original neck at joint: 101mm. Width of later

fingerboard at joint: 65.2mm, at nut 54.8mm. Soundhole

diameter: 82.7mm; centre from tail 300mm. Bend in front

to tail: 135mm. Mark of a fixed bridge at approximately

100mm from tail.

Commentary

The back is from the late 16th century and could be by

Wendelin Tieffenbrucker (Vendelio Venere I), but the

label is spurious. Instruments from his workshop are

labelled: ‘IN PADOVA Vvendelio Venere / de Leonardo

Tiefembrucker.’ (see also Lute RCM 203, Commentary).

The front dates from the modification to the present

state; opened worm channels show where it was reworked

and the traces of a fixed bridge were partially removed.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.VI


Wells 1984, p.12

56

Lute, ?Padua, RCM 9: detail of spurious label

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 56

57

Lute, ?Padua, RCM 9

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 57

RCM 203 Lute (formerly ?Chitarrone)

Vendelio (Wendelin) Venere, Padua, 1600

Inscriptions

Printed label: 1600 {-.} [?]{T.} / IN PADOVA Vvendelio

Venere [date and initials handwritten (see Commentary)]

Engraved ivory plaque on pegbox: FROM / THE

COLLECTIONS / SUCCESSIVELY / OF / CARL ENGEL.

/ & / A.J.HIPKINS.

Brief description

Originally a Paduan chitarrone or lute, converted in the 18th

century as a theorbo and in the 19th century as a lute

Dimensions

: 1089

: 532

: 365

: 164

: 684

Description

Later two-piece front, book-matched, of fine to medium

grain. Shadow of earlier bridge position c.88.5mm from

tail; existing bridge 129.2mm from tail. Soundhole has

inserted rose cut from another, possibly the original, front;

pattern of interlocking circles with chip-carved border; six

small strengthening bars across rose. Bridge of maple

drilled for six pairs of strings and eight single bass strings.

Eight full-width transverse bars, three of which cross the

rose; one hooked bar on the bass side and three short fan

bars on the treble side in the bridge area. Front has line

of ebony edging.

Back of 31 yew ribs with heartwood/sapwood stripe

used decoratively to give the impression of twice as many

ribs; ribs slightly hollowed. Joints strengthened with

lengthways paper strips c.5.5mm wide cut from a printed

medical treatise; also four transverse parchment or vellum

strips, 5–9mm wide, with traces of MS and rubrics, and a

broader piece of same below inner liner at tail, probably

applied later to pull ribs together by contraction. In

addition there are later more random transverse strips of

plain parchment or vellum and small additional paper

patches. Inner liner at tail coniferous, maximum depth

30.5mm, maximum thickness c.5mm. Top-block in two

pieces; layer nearest neck coniferous, inner layer of

?willow; this layer goes over the paper strengthening

strips. Nail goes through both layers into neck. Remains

of edge linings on inside of front are of ?willow. Original

capping-strip of plain outline. Later pegbox and core of

neck ?maple. Neck veneered in ebony with bone edging.

Pegbox of figured maple, open-backed, with hook-shaped

finial. Transparent red stain on pegbox, of ?dragons-

blood; twenty rosewood pegs with ivory inserts.

Width of fingerboard: at nut 83.6mm, at joint

108.5mm. Diameter of rose insert 109mm, of rose

opening 91.1mm; centre of rose from tail: 344mm.

Commentary

The original neck and pegbox arrangements cannot be

deduced but the instrument was probably set up as a

theorbo with new front and neck in the 18th century. Next

to the rebate for the (missing) full-width nut there is a filled

recess for a shorter nut for the six stopped strings; the open

bass strings would have gone to a second pegbox. The

present open-backed and angled pegbox with twenty pegs

is 19th-century work, perhaps from the period when the

lute was owned and played by Carl Engel; the restorer

may have thought that overspun basses made a second

pegbox redundant. The bridge and most of the barring

also appear to date from this period, but the old bar

positions were retained. A Venere chitarrone dated 1611

survives in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

The label with its date of 1600 and initials is of interest:

it indicates the workshop of Vendelio Venere II

(Wendelin Eberle, 1576–1643), great nephew of Vendelio

Venere I (Wendelin Tieffenbrucker, son of Leonardo

Tieffenbrucker). Archival records show that Venere

(‘Venus’) was a nickname used by several members of the

family. Venere II’s father was Cristoforo Heberle (Eberle,

c.1546–before 1621); both of them may have used the cut-

off Venere label (excluding the second line, ‘de Leonardo

Tiefembrucker’) that is in RCM 203 and other lutes

dating from after 1591. Giorgio Venere (1590–1624)

possibly a younger brother of Venere II, is also

documented as a lute-maker in Padua (see Kiràly 1994,

pp.26–32; Grove 2001, v.25, p.465). The initials on the

label of RCM 203 are not clear but do not appear to be

W. E. (for Wendelin Eberle) as on some lutes with the cut-

off label, nor W.T. The top of the first initial, perhaps S,

J or G, is hidden under the end of a parchment strip; the

second initial might have been T, with a blurred full stop.

Both have been re-written or altered in darker ink,

probably by a restorer. See also Lute RCM 9.

Provenance

Gift of John and Edith Hipkins, 1911. This lute (like the

Kirkman harpsichord, RCM 180) was owned and played

by Carl Engel, who founded the instrument collection in

the South Kensington Museum (later to become the

Victoria and Albert Museum), and then by Alfred James

Hipkins (1826–1903), first honorary curator at the RCM.

References

Cowling 1913, p.114 & pl.VI

Grove 1927, v.3 p.254

Hipkins 1888, pl.XV, pp.29–30



Grove 1948, v.3 p.254

Grove 1954, v.5 p.438

Wells 1984, p.12

58

Lute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203: detail of initials on label

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 58

59

Lute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203:

front

Lute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203:

back

Lute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203: inside of backLute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203: underside of front

Lute, Vendelio Venere, RCM 203: detail of

inside of back, showing linings and label

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 59

RCM 26 Chitarrone

Magnus Tieffenbrucker (Magno

Dieffopruchar), Venice, 1608

Inscriptions

Printed label: 1608 / Magno dieffopruchar a Venetia [date

handwritten]

Brief description

Venetian chitarrone with six pairs of stopped strings and

eight open bass strings in upper pegbox

Dimensions

: 1958, without tail button 1950

: front 675, at back 706

: 398

: 187

: stopped strings 930, bass strings 1703

Description

Front two-piece, bookmatched, of fine to medium grain,

wider at edges; edged with single dark line rebated to half

depth of front; inlaid mother-of-pearl heart-and-dart at

tail. Three linked soundholes with angular, knot-pattern

roses cut from wood of front; collars chip-carved; seven

crossbars under upper rose, ten under lower roses. Black-

stained bridge tapering in height and width from bass to

treble, with conventional ears. Back of 51 ribs, possibly of

walnut. Capping-strip of seven strips separated by bone/

ivory lines; simple outline with single scallop each end.

Ebony fingerboard with single inlaid white line; points

at end of original fingerboard survive at top of front, with

inlaid line between. Ribs bordering front are of irregular

width. Ebony-veneered back of neck inlaid with twelve

compound lines of alternate white/black/white/black/

white pattern, formed of both bone and ivory, the wider

centre line of ivory. Three of the same compound lines

run up the back of the pegbox and spar but with the

centre line of bone. Back of pegbox and spar edged with

single line of bone; sides of pegbox and spar veneered with

compound lines. Three metal eyelets for neck strap in

back of pegbox. The upper pegbox curves forward having

the front outlined with a single inlaid white line and a

crescent moon of mother-of-pearl on the front face. Pegs

of ebony with bone or ivory collars and buttons.

Width of fingerboard: at body joint 99mm, at nut

74.3mm. Width of spar: at nut 66mm, at tip 25mm.

Stringband width at bridge: 152mm. Soundhole diameter:

lower 74.7mm, upper 58.9mm; centre point of lower

soundhole from tail: 379mm. Bridge from tail: 110mm.

Commentary

The maker may have used a back he had constructed

earlier, which had developed a twist; to produce a flat

plane to receive the front, some wood had to be removed

from the top end on the treble side and the lower end on

the bass side. This would explain the irregular depth of

the ribs next to the front.

The instrument has been lengthened; parts of the

veneer were removed from the main pegbox and spar and

extra length was scarfed onto the core of the spar. A full-

length extra layer was added to the back surface to

strengthen the joint. Veneer from the back of the old spar

was re-laid on this extra wood and extended with similar

but not identical decoration; the white in the compound

lines is of bone. At the base of the thickened spar, where

it formed the heel of the main pegbox, a new piece of

veneer with compound lines was necessary. The sides of

the original pegbox and spar are veneered in a reddish

wood, ?rosewood, the same as that of the surviving

fingerboard points, but all the additions to length and

thickness are veneered in ebony. The veneer on the front

face of the spar likewise changes from ?rosewood to ebony

near the point where the lengthening began. The change-

over point to new veneer on the back of the spar is higher

because it was possible to flatten and reuse the old veneer

which originally went around the curve of the upper

pegbox. The upper pegbox is probably a replacement

from this time and the junction of it with the decorative

lines on the side of the spar was awkwardly handled.

Several alterations have been made to the nut of the

upper pegbox. Before the lengthening, the instrument had

basses approximately 1450mm long with a main pegbox

with an open, or much thinner, back. The bridge is old

but almost certainly a replacement; the workmanship and

style do not match the instrument and there are signs of

several re-gluings. Fingerboard, pegs and bridge probably

date from the lengthening.

Concerning Magnus Tieffenbrucker III, fl.1589–1629,

and the Venetian Tieffenbruckers generally, see Ongaro

1991, pp.46–54. Chitarrones with similar labels survive in

the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna and Museo Civico

Bologna (1612); also, with identical roses, in the Musée de

la Musique, Paris (see Dugot 2006, pp.62–3).

Provenance


References

Technical drawing by Ian Harwood, 1974, revised 1977,

© RCM

Donaldson 1896, pl.XII

Niederheitmann 1894, p.87

Lütgendorff 1922, p.516

Galpin 1928, p.880

Galpin 1968, p.80, pl.XXXIII

Pohlmann 1971, p.376

Harwood 1975, p.17 & pl.V

Lowe 1976, pp. 13 & 23

Remnant 1978, p.32

Montagu 1979, p.18 & ill. p.19

Grove 1980, v.4, p.288 & ill.

Barber 1982, p.47

Rossi 1983, pp.64–5 & 106, pl.41

Grove 1984, v.1 p.359 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.12 & ill.

Van Edwards 1985, p.20 & ill. p.26

Rizzi 1986, p.26 & fn.28 p.29

Toffolo 1987, pp.94 & 220

Baines 1992, p.60

Grove 2001, v.5 p.701 & ill.

Dugot 2006, p.63

60

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 60

61

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, RCM 26; see also colour plates, p.6

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 61

62

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, RCM 26: front of body

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, RCM 26:

detail of roses


lower end of body Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, RCM 26:

detail of centre section of label

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 62

63

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, RCM 26: detail

of neck join to front, showing points of original fingerboard


join of neck to spar, back


detail of upper pegbox


X-rays of lower neck and body

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 63

RCM 10 Lute (formerly Chitarrone)

Domenico Sellas, Venice, mid 17th century

Inscriptions

On finial engraved on ivory: Domenico Sellas / alla Corona /

1635 / IN VENETIA [with a crown between 16 and 35;

see Commentary]

Label inside, handwritten: Domenico Sellas In / Venetia

Two repair labels, printed: Sebastian Schelle, Lauten und /

Geigenmacher in Nürnberg, / Hummels Erben zugericht, / An.

1735 [last two digits handwritten]

Carl Christian Otto / Halle, 1834. [with handwritten

addition:] Reparirt /Und {…} [ ?]decke [see Commentary]

Brief description

Originally a chitarrone, altered to guitar stringing

Dimensions


: 567 (to original joint on front c.542)

: 351

: 143

: 942

Description

Later front, two-piece, matched, of fine to medium grain.

Soundhole with bevelled edge; collar inlaid with lozenges

separated by verticals of narrow banding. This banding,

paired, also forms the herring-bone edging of front.

Ebonised 19th-century guitar pin-bridge for six single

strings. Back of 37 ribs, of snakewood, with ivory lines

between, of semi-elliptical cross section, the two outermost

ribs wider. Capping-strip of four strips of snakewood with

four inlaid lines. Original lining of laid paper with

transverse linen strips and later tape reinforcements.

Later neck of semi-circular section. Curved pegbox

with hook finial veneered in chequered marquetry made

of the same materials as the back (back of neck also

veneered in similar marquetry but laid obliquely; the

squares are smaller and the woods different). Later

ebonised raised fingerboard goes over front and reaches

to soundhole; sixteen ivory frets.

Thickness of front at soundhole: 3.7mm. Soundhole

diameter: 74.5mm; centre of soundhole from tail: 371mm.

Depth of original neck at joint: c.30mm; width at joint

c.105mm. Width of current fingerboard at joint: 58.9mm,

at nut 47.5mm

Commentary

The date 1635 appears to be a spurious addition to the

inscription on the finial since Domenico Sellas, son of

Matteo, was born c.1632 and died in 1686. So the

instrument must be later unless there was another

Domenico, as yet unknown. The pegbox has six single

strings at present. It was originally the upper pegbox of a

chitarrone and held eight pegs; their holes have been

plugged and the upper part of the box has been filled in.

At some time, four more pegs were added in the curved

portion between the finial and the pegbox proper, with

the strings attached on the outside; since they were placed

in the short grain of the curve, the pressure of the pegs

split the wood and detached the finial. The holes were

plugged and the finial crudely repaired. Probably the

initial conversion to a ‘guitar’ was done by Schelle and

Otto repaired and modernised the conversion, supplying

a new front (?decke on the label; the preceding word is

illegible, possibly Weich, Weiss or Neie H) and new bridge.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.VI


Wells 1984, pp.12–13

Toffolo 1987, p.220

64

Lute, Domenico Sellas, RCM 10: detail of labels

Lute, Domenico Sellas, RCM 10: detail of front of head

Lute, Domenico Sellas, RCM 10: detail of inscription on finial

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 64

65

Lute, Domenico Sellas, RCM 10

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 65

RCM 25 Chitarrone

Italian, mid 17th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Mid seventeenth-century chitarrone, much-altered

Dimensions

: 1845

: at front 604, at back 616

: 381½

: 164

: stopped strings 655, basses c.1493

Description

Twelve pegs in main pegbox and eight in upper; also an

added single peghole for short additional treble string on

treble side of body at neck joint, with its own nut glued to

front. Two-piece front; three linked soundholes with roses

cut from wood of front; chip-carved borders linked by a

central star pattern; roses of simple curved geometric

tracery with leaf shapes. Later guitar-style bridge, very

wide and broad, with holes for sixteen hitchpins, glued to

a counterpart plate on underside of front. The front has

been backed with extra layers of wood and is also glued

to an added central strut placed between neck and

tailblocks. Back of 21 ribs of yew; semi-elliptical in

transverse section; white/black/white lines in joints. Later

additional layers thicken the ribs next to the front, and the

front is widened by an edging band of multiple lines of

purfling. Neck veneered in ebony. The original

fingerboard is overlaid with a later thick rosewood

fingerboard running onto the front.

Later pegboxes and spar of heavy unveneered black-

stained hardwood. In addition the spar has had an extra

stiffening layer added on the bass side, crudely inlaid with

squares and diamonds of mother-of-pearl in black wood

and black mastic (the mother-of-pearl is re-used: there is

incised decoration on undersides).

Width of neck: at joint 107mm, at nut 92mm.

Soundhole diameters: lower pair 78.8mm, upper

60.3mm; centre of lower soundhole from tail: 332mm.

Commentary

The last state was wire-strung. There were two previous

states as a gut-strung instrument, with a different neck and

pegboxes in the first state.

The illustrations in Hipkins 1888 and in Donaldson

1896 show all three roses intact as well as the inlay on the

neck. Hipkins states in both publications that RCM 25 is

Venetian, and dated 1608; since no label can be seen

now, it seems possible that the instrument was confused

with Donaldson’s other chitarrone, RCM 26, which is

indeed Venetian and dated 1608. If so, it is interesting

that Hipkins chose to illustrate a much-altered example

in 1888 rather than RCM 26. However Donaldson may

not have owned RCM 26 until later; neither instrument

seems to have been exhibited in the 1885 Inventions

Exhibition.

Provenance


References

Hipkins 1888, pl.XXI, p.41

Donaldson 1896, pl.XII

Hipkins 1921, pl.XXI, pp.49–50

Hipkins 1945, pl.XXI, pp.49–50

66

Chitarrone, Italian, RCM 25: detail of the surviving rose

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 66

67

Chitarrone, RCM 25: front, from Donaldson 1896, pl. XII

Chitarrone, RCM 25: back of body in present condition

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 67

RCM 200 Lute

South Italian, 19th century

Inscriptions

French MS, indecipherable through the rose, on inside

of back; probably a lining rather than a label (see

Commentary)

Brief description

Nineteenth-century south Italian lute

Dimensions

: 745

: 405

: 336

: 139

: 609

Description

Seven pairs of strings. Body of triangular outline, with

broad and flattened tail resembling the body of long-

necked Arabic lutes. Front of four pieces, two main pieces

quarter-sawn, book-matched, with small wings of near

slab-cut wood; edging of bone lines enclosing leaf inlays

in black mastic; mother-of-pearl inlays at top end of

front between the points of fingerboard veneer. Two

soundholes, the upper one with geometric rose cut in

soundboard wood with inlaid collar of circles and ovals of

mother-of-pearl in black mastic; the lower soundhole with

recessed rose of pierced leather and wood including two

figures, one playing a wind instrument. Chamfered edge

and collar of serpentine line and leaf shapes in mother-of-

pearl inlaid in black mastic. Tie-bridge of bone and ebony

with partially turned finials of acorn shape.

Smoothly rounded back appears to be formed of

diagonal laminations, strengthened inside with paper, and

veneered outside in ebony. Back has marquetry and inlaid

decoration of bone/ivory and mother-of-pearl, engraved

with a mixture of semi-abstract floral designs, grotesque

serpent heads, and grotesque figures. There are also

inserted lines of raised bone wedges of flattened

semicircular form standing proud of the back by 4.5 to

7.5mm. Back of neck veneered with alternate ebony and

bone in interlocking pattern. Fingerboard edged with

Greek-key design in bone and ebony, enclosing an

engraved bone panel showing a procession with a horse-

drawn wagon approaching a city gate. Front edges of

pegbox veneered with engraved bone strips; back of

pegbox pierced with ornamental fret including three

figures, one playing a lute. Neck-ribbon buttons at tip of

pegbox and at tail. Five gut frets survive.

Diameter of soundholes: 69, 42.7mm; centres from tail:

269, 395mm. Distance of front edge of bridge from tail:

53mm. Width of fingerboard: at joint 93.8mm, at nut

78.6mm.

Commentary

Heavily built. Possibly made in Sicily, judging from some

of the decoration; it could be a narrow-necked Arabic lute

rebuilt in the 19th century into a fanciful idea of a

European lute. The pegbox fret is similar to the rose. The

inscription in French on paper on the inside of the back

is indecipherable through the rose except for a few words

and is probably a lining. Similar ‘triangular lutes’ survive,

including one with raised bone wedges in the back

(formerly owned by Diana Poulton, then Ian Harwood,

current whereabouts unknown), and a smaller lute in the

Museo degli Strumenti Musicale, Castello Sforzesco,

Milan (Gatti 1997, p.312). These derive from the revival

of the mandolin in the 19th century, and may all come

from the same south Italian workshop, incorporating parts

of earlier instruments.

Provenance

Probably one of ‘5 old Italian inlaid instruments of the

lute family’ given by Jacques Blumenthal (1829–1908),

pianist and composer, in 1906.

References

None located

68

Lute, South Italian, RCM 200: detail of fingerboard

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 68

69

Lute, South Italian, RCM 200

Lute, South Italian, RCM 200: front

Lute, South Italian, RCM 200: back

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 69

RCM 107 Mandolino

Giovanni Smorsone, Rome, 1724

Inscriptions

Handwritten label: Giovanni Smorsone / In Roma 1724

Brief description

Mandolino with six double courses of gut strings

Dimensions

: 573½

: at front 241

: 144

: 83

: 341

Description

Front of fine to medium grain; bone and ebony edging;

soundhole with rose of knot pattern cut from wood of

front; chip-carved border of diamond shapes; five small

black-stained bars run under the rose. Original bridge of

sycamore stained black, lute-form with top of engraved

?bone; finials missing. Back of thirteen hollowed ribs of

?kingwood with bone lines between ribs 2.4mm wide;

edge ribs wider; remainder of back has semicircular

transverse section; strengthened inside with transverse

strips of parchment or vellum. Deep plain capping-strip

with single bone line. The twelve lines on back continue

up back of neck to pegbox; four, slightly narrower lines

run up back of pegbox; further lines on sides of pegbox.

Fingerboard veneered with same wood as back, and a

plaque of engraved bone: cartouche containing a Phoenix

and the rays of the sun, surmounted by scrolling acanthus

foliage. ?Walnut core to neck and pegbox; front and back

faces of pegbox veneered. Simple hook finial with

ivory/ebony diagonally chequered on front face. Twelve

boxwood pegs; one a replacement. Ivory nut; traces of

original fret positions and tied frets. Diameter of rose

opening: 52.2mm, centre from tail: 160mm. Width of

fingerboard at nut: 53.3mm, at joint 65.8mm. Bridge

from tail: 56mm.

Commentary

The neck is held to the body by a large nail; this split the

lime neck-block, probably when the instrument was

made. A number of fine mandolini by Smorsone survive.

The mandolino was plucked with the fingers until the

later 18th century and was popular as a solo instrument

in sonatas, concertos, operas and oratorios. It eventually

gave place in the 19th century to the Neapolitan

mandolin but a redesign in the mid-century as the

mandolino Lombardo or Milanese led to a revival.

Provenance


References



Galpin 1968, p.81

Wells 1984, p.13

Morey 1993, pp.23–30 & ills. p.24

70

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107: detail of rose

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107: lower end

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107: detail of label

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 70

71

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107: with

front removed, showing inside of back

Mandolino, Giovanni Smorsone, RCM 107:

underside of front

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 71

RCM 109 Mandolino

?Francesco Presbler, Milan, 1733

Inscriptions

Handwritten label on inside of back: Francesco Presbler. /

Fecit i Milano / Anno 1733

Brief description

Mandolino with the back made from a gourd

Dimensions

: 480

: c.145 (measured to hollow or crack in

gourd where joint to wood of neck begins)

: 221

: 86

: 284

Description

Six double courses. Front one-piece, of wide grain; edged

with a black inlaid line and bone strip which continues up

edges of fingerboard. Inlaid disc ornament at tail. Inserted

rose with foliate piercing based on a cross pattern; collar

of mother-of-pearl inlays in black mastic. Lute-style tie-

bridge with slips of bone inlaid on edges. Back formed

from a hollowed gourd, giving a wide and shallow cavity

with concavity in the outline at tail; lined with pages from

an unidentified printed poem in eight-line stanzas. Neck

and pegbox ebonised, with nut of bone. Front edges of

pegbox veneered with ivory and bone. Bone face to hook

finial which had an inserted oval plaque, now missing.

Twelve transverse pegs, the heads stained black. Width of

fingerboard: at nut 42.8mm, at joint 52mm. Soundhole

diameter: 47.5mm; centre from tail: 87mm. Bridge from

tail: 42mm (measured from depression in tail).

Commentary

This mandolino is highly unusual in having its back made

from a half-gourd, though gourds are frequently found on

instruments from non-European traditions. Whether it

is really by Francesco Presbler is uncertain; the work-

manship does not have the quality of that seen on RCM

110 and other instruments by the Presblers.

One of the stanzas on the paper lining on the back can

be read though there are losses at line ends:

XXVI

Viva, o Albino, in te dunque il…

Onde a ragion t’unisti al sangu…

Morì Rosàna, ed il suo folle am…

Giust’ è, che copra un sempite…

Mori, ma rinunzio prima all’o…

Di Figlia, e Sposa con eccetto…

Chi alla Patria rinunzia, ed al…

Anche del sangue ogni diritto…

Provenance


References



Wells 1984, p.13

72

Mandolino, Francesco Presbler, RCM 109

Mandolino, Francesco Presbler, RCM 109:

detail of bridge

Mandolino, Francesco Presbler, RCM 109:

detail of label viewed through rose

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 72

RCM 110 Mandolino

Francesco and Giuseppe Presbler,

Milan, 1778

Inscriptions

Printed label: Francesco Presbler, / e Giuseppe Figlio / In

Milano nella Contrada / della Dogana al Segno / Del Sole / 1778

[last digit handwritten]

Brief description

Mandolino with six double courses of gut strings

Dimensions

: 539

: at front 237

: 159

: 87

: 304½

Description

Front two-piece, very fine-grained. Soundhole with inserted

rose formed of two layers of wood and an under layer of

parchment or vellum. Three black-stained reinforcement

bars cross the rose; pattern of ‘flamboyant’ gothic with

floral elements; border of inlaid ebony and mother-of-pearl.

Edge of front has single ivory line. Back of fifteen ribs,

possibly pernambuco, separated by ivory lines. Ribs next to

front wider (36mm at widest point), others 13mm at widest.

Back of semicircular transverse section above the wide edge

ribs. Joints strengthened with lengthways parchment strips.

End-clasp plain with one line of purfling. Neck and pegbox

all veneered on unidentified core. Back of neck and pegbox

veneered in tortoiseshell. Six bone or ivory frets on front;

eight double gut frets on neck. Pegbox open-backed with

sides of mother-of-pearl and lines of ivory; hook finial with

front face of mother-of-pearl. Ebony pegs with ivory collars

and buttons; three not original. Fingerboard decorated with

panels of mother-of-pearl outlined with ivory and ebony.

Inlays at neck/body joint. Lute-bridge with simple foliate

ends, of ?maple, with mother-of-pearl strip on top with

edging of ebony. First and last pairs of strings attached to

their pegs outside pegbox. Fingerboard width: at nut

47mm, at joint 54mm. Nut to neck joint: 121mm.

Diameter of rose insert: 62.7mm; centre of rose from tail:

149.8mm.

Provenance


References

Inventions 1885, p.1


Grove 1907, v.3 p.39


Galpin 1968, p.81

Grove 1980, ill. v.11 p.606

Grove 1984, ill. v.2 p.605

Morey 1993, pp.29–36 & ill. p.31

73

Mandolino, Francesco and Giuseppe Presbler, RCM 110

Mandolino, Francesco and Giuseppe Presbler, RCM 110:

detail of rose

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:35 Page 73

RCM 17 Mandolino,

Antonio Preda, Madrid, 1778

Inscriptions

Handwritten label: 1778 Marzo / Io Antonio Preda feci in

Madrid / per Sa.E

a. Francesco Pesaro / Ambasciator Veneto.

Brief description

One of a matched pair of mandolinos made by an Italian

maker in Madrid (see RCM 18)

Dimensions

: 542

: at front 265

: 182

: 102

: 317

Description

Six double courses of gut strings. Two-piece front of

medium to wide grain, with wide grain at sides; edged

with purfling. Soundhole with rose, cut from wood of

front, in the form of an eight-pointed star enclosing a

carved flower; the eight rays of the star joined with arches;

bar across centre of rose and thickening pieces glued

to the underside to strengthen short-grained sections.

Around rose a simple border of chip-carved scallops.

Lute-style bridge, of ?limewood, with top of ebony and

ivory lines; simple carved hooked ends. Back of thirteen

two-part ivory/ebony ribs with a dart-shaped joint at the

widest point of the back; ribs separated with red and white

purfling lines. Capping-strip of ?mahogany with a

composite ebony/ivory pediment-shape at the centre.

The two ribs next to the front are wider; above them the

transverse section of the back is semicircular. Interior

strengthened with transverse parchment strips.

Neck and pegbox of composite construction, the back

decorated with marquetry of ivory lines and lozenges.

Double gut frets. Nut (of ?ivory) scalloped between string

pairs. The fingerboard slightly convex and edged with ivory

and lines of ebony, framing a central plain panel. Pegbox

is composite; a continuation of the neck core forms the back

of the pegbox, while the sides and finial are separate pieces.

Flat face of hook-shaped finial of pegbox has a plaque

of engraved ivory enclosed in frame of kingwood and

ivory lines; scene shows back view of male nude with putto

in a landscape. Black-stained pegs; the first four pegs for

the highest and lowest pairs have the strings attached

outside the pegbox. Five fixed frets glued to the front are

later; possibly replacements of earlier ones.

Fingerboard widths at nut: 49½mm, at joint 56½mm.

Bridge front edge from tail: 58½mm. Rose diameter

54mm; centre of rose from tail 165½mm.

Commentary

Similar mandolinos made in Madrid (1779), Vicenza (1779)

and Venice (1783) by Antonio Preda suggest that he

worked only briefly in Madrid; possibly he went there at

Pesaro’s request.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894; made, with RCM

18, as a matched pair of instruments for Francesco

Pesaro, Venetian ambassador in Madrid. He was later a

member of the Venetian Senate (not Doge, as stated in

Donaldson 1896).

References


Donaldson 1896, pl.X

Galpin 1928, p.880

Wells 1984, p.13

Morey 1993, pp.36–8 & ill. p.36

RCM 18 Mandolino

Antonio Preda, Madrid 1778

Inscriptions

As RCM 17

Brief description

One of a matched pair of mandolinos (see RCM 17)

Dimensions and Description

As RCM 17, except that the ivory engraved plaque on the

finial of this instrument shows a sleeping female nude with

drapery beyond and a putto holding his fingers to his lips.

String diameters (two wound and three gut, top string

missing): 0.84, 0.71, 0.80, 0.71, 0.49mm, [missing].

Commentary

The ends of the bridge have been trimmed back

symmetrically, probably after some damage. The tied frets

and some of the strings are old and possibly from the 18th

century.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894; made, with RCM

17, for Francesco Pesaro, Venetian ambassador in

Madrid.

References

See RCM17 above

74

Mandolino, Antonio Preda, RCM 17: detail of engraved ivory

plaque on finial Mandolino, Antonio Preda, RCM 18: detail of finial

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 74

75

Pair of mandolinos, Antonio Preda, RCM 18 [front], RCM 17 [back]

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 75

RCM 165 Mandoline

David, Paris, 1786

Inscriptions

Hand-written label: DAVID / Facibat anno / 1786. / A.

Paris

Brief description

French mandoline with six single strings of gut

Dimensions

: 550

: at front 284½

: 181

: tail 55.6, at deepest point 65, at neck 52

: 306½

Description

Front of fine to medium grain. Ebony edging and single

purfling around edges of front and soundhole. Shield

painted between bridge and soundhole; blue ground with

a gold edge and three Bourbon lilies. Portrait, within gilt

cartouche, of Louis XVI wearing red coat with a large

Maltese cross-like order in ?silver, and what appears to be

the Order of the Golden Fleece. Golden-coloured varnish.

Tie-bridge of ?plane with ebony saddle. Ribs and back of

figured maple; ribs perpendicular to front except where

they approach the neck joint, when they slope in towards

the back. Back flat transversely but arched lengthways.

Neck and peghead ebonised; 21 bone or ivory frets. Six

posterior pegs with heads of modern violin form. Ebony

tailpin for neck-ribbon. Nut width: 42.3mm; fingerboard

width at joint: 50.7mm.

Provenance

Gift of the Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, 1897

References


76

Mandoline, David, RCM 165: detail of label

Mandoline, David, RCM 165

Mandoline, David, RCM 165: detail of portrait of

Louis XVI

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 76

RCM 19 Brescian Mandolin

Italian, second half of 19th century,

labelled Joseph Gallina

Inscriptions

Spurious printed label on top-block: Joseph Gallina / Brixiae

MDCC{- - -} [remaining three digits handwritten, erased]

Brief description

Nineteenth-century Brescian mandolin with four single

strings of gut

Dimensions

: 494

: 241

: 198

: 92

: 337

Description

Front of one piece of wide-grained wood. Soundhole with

bevelled edge, decorated with inlaid darts of shell between

ebony lines, surrounded by a line of small leaf-shaped

piercings and inlaid faceted glass beads. No rose;

soundhole crossed by ebonised bar with ornamental

notches. There are three other bars, one above and two

below soundhole. Inlaid wood and mother-of-pearl floral

decoration each side of fingerboard at neck-joint. Mother-

of-pearl inlay on black-stained bridge with elaborate floral

moustaches. Guard of ?ebony at tail end. Edge of front

decorated with alternate triangular darts of ebony and

mother-of-pearl.

Back of almost semi-circular transverse section. The

back is not of the usual coopered ribs but assembled from

triangles and diapers of ebony, mother-of-pearl and a

variety of other woods, plain and stained, on a black cloth

backing, giving a smoothly rounded surface. There is a

central star-shaped ornament on the back.

One-piece neck and pegbox of ebony. Four foliate-

headed pegs stained black; two seem original, two

replacements. Finial is a winged female head and torso

with tiara and girdle of small inlaid ?pearls, facing away

from the instrument and resembling a ship’s figurehead.

Scrolling and carved acanthus ornament on sides and

back of pegbox. Fingerboard has edging and nut of

mother-of-pearl; nut is scalloped between string notches.

Fingerboard and back of neck inlaid with engraved

mother-of-pearl, and further ?glass inserts at neck joint;

eighteen ?silver-alloy frets; neck joint at the eleventh fret.

Fingerboard length: 215mm.

Commentary

Unusual in construction and decoration, and with a

spurious 18th-century Brescian label, this appears to be a

later example of the Brescian or Cremonese mandolin

with four single gut strings and a tie-bridge; it dates from

the 19th-century revival, when the mandolin became

increasingly popular in Italy and highly ornamented

instruments were produced.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.X


77

Brescian mandolin, Italian, RCM 19: detail of pegbox

Brescian mandolin, Italian, RCM 19

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 77

RCM 28 Neapolitan Mandolin

Domenico Vinaccia, Naples, 1780

Inscriptions

Handwritten label: Domino Vinac̆ia Fecit / Neapoli 1780

Brief description

Neapolitan mandolin with four double courses of wire

Dimensions

: 574

: at front 283

: 175

: 115

: 338½

Description

Front of fine to wide grain, stained brown, with bend.

Soundhole with bevelled edge surrounded by tortoiseshell

and mother-of-pearl collar. Inlaid tortoiseshell plectrum-

guard bordered with mother-of-pearl; similar inlaid

tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl at tail. Edging and

purfling of mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell and ivory. Back

of 21 ribs of stained figured maple, with ivory lines

between; the two outer ribs are much higher and the

transverse section beyond them is a flattened semi-circle.

Interior lined all over with paper reinforcement. The ribs

are hollowed to give a fluted appearance to the back.

Deep capping-strip of elaborate profile. Bone saddle plus

four ivory button hitchpins at tail. Loose ebony bridge

placed on fold. Silver-alloy frets on fingerboard; four frets

on front. Back of neck veneered in tortoiseshell with

eleven purfling lines, five of which continue up the back

of the pegbox. Eight posterior pegs, slotted for strings,

with bone or ivory collars and buttons. Fingerboard richly

decorated with tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl

marquetry and edging. Hole for ribbon at top of pegbox.

Tail to fold: c.92mm; tail to rose centre: 199.5mm.

Fingerboard width: at nut 27mm, at joint 38.9mm.

Provenance


References


Hipkins 1888, pl.XXIII, pp.45–6

Donaldson 1896, pl.XIII



78

Neapolitan Mandolin, Domenico Vinaccia, RCM 28

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 78


?Milan, late 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Late 19th-century Neapolitan mandolin

Dimensions

: 570, without hitchbuttons

: 276

: 173

: 127

: 340 (twice distance to octave

fret 324)

Description

Four double courses of steel, two plain, two covered. Two-

piece front of wide to fine grain with single purfling and

edging; pale gold varnish. Inlaid plectrum-guard of the

same wood as the back. Soundhole has bevelled edge and

collar of inlaid leaves and flowers of incised mother-of-

pearl, set in black mastic, enclosed between lines of

purfling. Two decorative inlays between tail and bridge.

Plain loose bridge of simple wedge section. Back of eleven

ribs of alternate figured maple and ?rosewood, lined with

blue paper. Four ivory hitchbuttons in capping-strip.

Raised fingerboard ending at soundhole. Ebonised neck

and pegbox; thirteen ivory studs around edges of pegbox.

Posterior pegs of modern violin style. Fingerboard width:

at neck 32.7mm, at joint 37.4mm. Soundhole diameter:

55.6mm; centre from tail: 188.8mm.

Provenance

Gift of John and Edith Hipkins, 1911; formerly owned by

their father, A J Hipkins.

References

None located


?Italian, c.1900

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Neapolitan mandolin dating from c.1900

Dimensions

: 562½

: front 275, back 284

: 183

: 145

: 328 (twice distance to octave fret 334)

Description

Four double courses. Two-piece matched front with bend.

Oval soundhole and inlaid plectrum-guard. Dark wood

edge-banding and multiple lines of purfling; similar

around soundhole. Back of seventeen ribs of plain maple

with black lines between. Interior lined with paper. Four

shared ebony hitchpins in maple and walnut capping-

strip. Pale gold varnish. Maple one-piece neck and

pegbox; front face of pegbox veneered in walnut;

seventeen frets. Boxwood posterior pegs, of two patterns,

with inserted metal pins of smaller diameter to assist fine-

tuning. Fingerboard width: at joint 39mm, at nut

23.5mm. Soundhole: 44.6 × 68.5mm; centre from tail:

172mm. Bend from tail: 86mm.

Provenance

Gift of Timothy Miller, 2002

References

None located

79

Neapolitan mandolin, ?Milan, RCM 255: front, back Neapolitan mandolin, ?Italian, RCM 535

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 79


Lyon and Healy, Chicago, c.1900

Inscriptions

Two printed labels inside: GEORGE / WASHBURN /

NEW MODEL

FROM / Lyon & Healey / MUSIC DEALERS & MANFTRS

/ WABASH AVENUE & ADAMS St/ CHICAGO

Printed on top block: 57902

Stamped inside: PAT MCH 10.91

Brief description

Neapolitan mandolin made in Chicago, c.1900

Dimensions

: 612

: 315 (front)

: 207

: 162

: 328

Description

Two-piece matched front, fine to wide grain at edges.

Front and oval soundhole edged with pale wood lines

and variegated purfling. Inlaid black plectrum-guard of

synthetic material. Brass-plated tailpiece, with hinged

cover and string-guard fastened by screw. Very deep back

of nine ribs of alternate maple and ?walnut, the ribs next

to the front much wider. Lined with coarse calico-type

fabric. Capping-strip of rosewood. One-piece mahogany

neck and peghead, faced with rosewood. Synthetic heads

on machines. Soundhole: 65 × 40mm. Fingerboard width:

at nut 28.5mm, at joint 38mm.

Commentary

From the 1890s or first decade of 20th century. The firm

of Lyon & Healy was founded in Chicago in 1864; Lyon’s

first names were George Washburn.

Provenance

Gift of Miss Band, 1978

References

None located


?Italian, early 20th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Early 20th-century Neapolitan mandolin

Dimensions

: 589

: at front 303

: 196

: 151

: 333 (twice distance to octave fret 336)

Description

Four-piece front of wide to medium grain, wide at edges.

Elliptical soundhole with collar of mother-of-pearl inlays

in black mastic between double line of purfling. Edged

with chequered band of mother-of-pearl and ebony, an

inner line of mother-of-pearl in mastic, in rope pattern,

and double purfling. Tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl

marquetry plectrum-guard. Loose bridge with long dart

finials and bone insert. Strings hitched to plated metal

‘saddle’ at tail with raised lugs to form ‘hitchpins’. Back

of 21 ribs of rosewood with pale wood lines between.

Capping strip edged with ?satinwood. Neck of, or

veneered in, rosewood. Rosewood fingerboard with

seventeen metal frets; mother-of-pearl fret markers at frets

five, seven, ten and twelve. Machine-tuners of the same

plated metal as hitchplate with bone heads. Bend in front:

from tail: 110mm. Soundhole: 69mm broad, 43.7mm

high; centre of soundhole from tail: 204mm. Fingerboard

width: 27.6mm at nut, 36.3mm at joint.

Provenance

Gift of Miss Ursula Gale, 1965

References

None located

80

Neapolitan mandolin

Lyon and Healy, RCM 374

Neapolitan mandolin

?Italian, RCM 316

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 80

RCM 14 Mandolone (Bass Mandolin)

Italian, 2nd half of 18th century

Inscriptions

Scratched at top of back of pegbox: Detti

Brief description

Eighteenth-century bass mandolin which has been

modified

Dimensions

: 937½, without tail-button 929½

: to end of front 475

: 384

: 207

: nut to fold in front 560 (twice distance

from octave fret to nut 552; the two longer bass strings at

present 684, previously c.740)

Description

Six double courses and two bass double courses off

fingerboard on separate nut. Lute-form body with angled

front, loose bridge and strings attached at tail. Front thick,

of fine to medium grain (5.5mm thick at soundhole); three

bars on front, two below rose, one above. Soundhole has

bevelled edge with surrounding collar of bone and wood

discs enclosing band of black mastic, inlaid with stylised

leaf shapes of mother-of-pearl. Other inlays in front:

mother-of-pearl discs, heart-shapes, and plaque engraved

with descending dove motif at joint of front and neck.

Back of fifteen ribs, the two edge ribs deeper; maple

capping-strip of simple outline; all ribs of figured maple

with lines of dark wood between; paper reinforcement of

joints inside.

Brass eye and ring on bass side of peghead to attach

neck-strap. Neck with coniferous core, the back veneered

in mahogany and the front veneered in a darker wood

with bone at centre and edges; also further stylised floral

inlays. Nut scalloped between courses. Metal frets, seven

on neck and five on front. Front of peghead veneered as

fingerboard with bone and wood, without inlays.

Finger-board convex for whole length. Pegs at present

in two lines; between fourth and fifth pegs, on bass side,

an extra raised nut, plugged into a hole similar to a peg-

hole. Core of peghead ?maple, the back veneered in

mahogany. Later stained maple pegs. Hitchpins in tail:

five ivory hitchpins and three loose harp-type hitchpins.

Distance of fold in front from tail: 120mm; distance of

rose centre from tail: 312½mm. Rose diameter: 86.9mm.

Fingerboard width: at nut: 93.4mm, at joint 111.5mm.

Width of main nut: 60mm; width of bass nut: 35mm.

Height of bass nut: 30.5mm (?raised 5mm when moved).

Commentary

Considerably modified. The two lowest pairs of strings

were differently arranged originally: their nut was nearer

the top of the peghead between the second and third pegs

from top, and there were two pegs at the top of the

peghead centred between the existing rows. These took

the higher of the two bass strings and the first and second

pegs bass side took the lower bass string. The inlaid

tortoiseshell plectrum-guard is also later; it is cut into

existing areas of wear. Some of the mother-of-pearl inlays

similar to the corner inlays of this plate are also later;

much of the decoration is added.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.VIII

81

Mandolone, Italian, RCM 14

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 81

RCM 135 Svenskluta (Swedish Theorbo)

Lorents Mollenberg, Stockholm, 1817

Inscriptions

Printed label: No

82 [or possibly 89] / LORENTS

MOLLENBERG / Stockholm / 1817 [82 and 7 handwritten]

Brief description

Svenskluta (Swedish theorbo) made in Stockholm in 1817

Dimensions

: 1049

: at front 496, at back (to neck joint at heel)

442

: 366

: at tail 92, at joint 73, at deepest point 98

: 154

: stopped strings 578, basses 758

Description

Eight strings on fingerboard and seven diapasons.

Asymmetrical pear-shaped outline with back of hybrid

lute/cittern form. Front, two-piece, of fine to wide grain

with ebony edging; soundhole with ebonised cross-bar of

triangular section; collar of chequered inlay of ebony and

boxwood, enclosed in lines of box. Ebonised pin-bridge

with bone saddle, and ebony hitchpins with bone inlays.

Maple ribs, of slight curl, sloping steeply in towards back

at shoulders. Vaulted back of seven ribs of maple with

central rib forming large button on heel of neck. Plain

maple neck with steeply-angled joint to body (c.50°). Main

pegbox has eight pegs with shield-shaped boxwood heads;

off-set ‘theorbo’ pegbox, has hook finial with flat face and

bevelled edges and holds seven pegs; ebony fingerboard

flush with front; slightly convex at nut end; nine metal

frets, the ninth at joint with front. Length of fingerboard

to ninth fret: 234mm.

Three capo tasto holes in fingerboard behind first three

frets; capo tasto mechanism for bass strings operated by

thumb lever; it raises a leathered cross-piece which pushes

the strings against a movable nut (attached to the

underside of a platform fixed above the bass strings).

There are two positions for the missing nut to raise pitch

a tone or a tone and a half higher. The platform has two

brass-bushed holes for a screw to fix the nut; lifter is

moved by coupled brass levers with return spring;

threaded hole in guiding collar of lifter for a screw to lock

it in raised position. Soundhole diameter: 84mm; centre

of soundhole from tail: 336mm.

Commentary

Svensklutas were made by Stockholm luthiers from

c.1780–c.1850. The capo tasto mechanism on RCM 135

may be an addition.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVIII


82

Svenskluta, Lorents Mollenberg, RCM 135

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 82

RCM 151 Torban (Theorbo)

Ukrainian, 19th century

Inscriptions

Fragment of original label, not legible

Brief description

Torban (Ukrainian theorbo) with additional diatonic treble

strings plucked by the right little finger, as well as basses

Dimensions

: 1203

: 530 (to furthest point at sloping neck joint)

: 358

: 163

: trebles from shortest: 235, 250, 265,

279, 295, 308, 322, 334, 346, 357, 368, 374; stopped

strings 621; basses 956

Description

Four double courses and four single strings on

fingerboard, with twelve unstopped treble strings and four

single bass courses to upper offset pegbox. Front two-

piece, matched, of wide to fine grain; brown varnish; one

bar above soundhole, three below; saw-kerfed liners;

reinforcing patch on inside of front on treble-side. Lute-

style bridge, offset, inlaid with notched diamond-shaped

mother-of-pearl inlays. Black edging and collar of multiple

purfling around soundhole and front; heart-shaped

mother-of-pearl inlay at top end of front.

Back of eleven ribs of plain maple with black lines

between; joints papered on inside. Neck of plain maple

with inlaid strips of darker, reddish, wood; ebonised

pegboxes; turned-back hook finial to offset peg-box; bone

nut on main pegbox and ebonised wood nut on offset

pegbox, with turned-back crescent-shaped ‘horn’ on bass

side. Disc of mother-of-pearl, with saw-tooth edge, inlaid

at lower end of back of main pegbox. Tortoiseshell-

veneered fingerboard, slightly convex at nut, edged with

multiple lines; eight-pointed mother-of-pearl star in centre

of fingerboard. A wooden strengthening strut runs

between lower and upper block inside. Treble upper-side

of body has an L-sectioned pegboard fitted to it, glued,

screwed and pegged through to liner. At present twelve

posterior pegs: eleven of same pattern as pegbox pegs but

of inferior workmanship. Nine plugged holes from earlier

stage; these are more widely spaced so that the strings

would have fanned out more from the bridge (more like

those on a bandura); no nuts for these strings, which come

straight off the pegs. Tailpin missing. Soundhole diameter:

78.5mm; soundhole centre from tail: 311mm. Bridge from

tail: 155mm. Fingerboard widths: 79mm to 88mm.

Commentary

Popular with the Ukrainian artistocracy and Cossack

officers, the torban had a softer tone than the bandura (see

Vertkov 1975, p.205).

RCM 151 may originally have been without the

unstopped treble strings and these may have been added

in two stages.

Provenance


References



83

Torban, Ukrainian, RCM 151

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 83

RCM 286 Bandura

Ukrainian, 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Bandura (kobza-bandura), Ukrainian hybrid lute/psaltery

with 44 strings

Dimensions

: 996

: 629 (maximium length of front)

WIDTH: 488

: 84

: 77

: strings on neck: 704, 705, 705, 701,

699, 695, 692, 692; strings on front: 493, 486, 447, 439,

430, 423, 413, 401, 398, 393, 388, 384, 378, 374, 364,

361, 354, 350, 344, 332, 325, 319, 311, 305, 298, 287,

276, 267, 257, 249, 237, 215, 189, 162, 123, 87

Description

Eight bass strings on a short neck and 36 strings laid

fanwise across the front. Compass ?E1 to c3, diatonic, with

ten additional strings to give chromatic notes from f♯ to

d♯2. Strings are steel, seventeen of them wound.

Asymmetrical spoon-like form and outline, with a shallow

and flattened back. Thick four-piece front with

soundhole, the simple rose cut from the wood of the front

and surrounded by a raised turned collar; chequered

edging to front, also purfling. A slanting combined bridge

and tailpiece of plated steel bears on the front, and is

fastened to the tail by four steel straps screwed to the back.

The continuous foot of the tailpiece/bridge has cloth

between it and the front.

Hollowed-out back, neck and peghead in one piece

formed from two planks of a pale hardwood, jointed

lengthways with cloth reinforcement along joint inside. A

semi-opaque red varnish over whole instrument. Peghead

has violin-style scroll. Eight wound bass strings attached

to frontal iron wrestpins at peghead, the others to pins set

in a protruding pinblock around the treble side; pinblock

fastened to rim of back underneath front.

Bass strings share a curved nut; other strings have

individual ?ivory nut pillars, diameter c.5mm, with the

top end wedge-shaped, and notched for string. The strings

are arranged in two intersecting planes: diatonic strings

are attached to the upper surface of the tailpiece and

slope downwards to nuts c.9mm high; chromatic strings

leave the underside of tailpiece and rise to nuts c.13mm

high.

Commentary

There are several traces of modifications. The peghead

has holes for eight more pins, now plugged, and there are

extra notches in the nut, probably indicating pairs of

thinner strings originally. There are three plugged

wrestpin holes between notes b/c1, e1/f 1 and b1/c2, and

an unused nut above the highest note. The present

tailpiece/bridge is probably not as old as the rest of the

instrument.

The bandura, sometimes called kobza-bandura because of its

dual origin, was popular for the accompaniment of epic

songs and in bandura ensembles; only open strings were

used, the right hand plucking the treble strings (pristrunki),

and the left hand the bass strings. The instrument was

revived in the second half of the 19th century (see

Haydamaka 1970).

Provenance

Gift of the author J B Priestley (1894–1984) in 1946; in

his accompanying letter he writes that he was presented

with the instrument in Kiev.

References


Grove 1980, v.2 p.110 & ill.

Grove 2001, v.2 p.656 & ill.

84

Bandura, Ukrainian, RCM 286

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 84

RCM 162 Balalaika

Russian, 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Nineteenth-century balalaika with three gut strings

Dimensions

: 762

: 287 (length of front)

: 290

: 140

: 549

Description

Front, one-piece, medium-grained; dark edging and wide

double purfling; pale gold-coloured varnish. Soundhole

with collar of purfling enclosing mother-of-pearl inlays; a

bar above and below soundhole. Loose bridge of ebony.

Back of six ribs; flat end-board of figured maple; no

reinforcements of joints. Ebonised maple neck and

peghead with trefoil finial, joined to neck with simple

angled lap-joint; rosewood veneer on flush fingerboard;

nut of ebony. Posterior pegs with violin-style heads and

mother-of-pearl inlays in both ends. Single rosewood

hitch-pin at tail. Soundhole diameter: 45.9mm; centre

from tail 167mm. Bridge from tail: 68mm. Fingerboard

widths: 41.5–32.8mm.

Commentary

The tuning of the balalaika varies, a popular one being e1,

e1, a1: Hipkins noted that this instrument was sent him

from Moscow, tuned f 1, a1, e♭2, and that another balalaika

sent to him at the same time from St Petersburg was tuned

a1, c2, e♭2 (Hipkins 1888, p.48).

Provenance


their father, A J Hipkins; sent to him from Moscow.

References

Grove 1927, v.3 pl.XXIII

Hipkins 1888, pl.XXIV, p.48



Grove 1948, v.2 pl.XXIII

Grove 1954, v.1 p.368; v.8 pl.70

85

Balalaika, Russian, RCM 162

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 85

RCM 314 Balalaika

Russian, 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Nineteenth-century balalaika

Dimensions

: 642

: 257

: 391

: 92

: 442

Description

Matched two-piece front, gently curved in both directions,

of fine to medium grain with herringbone edging. Inlaid

plectrum-guard at top of front, and in the centre an inlay,

86

Balalaika, Russian, RCM 314

pierced with four small holes, in the shape of the gable-

end of a house with finial and eaves. Combined metal

tailpiece and saddle, plated, screwed to tail.

Five-rib curved back; ribs two and four are curved and

also have a lengthways twist. Thin black lines between

ribs. Neck tilted back from plane of front; neck and

peghead ebonised. Neck/peghead joint a simple scarf-

joint. Three machine-tuners with bone heads, at present

strung with gut for the two e1 strings, and steel for a1.

Sixteen frets on neck with mother-of-pearl fret markers at

fifth, seventh and twelfth frets.

Commentary

A subtly-shaped instrument with all the simple straight

lines of the balalaika outline and back modified to curves.

Provenance

Gift of Lady Leslie, 1966

References

None located

50731-053-086 3/4/07 14:36 Page 86

C

E G

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 87

RCM 48 Cittern

Girolamo Campi, ?Brescia (or ?Pescina),

c.1580

Inscriptions

Stamped at top of back: GIRONIMO CANPI with three

wheatears

Handwritten paper label on inside of back: Extremely Curi-

ous Mandora / lately the Property of / Il Grand Maestro Rossini,

/ having formerly belonged to / Titian who used it as / a model in

some of his / paintings. supposed period about / 1400

Brief description

Renaissance cittern (cetra) with six double courses

Dimensions

: 727, without string-holder 718

: 308 (tail to top of front)

: 248½

: maximum 47, minimum 31 (measured including

front, which is 2.2 thick)

: c.428

Description

Front of medium to wide grain ?spruce; double purfling,

widely separated, with inner line entwining in geometrical

knot at tail end. Soundhole preserves the hardwood rim and

paper fragments of an inserted rose; two lines of purfling

around soundhole. Diameter of soundhole opening: 69mm;

centre of rose from nut: 352.5mm. Gluing marks of a bridge

c.10 × c.83mm. One large soundbar across the front,

between soundhole and bridge, housed into sides (end of bar

visible on exterior). Holes for twelve frontal pegs and tracks

of six double courses on edge of peghead behind brass nut.

Back, ribs, neck and peghead cut and hollowed from one

piece of ?maple. Neck has a deep and narrow spine on the

treble side (depth: 22 to 17.5mm; height: at nut 17mm, at

mid-point 17.5mm, at body end 20mm). This bears the full-

width fingerboard (width: minimum 44mm, maximum

47mm; thickness: 10mm) applied over soundboard, neck

and part of peghead. Lower end of fingerboard has ogival

profile and remnants of foliate painted decoration. There

are seventeen frets, eight of which are not full width; finger-

board concave between frets. The frets are of brass strip,

c.1mm thick, inserted from the treble side into stopped dove-

tail slots and locked in place by strips of dark wood 1.7mm

wide. The strings were located in grooves in the wood of the

pegbox before passing over an ungrooved brass nut of the

same dimensions as the frets. Fret distances from nut:

1 25.5 7 158.5 13 236.5

2 45.4 8 172 14 247

3 69.5 9 189 15 256.5

4 106.8 10 202 16 268

5 126.1 11 214 17 284

6 141.2 12 227.5

The looped ends of the wire strings were originally

hooked onto an integral comb-like string-holder, cut from

the tail of the back.

The back of the peghead is an elaborately carved extra

layer: on the rear are two grotesque heads, the upper with

ram’s horns and the lower, forming a hook shape, with

scroll-like tusks. Between the two heads are a male and

female satyr back to back, with two arms raised and two

bound together. Emerging from the mouth of the upper

grotesque head is a female head with a separate carved

ruff; this head has traces of paint and is in a different style

from the other carving. Each head on the back of the peg-

head has inserted gemstone eyes.

Commentary

A similar but not identical design of two satyrs and

grotesque heads can be seen on the anonymous cittern in

the Hill Collection, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Boyden

1969, no.33), and another that is attributed to Girolamo

Virchi, Brescia, in the Musée de la Musique, Paris (E

1271); both instruments differ from RCM 48 in having

constructed, not carved, backs and ribs. RCM 48 retains

its original varnish whereas the Paris cittern was restored

in 1700 by Stradivari (and was formerly attributed to him).

An arch-cittern (ceterone) by Campi in the Museo Bar-

dini, Florence, has a label as well as the stamp and seems

to be the only other surviving instrument signed by this

maker (Hellwig 1971, p.24 & pl.II). Although these and

similar citterns have been considered to be of Brescian

origin, it has been suggested that Campi may have

worked in Pescina (near L’Aquila, Abruzzi), since a

Giuseppe Campi was working there 1760–2 (Antonioni

1996, p.25); there seems to be no supporting documenta-

tion for Girolamo’s presence there, however, and the

name Campi is to be found elsewhere (for instance in Cre-

mona). Possibly Girolamo Campi moved to Pescina later

having trained in Brescia. The label of the Campi ceterone

has been read as: Gieronimo Campi fece, Innocentio Peretti il

Luchesino Inventor, indicating that Innocentio Peretti of

Lucca was the inventor; Monteverdi called for ceteroni in

his opera Orfeo (1607) in Mantua, not far from Brescia.

88

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48: detail of stamp on back

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 88

89

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48; see also colour plates, p.7

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48: lower part of front showing

stringholder, purfling and traces of the bridge position

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48: lower part of back and

string holder

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 89

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894. According to the

label inside, the cittern was formerly owned by the painter

Titian (died 1576), for which there is no further evidence,

and later by the composer Gioachino Rossini

(1792–1868). Before that it was in the possession of the

tenor, Giovanni Matteo Mario (1810–83). ‘It was in the

museum of Mario, the singer, at Florence. At his death

it became the property of Rossini, the composer, at whose

sale it was purchased for the collection it is now in.’ (Don-

aldson 1896, pl.XIX). Other records confirm that the cit-

tern was bought at the sale after Rossini’s death in 1868,

but this entry is erroneous concerning Mario, who lived

until 1883. He had a museum in his home (between 1853

and 1871), the Villa Salviati in Florence; according to a

press report on the Donaldson Museum, Mario sold the

cittern to Rossini.

References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XIX

Galpin 1928, p.880

Galpin 1968, p.82, pl.XXXV

Technical drawing by Ian Harwood, 1974, © RCM

Wright, 1977, pp.32 & 36

Segerman, 1978, pp.53–5

Grijp 1981, pp.67 & 80

Forrester 1983, pp.20 & 22

Wells 1984, p.13

Forrester 1991, pp.11 & 17 & fn.13 p.19

Antonioni 1996, p.25

Forrester 2005, pp.34 & 49

90

Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868)

Anonymous lithograph (London: Willis & Co., 1835)

© RCM Centre for Performance History

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48: detail of label

Giovanni Matteo Mario (1810–83)

Lithograph (from Ny Portefeuille, 1843)

© RCM Centre for Performance History

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 90

91

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48:

peghead, bass side


peghead, treble side with later pegs


peghead, back

Cittern, Girolamo Campi, RCM 48: peghead, ¾ front

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 91

RCM 27 Hamburger Cithrinchen (Bell

Cittern)

Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, 1676

Inscriptions

Printed label: IOCHIM TIELKE / in Hamburg, An.1676

Engraved on three of the ivory ribs of back: [on second ivory

rib from bass side] IOCHIM [on central rib] TIELKE [on

second ivory rib from treble side] HAMBURG / fecit / 1676

Brief description

Hamburger Cithrinchen, a cittern with bell-shaped outline

and six courses

Dimensions

: 617 (tail slopes, so pins do not protrude)

: 266

: 232

: at tail 27.3, at joint 42

: (twice distance from nut to octave fret)

bass 344.2, treble 346.6; currently bass 337, treble 342.5

Description

Wire-strung; the lowest two courses single, the upper four

double. Front transversely arched, of cypress or possibly

yew, with very narrow depression around the edges close to

the purfling. Three soundholes with terraced and pierced

roses, one in the centre and two smaller ones near lower

corners. Main rose has three layers, lowest missing, of

gilded leather and paper, each horizontal layer two-ply;

vertical collars between, of leather decorated with punched

holes. Smaller roses of similar construction. Diameter of

soundholes: main 52.3mm, smaller 26.6mm. Back of five

ivory and six ebony ribs tapering out fanwise from button;

ribs separated with contrasted lines of black and white

purfling; back slightly vaulted both lengthways and

transversely. Tapering ribs of marquetry on unidentified

groundwork; the central strip of marquetry has flowing

foliate ornament of ivory in tortoiseshell, between purfling

lines and ebony border strips. Neck of ?beech, with a

deeper spine running under treble side of fingerboard;

flatter rectangular section, full-width, forms core of

fingerboard. Substantial heel to neck, decorated with strips

of bone and ebony; similar strips on back of flat section

of neck. Pegbox veneered in tortoiseshell with more

marquetry on back similar to ribs; front edges have

chequered edging. Finial a carved and ebonised girl’s head,

with inserted bone and ebony eyes; hair decorated with

bone studs. Hole in top of back of head, possibly for missing

hanging-ring or neck-ribbon. Ten ivory pegs; eighteen

metal frets retained with ebony and bone wedges.

Fingerboard decorated with strips of bone and ebony, and

edged with ivory to hide ends of fret slots. Fretting irregular

and sloping, giving longer strings in treble than bass.

Fret distances from nut:

Fret Bass Treble Fret Bass Treble

1 18.0 18.4 10 150.2 150.7

2 36.0 36.3 11 162.4 163.9

3 54.5 55.4 12 172.1 173.3

4 70.0 70.5 13 182.2 183.2

5 84.7 85.8 14 - 191.0

6 100.0 100.7 15 - 201.2

7 112.4 113.0 16 - 207.2

8 124.6 125.5 17 - 213.3

9 135.6 136.2 18 - 436.2

Frets 14–18 are not full width; fret wire 0.77mm thick;

slight concavity between frets. Bridge of black-stained

?beech with fret wire insert; on two feet with the profile

of a wide squat violin bridge 13.7mm high. Two ?original

hitchpins of bone in tailblock. Fingerboard length:

226mm; width: at nut 40.7mm, at joint 44.5mm.

Commentary

This is the earliest of the Hamburger Cithrinchen in Günther

Hellwig’s catalogue of surviving instruments by Joachim

Tielke (1641–1719); see Hellwig 1980. It is also

apparently the earliest surviving example of the type. See

also Guitar RCM 16.

Provenance


References


Hipkins 1888, pl.XXIII, p.45

Donaldson 1896, pl.XIII



Hellwig 1964, p.33

Galpin 1968, p.82

Hellwig 1980, pp.119, 123, 144–5, 339 & ill. pp.82, 122,

144–5

Forrester 1983, p.19

Wells 1984, p.13

Coates 1985, pp.144–6, 158, 162 & ill. pl.XXIX

92

Hamburger Cithrinchen, Joachim Tielke, RCM 48: detail of body

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 92

93

Hamburger Cithrinchen, Joachim Tielke, RCM 48; see also colour plates, p.8

Hamburger Cithrinchen, Joachim Tielke, RCM 48:

detail of head

Hamburger Cithrinchen, Joachim Tielke, RCM 48:

detail of inscription on back

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 93

RCM 21 English Guitar

J C Elschleger, English, c.1750

Inscriptions

At the bottom of the back of the pegbox engraved on a

mother-of-pearl cartouche: J.C.Elschleger / 17 [?]{53}

On cartouche on centre of back: M / C. of. / C. F

Brief description

English guitar (known in the 18th century as ‘guittar’ or

‘cetra’) c.1750, originally with lateral pegs

Dimensions

: 817½

: 354

: at tail 74.4, at joint 60

: at nut 48.3, at joint 56

: 76.6

: 454 (no bridge; nut to octave fret: 227)

Description

Six courses, wire-strung; the lowest two single, the upper

four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Pear-shaped outline,

slightly arched both crossways and lengthways. Front,

two-piece, of fine to wide grain. Cast ormolu rose, slightly

domed, set in thin raised dark wooden ring; decorative

collar of tortoiseshell with small inlaid discs, flowers and

acanthus-like elements of engraved mother-of-pearl. Rose

shows King David playing the harp, seated on elaborate

stool with S-curved legs, between four columns,

surrounded by garlands and instruments including oboes,

recorders, horns, violins and guitars. Mother-of-pearl and

tortoiseshell fleur de lys ornament inlaid above saddle at

tail; no edging or purfling. Ribs and two-piece back of

maple with figure of strong curl. Another inlaid mother-

of-pearl decoration in centre of back consisting of a

canopy over a rococo cartouche. End-pin for neck-ribbon

and ten turned ivory hitchpins at tail. At button on back,

in mother-of-pearl, a solar face in cartouche. The back

slightly vaulted in both directions; ribs taper towards neck.

Convex tortoiseshell fingerboard veneered on beech;

twelve metal frets; three holes for capo tasto behind first

three frets. Engraved mother-of-pearl rococo ornament

next to nut: four-pointed star of mother-of-pearl behind

fifth fret. Neck and pegbox of beech with simple incised

line decoration on sides of pegbox; ten machine screws for

tuning. The worm gears mounted on the sides of the

pegbox have very worn watch-key heads; these replace

ten conventional lateral pegs. Finial a female head with

hair gathered up onto top of head; small pendant flower

petal shape of mother-of-pearl inlaid on back of pegbox.

Provenance


References


Donaldson 1896, pl.XI



94

English guitar, J C Elschleger, RCM 21

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 94

95


Michael Rauche, London, 1767

Inscriptions:

In ink on button: Rauche / London / 1767

Brief description

English guitar (‘guittar’ or ‘cetra’) dated 1767, with

original watch-key tuners

Dimensions

: 704, without hitchpins 700

: 342 (to end of ribs)

: 302

: at tail 60.5 tail, at joint 69

: 448

Description

Six courses, the lowest two single, the upper four double.

Front two-piece, edged with chequered wood banding

and painted purfling. Soundhole with an elaborate

composite and domed wooden rose partially cut from the

wood of the front; a pierced ring of mother-of-pearl

diamond shapes contains a twelve-pointed star, the rays

formed from alternating strips of ivory and ?ivory stained

green; flame shapes between the rays; collar of two

painted lines. Arched bridge of ebony pierced and

undercut with ivory insert. Back and ribs of burr maple,

edged with chequered wood banding; also in rib joints at

tail and at neck joint. Ivory hitchpins at tail. Flamed

maple neck; holes for capo tasto behind the first four frets.

Hook-shaped finial, in one piece with original tuning-

head and neck, with eight-pointed star inlaid in flat front

face. Tuning by ten watch-key tuners moving hooks along

threaded rods. Arched fingerboard with twelve frets.

Soundhole diameter: 74.7mm; centre from tail: 204mm.

Commentary

The pull of the strings is at a greater angle to the screw

threads than on later mechanisms, and this has tended to

distort the mechanism; Rauche also uses a coarser thread.

He worked ‘At the Sign of the Guittar and Flute,

Chandois Street’; Rauche also published music, including

Three Sonatas for the Guittar by Rudolf Straube in 1768.

Another Rauche ‘guittar’, dated 1770, survives in the

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (see Boyden 1969, no 36)

and a lute (1762) in the Victoria and Albert Museum

(Baines 1968, 7/7).

Provenance

Gift of Miss Seymour Winyates, 1970

References

None located

English guitar, Michael Rauche, RCM 333

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 95

96


Longman, Lukey & Co, London, c.1770

Inscriptions

Stamp on button of back: LONGMAN LUKEY & Co/ N

o

26 CHEAPSIDE / LONDON

On front face of stump of tuning head: PRESTON

Brief description

English guitar (‘guittar’ or ‘cetra’) lacking tuning-head and

bridge

Dimensions

: (currently 557: tuning-head missing)

: to ends of ribs 342

: 290

: at neck joint 50.5, at tail 69.5

: 424 (twice distance to octave fret)

Description


four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Body of pear-shaped

outline with two-piece flat front of wide to fine grain at

edges; painted purfling: two lines at edges and three

around soundhole. Domed ormolu rose in the form of

eight-pointed foliate star surrounded by garlands, set in

turned ivory collar. Nine ivory hitchpins at tail and

ivory saddle and tailpin. Dark golden-brown varnish.

Ribs of maple with figure of moderate curl; one-piece

back of maple of strong curl; two lines of painted purfling.

Maple neck of slight curl. Fingerboard veneered in

tortoiseshell with ebony edging and mother-of-pearl

ornaments at both ends; twelve frets, the first five with

holes for capo tasto drilled on bass side of centre line.

Tuning-head missing. Fingerboard width: at nut 46.5mm,

at joint 55.3mm. Soundhole diameter: 71.5mm.

Commentary

Longman, Lukey and Co traded from 1769–73 as

instrument makers and dealers, music sellers, printers and

publishers; from 1773 the firm became Longman, Lukey

and Broderip. According to the stamp, this instrument

was supplied by John Preston (see also English Guitars,

RCM 161, 331, 332).

Provenance

Gift of Lady Leslie, 1966

References

None located

English guitar, Longman, Lukey & Co, RCM 315

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 96

97

RCM 161 English Guitar,

John Preston, London, c.1770

Inscriptions

Stamped beneath a crown: J P / PRESTON MAKER /

LONDON

In ink on front in an oval: Preston Maker / London

Engraved on watch-key tuning mechanism (bass to

treble): C E G C E G / PRESTON INVENTOR

Brief description

English guitar (‘guittar’ or ‘cetra’) with watch-key tuning

and cast ormolu rose

Dimensions

: 688, without tail-button 681


: 287

: at tail 69.2 at joint 52.7

: 424

Description

Six courses, wire-strung; the lowest two single, overspun,

the upper four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Body of

pear-shaped outline with two-piece flat front of medium

grain; herringbone edging and single painted purfling.

Cast ormolu rose, slightly domed, depicting seated female

figure playing a cittern-like instrument; set in an ivory ring

surrounded by four painted lines. Ribs and one-piece

back of figured maple with painted purfling; four cross-

bars on inside back. Ten hitch-pegs of ivory in tail-block

in two staggered lines; ivory saddle; turned ivory tailpin

for neck-strap. One-piece neck and tuning-head of maple

of medium curl; hook finial above tuners is a separate

piece; neck and top-block probably one-piece. Flat face of

hook finial has panel of tortoisehell backed with metal-leaf

and with ebony edging. Fingerboard of convex section,

veneered in tortoiseshell with metal-leaf backing and

ebony edging; twelve metal, non-ferrous, frets 0.89mm

thick. Mother-of-pearl ornamental strips at each end of

fingerboard; ivory nut; capo tasto holes behind top four

frets. Black-stained bridge in form of a shallow arch with

convex top of ivory; 23.6mm at highest point. Preston’s

watch-key tuners: a brass tuning-slide box with ten sliders

riding on ten threaded rods turned by watch-key heads.

Fret distances from nut:

1 22.2 5 104.4 9 171.5

2 43.9 6 122.7 10 187.1

3 65.9 7 139.9 11 200.5

4 85.0 8 156.7 12 212.5

Commentary

The fretting would give an unequal temperament.

John Preston (d.1798) also made Spanish guitars and

violins, and established a flourishing business firm

(Preston and Son, after his son Thomas joined in 1789).

Preston claimed the invention of the watch-key tuning

mechanism in an advertisement of 1778 (Humphries and

Smith, p.263); no patent is recorded and surviving dated

instruments by other makers such as Rauche (see RCM

333) show that watch-key tuning was in use in the 1760s;

it is likely that Preston was using it then too. See also

English guitars RCM 315, 331 and 332.

Provenance


their father, A J Hipkins

References

Grove 1878–90, v.1 p.640 & ill.

Remnant 1978, p.41

Grove 1980, ill. v.6 p.199

Grove 1984, ill. v.1 p.706

Remnant 1989, ill. p.45

Grove 2001, ill. v.8 p.244

English guitar, John Preston, RCM 161

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 97

98



Inscriptions

Brand on back of tuning-head below monogram:

PRESTON MAKER / LONDON

Engraved on watch-key tuning mechanism (bass to

treble): C E G C E G / PRESTON INVENTOR

Brief description

English guitar (‘guittar’ or ‘cetra’) with a rose of wood

Dimensions

: 683, without tailbutton 678

: 341

: 291½

: at neck joint 51.5, at tail 68

: 424

Description

Six courses, wire-strung; the lowest two single, overspun,

the upper four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Body of

pear-shaped outline with two-piece flat front of wide

grain; two lines of painted purfling and seven around

soundhole. Arched ebonised bridge. Soundhole with

domed rose, of two-ply construction, in the form of a

twelve-pointed star, each ray veneered in ebony and ivory

and linked by flame-like shapes in maple. Ribs and back

of maple with figure of narrow curl; two lines of painted

purfling. Brown varnish. Ebony-veneered convex

fingerboard with twelve frets; holes for capo tasto behind

first four frets. Plain maple neck and tuning-head with

hook finial; ebony on flat face of finial inlaid with eight-

pointed star, the rays of ivory and a dark wood. Ten

watch-key tuners. Later green leather guard enclosing

ends of strings at tail.

Commentary

The rose is very like that of the English guitar by Rauche,

dated 1767, RCM 333. See also English guitars RCM

315, 161 and 322.

Provenance


References

None located


50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 98

99



Inscriptions

Stamp on button under monogram: PRESTON MAKER

LONDON

Engraved on watch-key tuning mechanism (bass to tre-

ble): C E G C E G

Brief description

English guitar (‘guittar’ or ‘cetra’) with cast metal rose

Dimensions

: 689, without tailpin 682


: 293

: 70 at tail, 52.7 at joint

: 424

Description:


four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Front two-piece.

Domed cast metal rose depicting King David with harp

among wreaths and garlands; ivory collar, and three

painted lines. Arched bridge on two feet. Back and ribs of

closely figured maple. Golden varnish; painted purfling

front and back. Ivory tailpin for neck-strap; ten hitchpins

in tail-block; ivory saddle.

Slightly arched tortoiseshell fingerboard with twelve

metal frets and borders of mother-of-pearl each end; ivory

nut; capo tasto holes behind the four lowest frets. Plain

maple neck with added piece to form hook finial, with

remains of applied embossed ornament on flat face.

Watch-key tuners. Maximum height of bridge: 22mm.

Fingerboard width: at nut 46.3mm, at joint 54.5mm.

Commentary

See also English guitars RCM 315, 161 and 331.

Provenance


References

None located


50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 99

100

RCM 241 English Guitar with keys

English, c.1790

Inscriptions

None

Brief descriptions

English guitar (‘pianoforte guitar’) with six keys operating

a hammer action

Dimensions

: 725, without hitchpegs 721½

: 385

: 300

: at tail 75.9, at joint 45.2

: 424½ (twice distance to octave fret 426)

Description


four double; tuned c, e, g, c1, e1, g1. Simple spoon-shaped

outline. Front two-piece of fine to wide, slightly wavy

grain. Golden varnish; herringbone edging; wide red and

black painted purfling; similar on back and ribs. Back

two-piece, of figured maple curved lengthways and slight-

ly transversely. Ribs of fainter curl. Rose of cast metal,

slightly domed, with a raised and turned moulded collar

of ivory; two lines of red and black painted purfling form

collar. Rose depicts two figures, a man playing a flute and

a woman a hurdy-gurdy, surrounded by flowers and gar-

lands. Neck and tuning-head of maple with figure of slight

curl; hook finial is an extra piece. Square face of finial

veneered with decorative plaque made of veneers of

?holly, ?walnut and ?maple. Convex ebony-veneered fin-

gerboard with twelve brass frets; nut of ivory; capo tasto

holes behind first three frets. Strings tuned by ten watch-

key tuners. Ten turned ivory hitch-pegs in tail-block. Key

and hammer mechanism is contained in an elliptical box

mounted on two legs which are attached to the tail-block

by two brass screws. Rim of keybox of maple and top of

softwood, decorated with painted purfling matching the

rest of the instrument. Six plain bone touch-plates on an

underlayer of mahogany operate a simple hammer action.

Hammers of mahogany; limewood heads, leather-cov-

ered.

Commentary

The irregular openings in the rose appear to have been

pierced after casting. Neck and top-block seem to be in

one piece. The hammer-action is in effect an inversion of

Zumpe’s square piano action but with wire springs instead

of gravity to return key and hammer. There is no escape-

ment: the limit of the key fall prevents the hammer block-

ing on the string. On the hammer-heads are two flat

layers of leather covered with two more wrapped around,

flesh-side out. Three lowest hammers original, the other

three replacements; strike point of hammers is c.32mm

from nut. A similar detachable box and hammer-action

added later to an English guitar by Hintz now in the

Victoria and Albert Museum, London, is marked ‘Smith’s

Patent Box’ (see Baines 1968, pp.48, 50 and fig.72). No

patent is recorded and nothing further is known of Smith.

Provenance


References

Wells 1984, p.13

English guitar with keys, RCM 241

50731-087-100 3/4/07 14:38 Page 100

G

C B

G-C

L G

H-L

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:40 Page 101

RCM 171 Guitar

Belchior Dias, Lisbon, 1581

Inscriptions

Label: Belchior dias a fez em / lx a nomes de dez ro 1581 [Belchior

Dias made it in Lisbon in the month of December 1581]

On inlaid plaque of stained boxwood on front of peghead

near top, in red lettering carved in relief: BCHIOR /

DIASLXA

Brief description

Small five-course Renaissance guitar with vaulted and

fluted back (see Commentary); front, c.1730, with later

nut and bridge for five single strings

Dimensions

: 771

: 362

: upper bouts 165, middle bouts 146, lower bouts

199

: at neck joint 39, at tail, minimum (lowest

point of flute) 57; maximum 63

: 553 (with current bridge)

Description

Later front, probably French, the moustaches, decoration

in ebony and boxwood around soundholes, ebony edging

and constructional details resembling those on a guitar by

Pierre Marchal; the proportions of bridge and soundhole

seem too large and may have been copied from an earlier

ready-made baroque guitar front on the instrument

(Barber Notes 1976, p.2). Soundhole diameter: 69.5mm;

centre of soundhole from nut: 383.8mm. Bridge is from a

later stage than front and moustaches. Back of seven staves

of ?kingwood (dalbergia cearensis), bent across both width and

length; radius of transverse curve c.15–16mm; ivory lines

c.0.85mm wide between staves. Three-part lines along the

centres of alternate staves; line along centre of middle stave

continues up neck and peghead; lines along centre of ribs

continue along neck to peghead sides. ?Linen tape over

joints, and a few small pine blocks; small tapering pine

strips glued to ribs. Ribs housed into top-block.

Neck and top-block carved in one piece from solid

ebony; ebony peghead, the front veneered with two pieces

of a close-grained tropical hardwood (?brazilwood),

bookmatched. ‘Purfling’ around sides of peghead is

laminated right through it, as revealed in pegholes.

Fingerboard of four strips of the same wood as peghead

facing, with alternating grain direction and marquetry

interlace pattern in three-line purfling; assembled from

prefabricated strips; lowest section a replacement in

ebony. Width of fingerboard: at joint 47.8mm, at nut

40.2mm; there is room for ten tied frets. Later ebony nut

for five single strings. Ten pegholes; one later centred

hole, drilled at an angle, close to nut (see Commentary).

Nine later pegs present. Small hole at tail for button

(missing), for neck-ribbon.

Commentary

Perceived in the last forty years as the earliest surviving

guitar; however the rediscovery of the vihuela (formerly de

Chambure collection, now Musée de la Musique, Paris,

E.0748) with a similar vaulted and fluted back has

stimulated further research (see Dugot 1998; Dugot et al

2004) and it has been suggested that RCM 171 may have

been originally conceived as a six-course, eleven-string

vihuela (Batov 2006). This hypothesis is based on the

assumption that the central eleventh hole is original. In

view of the sophisticated design and decoration of the

Dias, however, it seems clear that the central hole was

added later, since it does not accord with the purfled

ornament. It is also so close to the nut that its peg would

obstruct the player’s left hand; furthermore, eleven strings

on a fingerboard of this width would result in extremely

close spacing. RCM 171 dates from the period when the

five-course guitar was emerging (see Corona-Alcalde

1990; Grove 2001, v.10, p.557). Clearly RCM 171 and

E.0748 (which, like the other surviving vihuelas, is larger)

are very similar in construction and from the same

tradition, possibly from the same workshop. RCM 171

also resembles in some respects a larger anonymous guitar

with a flat back (formerly owned by Robert Spencer, now

in the collection of Frank and Leanne Koonce), which has

a similar decorative design in purfling on the fingerboard

and peghead (Tyler & Sparks 2002, pp.9 & 11, pl.1.2).

Belchior Dias was probably related to, possibly a son of,

Diogo Dias, citizen of Lisbon, who was appointed

personal violeiro to D. João III in a charter dated 24th

March 1551 (Morais 1975, pp.71–2).

A dendrochronological analysis showed the date of the

youngest ring on the bass side of the front as 1725 and on

the treble side as 1724 (Topham 2003). This confirms the

dating proposed by Stephen Barber; Pierre Paul Marchal

worked between 1725 and 1738 in Mirecourt.

Provenance

A later gift from Sir George Donaldson, after his second

collection given in 1899. A H Frere (Honorary Keeper)

listed it in 1926 as ‘Donaldson Collection’, and also stated

that Donaldson made gifts up to the time of his death

(1925). No accession records for these later gifts have yet

been found but several sources show that the Donaldson

collection was still housed in the Donaldson Museum,

separate from the other instruments, in 1926. A reference

published in 1907 corroborates Frere’s record of another

Donaldson gift after 1899 (see Rebecchino, RCM 212,

p.173).

It is possible that RCM 171 was formerly in the Medici

collection in Florence. An inventory, dated 1700, of the

collection of Prince Ferdinando de’ Medici (1663–1713)

includes a description of a similar guitar, with an earlier

front and rose:

Una Chitarra alla spagnola, con fondo di abeto e rosa

con sfondo tutto d’intaglio finissimo con alcuni filetti

neri e d’avorio che la circondano torno torno, con

cordiera, bischeriera, manico, fascie e corpo

scannellato, il tutto d’ebano filettato di diversi lavori

d’avorio, con bischeri di noce, e su la bischeriera per

davanti vi è un’iscritione zu un pezzetto di bossolo

impressa con stampa, nel medesimo bossolo, che dice:

Bechior Diaslxa, con sua contro cassa coperta di cuoio

nero con suoi maschietti e toppa. (Gai 1969, p.20).

102

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:40 Page 102

[A guitar in the Spanish style with front of fir, and

rose of finest carving, circled by black and ivory

inlays, with bridge, peghead, neck, sides and fluted

back all of ebony inlaid with ivory, with pegs of

walnut, and on the front of the peghead an

inscription on a small piece of boxwood, stamped in

the middle saying: Bechior Diaslxa, with a case

covered in black leather with hinges and lock.]

This description fits RCM 171: any label and date

would have been obscured by the rose and the wood has

been described as ebony by many. If the guitar was indeed

RCM 171, and was acquired for the Medici court when

new, it is likely to have been played in the earliest

performances in the monodic style. These included

Cavalieri’s Ballo del Gran Duca for the spectacular Intermedi

at the wedding of Ferdinando de’ Medici (1589), when the

singer Vittoria Archilei accompanied herself on the

‘chitarrina…alla Spagnola’ and Lucia Caccini on the

‘chitarrina…alla Napolettano’ (Tyler & Sparks 2002,

pp.33–5). If the Medici guitar was not RCM 171 but a

similar instrument by Dias, its presence is still of the

greatest interest in linking one of his guitars to the

extensive and significant Florentine repertoire, and

indicates the reputation of its maker.

Like most of the Medici instruments, this guitar was

apparently sold in 1777, when the auction inventory

included ‘Una chitarra d’ebano, filettata in parte d’avorio,

con fondo scannellato e custodia coperta di corame nero’

[‘A guitar of ebony inlaid with ivory, with fluted back and

case covered in black leather’]. (For information on the

Medici collection see Rossi Rognoni 2001, pp.13–25).

References

Technical drawing with additional Notes by Stephen

Barber, 1976, © RCM


Galpin 1968, p.82

?Gai 1969, p.20

Turnbull 1974, pp.10–11, 19, 21, 67, 141–2, pl.14, 28, 39

& 45

Morais 1975, pp.70–2

Tyler 1975, pp.346–7

Evans 1977, p.27 & ill.

Grove 1980, v.7 p.828 & ill. p.829

Guitares 1980, pp.56–7, ill. pp.58–9

Abondance 1983, p.29

Lisbon 1983, no.33 & ill.

Grove 1984, v.2 p.90 & ill. p.91

Wells 1984, p.13

Coates 1985, pp.148, 162 & ill. p.149

Corona-Alcalde 1990, p.10

Dugot 1998, pp.312, 313 & ill. pp.314–5, 317

Grove 2001, v.10 p.554, ill. pp.555 & 557

Kuronen 2001, p.25

Freeth and Alexander 2002, ill. pp.20–1

Tyler & Sparks 2002, pp.9, 35 & ill. pl.I.I. p.10

Romanillos 2003, pp.xix–xxi

Schreiner 2003, pp.7–11

Topham 2003, p.137

Arriaga, 2004, p.20

Batov 2004, pp.11–14

Dugot et al 2004, pp.7, 27, 59, 60, 63, 65, 66 & ill. 68–9,

70 & ill. 71, 92, 95

Batov 2006, pp.17, 18 & ill., p.19 & ill., pp.20–5

Martin 2006, p.136

103

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171: details of peghead

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171: detail of inscription on

peghead

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:40 Page 103

104

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171: detail of body, lower end

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:40 Page 104

105

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171:

detail of front showing position of label

Guitar, Belchior Dias, RCM 171: detail of label

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 105

RCM 141 Guitar

Giovanni Tesler, Ancona, c.1620

Inscriptions

At top of front, branded (twice): G T [with an anchor

between the letters]

On paper label on front above bridge and in ink on

soundboard: 8580 [inventory number]

Brief description

Five-course baroque guitar, later converted to six single

strings

Dimensions

: 884

: 448½


247


: 615 to current bridge

Description

Front two-piece, book-matched, of fine to medium grain:

edges have banding of mother-of-pearl in mastic with outer

line of bone. Soundhole with large decorative collar of

overlapping semicircles as on edge-banding, the interstices

filled with more mother-of-pearl inlays in mastic; inserted

rose of arabesque pattern made from two wooden layers

with two bars crossing; soundhole diameter: 76.4mm;

centre of soundhole from tail: 314.2mm. Inlaid mother-of-

pearl vase and flowers near tail; blank shield and fleur de lys

at end of fingerboard. Foliate moustaches survive from the

original bridge. Ribs and back of snakewood: ribs of five

strips, the back of 21, separated by bone lines. Back of neck

chequered with bone/snakewood marquetry. The peghead

is laminated, consisting of eight alternate layers of bone and

wood, with a front face of ebony, bone, and mother-of-

pearl marquetry; there are four plugged holes on the

surface of the back of the peghead but none on the front so

this decoration is not original. Fingerboard covered in

similar marquetry, with later bone frets; width of

fingerboard: at joint 52.3mm, at nut 47.2mm. Later bridge

for single strings also has this style of mother-of-pearl

decoration on top.

Commentary

The vertical chequerboard strip at the rib joint on the

tailblock stops short at the top strip of the ribs, the

remainder being filled by a plain wood inlay. This, as well

as some lifting and distortion of tail block, ribs and front,

suggests that there was a stage when the strings were

hitched to the tail. The bone nut is scalloped between

the strings, which may disguise the modification of the

original paired notches.

The mark G T with an anchor identifies the maker,

Giovanni Tesler (Tessler); a lute in the Museo Bardini,

Florence, has both the mark and a label, Giovanni Tesler in

Ancona 1621 (see Hellwig 1971, p.29). Other guitars by

Tesler with decoration like that on RCM 141 survive, for

example in Rome and Copenhagen.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XL

Evans 1977, p.28 & ill.

Guitares 1980, p.50

Abondance 1983, p.34

106

Guitar, Giovanni Tesler, RCM 141: detail of brand on front

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 106

107

Guitar, Giovanni Tesler, RCM 141

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 107

108

RCM 105 Guitar

Italian, c.1630

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Five-course baroque guitar with vaulted back; much

altered

Dimensions


: 468


256

: at neck joint 62.3, at tail 83.2, at deepest

point 92.3


Description

Front two-piece, book-matched, of fine to medium grain,

edged with black lines: front has been reworked and

thinned, resulting in loss of inlay at top end and exposure

of worm channels. Soundhole with bevelled edges and

narrow ring of bone, surrounded by collar of diamonds in

bone set in black mastic between two lines of purfling;

remnants of card/paper rose under rim; soundhole

diameter: 80mm; centre of soundhole from tail: 310mm.

Moustaches from an earlier, but not original, bridge:

carved leaves, once stained black; the present six-stringed

bridge of rosewood, from a later stage. Dark wood inlays

at both ends of the front. Ribs of alternate ebony strips and

bone lines, the top strip roughly double the width of the

others; nine strips at the deepest point of the sides. Fluted

back of 37 strips, concave in cross-section, with bone lines

between; the strips were hollowed after assembly and are

thickest at the joints. Turned ivory end-pin.

Neck and peghead veneered in marquetry, with

arabesque ornament. Fingerboard has later geometric ivory

and ebony panels flanked by disc and lozenge side strips

with purfling and bone edging. Width of fingerboard: at

joint 52.8mm, at nut 49mm. Front of peghead similar, in

bone and ebony. The purfling lines on the back of the neck

run onto the sides of the peghead. The frets are of different

materials: bone, ivory and metal. The peghead has been

shortened by c.30mm. Six ivory pegs, not turned but

shaped by hand, those pegs furthest from the nut being in

old holes, and the others in later holes. Two peg-holes from

another arrangement are plugged.

Commentary

The plugged tuning-peg holes nearest the nut are now

under it; the peghead has been re-jointed under a later

thicker fingerboard. The present decoration on the front

of the fingerboard is an imitation in ivory and ebony

instead of bone and ebony and the edging there appears

nowhere else on the instrument. The decoration on the

back of the neck is similar to that applied to guitars by

Venetian makers such as Matteo and Giorgio Sellas; the

decoration on the back of the peghead appears to be from

a different source.

Provenance


References


Guitar, Italian, RCM 105 Guitar, Italian, RCM 105: detail of the rear of the neck

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 108

RCM 6 Guitar

Attributed to Jakob (Giacobus) Stadler,

Naples, c.1650

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Five-course baroque guitar with engraved decoration

Dimensions

: 974

: at front 488


: at neck joint 115, at tail 93.8


Description

Front fine-grained, extensively inlaid with flowing

arabesque in what appears to be a black mastic;

moustaches of bridge in the same style and material.

Crude later bridge fastened with steel screws. Banding of

bone and ebony zigzag pattern around front and

soundhole, which has a blackened bevelled edge; original

rose missing. Ribs are formed of strips of ebony and bone,

with hunting scenes engraved on the centre strip of bone;

the outer strips have scrolling foliage with purfling lines

between. Back has five similar bone strips, slightly fanned,

engraved with birds, animals and foliage, with smaller

pieces of same at edges of upper and lower bouts,

alternating with plain ebony strips. A two-tailed mermaid

(melusine) is engraved on bone at the rib joint on the

tailblock. Each strip of bone is formed of two pieces

butted at approximately the mid-point of the back; there

are similar joints in the rib pieces. The inside of the back

is lined all over with plain laid paper which goes over the

bars; the ribs are lined with parchment or vellum. Back of

neck and heel are striped with bone and ebony lines; back

of peghead is similarly treated. Fingerboard has engraved

bone plaques, possibly some, or all, not original; one

shows Orpheus as lira da gamba player calming the beasts,

and another a coat of arms with a lion. The pegs are not

original and the top end of the peghead has been

modified. Soundhole diameter: 85.7mm; centre of

soundhole from tail: 323.8mm. Width of fingerboard: at

nut 48.9mm, at joint 58.6mm.

Commentary

Attributed to Jakob (Giacobus) Stadler, maker of lutes and

guitars, apparently born in Füssen; recorded dates in

Naples 1611–45, as Kirchenmeister der dell’Anima Bruderschaft,

and 1660, as Mitunterzeichner der I. Dotenstiftung der

Bruderschaft (Bletschacher 1978, p.206).

A dendrochronological analysis gave 1640 as the date

of the youngest ring on the bass side, and 1637 on the

treble side (Topham 2003).

A number of guitars with engraved hunting scenes

survive, some by Stadler (for example dated 1624, former

Hill collection), others by makers such as Longo, Naples (in

the Castello Sforzesco, Milan), and Hanggele, Milan (sold

at Sotheby’s, 18th November 1993). The engraving would

have been done by a specialist; the animals, birds and

hunting scenes on RCM 6 seem closest to, and may derive

directly or indirectly from, the work of the Nuremberg

artist, Virgil Solis (1514–62), who had a large workshop and

produced many prints of these and other subjects designed

for ornament purposes (see Hollstein 2004, v.LXIV,

pp.180, 194, 226 & 229). His prints are often long and

narrow in design without much background. Another likely

source is the series of prints of birds by Hans Liefrinck

(Antwerp, 1571, re-published by Visscher in 1631); these

images are also close to those on the guitar (information

from Giulia Bartrum).

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.IV

Turnbull 1974, p.21 & pl.28c

Evans 1977, p.31 & ill.

Grove 1980, v.7, ill. p.829

Grove 1984, v.2 p.90 & ill. p.91

Wells 1984, p.13

Grove 2001, v.10, ill. p.555

Freeth and Alexander 2002, ill. p.26

Topham 2003, p.138

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6: detail of fingerboard,

showing figure of Orpheus

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6:

detail of fingerboard, showing a hunting scene

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6: detail of peghead

109

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 109

110

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6; see also colour plates, p.9

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 110

111

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6: details of body – bass side, back, treble side

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6: detail of lower end of body

Guitar, attr. Jakob Stadler, RCM 6: detail

of peghead

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 111

112

RCM 32 Guitar

Attributed to René Voboam, Paris, c.1650

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Baroque guitar with five courses, altered to six strings

Dimensions

: 933

: 459

: upper bouts 215, middle bouts 191.5, lower bouts

256



Description

Front four-piece, of fine grain, later stained dark brown;

the two inner pieces book-matched, as are the outer two.

Later bridge of ebony with insert of ?ivory; moustache

finials appear to be original. Four bars across underside of

front; two above rose, one below it and an oblique bar

between bridge and rose, which slopes down from bass

side to treble side; also a short bar on either side of sound-

hole and two more sloping up towards bridge (see x-ray).

Three-tier rose of cut and punched ?leather, later painted

gold. The top layer is a six-pointed star-shaped opening

with gothic piercing and six small tapering spires of orna-

mental punchings on metal spikes; the next layer a circu-

lar opening with gothic piercings; the lowest level carries

a tapering spire of ornamental punchings at centre. Col-

lar around soundhole has sixteen mother-of-pearl fleur de

lys inlaid in ebony, with lines of purfling enclosing circles

and lozenges of mother-of-pearl. Soundhole diameter:

79.3mm; centre from tail: 304.6mm.

Back and ribs of tortoiseshell veneer laid on a ground-

work of ?pine in herringbone patterns, outlined and sep-

arated by purfling, and by chequered and herringbone

strips of ebony and ivory. There is an ivory and ebony

rectangle at the rib joint on the tail-block. Neck and peg-

head are veneered on a ?maple core and decorated on the

back with marquetry strips of herringbone and chequer-

pattern in the same style as the back and ribs: three strips

on neck, two on peghead. Front and fingerboard are

edged with chequered band of ivory and ebony, and line

of purfling. Fingerboard marquetry of mother-of-pearl

quatrefoils; similar smaller quatrefoils down centre front

of the peghead. Width of fingerboard: at joint 53.9mm, at

nut 45mm. Original ivory pegs with fleur de lys heads,

echoing the inlays around rose.

Later metal frets in an unequal temperament; fret dis-

tances from nut:

1 42.4 5 169.8 9 270.4

2 71.2 6 198.8 10 295.0

3 101.4 7 225.0 11 317.5

4 133.9 8 244.9

This fretting does not tally with the present bridge position;

it probably dates from a time when the strings were hitched

to the tail and the bridge was movable. The present nut has

six single notches dating from the most recent set-up. There

are seven iron hitchpins driven through the ribs into the

tailblock, with holes for three others, dating from a set-up

with five pairs of ?wire strings arranged in mandolin style.

Commentary

A later plain rectangle of mother-of-pearl, of different

shell, in the marquetry at the top of peghead may replace

an earlier piece that was perhaps inscribed with the

maker’s name. There are signs of other gluing underneath

and it is not edged with purfling in a manner consistent

with the other ornament. The front was stained dark

brown after the fixing of the present bridge.

A dendrochronological analysis showed the date of the

latest ring on the outer and inner pieces on the bass side

of the front as 1646 and 1647 and on both treble pieces

as 1646 (Topham 2003).

This guitar was formerly attributed to Jean Voboam,

c.1680. It is now believed to be by his father, René

Voboam, c.1650 (Gétreau 1996); there are close similarities

to his guitar dated 1641, now in the Hill Collection,

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. René Voboam (before

1606–before 1671) was already known as an instrument

builder in 1631 (see Gétreau 2005b and Lütgendorff 1990).

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894; formerly owned by

Charles Reade (1814–84), novelist and collector; he

acquired it in Scotland, c.1860, from a family that had

possessed it for generations with the tradition that it had

been given by Mary Queen of Scots to David Rizzio.

Although the guitar is later in date, and the ‘romantic rep-

utation’ was already recognised by Donaldson as ‘unsup-

ported’, the instrument continues to be designated the

‘Rizzio’ guitar in many sources. Reade’s articles on ‘Cre-

mona Fiddles’ were later published in Readiana (see also

Lira da braccio RCM 52). Donaldson gave another guitar,

attributed to Jean Voboam, with a case bearing the arms

of the Grand Dauphin (1661–1711); these were probably

destroyed in 1943 (see p.ix; Gétreau 1988, p.70).

Guitar, attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32: detail of rose

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 112

113

References

Technical drawing with additional Notes by

Stephen Barber, 1979, © RCM


Hipkins 1888, pl.X, p.19

Donaldson 1896, pl.XV


de la Condamine 1926, p.45 & ill.

Galpin 1928, p.880


Bellow 1970, pp.53 & 77–8, pl.XLVIa & b

Turnbull 1974, pp.20–1, pl.28a & b

Evans 1977, p.26 & ill.

Guitares 1980, p.87

Wells 1984, p.14

Gétreau 1988, pp.62–4

Gétreau 1996a, p.189


Topham 2003, pp.137, 139 & 145

Gétreau 2005b, pp.28, 32–3, 39, 61 & 65

Guitar, attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32; see also colour plates, p.9

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 113

114

Guitar, attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32: details of peghead

Guitar. attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32: X ray

Guitar, attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32: detail of lower end of body

Guitar. attr. to René Voboam, RCM 32: X-rays

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 114

115

RCM 22 Guitar

?French, second half of 17th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Five-course baroque guitar; much altered

Dimensions

: 949

: 450


252


: (to marks of later bridge for six single

strings): c.690

Description

Front later, wide-grained, showing marks of two bridge

positions; no bridge at present; six plugged holes from

pin-bridge for six single strings. The original elaborate

terraced rose of very fine workmanship was re-used, fitted

slightly off-centre. Of paper and card, it has four levels of

pierced, mostly gothic ornament; the second layer down

is a six-pointed star, and the lowest carries, as central boss,

a wooden spire with a pyramid of nine decorative

punchings. Collar of various chequered patterns made

from mother-of-pearl, ebony and other materials.

Soundhole diameter: 77mm; centre of soundhole from

tail: 304.5mm. The ribs have a central strip of scrolling

acanthus and flower ornament with birds and insects in

bone and ebony marquetry, between lines of chequered

bone and ivory. Back of four strips of the same marquetry;

plugged holes at top and bottom of back from

fixing/location pegs. Ribs and back are made of a

coniferous wood, with the marquetry veneers laid on. The

X-ray image (radiograph) shows the current barring. Neck

has both back and front veneered in bone and ebony

marquetry, which continues onto back of peghead. Width

of fingerboard: at joint 55.6mm, at nut 45.8mm. Later

pegs of ebony and one of rosewood. Nut made in 1969,

notched for five courses. The rose, however, could have

been supplied by a specialist craftsman, as could the

decoration.

Commentary

A dark wood other than ebony was used for the edging

of the later soundboard and as the outer ring of the

soundhole collar. This occurs nowhere else except around

the edges of the section of the front which goes onto the

neck. The decoration is very confused here, and the

present front butts against a small section of an earlier

front but its edge decoration does not match the rest of

the instrument; there may have been three successive

fronts. Wear on the current front shows that the

instrument has been played extensively with the little

fingers of the right hand resting on the soundboard in the

traditional ‘lute’ manner.

The distinctive marquetry design with birds and insects

can also be seen on a cittern (catalogued as German) in

the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and another

much-altered guitar in the Edinburgh University Collection

of Historic Musical Instruments. It has been pointed out

that the decoration on both these guitars has similarities to

that on a guitar signed ‘Rober[t] Chéron 1[6]94’, now in

the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (personal

communication from Florence Gétreau). The rose of RCM

22 resembles one in a guitar by Jean-Baptiste Voboam in

the Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC. The rose,

however, could have been supplied by a specialist

craftsman, as could the decoration, and the marquetry on

the neck may be from a different source.

Provenance


References


Wells 1984, p.13

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: X-rays

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 115

116

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: detail of rose

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: detail showing join of front

to fingerboard

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 116

117

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: ¾ back

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: detail of back

Guitar, ?French, RCM 22: detail of lower end of the body

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 117

118

RCM 16 Guitar

Joachim Tielke, Hamburg, first decade

of 18th century

Inscriptions

Fragment of handwritten label: 10 / 17 [the rest of the

name and date covered by a bar and lining]

Scratched into front of peghead near top: Voban [spurious]

Brief description

Five-course baroque guitar with vaulted back; converted

to six strings

Dimensions

: 886

: 422

: upper bouts 192, middle bouts 168½, lower bouts

235½

: at neck joint 62.6, at tail 87

: 92

: 630

Description

Front two-piece, of fine to medium grain, not

symmetrical, with joint off-centre. Moustaches of ?ebony

from original bridge; later pin-bridge for six strings with

pearl-headed pins. Soundhole collar of ebony and ivory

marquetry arabesque enclosed in lines of double purfling.

Soundhole diameter: 79.8mm; centre from tail: 278mm.

Ribs of ebony and engraved ivory sunflower

marquetry, on a coarse calico backing. There is a

continuous line of ivory just below edge of front and a

tapered strip of reversed marquetry at rib joint on tail-

block. Back vaulted, of three wide fluted marquetry strips

matching the ribs, separated by strips of ivory and

purfling. Three bars cross the inside of the back shaped to

the concavity of the staves; the back has coarse calico

lining with smaller pieces of thicker canvas reinforcement.

Neck and peghead have further floral marquetry, without

engraving, on a maple core. The slightly convex

fingerboard has composite frets of ivory and ebony, eleven

on the neck and six on the front. Width of fingerboard: at

joint 53.7mm, at nut 41mm.

Commentary

Neck/peghead joint has been reworked and the neck

shortened by one fret. A later nut is notched for six single

strings.

A dendrochronological analysis showed the youngest

ring on the bass side as 1652 and on the treble side as

1629 (Topham 2003). Günther Hellwig suggested a date

of c.1684 for this guitar since it has the same decoration

in reverse as guitar no.24 (dated 1684) in his catalogue

(Hellwig 1980, pp.165–6). The 17 on the label seems,

however, to indicate that RCM 16 is at least sixteen years

later. The inscription on the peghead was probably added

in the 19th century to convince a purchaser that the guitar

was made by one of the Voboams.

Joachim Tielke (1641–1719), born in Königsberg,

moved c.1666 to Hamburg and in 1767 married

Catherina, daughter of J C Fleischer. An outstandingly

accomplished and versatile luthier, he built lutes, citterns,

guitars, viols and violins that were prized for their fine

tone and exquisite decoration (often incorporating

sunflower motifs, as on RCM 16 and the Hamburger

Cithrinchen, RCM 27). Many have survived in collections:

136 exemplars from 1669–1718 are described in Hellwig’s

survey (see Hellwig 1980).

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894. Donaldson owned

another Tielke guitar (Hellwig 1980, no.116, p.300) as

well. Like some of his other instruments, this was loaned

for display in the Donaldson Museum at the RCM, not

given, and is now in private ownership (see also p.viii and

Wells 2007a, pp.117, 124).

References

Donaldson 1896, pl.IX

van der Straeten 1914, p.55

Hellwig 1964, pp.33–7

Galpin 1968, p.83, pl.XXXVI

Turnbull 1974, pp.21–2, 142, pl.24e & 28c

Evans 1977, p.39 & ill.

Montagu 1979, p.115 & ill.

Guitares 1980, pp.102–3 & ill. p.101

Hellwig 1980, pp.167–8, 338 & ill. pp.83–4, 167–8

Wells 1984, p.14 & ill (front cover)

Weimarer Klassik 1999, p.71 & ill.


Topham 2003, p.138

Guitar, Joachim Tielke, RCM 16: detail of inscription

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 118

119

Guitar, Joachim Tielke, RCM 16

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 119

120

RCM 167 Guitar

Colin, Paris, third quarter of 18th

century

Inscriptions

Brand at top of back: COLIN A PARIS

Brief description

Five-course 18th-century guitar converted to six strings

Dimensions

: 897

: 425


260

: 81.5

: 612

Description

Front two-piece of medium to fine grain: later tie-bridge

of modern form; moustaches and a central pendant

ornament from an earlier bridge. Edging of ivory lines, a

chequered band of tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl, and

purfling, with similar collar to soundhole. The rose, of cast

or repoussé gilded metal, has a circular trophy of

instruments: horns, viols, citterns and oboes with garlands.

A central laurel band encloses diamond-shapes, and the

whole is slightly domed and set in an ivory ring; around

this is a crude ring of red sealing-wax, c.7.5mm wide.

Soundhole diameter: 75mm; centre of soundhole from

tail: 280.5mm.

Ribs and back of figured maple; dart-shaped piece of

?pearwood in joint of ribs at tail. Centre of back and

ribs striped, with one wide and two narrow strips of

?pearwood, each strip edged with a line of ebony. Very

small tailpin of bone. Ebonised neck with a line of purfling

from heel to end of peghead; the front of peghead and

sides of fingerboard have two lines of edge-banding. Four

plugged pegholes filled with mother-of-pearl discs; six

later pegs. Convex fingerboard with metal frets; five frets

on front. Width of fingerboard: at joint 50.8mm, at nut

37.6mm.

Commentary

The peghead/neck joint has been reworked and the neck

may have been shortened. There have been at least three

successive bridges; there are remnants of an earlier, lower,

bridge between the moustaches. The rose appears to be

English and is probably a replacement.

Possibly by Jean or Nicolas Collin (Colin), who worked

in Mirecourt in the mid-18th century and branded their

work as from Paris. A violin dated 1723 (E980.2.422) and

a quinton c.1750 (E980.2.465) by Jean Colin are in the

Musée de la Musique, Paris (Gétreau 1966b, pp.736–7).

In appearance RCM 167 resembles a guitar dated 1772

by Jean-Charles Le Jeune, Paris, in the Musée de la

Musique, Paris, E 963.1.1 (see Guitares 1980, ill. p.304,

311), so RCM 167 may be by Jean-François or Louis

Colin, who were active in the last third of the century.

Provenance

Unknown; given before 1952

References

Galpin 1968, p.83, pl.XXXVI

Evans 1977, p.39 & ill.

Montagu 1979, p.115 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.14

Guitar, Colin, RCM 167

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 120

RCM 173 Guitar

Josef Pagés, Cadiz, 1809

Inscriptions

Printed label: JOSEF PAGES, / Me hizo en Cadiz / ano de

1809. / Calle de la Armargura

Brief description

Early 19th-century Spanish guitar, now with six single

strings

Dimensions

: 951

: 458

: upper bouts 212½, middle bouts 171, lower bouts

282

: at neck joint 89, at tail 84

: 634

Description

Front two-piece, of fine grain with plain dark wood

edging; soundhole collar of mother-of-pearl in mastic,

encircled with purfling, and a separated outer line of

double purfling. Soundhole diameter: 82mm; centre of

soundhole from tail: 313mm. Two transverse bars, two

vertical, one on each side of soundhole, and five fan bars.

Later pin-bridge. Rosewood ribs and one piece back; dart

of vertically-grained wood in joint of ribs at tail.

Mahogany neck with pointed heel. Simple shield-shaped

mahogany tuning-head (see Commentary), the front face

veneered with rosewood, with tapered dart-joint to neck;

later machine-tuners with tapered bone barrels and ivory

heads decorated with holes and notches. Nut of ivory;

rosewood fingerboard reaching to the edge of the

soundhole; seventeen frets with the joint at the octave fret;

width of fingerboard: at joint 59mm, at nut 48.2mm.

Commentary

This guitar would originally have had six double courses

(the six course instrument remained popular in Spain until

c.1830). Two openings were cut in the peghead when it

was adapted as a tuning head for six single strings. The

mounts for the machine-tuners do not fit the sides of the

tuning head well; the tapered barrels of the present

machines may have been formed from the original bone

pegs. The very thin fingerboard appears to have been

reworked.

Josef (José) Pagés (1762–before 1830) was one of three

Cadiz guitar makers who developed fan barring in the late

18th and early 19th century.

Provenance

Gift of Miss M E Marsham, October 1928

References

Turnbull 1974, p.68, 144, pl.38

Grove 1980, ill. v.7 p.829

Grove 1984, v.2 p.90 & ill. p.91

Wells 1984, p.14

Grove 2001, ill. v.10 p.55

Guitar, Josef Pagés, RCM 173: front

121

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 121

122

RCM 170 Guitar

?English, c.1835

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Nineteenth-century guitar with six strings

Dimensions


: 453½

: upper bouts 229, middle bouts 180½, lower bouts

296


: 631

Description

Front two-piece, of fine to medium grain at edges;

purfling and banding of rosewood and ?boxwood at edges

of front and back; also on ribs. Soundhole collar of

mother-of-pearl diamond-shapes in mastic. Pin-bridge of

rosewood of symmetrical section and without saddle;

mother-of-pearl dart-shaped moustaches tipped with

ebony discs inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Ribs and one-

piece back of rosewood; dart and purfling at rib joint on

tailblock. Neck of plain mahogany with rosewood

fingerboard. The neck and neck-block are separate;

nineteen frets with joint at twelfth. Mother-of-pearl discs

as markers at fifth, seventh and ninth frets on bass edge of

neck. Simple shield-shaped tuning-head of mahogany

with front face veneered in rosewood. Machine tuners

with elaborately shaped and pierced ivory heads; brass

plates and ivory barrels. Fingerboard widths: at joint

59.5mm, at nut 46mm; soundhole diameter: 82mm;

centre from tail: 302mm; length of fingerboard to joint:

316mm.

Commentary

Modelled on the Pagés design by an English maker; it

does not appear to be by one of the Panormos.

Provenance

Uncertain, given before 1953; possibly the guitar given by

John and Edith Hipkins, 1911, and formerly owned by

Edward Schultz, then A J Hipkins, who illustrated it in his

article, Guitar, in Grove I.

Reference

Grove 1878–90, v.1, p.640 & ill.

Guitar, ?English, RCM 170

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 122

123

RCM 172 Guitar

Joseph Gerard, London, c.1840

Inscriptions

Printed label: Jh GERARD, / (FROM PARIS) /

Manufacturer of Guitars, Violins, Tenors, / VIOLONCELLOS,

BOWS, AND ORGANS, / 50 King Street, Soho Square /

LONDON, / N.B. Instruments Repair’d

Above this text, on LH side: DEPOT OF STRINGS FROM

NAPLES. In the centre, a trophy of instruments; and on

RH side: AN ASSORTMENT OF INSTRUMENTS FROM

PARIS

Machine plates stamped V R [enclosing crown] and:

J.GERARD / 50 KING ST.

Handwritten (?c.1943) on fingerboard: 172 J. GÉRARD

1830 Made for the Queen of SPAIN

Brief description

Mid 19th-century guitar with six strings

Dimensions


: 437



: 623½

Description

Front two-piece, of medium grain varnished pale gold.

Multiple purfling (five white lines) and ivory edging.

Soundhole collar a broad garland of mother-of-pearl

foliage set in black mastic, contained within single ebony

lines. Soundhole diameter: 77.6mm; centre of rose from

tail: 274.8mm. Pin-bridge with ivory insert and five pins

studded with mother-of-pearl; behind bridge, ornamental

plate inlaid and engraved. Ribs and back of zebrawood

veneer on a coniferous substrate. Back and ribs double-

purfled behind ivory edging; the zebrawood bookmatched

on back. Ebony tailpin, inlaid with mother-of-pearl and

inserted into a dart-shaped ivory inlay between ends of

ribs at tail. Back and heel of neck and back of tuning-head

veneered in ivory, with an ebony button; ebony line at

junction of heel with neck, and of neck with tuning-head.

Ebony fingerboard and seventeen frets, the octave fret at

the joint. The fifth, seventh and ninth frets have mother-

of-pearl markers on the bass side of the neck. Width of

fingerboard: at joint 58.9mm, at nut 46mm. Mother-

of-pearl nut scalloped between strings. Tuned with

machines; palmette heads of mother-of-pearl. Front face

of tuning-head veneered with mother-of-pearl, engraved

with neo-classical ornament and an empty cartouche area

at the top with scrolls each side.

Provenance

Donor unknown, given before 1952. According to the

inscription on the fingerboard, the guitar was made for the

Queen of Spain; if so presumably Isabella II (reigned 1843–

68) or her mother, Maria Christina (Regent 1833–41).

References

Wells 1984, p.14

Getreau 1988, p.193

Button 1989, p.269 & ill. pl.41 Guitar, Joseph Gerard, RCM 172

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 123

124

RCM 487 Guitar

J H Zimmermann, German, c.1905

Inscriptions

Printed label, the first and last lines added, printed in blue

ink; the remainder in sepia ink: No

1082 / JUL.

HENR. / ZIMMERMANN / LEIPZIG-BERLIN /

MARKNEUKIRCHEN / RIGA

Handwritten at top left of label: 080531

Stamped across the dart of the neck/tuning-head joint:

MADE IN GERMANY

Brief description

Early 20th-century guitar with seven strings

Dimensions

: 897

: 419


326½

: at neck joint 65, at tail 69, at deepest

point 78

: 87

: 583

Description

Two-piece front of wide to medium grain. Purfling and

edging of black and white lines and reddish wood.

Soundhole with bevelled edges and collar of black and

white lines enclosing band of inlaid mahogany. Soundhole

diameter: 75mm. Ebonised pin-bridge with saddle of fret

wire and pins of ivory with mother-of-pearl inserts.

Straight narrow moustaches with small points. Ribs and

one-piece back of a pale and striped African ‘mahogany’.

Back slightly vaulted in both directions; one line of black

and white edging on back. Both front and back have three

transverse bars. Neck and tuning-head of mahogany with

ebony button on heel of neck. Neck is loose and set in a

square housing; it is fastened with an exposed square-

headed bolt through heel and beech top-block so that

neck is removable, and height of action is adjustable. Disc

fret-markers at fifth, seventh, ninth and twelfth frets.

Deeply-notched nut with a fret-wire bearing just in front

of it. Fingerboard of ebony on an ebonised underlayer,

standing clear of the front. Machines with white synthetic

oblong heads. Fingerboard width: at nut 45mm, at joint

56mm. Brass capo tasto.

Commentary

Julius Heinrich Zimmermann (1851–1922) also opened a

workshop for stringed instruments in St Petersburg in

1890 (Droysen-Reber, 1999, p.301).

Provenance

Gift of Mrs S N R Nissen, 1987

References

None locatedGuitar, J H Zimmermann, RCM 487

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 124

125

RCM 130 Machete

Portuguese, 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Machete, a small Portuguese guitar with five strings

Dimensions

: 502

: 224


: at joint 34, at tail 31

: 334

Description

Front one-piece, wide-grained, stained, with two

transverse bars; soundhole with collar of mother-of-pearl

diamond shapes in mastic, between single lines; five lines

as purfling/edging. Pin-bridge of rosewood tipped with

mother-of-pearl pins. Ribs and one-piece back of pale

?rosewood; back arched on two transverse bars. Neck-

block, neck and peghead from one piece of wood, the

neck and peghead ebonised. The fingerboard, a rosewood

veneer, is flush with the front which runs onto the neck,

ending in a dart shape at the tenth fret; the front of the

peghead also has rosewood veneer. Bone nut and slotted

ebony pegs with mother-of-pearl inlays; hole for missing

tailpin. Soundhole diameter: 44mm; centre from tail:

146mm.

Commentary

Possibly Madeiran (for information on the Portuguese

colonial machete, see King 2005, pp.83–8).

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVII


Machete, Portuguese, RCM 130

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 125

126

RCM 20 Chitarra Battente

?Italian, ?18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Chitarra battente, a guitar variant with deep body, angled

front, short neck and metal strings fastened at the tail.

Dimensions


: 480


276

: at neck joint 87.6, at middle bouts,

deepest point, 128.7, at tail 88.5

: 160

: 513

Description

Fourteen peg-holes and a ?later hole for a fifteenth. Front

two-piece, with wide grain at edges, and fine grain at

centre; stained, like the entire instrument, dark brown; no

edging or purfling of any kind; bend 136mm from tail

with marks of bridge on the apex. Entire front covered in

incised decoration: bearded head in profile in oval

between soundhole and bridge, horned head above

soundhole, bold acanthus-like motif between bridge and

tail, and scrolling foliage and birds down each side.

Soundhole with bevelled edge and a collar of fourteen

simple leaf-shapes of mother-of-pearl set in black mastic,

bordered with two white lines; relics of card from missing

rose under soundhole rim. Soundhole diameter: 89.2mm;

centre from tail: 331.6mm. Three frets on front.

Ribs and back of quartered beech; ribs jointed from

two pieces to give necessary depth at middle bouts.

Vaulted back of eleven staves is pegged and glued to ribs;

there are remnants of paper reinforcement on joints

inside. Further incised decoration on ribs and back: at top

of back, a crown double-plumed with feathers, centre of

back, a lion passant above a tree framed by three circles,

and on the lower part of the back, a bearded face with

plumed conical hat. On the ribs, bass side, a male fiddler

and on the treble side a female guitar player, both

surrounded by foliage. Neck and peghead are of beech;

heel of neck incised to resemble the head of a ?horse, with

further abstract incised decoration on back of neck. The

back and front of the peghead are decorated with incised

foliage.

There are lines across the back of the neck in arbitrary

positions to suggest tied frets, and signs of three different

fretting systems. The most recent had seven frets in saw

cuts of which three are missing; the sawcuts of the other

two systems have been filled. Width of fingerboard: at

joint 55.9mm, at nut 47.9mm. Seven peg-holes on each

side and one added, in the centre, near the top; nut

missing. Pegs later, of simplified violin form; ten missing.

On the bass side of the heel of the neck is a turned knob

with a short leather strap and tassel. Near the top edge of

the ribs, next to the front in the region of the middle

bouts, are four holes each side, diameter c.5mm. Ebony

saddle at tail; four hitchpins, one with scrap of twisted

string of brass wire, on rib at tail.

Commentary

There are signs that a bridge was formerly glued on. The

bend in the front, the hitching of metal strings at the tail,

and the length of the neck may be modifications. RCM

20 might formerly have been a flat-fronted guitar with

strings hitched to the bridge rather than a metal-strung

chitarra battente. If so the modifications would date from the

same time as the incised decoration.

Provenance


References


Chitarra battente ?Italian, RCM 20

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 126

127

RCM 23 Guitar-Cittern

Sveno Beckman, Stockholm, 1757

Inscriptions

Printed label SVENO BECKMAN / I Stockholm, Anno 1757

[last two digits handwritten]

Brief description

Guitar-cittern hybrid, wire-strung, with four single

courses and four double

Dimensions


: 399


235

: at tail 84, at joint 75

: 492 as found (twice distance to octave

fret 496)

Description

Guitar-shaped body with violin-style vaulted back and

overlapping edges to both front and back. Front fine-

grained, book-matched, with black edging; rose in

soundhole cut from wood of front; a sunburst with eight

rays, with entwined wreath of foliage and a smaller

sunburst of five rays at centre; collar of a single line of

purfling, and a scalloped leather border to edge of

soundhole. Bridge resembles a low and wide violin bridge;

ivory saddle at tail and seven hitchpins in tailblock. Maple

ribs of slight curl. One-piece maple back with no purfling;

the button carved as a rocaille-style scallop shell. Plain

maple neck with cittern-style spine on treble side and

shallow flat section on bass side. Fingerboard slightly

arched and veneered in tortoiseshell; twelve metal frets.

Gracefully drawn and carved pegbox with a crested

female head contained within the volutes of a scroll; sides

and back of pegbox carved in low relief rocaille: shield,

husks and garlands; twelve ebony pegs, five original.

Buttons for neck-ribbon on back of finial and at tailblock.

Fingerboard length: 303mm; width: at nut 49.5mm, at

end 57mm; diameter of soundhole opening: 69mm. Neck

spine depth: at block 21mm, a nut 16mm; width: at block

26.5mm, at nut 25mm.

Commentary

The bridge has been raised; it was formerly 18.5mm high

and is now 26.5mm.

Sveno (Sven) Beckman (fl.1741–61) made lutes, guitars

and bowed string instruments, supplying them to the

Swedish court from 1756.

Provenance


References


Guitar-Cittern, Sveno Beckman, RCM 23

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 127

128

RCM 134 Lyre Guitar

François Roudhlof and Nicolas

Mauchand, Paris, early 19th century

Inscriptions

Two brands on inside of back below bass-side soundhole:

F ROUDHLOFF / MAUCHAND

Brief description

Guitar in lyre-form with six strings

Dimensions

: 791

: 399

: across body 325, across tips of horns 420

: at tail 83.5, at neck joint 43.5, at top of

horns 10

: 593

Description

Front unvarnished, two-piece, book-matched, of fine to

medium grain, with two soundholes of swastika form,

clockwise and anti-clockwise. Wide herringbone banding

of ebony and tortoise-shell, also ebony and ivory lines, on

edges of front. Pin-bridge with metal insert and crescent

moustaches ending in disc finials inlaid with mother-of-

pearl. Book-matched back and ribs of satinwood, on a

coniferous substrate. The back is arched transversely and

the lower end flares out into a pedestal with ebony lines

at base. The guitar neck rises between the horns of the

lyre and is linked to them with an ebonised wooden yoke.

The yoke has turned ebony finials with mother-of-pearl

inlays. Neck and peghead ebonised. Mother-of-pearl

inlays on faces and tips of pegs; ormolu finials to horns of

lyre in the form of eagle’s heads.

Width of fingerboard: at joint 57mm, at nut 47mm;

rectangular base: 92 × 47mm.

Commentary

A drawing room instrument of the neo-classical period.

François Roudhlof (1781–1849) worked in association

with Nicolas Mauchand, his brother-in-law, in Paris,

making violins, cellos and guitars.

Provenance


References


Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVIII

Remnant 1978, p.42

Wells 1984, p.14


Lyre Guitar, Roudhlof & Mauchand, RCM 134

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 128

129

RCM 166 Harp-Guitar

[Edward Light], London, c.1800

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Harp-guitar, a lute-guitar hybrid with seven gut strings

Dimensions

: 832

: 417

: 325

: 138

: 474

Description

Body of simplified lute-form with straight sides and curved

tail. Coniferous front arched transversely. Soundhole with

gilded oakleaf and acorn collar; inserted sunburst rose of

wood and gesso gilded with central mask. Front outlined

with scrolling neoclassical bands and anthemion

ornament both sides of bridge. Back of flattened

semicircular section with flat central stave between

segmental side pieces; harp-style openings in central stave.

All ebonised; back outlined in ‘panels’ with gold lines.

Turned ivory tailpin. Pin-bridge with saddle. Neck and

top-block in one piece but laminated horizontally from

two layers; ivory frets. Tuning pins with square gilt heads,

without shoulders, set out in V pattern below another

sunburst Apollo head of gilded composition and gesso.

Individual pillar nuts of ivory drilled, which press the

string down between the tuning pin and the conventional

nut.

Commentary

Invented in 1798 by Edward Light, and succeeded by his

harp-lute-guitar, c.1800, harp-lute, c.1810–13, British

lute-harp, 1816 (see RCM 284), and dital harp, 1819; the

construction of the instruments was undertaken by

professional craftsmen such as A Barry.

Edward Light (c.1747 to c.1832), musician, teacher and

composer, organist of St George’s, Hanover Square and

‘Lyrist to HRH the Princess of Wales’. For a time he was

in partnership with Angelo Benedetto Ventura, who later

produced instruments in competition with Light,

culminating in the Harp Ventura. These instruments

were designed for use by amateurs, succeeding the English

guitar, and eventually gave place to the Spanish guitar

and piano (see Grove 2001, v.14 p.696).

Provenance

Gift of Queen Mary, 1929

References

Remnant 1978, p.42

Wells 1984, p.14

Harp-guitar, English, RCM 166

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:41 Page 129

130

RCM 284 British Lute-Harp

Edward Light, London, c.1816

Inscriptions

Between soundhole and top of front in gilded lettering:

Light / Foley Place / London

Between bridge and tail, below the royal arms in gilded

lettering: Patent No 17

Brief description

British lute-harp with eighteen strings

Dimensions

: 860

,

: 392

: 338

: 220

: 138

: longest 640, shortest 226

Description

Body of simplified straight-sided lute form. Soundboard of

coniferous wood, the rest of the instrument of mahogany

and beech, the whole ebonised. Soundhole with border of

gilded vine leaves, and the edges of the front bordered

with bands of chinoiserie ornament, gilded, between gilded

lines. Front slightly arched transversely; pin-bridge with

saddle; bridge glued and screwed to counter-piece under

front. Gilded ornament of tambourine and foliage at top

end of body. Back of seven staves; wide central stave has

two rectangular openings, harp-style. Each stave outlined

in gilding, and the whole bordered with a band of vine-

leaf ornament. Tail end formed of a single curved stave,

standing on an oval pedestal, of ?limewood, with plinth

moulding of gilded composition and gesso. Inside, the

stave joints are reinforced with thick canvas strips; the

interior is stained black.

The harp-like pillar, ‘harp’ neck and ‘lute’ neck stand

on a wide upper block; pillar on bass side fluted, with gild-

ed eagle finial. Posterior brass tuning pins with square

heads, and traces of gilding; sixteen pins on ‘harp’ neck

and two on ‘lute’ neck. Possibly original gut strings, with

red gut for Cs.

All eighteen strings can be raised a semitone, nine while

playing by using the ditals or thumb keys on the back of

the ‘harp’ neck. From the bass: four strings pass through

rotatable rings which can be turned to raise the pitch a

semitone. The next string’s dital is operated by a wire rod

and thumb-piece which is pulled downwards. This dital is

marked B. The next eight strings have push-button ditals

labelled C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. The remaining five strings,

without ditals, have a notched nut/fret arrangement so

that the string can be hitched up a semitone, or simply

raised a semitone in play in the normal way. Strings six to

sixteen have drilled pillar-form individual nuts and the

push-button mechanism pulls the string down between

nut and individual ivory frets; the principle is similar to

the crotchet system of a single-action harp, the dital

mechanism using a drilled rod to pull the string down.

The two levers and spring for each dital are housed in the

hollowed back of the ‘harp’ neck. The top string has eight

frets for normal lute/guitar style play.

Commentary

The dital mechanism is shown in Fig. 2 of the Patent (No

4041, AD 1816, June 18, Certain Improvements on the Instru-

ment known by the Name of the Harp Lute, which I denominate the

‘British Lute Harp’. Edward Light, of Foley Place, in the

Parish of Saint Mary-le-bone, in the County of Middle-

sex, Professor of Musick). ‘Patent No 17’ on the instru-

ment may refer to Light’s own patents. RCM 284 is a

little more elaborate than the instrument depicted in the

patent, which has only fifteen strings, but the mechanism

and number of ditals are the same. The Patent shows the

strings tuned in E♭.

Light published A New and Complete Directory to the Art of

Playing on the Patent British Lute-Harp c.1816.

The Museum also holds a copy of his tutor for the vari-

ant which he invented in 1819, the dital harp. The tutor,

published the same year, was a revised edition of the pre-

vious Directory, with additional music, and with the same

engraving, re-titled, as frontispiece (see illustrations); later

editions omitted the frontispiece, date and list of music.

The British lute-harp, later known as dital harp, was more

successful than the heavier 1819 instrument of that name,

and was considered to be a good alternative to the harp

for accompaniment. See also RCM 166.

Provenance

Donor unknown, given before 1952

References

Remnant 1978, p.42

British lute-harp, London, RCM 284: Fig. 2 from Light’s Patent

of 1816

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:42 Page 130

131

British lute-harp, London, RCM 284

Edward Light, A New and Complete Directory to the Art of Playing on

the Patent Dital Harp (London, 1819): frontispiece [above] and title

page [below] RCM Museum of Instruments

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:42 Page 131

132

RCM 126 Harp-Lute

G Packer, Bath, after 1816

Inscriptions

Gilded lettering: G.PACKER / Maker / Bath

Stamped very faintly below three highest tuning pins:

J.HOYLAND / SHEFFIELD

Brief description

Harp-lute with ten ‘harp’ strings and six ‘lute’ strings

Dimensions

: 862

: 426

WIDTH: 358

: 144

: longest ‘harp’ 686, shortest ‘harp’ 569;

fretted strings: on long fingerboard 469, on short

fingerboard 259

Description

Body of simplified lute-form without pedestal; sixteen

strings. Simulated rosewood and gilt finish on whole

instrument. Coniferous front with slight transverse arching;

wide Grecian acanthus scrolling border; painted false

soundhole with rose of eight-pointed sunburst in vine-leaf

border; trophy of instruments between soundhole and

bridge. Rest of instrument probably beech. Back of

flattened semicircular transverse section; two rectangular

‘harp’ soundholes in central back stave. Pin-bridge with

saddle; bridge is screwed and glued to counterpart under

front. Fluted column on bass side with miniature Grecian

harp capital, gilded; composition, gesso and gold leaf.

Acanthus and rosettes below. Relic of endpin in hole at tail.

Simple spring-returned dital thumb-keys on neck lift

the strings so that they are stopped against individual

brass stirrup-form nuts above the string. To shorten the

string-length there are also some rotating rings which

cannot be adjusted while playing. Those marked as ring

and dital have a plate across the ring so that they also act

as nuts for the dital mechanisms.

‘Harp’ strings from bass with details of tuning rings and

ditals:

1 ring and missing dital key mechanism

2 & 3 ring and dital key

4 & 5 ring only

6 ring and dital key (red gut)

7 dital key only

8 missing dital key

9 ring and dital key

10 dital key

‘Lute’ strings run over two fretted fingerboards; nos. 11,

12, and 13, on longer board with nine frets, and the three

highest over a fingerboard with seven frets.

Nut on longer fingerboard is a wooden replacement.

Square-headed brass tuning pins; all mechanism of brass.

For the ‘harp’ strings there are pillar-type individual nuts,

each with a turned groove near top to locate string.

Commentary

The instrument as a whole is a simplification of Light’s

patent British lute-harp of 1816, using a more easily

constructed version of the dital mechanism. The position

of the red C string indicates the same stringing as Edward

Light’s instruments tuned in E♭.

Provenance


References

Inventions 1885 Cat., p.1

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXVI

Armstrong 1908, p.136

Wells 1984, p.14

Harp-lute, G Packer, RCM 126

50731-101-132 3/4/07 14:42 Page 132

V

V ’A

B

H F

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 133

RCM 184 Treble Viol

?English, c.1600

Inscriptions

Restorer’s label, printed, on soundpost plate: Nathaniel Cross

Brief description

Viol with violin outline, c.1600, converted to viola by

Nathaniel Cross; modified later

Dimensions

: 690½, without tail-button 677½

: 424


: at neck joint 46, at middle bouts 68, at

tail 37

: to fold in back c.355, to later fold

c.95

: 373 (current; there are marks of earlier

bridge positions)

Description

Outline has very long points at the corners, where the ribs

are pinched together without mitres. Front, two-piece,

carved, of fine to medium grain; C-shaped soundholes,

shallow arching and golden-brown varnish. Ribs of

?plum. Striped back of five strips, the centre and outer

pieces of bird’s-eye maple, the other two of ?plum. Ele-

gant double purfling on front and back with elongated

points and a small dart at the button; purfling colours

reversed on dark strips of back. Front and back are flush

with the ribs; there are no reinforcements of these joints

and no corner blocks. Upper, original, fold in back has no

reinforcement inside; the only linings are of fabric and not

continuous.

When the instrument was converted to viola, the lower

end of the back was angled to reduce the depth at the tail;

an extra strip, 6mm wide with purfling each side, was

inserted across the back at the break to make up the

length required. Neck and pegbox of plain maple, c.1740

or later; neck angle ?early 19th century. Plugged hole at

tailblock, indicating former tailbutton rather than hook-

bar. Extra layers of wood were added later to front and

back on the bass side, to form an integral rest for the

player’s chin and shoulder.

Commentary

Although much altered, this seems to be one of the ear-

liest surviving English viols. It is almost identical to a

treble viol in the Musikhistorisk Museum, Copenhagen,

which also bears a label of Nathaniel Cross and had its

back and ribs altered in the same manner, perhaps when

an entire chest of viols was modified (Hebbert 2003).

RCM 184 also resembles a viol, c.1600, labelled William

Bowcleffe, ex-W E Hill Collection, formerly loaned to the

Shakespeare birthplace, Stratford-on-Avon, now owned

by the Orpheon Foundation (Vásquez, p.11 & ill.). There

is extensive iconography for this form, for example in

paintings such as Breughel’s Allegory and the sense of Hearing,

1618 (Michael Heale, unpublished paper, 2000), and

publications such as The Division-Violist by Christopher

Simpson, 1659.

The two sides of the front are from different sources. A

dendrochronological examination gave 1516 as the date

of the youngest ring on the bass side (and showed match-

ing sequences to those on a 1592 Amati viola); no signifi-

cant match for the treble side was found in existing

chronologies (Topham 2003).

Nathaniel Cross (1686–1751) worked initially as

apprentice, then partner, to Barak Norman, setting up his

own workshop after Norman’s death in 1724 (see Milnes

2000, pp.28–9, 154–5).

Provenance

Gift of the Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, 1895. The

Gift Book records his donation of a ‘Tenor Violin said to

have belonged to Handel’. An entry in South Kensington

1872, p.13, no.151, makes it possible to identify RCM

184 as the instrument:

Viola. Date unknown. Peculiar shape; deep in

the ribs; back inlaid in stripes. Obtained in New

Zealand. Said to have belonged to Handel. Lent

by H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh [i.e. Alfred

Ernest Albert (1844–1900), second son of Queen

Victoria and Prince Albert, who succeeded his

uncle as reigning Duke of Saxe Coburg and

Gotha in 1893].

Two years later Engel added (South Kensington 1874,

p.364):

… considering … that in European countries no

stone has been left unturned in ransacking for

valuable old fiddles, it may possibly be that there

is a better chance of hunting for them successful-

ly in New Zealand than at home.

There is no supporting evidence that the instrument

belonged to Handel.

References

South Kensington 1872, p.13


Tourin 1979, ‘RCM 5’

Topham 2003, p.137

Hebbert 2003, pp.69–75 & ill. p.197

134

Treble viol, English, RCM 184: detail of purfling on back

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 134

135

Treble viol, English, RCM 184; see also colour plate, p.11

Treble viol, English, RCM 184: lower end of body (see Description)

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 135

136

RCM 206 Bass Viol

Attributed to Edward Lewis, London, c.1690

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Bass viol converted to cello

Dimensions


: 660


387

: 114

: 543

: 620

Description

Two-piece front of fine to medium grain widening

towards edges; C-shaped soundholes very near the edges

of middle bouts; moderate arching; fine double purfling;

ornament, above bridge, of heart with twining foliage in

purfling filled in with burnt crosshatching (point d’aiguille)

(one segment incomplete; hatched only in one direction).

Back in three pieces of maple with figure of strong curl;

outer strips book-matched. The joints run along the cen-

tre of strips carved in shallow relief, 11mm wide, of run-

ning leaf and trefoil flower ornament. Another patch of

carving in low relief at button. Outside line of purfling

runs around outside edge of back; inner line separates the

back into panels and in the centre portion breaks into a

knot decoration of three chequered diaper areas linked by

simpler interlacings. Linings are a mixture of strips and

blocks; bars across back in upper and lower bouts; non-

original reinforcement of fold in back. Ribs had no cor-

ner blocks originally; strip of inlay in ribs where hookbar

has been removed. Heel of neck and button originally

angular, as outlined by purfling, but later rounded.

Commentary

There is an addition to the front at the neck joint, with-

out purfling, dating from the fitting of the narrower cello

neck. The old neck would have been 67mm wide at the

level of the front. The ribs of the upper bouts may have

been renewed at the same time.

The attribution is based on close similarities to sur-

viving viols signed by Edward Lewis (in Musée de

la Musique, Paris, 1687, Musée des Instruments de

Musique, Brussels, and private ownership).

Edward Lewis (fl. c.1687–c.1742) worked at the ‘Harp’,

next door to Barak Norman (see RCM 46), building viols,

violins, violas and cellos (see Grove 2001, 14, p.618).

Provenance

Given by Sir George Donaldson between 1900 and 1925;

A H Frere (1926) lists a viol converted to cello with low

relief carving on the back as Donaldson Collection.

References


Wells 1984, p.11Bass viol, attr. Edward Lewis, RCM 206

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 136

137

Bass viol, attr. Edward Lewis, RCM 206: back of body

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 137

138

RCM 46 Division Viol

Barak Norman, London, 1692

Inscriptions

Handwritten label: Barak Norman / At the bass Viol / in st

pauls Ally. / London Fecit / 1692

Brief description

Late 17th-century division viol

Dimensions

: 1181, without tailpiece and hookbar

1151

: 632


346


: 513

: 659 (current; there are traces of other

bridge positions)

Description

Front constructed of three bent staves of medium to wide

grain; central stave 65.9mm wide at the bridge; C-shaped

soundholes; double purfling; above bridge a foliate orna-

ment of purfling and burnt cross-hatching (point d’aiguille).

Ribs of maple; hookbar of stained ?maple. Back two-piece,

book-matched, of maple with faint bird’s eye figure, with

double purfling. The outer line is continuous, with dart

ornament at tail and button; the inner line forms two pan-

els, the lower back section having floral/knot designs at top

and bottom. There is a quatrefoil knot ornament of pur-

fling in the centre of the back. Original soundpost plate.

Bar under fold and bar running along centre join were

added in the 1960s. Original neck of maple with figure of

fine curl; pegbox with open scroll; later rosewood pegs.

Original marquetry decoration on replacement fingerboard

and original tailpiece: foliage and birds in various woods

(?walnut and ?plum in a ?holly ground). Later veneer of

stained pear at lower end of tailpiece. Wedge under finger-

board is of two layers, the upper one added in the 1960s to

correct a twist in the neck (see Commentary); ebony veneer

at edges of fingerboard added at the same time.

Commentary

A fine example, with original neck and pegbox, of the

work of Barak Norman (1651–1724), one of the last of the

English viol-makers; he also built violins, violas and cellos,

the latter being especially prized for their tone. In the

1690s he worked near St Paul’s Cathedral at the ‘Bass

Viol’, next door to the ‘Harp’, the premises of Edward

Lewis (see RCM 206); from 1713 he was in partnership

with Nathaniel Cross (see RCM 184). Many of his viols

survive elsewhere (Hebbert 2001, pp.285–329), includ-

ing a very similar division viol now in the Metropolitan

Museum of Art, New York (Libin 1991, p.52).

The three staves of the front of RCM 46 match close-

ly: a dendrochronological analysis showed the date of the

latest ring on the bass stave as 1677, centre stave 1678 and

treble stave 1679 (Topham 2003). The front and ribs are

very thin and the whole instrument is fragile due to wood-

worm damage. It was restored for the College by Dietrich

Kessler in the 1960s before the present Museum was

founded; to correct warping an additional wedge was

added to the neck, a new fingerboard made and the orig-

inal marquetry re-applied; cracks in the front, back and

ribs were repaired, bars added and a new bass-bar, sound-

post and bridge fitted.

The RCM Library holds a copy of The Division-Violist

by Christopher Simpson, 1659, which contains addition-

al manuscript ‘Rules for Gracing’. It is interesting that

Simpson recommends the use of an instrument with a

string-length of 30 inches, considerably longer than that

of RCM 46 (currently c.26 inches) and of other surviving

‘division viols’ (see Fleming 2003, pp.18–22, 27–30).

Provenance


References

Technical drawing by Stephen Barber, 1976, © RCM


Donaldson 1896, pl.XVIII



Remnant 1978, p.57


Grove 1980, ill. v.13, p.283

Grove 1984, v.2, p.774 & ill. p.775

Wells 1984, p.11–12 & ill.

König 1985, pp.104–7 & ill.


Libin 1991, p.52

BBC, Early Music Special Issue 1994, p.18 & ill.

Milnes 2000, p.19

Grove 2001, ill. v.18, p.46

Hebbert 2001, pp.291, 321, 323 & 327

Chrisp 2002: ill. p.39

Topham 2003, p.138

The Division-Violist, from Christopher Simpson,

The Division Violist (London: John Playford, 1659)

RCM Library (Gb-Lcm C41/1)

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 138

139

Division viol, Barak Norman, RCM 46; see also colour plate, p.12

Division viol, Barak Norman, RCM 46:

detail of head

Division viol, Barak

Norman, RCM 46: detail

of marquetry on tailpiece

Division viol, Barak Norman, RCM 46:

detail of label

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 139

140

RCM 44 Bass Viol

Jeremias Würffel, Greifswald, 1710

Inscriptions

Printed label on the inside of a hinged door in a rib of the

lower bouts:‘Viol de Gamba;’/ Die erste auff diese Manier / Hat

mich erdacht / Auch selbst gemacht / Ein Sechzig-Jähriger Mann

/ In / Greiffswald / JEREMIAS, Würffel / Stadt- und Univer-

sität bestallter Musicus Instrumental. / Anno 1710.

Handwritten label on the inside of the back: Ein 60 jährig

man / hat mich erdacht / hat selbst gemacht / Anno.1710 / in /

Greiffswald / J. Würffel / Die erste auf diese / Mannier. [A 60-

year-old man invented and made me…. the first of this

kind]

Brief description

Seven-stringed bass viol with narrow festoon outline and

detachable neck which can be housed inside the body of

the instrument

Dimensions

: 1202, without tailpiece & hookbar 1181

: 663


300


: 552

: 690

Description

Front of fine to medium grain, moderately arched, with

two-part scimitar-shaped flame soundholes; purfling and

edge-banding with inlays at top and tail. The bridge is

located between two small inlaid raised ledges. Pale gold-

en varnish. Ribs of quartered plain walnut. Back two-

piece, of book-matched walnut, with painted purfling;

there is a line of inlay along centre line with decorative

inlays at top and tail. The hookbar is carved and let in

between two narrow chequered strips. A door is formed

from a section of the ribs of the lower bouts, turning on

hinges of folded and rivetted sheet brass and fastened with

two hooks and eyes. The fingerboard is inlaid with che-

quered strips of walnut and ?plum; the tailpiece was made

in the 1970s (as was the bridge) by Dietrich Kessler in sim-

ilar style, replacing a non-original one. Detachable neck

and pegbox are from one piece; the heel of the neck fits

into a dovetail housing cut into the upper ?pearwood

block, and is retained by a round-headed screw which

passes through the substantial button of the back. The

pegbox has seven lateral pegs with the strings attached to

them in small arched openings. On the sides of the heel

of the neck is carving in low relief, the background field-

ed with punch work. Pegs have bone inserts and small

spoon-shaped heads. To enable the neck and pegbox to

be housed in the body, the pegbox finial is a diminutive

carved head. There are cloth reinforcements inside the

body as well as liners in discrete sections. These and the

lower block show traces of red pigment. The soundpost is

located in sockets glued to front and back, so that it can

be easily put in position. Behind the dovetail housing the

upper block has a keyhole-shaped opening to the interior;

this may help to locate and hold the neck when it is inside

the body. Thicknesses measured at the opening: back

3.23mm, front 3.25mm.

Commentary

Finely made with considerable ingenuity and perhaps the

only viol existing with a detachable neck that can be

housed in the instrument (though the trompette marine,

RCM 289, can be disassembled). There is a similar treble

viol by Würffel in the Ernst Collection, Musée d’Art et

d’Histoire, Geneva, which also has raised ledges to locate

the bridge. The printed label of RCM 44 shows that

Würffel (died 1726) was born in 1650 and held positions

in both the city and the University of Greifswald.

Provenance


References


Donaldson 1896, pl.XVIII

Galpin 1928, p.880


Wells 1984, p.12

König 1985, pp.108–9 & ill.


Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, RCM 44:

detail of label inside door in rib

Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, RCM 44: detail of neck join,

showing screw through button

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 140

141

Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, RCM 44: front, side, back (with door open); see also colour plates, p.12

Bass viol, Jeremias Würffel, RCM 44:

detail of interior through

opening in rib, showing

manuscript label,

soundpost and socket;

also bridge-locating ledge

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 141

142

RCM 149 Pardessus de Viole

Louis Guersan, Paris, 1759

Inscriptions

Printed label [within an oval cartouche of rocaille orna-

ment with a dolphin on the LH side]: Ludovicus / GUER-

SAN / propè Comœdiam / Gallicam / Lutetiœ / Anno / 1759

[last two digits in ink]

Brief description

Five-stringed pardessus de viole, a descant viol

Dimensions

: 629, without tailpiece and hookbar

603

: 327


196

: 49

: 272

: currently 315 (but see Commentary)

Description

Conventional viol outline with sloping shoulders and cor-

ners without points. Fine and very even-grained front with

C-shaped soundholes and double purfling. Golden var-

nish. Back and ribs formed of strips of contrasting wood;

back of five radiating pieces, two of flamed maple and

three of a darker brown wood; ribs of two strips of maple

and one of the darker wood. All these joints are strength-

ened with strips of calico-like cloth; back has double

purfling, the inner line forming a dart at the button. Neck

and pegbox of unfigured maple; pegbox sides and back

carved in relief with scrolling and interlaced foliage; back-

ground of carving fielded with many small gouge cuts.

Front edges of pegbox decorated with herringbone pat-

tern of gouge cuts; finial is a female head, with two drop-

earings and a crest of flowers. Pegs of ?rosewood; nut of

?bone. Fingerboard and tailpiece of ebony on ?maple

underlayer; current bridge and frets fitted in 1971.

Commentary

The instrument shows little sign of wear. There are clear

traces of earlier frets for a longer string length and faint

traces of bridge feet at a position c.4.5mm nearer to the

tail.

For a discussion of the stringing and repertoire of the

five- and six-stringed pardessus de viole and the quinton, see

Herzog 2000, pp.8–31.

Louis Guersan (1700–70) made instruments for the

Dauphin and the Opéra; many of his viols and violins

survive, including about thirty pardessus de viole and some

quintons (see Lütgendorff 1990, pp.223–4).

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XL



Coates 1985, pp.52–4, 158 & 162, pl.VI

Pardessus de viole, Louis Guersan, RCM 149: details of head

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 142

143

Pardessus de viole, Louis Guersan, RCM 149

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 143

144

RCM 34 Viola d’Amore

?Bohemian, first half of 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Viola d’amore with festoon outline and with sloping

upper back, converted to viola

Dimensions

: 678, without tailpiece 668

: 399


256


: 327

: c.381 (see Commentary)

Description

Front of fine to medium grain; highly arched with flame-

shaped soundholes; purfling on front only; opaque brown

varnish with areas of craquelure. Ribs and one-piece flat

back, with fold, of narrow curl. There are two bars across

the back and a soundpost plate.

Conventional viola neck except that the back of the

pegbox is pierced with a simple entwined fret; the ?origi-

nal finial, a winged cupid head without blindfold, was

grafted onto the viola pegbox. Six plugged holes around

tailpin for the hitchpins for sympathetic strings.

Commentary

There are marks of several bridge positions above and

below the current one. The heel of the later neck is as

wide as the old neck where jointed, but above the front

narrows to viola width. The varnish resembles that of

instruments by J U Eberle.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XVI

Viola d’amore, ?Bohemian, RCM 34

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 144

145

RCM 35 Viola d’Amore

Johann Ulrich Eberle, Prague, 1740

Inscriptions

Printed label; Joan Udalricus Eberll / fecit Pragae 1740 [last

two digits handwritten]

Brief description

Viola d’amore with seven bowed strings and seven

sympathetic strings; viol outline

Dimensions


: 391


242

: at neck joint 36.3, at fold in back 49, at

middle bouts 54.6, at tail 50

: 326

: 362 or longer; there are traces of other

bridge positions

Description

Front fine-grained, highly-arched, with flame-shaped

soundholes; a small soundhole below end of fingerboard

with inserted pierced rosette of bone or ivory. Tailpiece

?later; ornament missing. Ribs and two-piece flat back of

bold curl with double purfling along centre joint. Double

purfling throughout treated as an edge-banding; it also

outlines the neck/body joint. Slightly opaque reddish var-

nish. Back is convex lengthways as well as having a fold

and sloping towards the neck.

Pegbox with finial of male head wearing crested helmet.

Five of the present bowed strings are plain gut and two are

wound. Of the sympathetic strings, three are plain wire and

four are wound; they run from the upper pegs over a

(?later) guide-wire bridging the pegbox, through an open-

ing in the rear of the pegbox before passing over two guid-

ing nuts of bone (the upper one missing). Going back up

into the pegbox they pass over a true nut below the nut of

the playing strings, under the fingerboard and through an

opening in the bridge; at the tail they are hitched to two

staggered rows of ball-headed iron hitchpins fixed through

the ribs into the tailblock. Both the bearing surfaces of the

bridge are topped with bone or ivory. Hookbar of tapered

semicircular section; pegs of boxwood.

Commentary

Johann Ulrich Eberle (1699–1768) was born in the Tyrol

and moved to Prague where he continued his training under

Thomas Edlinger; he is best-known for his violas d’amore,

of which a large number survive. See also RCM 33.

Provenance


References



Wells 1984, p.12

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 35

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 35:

details of side and back of pegbox

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 35: bridge,

probably original

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:44 Page 145

146

RCM 33 Viola d’Amore (Englische Violet)

Johann Ulrich Eberle, Prague, 1737

Inscriptions

Printed label on soundpost plate: Joannes Udalricus Eberle,

/ Lauten-Macher in Prag, 1737. [last two digits handwritten]

Brief description

Englische Violet, a variant of the viola d’amore, with eight

playing strings (later reduced to seven) and 24 sympathe-

tic strings; viol outline.

Dimensions


: 432


247

: 59, at tail 53, at neck joint 41.6

: 38 and 362½

: c.385, sympathetic strings 392 (but

marks of both bridge positions 11.2 nearer tail)

Description

Front two-piece, of fine to medium grain with fine grain

at centre; highly arched with strong depression around the

flame-shaped sound-holes. Below end of fingerboard a

small inserted pierced rosette in a third soundhole out-

lined with an alternating bone/ebony collar. Purfling and

black edging only on the front. Ribs and one-piece back

of bird’s-eye maple. Pale golden varnish. Flat back has

two folds so that ribs taper towards neck and tail; two

transverse bars and a soundpost plate. Twenty-four tun-

ing pins with watch-key heads set in recess in the tailblock

in two sets, twelve each side of hookbar of ivory. The

whole set was hidden behind a panel, now missing,

formed of a section of rib which slid into dovetailed hous-

ings. The sympathetic strings leave the tuning pins and

pass through a slot in the front with an ivory saddle and

then to a separate bridge of bone or ivory beyond the

main bridge. At the pegbox end there is a nut of bone or

ivory below the main nut; the sympathetic strings are

hitched to six ball-headed iron pins in the end wall of the

pegbox next to the nuts, each pin holding four strings.

The tailpiece has a sloping end, giving graduated over-

lengths to the playing strings. Tailpiece and pegbox are

drilled for eight strings but the present nut is notched for

only seven, and only seven boxwood pegs remain.

The pegbox finial is a cupid’s head, winged and blind-

folded, and the back of the pegbox is carved in low relief

with strap-work, scrolls and leaves.

Commentary

The original length of both playing and sympathetic

strings was probably slightly more than as presently set

up. The edges of the neck are slightly proud of the ribs at

the neck joint; it has probably been refitted to alter the

angle. Eberle used the decorative bird’s eye maple for a

number of his instruments. See also RCM 35.

In his Violinschule, Leopold Mozart referred to the

englische Violet as having seven bowed and fourteen

sympathetic strings (Mozart 1756, p.4); an example by

Schorn (1712) with this stringing is in the Germanisches

Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg.

Provenance


References



Colson 1935, ill. p.343


Talbot 2002, p.382 & ill; p.392

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 33: detail of label

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 33: detail of pegbox

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 33:

detail of tuning pins

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:45 Page 146

147

Viola d’amore, Johann Ulrich Eberle, RCM 33

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:45 Page 147

148

RCM 204 Baryton

Magnus Feldlen, Vienna 1647

Inscriptions

Handwritten label: [M]angnuß Feldlen Hof / lauten Und geigen

/ macher in Wien 1647.

Brief description

Baroque baryton with six bowed strings, nine plucked and

sympathetic strings, and four sympathetic strings added

later

Dimensions

: 1261

: 640

: upper bouts front 315, back 330, middle bouts

front 231½, back 245, lower bouts 385

: at neck joint 67, at fold c.108, at lower

bouts c.113

: 517

: 694

Description

Simple festoon outline: sloping shoulders and upper

corners without points. Tail incurved, with flat portion to

accommodate obliquely placed hookbar. Front with small

two-part flame-shaped soundholes and single purfling.

Dark red/gold varnish. Middle and lower bouts in one

length of rib; ribs at upper and middle bouts slope inwards

towards front. Back of three strips of maple with figure of

faint curl; upper section sloped; double purfling; inner line

of purfling forms decorative dart at neck joint. Vertical

strips of black-stained bobbin-turning at the neck joint on

both sides

The neck is broad, with two spines and heels, linked by

a solid and recessed portion, at body end; butt joint to

neck-block; ebony plates on the buttons. The open section

of the neck is covered and strengthened by a flat board

which also projects over the front. The bowed strings’ fin-

gerboard is fixed on top of this with a recess underneath

so that the gut frets can be tied; it is of maple inlaid with

purfling in geometrical knotwork. The tailpiece, a conjec-

tural reconstruction by J & A Beare, 1969, replacing a

damaged non-original one, is decorated in similar style.

One-piece neck and pegbox in maple with figure of faint

curl. Pegbox has simple hook finial with flattened front

face veneered with ebony; purfling on sides and back; bass

side of pegbox has stepped thickening to receive the thin

ends of pegs and thus reduce bending strain on long pegs.

Pegs of black-stained ?plum, with shield-shaped heads and

ivory finials. The nine original plucked and sympathetic

strings are attached to wooden hitchpins on the front sur-

face of the neck and then pass to the underside of the neck

and a wooden nut. The four added sympathetic strings do

the reverse; they are attached on the back surface of the

neck to four bone hitchpins and come over to the front.

A diagonally placed strip of beech is glued to the front and

holds thirteen irregularly placed iron wrestpins, diameter

6mm, heads 5mm square, for the sympathetic strings. The

bridge is asymmetrical with an extended dogleg on the

bass side to clear the sympathetic strings.

Commentary

Surprisingly there is no sign of any bridge to connect the

sympathetic strings acoustically to the front; instead the

wrestpins currently define the speaking length of the

strings. The irregular spacing of the wrestpins arises

because the later additional four strings were inserted

between the pins for the longest five original strings. The

beech strip holding the wrestpins does not match the rest

of the instrument closely in workmanship or finish (a red-

dish dragon’s blood type stain), and there are signs of

another pathway for the sympathetic strings near the

hookbar. So the wrestpin strip may be a modification

from another stage predating the four additional sympa-

thetic strings.

Although the baryton is known today chiefly for its asso-

ciation with Haydn and Prince Nicholas Esterhazy, this

Baryton, Magnus Feldlen, RCM 204; see also colour plate, p.13

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:45 Page 148

149

demanding instrument, in effect a combination of lyra viol

and bandora, was in use from the mid 17th century until

c.1800; the player would accompany his bowed line, or

multiple lines, by plucking the sympathetic strings behind

the neck with his left thumb. RCM 204 is the earliest sur-

viving example: another baryton by Feldlen, dated 1656,

survives in Vienna, on loan from the Gesellschaft der

Musikfreunde to the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

Magnus Feldlen (Feldtle, Feldlin, c.1620–66) was born

in Hohenschwangau, married the daughter of the

lutemaker Thomas Epp in Vienna in 1645, and became

court luthier (kaiserl. Hoflautenmacher), making violins, viols,

barytons and lutes (Lütgendorff 1990, p.162).

Provenance


References

Galpin 1968, p.78

Remnant 1978, p.67

Gartrell 1983, p.5 & p.61, pl.1

Wells 1984, p.12


Amour 1995, pp.144–5 & ill.

Pamplin 2000, pp.226, 229

Gartrell 2003, pp.119, 123

Baryton, Magnus Feldlen, RCM 204

Baryton, Magnus Feldlen, RCM 204: detail of label

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:45 Page 149

150

RCM 291 Hardingfele (Hardanger Fiddle)

Attributed to Erik Johnsen Helland, Bø,

c.1845

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Hardingfele, a fiddle of Western Norway originating in the

Hardanger region, with four sympathetic strings

Dimensions


: 335


183

: 29

: 276 (current; there are bridge marks 9.7

nearer to nut)

Description

Front, one-piece, of fine-grained ?pine: very high arching

with flattened transverse section between f-shaped sound-

holes; extreme depression at soundholes forming a step

11mm high at mid-point of soundholes; upper edges of

soundholes bevelled; no notches. Back, two-piece, of

?birch, quartered at centre, slabcut at edges; very highly

arched with flat transverse section at middle bouts and

steeply down-curved edges. Elaborately painted purfling

and edging on front and back; much floral and scrolling

ornament on ribs, front and back, in paint and penwork;

some flower centres in gold paint.

Neck and pegbox of same wood as back; pegbox

narrow, parallel-sided, having four pegs for playing strings

with engraved bone platings. Nut for four sympathetic

strings formed of dart-shaped piece of harder wood insert-

ed in lower end of pegbox underneath nut for playing-

strings; small decorative opening in fingerboard just below

nut through which sympathetic strings can be seen.

Stylised lion-head finial with bone teeth and separate pro-

truding tongue; traces of gold paint; lion’s mane runs half-

way down back of pegbox; lower half has painted floral

ornament. Edges of pegbox have running herringbone

ornament in penwork. Tailpiece and fingerboard

veneered, on softwood, in geometrical patterns of bone,

mother-of-pearl and whalebone, with engraving. Playing

strings attached to tailpiece by intermediate brass wires

with hooked ends; sympathetic strings fastened to two

brass hooks attached to underside of tailpiece (one hook

for two strings); tailpiece hitched to tailpin with brass wire.

Bridge, maple, of plain form with simple opening for

sympathetic strings; curve of top of bridge turns up slightly

at ends.

Commentary

Half of the button is new: the neck has almost certainly

been removed and replaced. The four pegs for sympa-

thetic strings are of a different, simpler, pattern and are

probably replacements. The instrument may have had a

period of use as a conventional violin. The wedge under

the fingerboard has a reverse taper, suggesting that the

fingerboard has been lowered.

Attributed by Bjørn Aksdal to Erik Johnsen Helland

(1816–68) of Bø in Telemark. Helland developed the

modern form of Hardanger fiddle, c.1860; RCM 291

appears to have been made in his early period, probably

in the 1840s (see Aksdal 2005).

Provenance

Acquired from the Musikhistoriska Museet (now the

Musikmuseet), Stockholm, 1951, in exchange for a book

harmonium, Paris, c.1880, Donaldson Collection, RCM 5

(now M2365).

References

Wells 1984, p.12

Hardingfele, RCM 291 attr. Erik Johnsen Helland

50731-133-150 3/4/07 14:45 Page 150

L B

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 151

RCM 52 Lira da Braccio

?English, first third of 19th century,

labelled Joan Karlino

Inscriptions

Handwritten on inside of back: Joan Karlino / Brescia 1452

[spurious]

Brief description

Early 19th-century re-creation of a lira da braccio with

seven strings, five on the fingerboard and two bourdons.

Dimensions

: 730

: 457


267

: 37.7

: 371

Description

Violin outline, with indentation at tail. Front one-piece,

highly-arched, of medium grain; f-shaped soundholes very

broad at notches; single purfling. Ribs and one-piece back

with shallow arching, of maple with figure of medium

curl; very small button at heel of neck. Neck and pegbox

of one piece, not altered; neck angled back in modern

style; the pegbox hollowed from the solid; seven frontal

pegs of brown-stained box. Bridge similar to a modern

viola bridge in height and piercing.

Commentary

Possibly by one of the Panormo family (information from

Charles Beare). Although accepted as an early lira da

braccio for many years, it is one of the many imitations or

forgeries of early models of bowed stringed instruments

that were produced in England by makers such as the

Panormos and Lotts.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894. Formerly owned by

George Chanot and exhibited by him in 1872 (see South

Kensington 1872, p.12, no. 133, ‘Viola’)

References


Reade 1872

Vienna 1892, p.60 & ill. p.67, pl.XVI, no.11

Niederheitmann 1894, p.xi

Donaldson 1896, pl.XX

Van der Straeten 1914, p.647

Galpin 1928, p.880

Grove 1928, v.5 p.524 pl.LXXXVIII

Grove 1948, v.3 p.207 pl.LXXXVIII

Grove 1954, v.8 pl.67

Baines 1966, p.7

Galpin 1968, p.74 pl.XXIX

Witten 1975, p.48

Coates 1985, p.55

Holman 1993, p.1

Scott-Jones 1995, pp.10, 14 & ill.

152

Lira da braccio, ?English, RCM 52

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 152

V

V

C

P

R

F

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 153

154

RCM 31 Violin

?English, ?early 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Violin with carving in high relief on the back; later front

and neck, c.1840

Dimensions


: 359

: upper bouts 162.5, middle bouts 107.5,

lower bouts 202

: 23.2

: 329

Description

Later front, two-piece, of fine and even grain; f-shaped

soundholes; purflings mostly incised, some inlaid; front

and back both highly arched; later bridge stamped HART.

Back of one piece of slab-cut maple with figure of faint

curl, with double purfling and carved with figures in high

relief along centre line: below the button a putto holding

a wreath, in the middle an eagle clutching a serpent, and

at the lower end another putto riding an eagle; the three

figures linked by scrolling acanthus foliage. Ribs with fig-

ure of medium curl. Pegbox with a dolphin carved in high

relief on the back and child’s head finial; four rosewood

pegs with mother-of-pearl inserts. Thin transparent

varnish on back; golden-brown on front.

Commentary

The origin of this unusual violin is uncertain; it was

clearly re-necked in England, c.1840, possibly by John

Lott, and the front probably dates from the same time

(information from Charles Beare). The patches are

English. Two late 17th-century English violins with

carving in relief on the back and pegbox survive, one

unsigned but now attributed to Agutter, the so-called

‘King James’ violin in the Victoria and Albert Museum,

the other with similar carving and the label of Ralph

Agutter, dated 1686, in private ownership (see Dilworth

1999, pp.264–71); neither violin retains its original front.

RCM 31 appears to be later, and could be by a member

of the school of Barak Norman. A carved violin from later

in the 18th century made by the painter Romney (see

Milnes 2000, pp.298–9) shows that there may have been

a continuing tradition of relief-carved backs in England.

There are also German instruments, for example by

Tielke, with relief carving on the back. The carving on

RCM 31 is of higher quality than the violin, indicating

that it was undertaken by a specialist woodcarver; the

roughness on the back between carving and arching leads

to the same conclusion.

The motifs of the carving are likely to have an

association with the identity of the first owner. It has been

suggested (Donaldson 1896, pl.XIV) that the dolphin

indicated that the instrument belonged to a Dauphin of

the French royal family. Guersan was maker to the

Dauphin and there is a stylised dolphin on his label (see

RCM 149). However the dolphin is a symbol with

numerous other meanings, including that of saviour,

religious or secular; in printed-paper decoration on

Flemish harpsichords and on other instruments and title

pages the musician Arion being rescued by a dolphin is

often depicted. An eagle with a serpent in its talons

symbolised the triumph of good over evil.

Provenance


References


Donaldson 1896, pl.XIV

Wells 1984, p.11

Violin, ?English, RCM 31: detail of carving on back

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 154

155

Violin, ?English, RCM 31; see also colour plate, p.13

Violin, ?English, RCM 31:

detail of carved putto with eagle

Violin, ?English, RCM 31:

details of pegbox side and back

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 155

156

RCM 43 Mute Violin

English, late 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

A late 18th-century mute violin, re-necked in the 19th

century

Dimensions


: 357

: upper ‘stirrup’ 77.5, waist (maximum) 65,

lower stirrup 142

: at neck joint 36, at waist, at bridge posi-

tion: 34.8, at tail 24

: 326

Description

Carved from one piece of maple, with figure of faint curl,

and with curved extensions top and bottom to imitate part

of the outline of a violin; at the tail these stirrup-like pieces

terminate in carved scrolls. The hollowed soundbox

cavity in the waist of the instrument is only 156mm long

and is covered by a slightly arched front, with a sound-

hole 21mm in diameter, ringed by two lines of purfling.

Varnish golden-brown. Later neck and pegbox of con-

ventional form with rosewood pegs.

Commentary

The volute of the lower stirrup on the bass side is a

replacement.

A practice instrument with a small soundbox designed

to limit the volume.

Provenance


References


Donaldson 1896, pl.XVII


Wells 1984, p.11

Mute violin, English, RCM 43

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:48 Page 156

157

RCM 346 Violin

William Forster junior, London, 1819

Inscriptions

Printed label: 1819 William Forster Jnr / Violin, Violoncello,

Tenor & Bow-maker / to their ROYAL HIGHNESSES the

PRINCE OF WALES & DUKE OF CUMBERLAND /

London No 31 [1819, Jnr and No 31 handwritten]; Prince

of Wales’s feathers on left, royal arms on right

Handwritten on rib above tailbutton: Wm

Forster Jun. /

London

Stamped: RCM [in an oval] 90

On treble side of pegbox a seal in red wax depicting a

right hand holding a sword, above the partially illegible

motto: PRO R{EGE} ET PATRIA

Brief description

Early 19th-century English violin with original neck and

bass bar

Dimensions


: 355

: upper bouts 166, middle bouts 110, lower

bouts 205

: 32.5

: 323

Description

Front of fine to wide grain; moderate arching; f-shaped

soundholes; single purfling. Ribs and two-piece back of

maple with figure of medium curl. Red-brown varnish.

Boxwood pegs.

Commentary

This violin is of particular interest since it retains its orig-

inal bass bar, neck and setting. The two sides of the front

do not match: a dendrochronological analysis indicated

the date of the youngest ring on the bass side of the front

as 1682; no match was found for the treble side in exist-

ing chronologies and dated sequences from English instru-

ments (Topham 2003). William Forster III (1764–1824)

was chiefly renowned, as was his father, for his fine cellos.

Provenance

Bequest of Miss Fanny Mary Cameron, 1940. The motto

and crest (‘a dexter hand grasping a sword proper’) are

those of the donor’s family, the Camerons of Lakefield,

co. Inverness.

References

Wells 1984, p.11

Topham 2003, p.137

Violin, William Forster jun., RCM 345:

detail of seal on pegbox

Violin, William Forster jun., RCM 345

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 157

158

RCM 54 Violin

Thomas Howell, Bristol, 1836

Inscriptions

Printed label: Made by T.HOWELL, / Inventor of the Improved

/ 18 PATENT 36 / Violin, Tenor, Violoncello, / Double Bass

and Spanish Guitar / at his Manufactory / and Music Warehouse

BRISTOL. [date handwritten]

Stamped near tail: HOWELL’S / PATENT; stamped on

button: a crown; below it on back: PATENT / T.

HOWELL BRISTOL / INVENTOR; on back at tail:

PATENT

Handwritten on inside of back: TH / 10

Brief description

Violin of patented design with cornerless outline, narrow

upper bouts and long neck; the tailpiece fixed to the front

Dimensions

: 616 (tail-button recessed)

: 317


209


: c.192

: 319½

Description

Front two-piece, fine-grained, highly arched, with very

little depression; C-shaped soundholes; single purfling on

front and back; scallop-carved semi-domed block under

fingerboard at neck to give greater strength to neck/body

joint; applied maple plug and scroll-work on the front at

tail, covering a strengthening screw into tailblock. Ribs

and one-piece back of maple; the ribs taper from tail to

neck. Long neck and pegbox with scroll; pegs with

mother-of-pearl inserts. Tailpiece of wedge profile to

give greater gluing area to front, and with undercutting to

provide string-holding portion; probably also screwed

on at the point where a mother-of-pearl disc is inlaid.

Red-brown varnish.

Commentary

Howell’s patent related to ‘improvements in the construc-

tion of the violin, tenor, violoncello, and double bass’. The

design was intended to facilitate playing in the higher

positions, by lengthening the neck and reducing the length

of the upper part of the body, and avoid ‘that inelegance

of action which is so much complained of, even in the

most expert performers.’ In addition

the end […] of the violin […] is curved inwards,

by which the instrument may be held with greater

ease and the performer enabled to play with

greater freedom, as he will by this construction be

able to hold the instrument firmly under the chin,

the concave at the end […] of the instrument fit-

ting the neck of the performer […] I cause the tail-

piece to be glued or affixed to the belly of the

instrument […] by this means the tail-piece is out

of the way of the chin. [Patent A.D1835 No. 6964,

Thomas Howell, of Clare Street, Bristol, Music

Seller.]

A number of his instruments survive, including a

similar violin in the National Music Museum, Vermillion

(NMM 10283).

Provenance


References



Violin, Thomas Howell, RCM 54

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 158

159

References



RCM 36 Violin

Jules Grandjon, Paris, c.1870

Inscriptions

Printed label: J.Grandjon à Paris / 103 Boulevard Sébastopol et

Rue Reaumur / 48 / BREVETE; S.G.D.G.

Branded on back below button: J.GRANDJON /

BREVETÉ / PARIS / 42

Branded on button: J. G. [enclosing a harp]

Brief description

A patented violin of oblong box-form, narrow and deep,

with rounded corners, very shallow middle bouts and

detachable neck

Dimensions

: 592½, without tail-button 584

: 361

: upper bouts 108.4, middle bouts 90.8, lower

bouts 109.4

: 39.2

: c.334

Description

Front of wide to medium grain; moderate arching;

f-shaped sound holes with oblong serifs top and bottom.

One-piece back with figure of moderate curl; shallow

arching. One line of very fine purfling front and back. A

simplified scroll with conventional fluting on the back but

no volute; the ebony pegs have mother-of-pearl inserts.

Nut missing.

Commentary

There are marks of another bridge position aligned with

the notches of the sound-holes; the string length would be

10mm less with the bridge in this position.

The instrument dismantles at an ingenious joint in the

divided heel of the neck; this joint combines a dovetail

with a mortise and tenon, to withstand the forward pull

of the strings. A similar violin by Grandjon, dismantled in

a fitted case, was sold at Sotheby’s (7 November 2006, Lot

265); another is in the Deutsches Museum, Munich (see

Wackernagel 1997, p.247).

Provenance


Violin, Jules Grandjon, RCM 36: detail of neck joint Violin, Jules Grandjon, RCM 36

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 159

160

RCM 186 Violin (lacquered)

Chinese or Japanese, late 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Lacquered violin of Chinese or Japanese manufacture

Dimensions


: 348


195

: 29.5

: 313

Description

Dark brown lacquer all over front, back, ribs and finger-

board, with gilded ornament of birds, trees, and blossom;

reddish ground under gilding with some slight embossing

under flower centres and bird feathers. Front highly

arched; f-shaped soundholes of crude outline without

notches. Thick ribs built up and not bent, made of three

pieces at middle bouts. No linings; the neck housing cut

so that it is exposed at the back. Pegs of oriental appear-

ance with plain heads and long shafts. Wide and com-

pressed scroll with only slight protrusion of ears; deeply

grooved nut. Replacement tailpiece; very low bridge.

Commentary

The instrument is thick and heavy and was originally

three-stringed; the tailpiece dates from the conversion to

four strings. According to a note about it by Hipkins, ‘Old

Chanot said it was like playing on a tea-caddy’ (presum-

ably George Chanot, 1831–93).

Provenance

Gift of John and Edith Hipkins, 1911; formerly in the col-

lection of their father, A J Hipkins, who was given it by

Herbert Cope, and listed it as Japanese.

References

None located

Violin, Chinese or Japanese, RCM 186

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 160

161

RCM 182 Quarter-size Violin

?c.1900

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

A quarter-size violin

Dimensions

: 436, without tail-button 433½

: 255½


150.5

: 22

: 237

Description

One-piece front of fine to medium grain; moderate arch-

ing; golden brown varnish. Two-piece plain maple back;

moderate arching. Ribs of plain maple. Neck and pegbox

of maple with figure of slight curl; well-cut scroll; black-

stained fruitwood pegs.

Provenance


References

None located

___________________________

RCM 366 Sixteenth-size Violin

c.1900

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

A sixteenth-size violin

Quarter-size violin, RCM 182 Sixteenth-size violins, RCM 366 [left] and RCM 283 [right]

Dimensions

: 343

: 200


117

: 17.5

: 179

Description

Front one-piece, wide-grained; back one-piece, of moder-

ate curl; reddish-gold varnish; ebony pegs; bridge stamped

E JESSUP.

Provenance

Bequest of H A M Marno, 1976

References

None located

_______________________

RCM 283 Sixteenth-size Violin

c.1900

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

A sixteenth-size violin

Dimensions

: 342

: 201½


: 18

: 181

Description

Front one-piece; back of moderate curl, ribs plain; yellow-

gold varnish; ebonised pegs. Full-size bridge cut down and

trimmed, with single foot.

Provenance


References

None located

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 161

162

RCM 347 Viola

?Flemish, ?early 17th century

Inscriptions

Spurious printed label: Gaspard Duiffopruggar / bononiensis

Anno 1571 [last two digits handwritten]

Brief description

Viola, ?early 17th century; later front and ribs, ?late 17th

century

Dimensions


: 446

: upper bouts 206.5, middle bouts 149, lower bouts

247

: 41.6

: 381

Description

Later front, very highly arched; wide to fine grain; con-

siderable depression at soundholes; broadly-cut f-shaped

soundholes. Double purfling front and back but the inner

lines added later and incised not inlaid. The original pur-

fling is black-white-black on the front but on the back is

white-black-white. Back one-piece, slab-cut, of ?poplar.

Back and front pegged top and bottom. Ribs, later, of

maple with figure of medium curl, let into back. Later

neck spliced into heel of older neck and pegbox; earlier

finial from another instrument is a blindfold Cupid.

Reddish-golden varnish. Modern tailpiece and rosewood

pegs; bridge stamped H.S. BRADDYLL

Commentary

The arching of the back suggests that it was made in the

early years of the 17th century, perhaps by a Flemish

maker since poplar does not seem to have been favoured

for English instruments then and the varnish does not

appear to be Italian. The front resembles the work of Eng-

lish makers such as Edward Lewis and, like the ribs, prob-

ably dates from the end of the 17th century (information

from Charles Beare). The finial is probably from a viol.

H Stanley Braddyll (born 1910) had a shop at the RCM

(? from c.1937).

Provenance

Bequest of Miss Fanny Mary Cameron, 1940

References

Wells 1984, p.11

Viola, ?Flemish, RCM 347: detail of pegbox

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 162

163

Viola, ?Flemish, RCM 347; see also colour plates, p.15

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 163

164

RCM 350 Viola

Enrico Catenar, Turin, 1661

Inscriptions

Printed label: HENRICUS CATENAR. / Fecit Taurini Anno

1661 [last two digits hand written]

Brief description

Mid 17th-century viola made in Turin, with an outline

with very pronounced points.

Dimensions

: 718½, without tail-button 710

: 426


241

: 42

: 383

Description

Front of fine grain, highly arched; f-shaped soundholes;

treble soundhole worn and enlarged; bass soundhole has

repair at notch. Back of plain slab-cut maple; single pur-

fling on front and back. Ribs set into the back; joints rein-

forced with fabric strips instead of linings. Later button of

dovetail shape inlaid and fixed with two treenails; later

neck. Gouge marks very apparent on original scroll and

pegbox; rosewood pegs. Transparent golden-coloured

varnish, much worn.

Commentary

This rare example of Catenar’s work is believed to be the

earliest of his identified surviving instruments. His later

instruments are more conventional, without the distinctive

outline and pronounced points of this fine viola (informa-

tion from Charles Beare).

Enrico Catenar (Catenari, Cattenar) was born Henricus

Casner in Chislin (Chissigne), Franconia (now Frankland,

central Germany), and worked in Turin from 1650 or ear-

lier; since he acquired the business and married the widow

of Gioanni Angerero (Johann Angerer, born in Füssen),

he had perhaps also been his apprentice. Catenar became

the city’s pre-eminent luthier and established the Pied-

montese school; he died in 1701 at the age of 80 (see Kass

1998, pp.482–92). For a later instrument of the Turin

school see pochetto d’amore, RCM 38, by Giovanni Battista

Genova.

Provenance

Given before 1914, possibly by Mr Stevens

References

Wells 1984, p.11

The Strad Calendar 2000: ill. September

Viola, Enrico Catenar, RCM 350: detail of label

Viola, Enrico Catenar, RCM 350: details of scroll

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 164

165

Viola, Enrico Catenar, RCM 350; see also colour plates, p.14

Viola, Enrico Catenar, RCM 350: details of scroll

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 165

166

RCM 53 Viola

Attributed to Giovanni and Francesco

Grancino, Milan, c.1685

Inscriptions

Spurious printed Amati label: Antonius et Hieronymus Fr

Amati / Cremonen Andrea fil F 1590

Brief description

Late 17th-century Milanese viola (?violetta) with festoon

outline; pegbox probably from a viol

Dimensions


: 379


358

: c.33

: 358

Description

Perhaps five-stringed originally. Front of fine to medium

grain; f-shaped soundholes; front and back highly arched

with long flat area and moderate depression. Single

purfling, front and back. Back one-piece, slab-cut, the

transverse arching asymmetrical. Varnish golden-brown.

Later neck jointed into a step cut in the heel of older neck;

dart-shaped scarf-joint approximately half-way along later

neck into older neck and pegbox. The finial is a grotesque

head enclosed between volutes and the back of the peg-

box has foliate carving. The pegbox, originally for six

pegs, has had two pegholes plugged and has been nar-

rowed for four strings.

Commentary

Attributed by Charles Beare to Giovanni and Francesco

Grancino. Instruments of similar outline signed by Gio-

vanni Grancino survive in the Castello Sforzesco, Milan,

dated 1662, and the National Music Museum, Vermil-

lion, dated 1693; these are currently four-stringed (with

body length 378mm) and five-stringed (body length

c.365mm) respectively. The latter instrument is believed

to have been five-stringed originally, as is another exam-

ple in private ownership. So it seems likely that RCM 53

was also built for five strings. Its present pegbox is of the

same date as the body but probably from a viol. There is

not sufficient room in it for sympathetic strings.

Viola, attr. to Giovanni and Francesco Grancino, RCM 53:

detail of pegbox

Viola, attr. to Giovanni and Francesco Grancino, RCM 53

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 166

167

Some have called these instruments violettas. This term

was commonly used for the viola in the 18th century (and

for the cello earlier); it also appears on solo and orchestral

parts in contra-distinction to violin and viola and could

there have indicated a viol or a viola da braccio (see Catch

1994, pp.90–1). Further investigation of these sources and

of instruments such as RCM 53 is needed.

Concerning Giovanni and Francesco Grancino, see

Grove 2001, v.10, p.283.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894. Possibly ex-Chanot,

if it was the instrument Chanot exhibited as ‘No 113, Vio-

lin, unusual shape of ancient date’ (see South Kensington

1872, p.11).

References



Wells 1984, p.11

Viola, attr. to Giovanni and Francesco Grancino, RCM 53

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 167

168

RCM 185 Viola in viol form (?formerly

Viol)

?19th century

Inscriptions

Stamped below button: WILLIAM HALL / BIRMINGHAM

Brief description

Viola with viol-form outline, possibly built as viol with

arched back; renecked ?c.1900

Dimensions


: 410


257

: 48.5

: 369½

Description

Sloping shoulders and very slight out-turn to points at

upper and lower corners; currently strung as a viola. Front

of medium arching and very slight depression; small

C-shaped sound holes with large notches; two incised lines

as ‘purfling’ on front and back; front and back flush to

ribs; two-piece rounded back with figure of moderate curl.

Dark reddish-brown varnish. A bead is cut in the ribs at

the neck joint. Awkwardly carved scroll with the fluting

stopping short above pegbox. The button has two

treenails into the heel of neck. There is a wedge under

fingerboard but this was only to add thickness to a neck

that was not deep enough. Bridge stamped W.E.Hill &

Sons, with unusual trefoil opening.

Commentary

The Hall stamp may relate to the neck and pegbox, which

appear to be later (?c.1900). The instrument may

originally have been built as a viol with arched back

rather than a viola with viol outline.

Provenance

It may be the ‘viol’ given by John and Edith Hipkins in

1911 (and described by Frere (1926) as having an arched

back and four strings), previously owned by George Loder

of Bath, then J T Pritchard who gave it to Alfred James

Hipkins in 1888, having owned it for 54 years.

References

None located

Viola in viol form (?formerly viol), RCM 185

50731-151-176 5/4/07 17:34 Page 168

169

RCM 351 Cello

Gaetano Pasta, Brescia, 1714

Inscriptions

Printed label: Gaetano Pasta Milanese, allieuo / dell’ Amati di

Cremona, alla / Pallada in Brescia A 1714 [last five charac-

ters handwritten; three printed characters beneath the A,

apparently 180 (presumably a printer’s error)]

Small punch mark on bass side of top of heel of later neck:

RCM [in an oval] 18

Brief description

Early 18th-century Brescian cello

Dimensions

: 1177

: 703


421

: 117

: 669

Description

Front two-piece, of wide to medium grain; f-shaped

soundholes; both front and back moderately arched. Two-

piece back of ?poplar with figure of narrow curl; there is

a hole 460mm from tail, for attaching a neck-strap.

Single purfling on front and back; on the back it is formed

of black pigment in a pair of incised lines. Clear pale-gold

varnish. The neck, of figured maple, is later and a piece

of the button was damaged when this neck was fitted.

Original pegbox and scroll of plainer maple; later rose-

wood pegs. There is an old repaired break where the

scroll joins the pegbox; the cello currently lacks tailpiece,

endpin and bridge.

Commentary

This relatively small cello, which some would term a vio-

loncello piccolo, shows the influence of Grancino and his

contemporaries in Milan, and of J B Rogeri of Brescia,

with whom Gaetano Pasta (fl. 1710–60) is believed to have

trained. The plugged hole in the back indicates that it was

shoulder-held with a strap (concerning the viola or violon-

cello da spalla, see Barnett 1998, pp.81–106).

Provenance

Gift of Mrs Hickens, 1917

References

None located

Cello, Gaetano Pasta, RCM 351: front, back and detail of label

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 169

170

RCM 49 Five-stringed Cello Neck and

Pegbox

?French, early 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Five-stringed cello neck and pegbox with a grinning

satyr’s head finial

Dimensions

: 529

: 458

: 254

: at nut 47

: at narrowest point 34, at joint 49

Description

One-piece upper block, neck and open-backed pegbox of

?service wood; holes for five pegs; the sides of the pegbox

are carved in low relief with a rosette around each peg-

hole; the finial is a grinning satyr’s head. The ribs were

housed into slots in the integral block, and wedged and

glued. There are remnants of spruce wedges and small

fragments of ribs still there; also traces of glued cloth rein-

forcement where the tip of the curved block was attached

to a back.

Commentary

Possibly made for a violoncello piccolo. Whereas most

five-stringed cellos have been converted to four strings

and their original pegboxes lost, this neck and pegbox is

a rare survival, preserved due to the fine carving. The

carving around the pegholes may be later in date.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XIX

Wells 1984, p.11

Five-stringed cello neck and pegbox, ?French, RCM 49: details of pegbox and side

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 170

171

RCM 50 Philomele

German, mid 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Philomele, a form of wire-strung violin with a flat back

Dimensions

: 595

: 355


230

: 31

: 332

Description

Outline with sloping shoulders and only two corners, at

junction of upper bouts with continuous middle and lower

bouts. Flat front of very fine grain with two flame holes.

Light gold varnish. Intarsia panel in various woods, some

coloured, inlaid in front below bridge within a cartouche

of purfling, showing a townscape of high-pitched roofs

and a church with mountains beyond. One line of

purfling plus chequered edge-banding. Back flat, without

purfling. Pegbox with lion head and four machine tuners.

Combined bridge and hitchpiece jointed to the end of the

fingerboard and glued to front. Strings pass over bone slip

in top of bridge and are hitched to brass pins in the tail-

side of the bridge. End of fingerboard has openings cut

below bowing area. Back has three transverse bars.

Commentary

The hitching of the strings to a bridge fastened to the end

of the fingerboard means the strain on the front is upward

instead of downward; there is no bar or post under it.

Provenance


References


Philomele, German, RCM 50

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 171

172

RCM 29 Philomele

German, mid 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Philomele, a form of wire-strung violin with a flat back

Dimensions

: 588

: 351

: upper bouts 155.5, middle bouts, 90.5 lower

bouts 199.5

: 29

: 320

Description

Guitar-shape with a double curve at shoulders. Flat two-

piece front, fine-grained, with unusual and elaborate

flame soundholes edged with delicate chequered purfling

and lines. Similar purfling on front and back, and on top

and bottom edges of ribs. Flat two-piece back and ribs

all of ?kingwood. Strings were attached to hitchpins on

bridge originally (holes plugged). Brass wire insert in top

of ebony bridge. Three-legged bridge tongued and

grooved onto end of fingerboard and glued to front.

Ebony fingerboard with star/flower piercing at lower end.

Neck and pegbox in flamed maple with lion head as finial;

four machine tuners with bone pegheads.

Commentary

The instrument was modified at some point and set up

with the strings hitched to a conventional tailpiece, ornate

in style (see Donaldson 1896). There is a loose soundpost

from that period since there was downward pressure on

the front at that time.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XIV

Philomele, German, RCM 29

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 172

173

RCM 212 Rebecchino (Lira)

?Italian, ?late 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Rebecchino, a three-stringed rebec-type instrument

Dimensions

: 537

: 122

: 50

: 312

Description

Body, neck and pegbox carved from one piece of ?poplar.

Flat front of poplar or willow with two rudimentary

f-shaped soundholes. The neck is hollowed and covered

with a poplar fingerboard whose underside is also hol-

lowed. Width of neck at nut: 29.4mm. Simple, unpierced,

bridge, the flat top grooved for a missing insert. Bridge

height: 21mm. The tailpiece is hitched to an integral end-

pin with twine. The soundpost under the centre of the

bridge was inserted through a hole in the back. Simple

flat-faced hook finial to pegbox; three carved, not turned,

pegs of oak; nut of oak in a sawcut. Simple painted deco-

ration of lines and dots, in blue, black and red, on front

and fingerboard. Three plain gut strings.

Commentary

Similar instruments with almost identical decoration

survive, for example in the Musikinstrumenten

Museum, Leipzig, and Smithsonian Institution, Washing-

ton DC; one lacking bridge and tailpin is illustrated in

Leopoldo Franciolini’s Catalogue 3A, Series E, c.1895

(Ripin 1974, p.39, fig.6). The Smithsonian instrument was

acquired in Florence; another is in the Galleria dell’

Accademia, Florence (see Gai 1969, p.70, n.48, & ill.67,

p.76). They were apparently made and decorated for sale

to collectors rather than for use by regional musicians.

While not all the instruments Franciolini sold in Florence

were forgeries, and in some cases the workers he

employed simply added decoration to existing specimens,

‘certain standardized wind and stringed instruments were

manufactured … in fair numbers’ (Ripin 1974, p.xi).

Gabriele Rossi-Rognoni has shown (unpublished paper,

Vermillion, 2006) that Franciolini was contributing to the

marketing of antiques and copies (‘the new Renaissance

furniture factory’) developed by Stefano Bardini from the

mid 1860s.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson after 1899 and before 1907,

when it is mentioned (in Racster 1907) as an ‘authentic

rebec… to be seen in the Donaldson Museum at the

Royal College of Music’. According to a 1926 typescript

list by A H Frere, a bow was associated with the instru-

ment at that time: ‘The bow is of true rebec type, 18� long

with a depth of curve of 2.25�, & in place of horsehair has

a gut string tied through holes at each end’.

Rebecchino (Lira), ?Italian, RCM 212

References

Racster 1907, p.44

Galpin 1928, p.880

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 173

174

RCM 380 Gusle

Serbian, 1930

Inscriptions

Carved on the side of the peg head: J B / 1929

Carved at the top of the fingerboard and on pendant: JB

Three inscriptions carved in relief on sides in Serbian:

1.МАЧ И ГУСЛЕ/ТО ДРАГО КАМЕЊЕ/СРБИНУСУ / НАЈВЕЧЕ �НАМЕЊЕ [transliteration: MAC̆ I

GUSLE / TO DRAGO KAMENJE / SRBINU SU /

NAYVEC̆E ZNAMENJE; translation: The sword and the

gusle these precious jewels (lit. stones) to Serbs are the great-

est possessions]

2. ХУГО Х ЕГЕРСДОРФЕР 1930Г [transliteration:

HUGO H EGERSDORFER 1930G]

3. HUGO H EGERSDORFER / FER . KAPETAN. I. KL. /

25/III. 1930 ГОД. [transliteration: […] / 1930 GOD;

translation: Hugo H Egersdorfer Captain 1st Class 25/III.

1930 year.]

Four Cs, the left two in reverse, carved on the back

(around opening) and the bass side (within a coat of arms:

see Description) are an abbreviation of: САМА СЛОГАСРБИНА СПАШАВА [SAMA SLOGA SRBINA

SPAS̆AVA; Only Unity Serbia Saves]

Brief description

Gusle, a Serbian fiddle with a single string

Dimensions

: 695½

: 297

: 208

: 74

: at peg 30, at top of front 33

: (no mark of bridge placement) from peg

to tail 528

Description

Front of leather stretched over a body, neck and head

made in one piece, of ?poplar. Front pierced with simple

cross and flower shapes. A spoon-shaped back with slop-

ing sides and flat bottom carved all over in low relief with

scrolling foliage, inscriptions, and a coat of arms with a

crown and double-headed eagle. Middle of back has a

cross-shaped opening surrounded with carved grapes,

leaves and tendrils. All edges bordered with chip carving.

Back varnished. Front fastened to edges with brass strip

and nails. Tinplate clasp where front meets neck. Rawhide

tail-piece attached to integral tailpin. Front of neck also

carved with abstract ornament. One large posterior peg,

with slot for string and ornamental pendant carved from

one piece of wood. Finial a horse’s head with inset wood

and brass eyes. A carved snake, also with inset eyes,

entwines the neck and rears up below the horse’s head.

Commentary

The coat-of-arms is characteristically Serbian. The gusle

was used by singers to accompany epic songs of Serbian

history and poetry and it was customary to carve dates

commemorating significant national events on the instru-

ments. Yugoslavia was created in 1929; the inscriptions on

RCM 380 may refer to a battle in 1930 or perhaps to the

heroism or promotion of Egersdorfer.

Provenance

Gift of the Royal Academy of Music, December 1981

References

None located

Gusle, Serbian, RCM 380

Gusle, Serbian, RCM 380: details of coat of

arms and inscription 3

50731-151-176 5/4/07 17:34 Page 174

175

RCM 131 Fiddle

19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Lute-backed fiddle of bizarre form with slightly waisted

outline

Dimensions

: 646

: 344

WIDTH: upper bouts 134, middle bouts 116, lower bouts

132

: 85

: c.305

Description

Two-piece arched front of medium to wide grain at edges;

two simplified f-shaped soundholes without notches or ser-

ifs; raised laminated edging. Remains of tail-pin replaced

by glued-on platform to which missing tailpiece was

attached by three screws. Upper and lower ends of back

of coconut shells or similar, joined by a central semi-cylin-

drical section of ?burr ash or similar wood. Tricolour

linen tape over joints between shells and wood, and along

top edges of back. Decorative collars or rings glued to

back each side of upper bouts, one remaining. Maple neck

and pegbox with a large dragon head finial, facing away

from player, grafted on. Fingerboard of nearly flat section

of ?ash veneer on an ebonised wedge. Holes for six pegs;

shown in Donaldson 1896 with four strings.

Commentary

No bass bar and possibly no soundpost. Curious inserts

in front at soundholes which seem to fill the outlines of

earlier soundholes of shorter more conventional form.

Plugged hole in heel of neck covering some form of

additional attachment to upper block. Possibly of Indian

manufacture.

Provenance


References

Donaldson, 1896, pl.XXXVII

Fiddle, RCM 131

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 175

176

RCM 390 Fiddle

19th century

Inscriptions

The soundholes form initials, possibly S [and] L

Brief description

Four-stringed fiddle of violin outline with vestigial corners

Dimensions

: 671

: 381½


185


: c.385

Description

Front almost flat, c.7mm thick, of dark-stained beech, with

deep decorative groove cut around edges; two soundholes

of letter form, possibly S and L, with a heart-shaped hole

in between. The heart-shaped bridge does not rest on the

front; it has a square stem which passes through a hole in

the front to rest on the back, where it is located on the

point of a nail. It is not clear where the strings were locat-

ed on the bridge; there are various points in the carving

where they could rest, and on the outside corners are two

wire eyes that could have held strings. Tailpiece (now

missing) was attached to vertical post fixed over rib joint

at tail.

Ribs, also of beech, are fixed to rebates on front and

back by nails (some of wood, some of iron); the upper and

lower ribs overlap the ribs of the middle bouts to form

slight ‘corners’. Back is one-piece, of coarse slab-cut conif-

erous wood. Neck and pegbox of beech. Nut and finger-

board missing; pegbox, for frontal pegs, is hollowed out

behind and carved as the clenched fist of a left hand with

the elongated thumb protruding as finial. The strings

come to the front of the pegbox through holes in the nails

of the four fingers; junction of neck and pegbox are carved

as the cuffed wrist of the hand; pegs missing.

Commentary

A heavy and robust instrument of rough workmanship

and curious design. Interestingly the back, of coniferous

wood, functions as the soundboard, not the beech front;

the single leg of the bridge passes loosely through the hole

in the front and transmits vibration directly only to the

back. Three holes in the front of the neck are probably for

fastenings for a one-piece fingerboard and nut.

Provenance

Gift of the Royal Academy of Music, London, 1981

References

None located

Fiddle, RCM 390: front

50731-151-176 3/4/07 14:49 Page 176

P

K

P D’A

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:50 Page 177

RCM 40 Pochette

Attributed to Mathias Wörle, Augsburg,

c. 1675

Inscriptions

Handwritten label, indecipherable through narrow sound-

holes; it may include {…}W{- - [?] lle} in {…} [?] {1675}

Brief description

Pochette (Taschengeige) with boat-shaped body

Dimensions

: 442 (tailbutton integral)

: 263

: 35

: 23

: 237

Description

Front fine-grained, highly-arched, with deep depressions

at edges; C-shaped soundholes; small inlay of flowers and

heart between bridge and fingerboard and a small heart-

shaped piercing. Back of five ribs of alternating ebony and

ivory, with ebony and ivory lines in joints; lined with

paper. Neck veneered with thirteen alternating strips of

ebony and ivory; boxwood pegs; pegbox finial the head of

a boy carved in ivory. The tailpiece and fingerboard are

decorated in alternating strips of ebony and ivory, three

on the tailpiece, and seven on the fingerboard. Finger-

board length: 145mm; bridge new.

Commentary

Pochettes were commonly played by dancing masters and

carried in their pockets, hence the name; some examples

have especially fine carving and inlaid decoration, and

were presumably owned by the wealthy.

The attribution is based on close similarities to pochettes

signed by Mathias Wörle of Augsburg, Tyrol, for example

one dated 1691 in the National Music Museum,

Vermillion (see Early Music 18/4 (November 1990) p.590),

a second, dated 1670, sold at Sotheby’s, 12th November

1986 (Lot 217), and a third in the Kunsthistorisches

Museum, Vienna (Bletschacher 1978, p.151). The fact that

RCM 40 has a label supports the attribution since Wörle

was one of the relatively few makers to sign their pochettes.

It may have been possible to read the date 1675 on it ear-

lier (see Donaldson 1896). Mathias Wörle was born c.1650

in Vils, married in 1676 in Augsburg and died there before

1695 (Lütgendorff 1990, p.690).

Provenance


References



178

Pochette, attr. Mathias Wörle, RCM 40: details of pegbox

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:50 Page 178

179

Pochette, attr. Mathias Wörle, RCM 40

Pochette, attr. Mathias Wörle, RCM

40: detail of rear of neck and pegbox

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 179

180

RCM 55 Pochette

?German, 17th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette (Taschengeige) with a boat-shaped body

Dimensions


: 316

: 39.9

: 35

: 302

Description

Front highly-arched, edged with a single black line and

pierced with small holes forming a cruciform pattern at

end of fingerboard. Back of five staves of ?plumwood with

ivory lines along centres and joints; lined with paper; both

ends of staves have inlaid plaques of ?ivory decorated with

motif of sunflowers, the lines of the engraving filled with

red pigment. Tail-button of bone or ivory; later tailpiece.

Fingerboard decorated alternately in chequers and lines

of ebony and ivory, with pierced and notched decoration

at lower end. Neck and pegs of fruitwood; pegs have small

ivory buttons; further bone or ivory plaques in back and

sides of pegbox with foliate and sunflower motifs incised

and reddened; chip-carved edge to pegbox, and finial in

the form of a ?lion’s head.

Commentary

The finial has a black inlay under the chin, probably cov-

ering an old repair. The style of the carved head suggests

that the pochette may be Saxon or Polish in origin. It is

probably by the same maker as a similar pochette lent by

M Jubinal, Paris, for exhibition in 1872 (South Kensing-

ton 1872, Plate III, no 65).

Provenance


References


Pochette, ?German, RCM 55: details of pegbox side and back Pochette, ?German, RCM 55

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 180

181

RCM 61 Pochette

Italian, ?1695

Inscriptions

In ink, on two out of three circular mother-of-pearl inlays

at top of back; at centre: Anno, on bass side: 1695

Brief description

Pochette (canino, sordino) with boat-shaped body

Dimensions

: 482; without tail-button: 469

: 266

: 40.5

: 38.5

: c.251 (no distinct bridge marks: this

measurement is to centre of soundpost)

Description

Pegbox, neck and hollowed-out back of one-piece

construction from a single piece of walnut, but giving the

appearance of stave construction with a neck-joint.

Slightly arched front of medium grain, with little

depression curvature and no purfling. Finial is a beast’s

head, encircled by a curious metal ligature with horns.

The instrument is profusely decorated with inlays of

engraved ?bone and mother-of pearl, and metal lines.

Tail-button is a whistle. One peg missing. Bridge new.

Commentary

The ligature on the head may be a repair treated

decoratively. A third circular mother-of-pearl inlay at the

top of the back on the treble side is a replacement so

possibly there was another inscription originally. It is

unusual to find a date on the exterior of a pochette and

this one could be spurious; it may, however, have been

inscribed there simply because it is difficult to read labels

through pochette soundholes. There is similar decoration

on a canino with the label of Antonio Cati, Florence, 1641

(see Gatti 1998, p.63).

Provenance


References


Pochette, Italian, RCM 61

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 181

182

RCM 60 Pochette

Italian, ?late 17th or early 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description


Dimensions


: 277

: 33

: 29.5

: 273 (no bridge marks; measured to

notches in soundholes)

Description

Pegbox, neck and back probably of one-piece

construction, but imitating five-stave construction;

covered in decorative veneers of bone, ebony and another

dark wood, possibly kingwood. Front of cypress with slight

depression; C-shaped soundholes, closely spaced; between

them an inlay of simple floral form in dark wood and

mother-of-pearl; inlay of skull and bones surmounted by

a cross at end of fingerboard. A moulding defines junction

of neck and body; the five ‘staves’ of the back veneered in

chequered chevrons laid herringbone fashion; the neck

similarly veneered in smaller pieces. The pattern also runs

onto back and sides of pegbox; scroll striped laterally with

bone and ebony on the front face of the volute and the

sides partially veneered in ?kingwood; ears of scroll have

bone buttons. Fingerboard, front and tailpiece edge-

banded with alternating ebony and mother-of-pearl; an

inlay of an archer on lower end of fingerboard. Integral

tailbutton. Four unusual pegs with crescent-shaped heads

enclosing a bone button; tips of pegs have turned bone

finials. Bridge new.

Commentary

The decoration on the front may be later in date.

Provenance


References



50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 182

183

RCM 56 Pochette

?German, late 17th or 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette (Taschengeige) with boat-shaped body

Dimensions


: 263

: 39

: 31

: c.232 (no bridge marks; measured to


Description

One-piece construction of pegbox, neck and hollowed-out

back, but giving the appearance of stave construction with

a neck-joint; of maple with figure of slight curl. Front fine-

grained, with slight depression at edges; C-shaped

soundholes and a heart-shaped opening below end of

fingerboard; painted purfling. Golden varnish. Lion finial

to pegbox and simple gouge-carved ornament to edge

of pegbox; ivory pegs. Fingerboard decorated with

alternating strips of ?bone and ebony. Tailpiece of bone

and ebony hitched to an integral tailbutton. Bridge new.

Commentary

Probably of Saxon origin.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894, with ‘its original

wood-case painted with a domestic scene and “The Dog’s

Polka,” composed by Clausenius’ (Donaldson 1896); the

case, cylindrical in form, was also described by Frere in

1926, but was missing in 1943. A leather-covered

pochette case is illustrated in Thornton 1982, pp.21 & 26.

References


Pochette, ?German, RCM 56

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 183

184

RCM 174 Pochette

Italian, ?late 18th or 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description


Dimensions

: 549, without tailbutton 538½

: 325

: 47

: 31.5

: 299 (no bridge marks; measured to


Description

One-piece construction of pegbox, neck and back, which

has six apparent staves, of maple. Low-arched front of

wide grain, with f-shaped soundholes, close to s-shaped;

edged with a wide ornamental purfling, consisting of a

pattern of mother-of-pearl lozenges and discs; a third

soundhole between bridge and end of fingerboard,

pierced like a rudimentary lute rose. Back is veneered with

?ebony and bone marquetry of simple repeating foliage

pattern; these veneers were put on after the front and

cover the joint. Neck and pegbox stained black and inlaid

with lines, dots and lozenges of bone and mother-of-pearl.

Lion’s head finial to pegbox; boxwood pegs. Ebony finger-

board profusely inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Bridge new.

Provenance

Unknown; given before 1926, when it was listed by Frere

amongst instruments not in the Donaldson Collection.

References

None located


50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 184

185

RCM 190 Pochette

?19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette with straight-sided conical body

Dimensions


: 307

: 50

: 42

: c.324 (see Commentary)

Description

Front, maple, with figure of faint curl, is bent and highly

arched, the transverse section resembling an ogival arch;

no purfling. Bridge with widely-splayed rounded feet

which rest on the concave outside edges of front. No

soundpost but one deep transverse bar at mid-point of a

figure-of-eight soundhole; two other small soundholes.

Back of five staves veneered in tortoiseshell with ivory and

ebony purfling, three white lines and two black, at joints;

four of the same lines run up the back of the neck. Neck

and neck-block of one piece of maple. Pegbox open-

backed, of ?maple stained black, angled backwards quite

sharply; separately carved finial in the form of a goat’s

head also stained black; front and back edges of pegbox

decorated with bone, ivory and ebony lines. Four bone

pegs. Fingerboard length: 220mm.

Commentary

There is no indication of string length but the bridge was

probably intended to be at the mid-point of the curious

soundhole and thus above the bar; the string length would

then be c.324mm.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson after 1899

References

None located

Pochette, RCM 174

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 185

186

RCM 39 Pochette

?Flemish, ?18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette with festoon outline; later neck and pegbox, c.1800

Dimensions

: 460

: 250

: upper bouts: 79.5, middle bouts 49, lower bouts 89

: 25

: 271

Description

Front fine-grained, highly arched, glued directly to arched

back without ribs; C-shaped soundholes; single purfling

front and back. Reddish-gold varnish with paler under-

layer. Tailpiece tied to ebony saddle by a loop of gut

passing through two holes in front and back. The neck has

a heel deeper than the body with a dart-shaped insertion

into the back at the button. Deeply undercut and widely

flared scroll; ebony pegs.

Commentary

The shallow soundbox is formed entirely from the arching

of front and back. The scroll and neck appear to be later

than the body and to have been made by a workman

associated with John Betts in London, c.1800; the origin

of the body remains uncertain (information from Charles

Beare). The outline is similar to that of a pochette (canino)

pattern of Stradivari (see Sacconi 1979, pp.242 &

243, fig.176) and RCM 39 was formerly attributed

to Stradivari. The measurements, however, do not

correspond and a dendrochronological assessment by

John Topham found no match with existing data on

either Italian or English tree-rings. Pochettes of similar

outline by Gaspar Borbon survive (for example Brussels,

Musée des Instruments de Musique, no.2764, dated 1686)

but differ in construction and measurements. There is

an anonymous pochette that does have the same

construction, dimensions and curious neck/body joint

as RCM 39, in the Gemeentemuseum, the Hague

(no.Ec 137-X-1952, on loan from the Rijksmuseum,

Amsterdam); according to the published plan, it is 18th

century, with body length 253mm. Possibly the bodies of

this instrument and RCM 39 are both Flemish.

Provenance


References



Grove 1928, v.4 p.211

Grove 1948, v.4 p.211

Grove 1954, v.4 p.770

Remnant 1978, p.68

Grove 1980, v.10 pp.86–7 & ill.

Grove 1984, v.2 p.439 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.11

Grove 2001, v.13 pp.635–7 & ill.

Coates 1985, p.100


50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 186

187

Pochette, ?Flemish, RCM 39;

see also colour plates, p.15

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 187

188

RCM 42 Kit

English, 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Kit of reduced violin outline, the back and shallow ‘ribs’

carved from one piece

Dimensions


: 203


112

( ): 30

‘’ (see Description): at tail 12, at waist 9,

at button 16

: c.283 (measured to marks of old bridge

position)

Description

Front very highly arched, of medium to wide grain; f-

shaped soundholes and single purfling; very depressed

carving at soundholes. Front does not overlap ‘ribs’. Back

of maple, of slight curl, highly arched with single purfling.

Golden varnish; boxwood pegs. Fingerboard length:

864mm.

Commentary

Front worn at bridge feet. Later neck; unusual jointing of

this neck to old soundbox shows that originally the back,

‘ribs’ and neck were of one-piece construction.

Provenance


References



Kit, English, RCM 42

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 188

189

RCM 37 Pochette

Portuguese or Spanish, ?19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette with back and neck of one-piece construction

hollowed and carved from beech, the body resembling a

fish

Dimensions

: 440

: 212

: 97

: 44

: 266

Description

Front thin, highly-arched, of beech; arching of front and

back form in section an almost symmetrical cavity. Dark

brown varnish. The whole carved to resemble a flat fish;

the lower back has two eyes, mouth and gills, and the

fishtail splays each side of the upper body at the junction

of body and neck. Edges of back carved with V tool

to resemble fins. Broad and rudimentary f-shaped

soundholes; the treble-side hole enlarged. Pegbox finial

simply carved to form a double-headed bird; four dark-

stained pegs. Squat bridge of conventional violin form.

Stained fingerboard and wedge in one piece 212mm long.

Solid bone tailpiece hitched on a loop of gut through

holes in front and back.

Commentary

There is no soundpost present but it could have fallen out

of the large soundholes.

Provenance


References



Pochette, Portuguese or Spanish, RCM 37

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 189

190

RCM 59 Pochette

French, ?late 17th or 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette, originally combined with a fan; festoon outline

Dimensions

: 341

: 147


: 32

: c.230 (no bridge or marks; measured to

mid-point of two-part soundholes)

Description

Pegbox, neck, back and ribs constructed from one piece

of maple. The front is also of maple, strongly figured, with

two-part flame soundholes; darkened but unvarnished.

No purfling or inlays. Between the back and a secondary

false back there is a slot which once housed a fan; the slot

is 8.6mm high and the arched false back 7mm thick. The

rib height of the soundbox is 9.4mm and its flat back is

7mm thick. There is a groove on the inner surface of the

false back and a hole through the heel of the neck for the

sticks of the fan. Ebony wedge and fingerboard; a second

wedge of stained ?maple. Pegbox with scroll. Pegs,

tailpiece and bridge missing. Tailpiece was attached to a

square notched brass nail driven into the front; there is an

opening to the interior of neck and body at the tail to

house a bow.

Commentary

There are four small holes in the flat inner surface of the

false back, possibly for holding it while the arching was

carved.

Provenance


References


Pochette, French, RCM 59

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 190

191

RCM 57 Pochette

French, ?late 17th or 18th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Pochette, originally combined with a fan; festoon outline

Dimensions

: 286

: 124


: 21

: c.10

: 5.3

: 191 (no bridge or marks; measured to


Description

The rim, inner back and neck made from one piece of

?beech, with front and secondary back of walnut. Front

and back inlaid with purfling and floral design in pewter.

The same inlay outlines back and sides of pegbox. Ebony

wedge and fingerboard decorated with bone and ebony

chevron banding in three strips and further metal inlay;

nut and scroll of pegbox missing. Boxwood pegs; one

missing. Later plain tailpiece of holly. The tailpin is

formed from a later plug-in stopper to the opening at tail

of instrument; this originally had a hinged cover.

Commentary

The depth of the body has been reduced. This pochette

formerly had provision for a fan but the false back, which

formed the rear of the slot for the fan, has been glued

directly to the back proper and the heel of the neck cut

down.

Provenance


References


Pochette, French, RCM 57

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 191

192

RCM 38 Pochetto d’Amore

Giovanni Battista Genova, Turin, c.1765

Inscriptions

Printed label: BATTISTA GENOVA

Brief description

Pochetto d’amore (pochette d’amour) with viol outline and

four sympathetic strings

Dimensions

: 527


: 29

: 310 (as currently set up; no other marks)

Description

Viol outline with sloping shoulders and corners without

points. Fine to medium grain front; moderate arching;

single purfling. C-shaped soundholes; extra heart-shaped

and circular piercings below end of fingerboard. Pale gold

varnish, thin and rubbed. Back hollowed, spoon-shaped.

Neck and pegbox from one piece of maple with figure of

faint curl. Pegbox with simplified hook-form scroll and

open back; eight pegs of ?plum. One-piece wedge and fin-

gerboard of maple veneered in ebony. Sympathetic strings

pass over metal nut below main nut, then under finger-

board to four holes in the lower part of bridge; and over

tailpiece saddle to two brass staples, one each side of an

integral carved hook, to which is hitched the tailpiece gut.

Later shield-shaped tailpiece.

Commentary

The neck appears to have been re-shaped.

Pochettes with sympathetic strings are rare; a few other

examples survive, including one in the Metropolitan

Museum of Art, New York, and one by Genova in private

ownership.

Giovanni Battista Genova married in 1763 and was a

pupil of Giovanni Francesco Celoniato of Turin (see Kass

2005, p.60); there is a pochetto d’amore by his son Filippo

Antonio Eugenio Celoniato in the Royal Ontario

Museum.

Provenance

Gift of Sir George Donaldson, 1894. It was formerly asso-

ciated with the pochette bow, RCM 303, according to

Frere’s 1926 list (see Catalogue, Part IV, Bows:

www.cph.rcm.ac.uk)

References


Grove 1928, v.4 p.211

Grove 1948, v.4 p.211

Grove 1954, v.4 p.770


Galpin 1968, p.74, pl.XXXII

Grove 1980, v.10 p.87 & ill.

Grove 1984, v.2 p.439 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.12

Grove 2001, v.13 pp.636–7 & ill.

Coates 1985, pp.158, 162 & 103–5 & ill.

Pochetto d’amore, Giovanni Battista Genova, RCM 38

50731-177-192 3/4/07 14:51 Page 192

T M

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 193

RCM 244 Marien Trompet

?German, ?2nd half of 17th century

Inscriptions

Paper label on left shoulder of finial: 2092 [?inventory

number]

Brief description

Marien Trompet (trumpet marine) with a one-piece front

Dimensions

: 1935

: 1184

: 1125

: 804

: at nut 45, at label G nearest body 55.5

: at tail 342, at top 112

: at top-block 74, at tail 183

: 1435 (to scratched location marks

around feet of bridge)

Description

Front of slab-cut coniferous wood, one-piece, with five

transverse bars. The single string is hitched through a hole

in the front near the tail; the hole has a strengthening

plate on the underside. The string passes over a saddle of

semicircular section, 14mm high, to the trembling bridge.

One foot of the bridge is under the string, the other is

offset and smaller, designed to buzz against the front.

Back of seven staves of ?cherrywood, fastened at the lower

end to a jointed open frame; at the top the staves are fixed

to a hollowed block and there is no other framing.

Original vellum strips strengthen joints inside and there

are also later cloth reinforcements. The upper block

carries an exposed secondary top-block. It is not clear how

the two blocks are connected, but the front continues over

both; at the back is an iron reinforcement, fixed with four

screws, linking both blocks. Over the joint there was also

some glued and nailed external wooden reinforcement, of

which one strip survives.

Neck and pegbox made from one piece of beech. There

is a modern cylindrical nut made from a piece of dowel,

but it rests in a concavity which may indicate an original

nut of similar form. The single peg is of ebony; the pegbox

is ebonised and has a blackamoor head finial with a

studded gilt collar. There are traces of red pigment on the

lips and partially gilded carved leaves descend from the

shoulders to the front, back and sides of the pegbox. This

area, and the exposed top-block, are built up with added

laminations of beech. There are MS paper labels on front

of neck indicating positions of harmonics, at the following

distances from the nut:

H 92 E 146 D 291

A 106 D 161 C 364

G 121 C 178 G 487

F 133 G 244

Commentary

Present bridge is 43.5mm high, 78.6mm wide, but marks

indicate a narrower bridge, c.71mm wide. Reinforcement

plate at neck may not be original but is early, fixed with

handmade screws. There are traces of raised sealing wax

markers opposite the labels on the front of the neck, as

further aids for the player.

The trumpet marine (tromba marina, Marien Trompet,

Nonnengeige, Trompetengeige or Trumscheit) was bowed below

the nut and played entirely in harmonics touched by the

left thumb or one finger; provided that the bridge was

adjusted correctly the resulting tone resembled that of a

trumpet. Many survived in convents (hence the name

Nonnengeige) and were used there in place of trumpets.

Provenance


References


Wells 1984, p.14

Adkins & Dickinson 1991, pp.161, 365 & ill.

194

Marien Trompet, RCM 244: detail of pegbox

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 194

195

Marien Trompet, RCM 244

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 195

RCM 289 Trompette Marine

Sébastien Renault, Paris, late 18th century

Inscriptions

Top end of front, stamped: RENAULT

On inside of back near bottom, in white chalk: 128{4}

[or] {H} [?dealer’s number]

Brief description

Trompette marine constructed in four sections, the neck and

soundbox each in two sections which could be dismantled

Dimensions

: 1980

: lower body 639, upper body 567,

lower neck 371, upper neck and pegbox 403

: at tail 221 (less moulding), at top of body 124, at

joint in neck 97.5

: at tail 221, at block 88

: 1572 (to centre of bridge plate)

Description

Front two-piece, of fine to medium grain ?spruce, edged

with double ebony and ivory chequered banding and

purfling; banding also surrounds the two soundholes, which

hold roses of gothic tracery made from two layers of

?vellum, the upper layers with traces of gilding. The string

is hitched to the front, near the tail, through the mouth of

an ebonised cherub mask with foliate wings; transverse bar

under the front, beneath the mask; lower section of front

has one other transverse bar, the two linked by a diagonal

bar; small bar under the rose; inlaid ebony striking-plate (76

× 19.2mm; 243mm from tail) for one foot of trembling

asymmetrical bridge. Upper section of soundbox has four

transverse bars under the front, one running across its rose.

Back of seven staves of figured maple with black lines

between staves; the outer staves perpendicular to front;

joints strengthened inside with narrow paper strips. The

soundbox is assembled on three lightweight jointed

frames, one at each end of the lower section, and one at

the lower end of the upper section. At the joint the frames

are linked by two iron thumbscrews. Ebonised ogee

mouldings strengthen the edges of the opening at the

bottom of the body. At the top the staves are attached to

a block mortised to receive a pentagonal tapered tenon on

the end of the lower section of the neck.

Neck sections, of ?beech, are veneered in ebony edged

with continuations of the chequered bandings; pegbox is

ebonised and has a lion-head finial. Top of block and base

of neck are carved in acanthus foliage ebonised. An ebony

peg fitted with a brass cogwheel engages an iron pawl on

side of pegbox. On the neck are ten inlaid ivory markers

indicating where to touch the string to produce harmonics

(markers 1, 3, and 5 are shorter); their distances from the

nut are:

1 109 5 170.5 8 309.5

2 122 6 190.5 9 396

3 135.5 7 251.5 10 512

4 152

Commentary

There are no liners. Instead small tapered lugs of the same

wood as the front are placed at intervals along the inside

of the front to stave joint. The ratchet arrangement may

be an addition following a repaired split through the

pegbox, the ratchet being fitted to spare the pegbox the

wedging force of a conventional peg. The workmanship

of cogwheel and pawl are a little inferior to the excellent

workmanship of the rest of the instrument; if a

modification, it is an early one. There is a plugged hole

right through the neck below the string, 103mm from the

nut. This may be a trace of some kind of device for

altering the pitch. The two sections of neck have been

permanently fixed together and inlaid patches of ebony

cover the positions of the old ?screw fixings. To resist the

leverage of the neck tenon in the top-block, flattened iron

staples were driven in each side of the mortise to

withstand splitting.

The current bridge, 47mm high, 77.2mm wide, is

recent and probably too high, giving too steep an angle to

the string between bridge and hitching point.

There is provision for another string, the guidon, on the

RH side of the front, with a hole for a peg in the top

block. This string, connected by a perpendicular thread

to the bridge, provided a fine adjustment to the vibration

of the bridge, on a similar principle to the trompette

adjustment on a hurdy-gurdy. The cherub mouth through

which the string is hitched is offset to the RH side by

22mm from the centre line, and is 169mm from the tail.

Sébastien Renault, from Lorraine, was established in

Paris from c.1765, working in partnership with François

Chatelain and on his own at rue Sainte Avoy, making

stringed instruments including theorbos, citterns, violins

and harps; another trompette marine by him survives in the

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

Provenance

Gift of Col. The Hon. J J Astor, 1949

References


Grove 1980, v.19 p.227 & ill.

Grove 1984, v.3 p.656 & ill.

Wells 1984, p.14

Remnant 1989, p.74 & ill.

Adkins & Dickinson 1991, pp.126, 161, 376–9 & ill.


Wells 1998, v.109 No.1294 pp.148–9 & ill.

Grove 2001, v.25 p.843 & ill.

196

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 196

197

Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault, RCM 289; see also colour plates, p.16

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 197

198

Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault, RCM 289: detail of upper roseTrompette marine, Sébastien Renault, RCM 289:

detail of pegbox

Trompette marine, Sébastien Renault, RCM 289:

detail of inside of body

50731-193-198 3/4/07 14:52 Page 198

H-

O H-

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 199

RCM 117 Vielle à Roue

French, 17th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Vielle à roue (hurdy-gurdy) with straight-sided tapering

soundbox and lower end of bow-shaped outline.

Dimensions

: 620, without handle and crank 572

: at upper end of body 203, at tail 241

: c.150

: at tail 99, at top-block: 65

: 129

: chanterelles 322, bourdons c.368, trompette

and mouche c.353

Description

Originally with six strings: two chanterelles, gros bourdon,

bourdon, trompette and mouche. Front, one-piece, of bent

poplar; two soundholes of drop-shaped piercings in a

geometric pattern with borders of incised lines. Ribs,

tailblock and one-piece flat back of poplar; back and front

overlap ribs. Two baluster-turned stays of poplar between

upper corners of soundbox and pegbox. Neck section,

under keybox, has back wall hinged to form a toolbox.

Much use of treenails throughout construction. Pegbox, of

a ?fruit-wood, cut and hollowed from one piece; seven

later tuning pegs, four of them added since 1896. Key-box

of ?poplar with arched and hollowed hinged lid (now on

screwed brass hinges, but holes indicate original wire

hinges of coil-and-staple form). Later turn-button of

tortoiseshell pivoted on a nail. Nineteen keys; compass

(assuming an open string tuned to g1): ♯, a1, ♯, b1, c2, ♯, d2,♯, e2, f 2, ♯, g2, ♯, a2, ♯, b2, c3, d3

, e3. One-piece beech sliders

and touch-pieces for both naturals and accidentals;

tangents and nut of ?hornbeam. Wheel of ?boxwood;

S-shaped crank with boxwood handle; wheel cover

missing. Oil hole between end of keybox and position of

bridge. Tailpiece of slightly figured maple or poplar,

nailed to lower block; trompette adjustment peg, of

?hornbeam. Small peg on front to hitch the trompette string

away from the wheel. Much incised decoration: straight

lines, serpentine and scrolling. The instrument was

originally clear-varnished but later covered with a coat of

brown paint, now worn.

Commentary

An extra drone string has been added in the keybox,

tuned by an added central peg in the pegbox. There is a

charred and hollowed area at the top end of the keybox

cover where some identifying decoration may have been

removed; this cover also has later naïve carvings: a tree in

a pot, a bird, and heart. These changes, the re-varnishing

and present pegs may all date from the same time, when

what was originally a refined instrument underwent a

crude modification, perhaps for an itinerant musician. It

is also possible that at some point the instrument was

simplified to just one or two melody strings and the single

later drone.

All the nuts and bridges of the original drones are missing

so the string lengths are imprecise. The chanterelle bridge is

also missing: the string length given is twice the distance

from nut to octave tangent. The trompette adjustment peg

in the tailpiece is probably original and could represent

the style of the original tuning pegs.

Other examples of this early type survive, for example

in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London and Musée de

la Musique, Paris.

Provenance


References



Palmer 1980, pp.128 & 232

Wells 1984, p.11

200

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 117: back of pegbox and upper part

of neck

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 117: upper part of back and lower

part of neck

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 200

201

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 117

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 117: interior of

keybox

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 117: lower part of

front, showing peg in tailpiece

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 201


Varquain, Paris, 1742

Inscriptions

Inside keybox lid: VARQUAIN, ruë & carre-four de Bussi, F.S.

Germain. à Paris. 1742.

Engraved on mother-of-pearl plaque on LH side of key-

box: VARQUAIN / A. PARIS 1742

Brief Description

Hurdy-gurdy in lute form (vielle en luth)

Dimensions

: 722, without crank and handle 667

: 520

: 297½

: 134

: 223

: 172

: chanterelles 345, bourdons 405, trompette and

mouche 393

Description

Six strings. Front gently arched, mahogany, with a C-

shaped soundhole each side at tail; edged with black and

white chequered banding and a line of purfling. Three

transverse frames under front, pegged through front and

ribs, one each side of wheel and another at approximate-

ly note d2 of keyboard. Back of twelve ribs of alternate

bird’s-eye maple and ?kingwood; no lines between ribs;

maple top-block to which ribs are fixed with pairs of pegs.

Pegbox finial a male head with bold drooping moustache;

recessed carved panels on sides and front of pegbox with

scallop shells at lower ends. Trompette adjustment peg of

ivory with ebony insert; inlaid striking-plate for trompette

bridge.

Keybox cover, wheel-cover and tailpiece decorated

with marquetry in mother-of-pearl and ebony; thirteen

naturals and ten accidentals; tangents of fruit-wood,

sliders of ?ebony with ivory touch-plates on the

accidentals. Paper strip on LH side of keybox with note

names in ink (earlier version underneath in red ink): la si

ut re mi fa sol la ut re mi fa. Keybox lid of ?cherry, attached

with two wire coil hinges. To raise pitch of trompette there

is a rotating dital on front in the form of a vertical ebony

tuning peg with a flag-like insert which acts as a nut; ivory

peg for hitching trompette away from wheel. All bridges and

nuts (except later chanterelle nut) topped with ivory. String

and peg for retaining wheel-cover. Individual hitch ‘eyes’

for drones at tail. Ivory buttons for strap on each side at

tail and at top-block.

Commentary

The original chanterelle nut is missing but its position is

marked on the keybox edges.

Varquain worked at rue de Bussy from 1742–61.

Provenance


References

Donaldson 1896, pl.XXXV


Palmer 1980, p.232

202

Vielle à roue, Varquain, RCM 123: front

[above] and front with keybox open and

wheel-cover removed [below]

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 202


Roullau, Paris, 1742

Inscriptions

Label under soundholes: fait par roullau / dans S t. je{an} de

/ latran aparis 1742

Handwritten on inside of keybox lid in ink: faitte par

Roullau dens / St.jens de latrans aparis 1742

Brief Description

Hurdy-gurdy in lute-form (vielle en luth).

Dimensions


: 350

: 296½

: 199

: 95

: 153

: 123½

: chanterelles 299½, bourdons c.330, trompette

and mouche, c.328 (nuts missing for drones)

Description

Six strings originally. Front slightly arched, mahogany,

with two C-shaped soundholes at tail; edging of ebony

and ivory chequered banding with double line of purfling.

Front pegged to two transverse frames, their ends double-

pegged through edge ribs of back; one frame just on the

tail-side of main bridge, the other under key for g♯2. Back

of thirteen ribs of alternately figured maple and a black

(?stained) wood; edge ribs of half-width, unusual

prolongation of ribs onto short semi-neck between body

and pegbox. Pegbox of service-wood or pear; finial a

female head with earrings, plumed hat and painted

eyebrows. Recessed panels in front and sides of pegbox

incised with diaper pattern enclosing punched stars, with

scallop-shells in low relief at lower ends. Pearwood keybox

sides with decoration of punched flowers and incised lines.

Limewood cover to keybox with two coil-and-staple

hinges, and turn-button latch of turned ivory. Ebony

sliders with bone touch-pieces for accidentals; ?holly

tangents. Sliders drilled for two chanterelles; the LH one has

been removed and the space used for four later iron

sympathetic strings. A small crude wrestpin block was

glued to the platform that carries the chanterelle nut, with

four bone wrestpins and an iron wire staple nut. These

strings are hitched to nails in the tailpiece; one is in the

disused chanterelle hole. LH chanterelle notch in bridge filled.

All bridges except for trompette present. Both drone nuts

missing; trompette adjustment peg in tailpiece broken.

Walnut wheel-cover veneered in ebony framed with

double lines of bone, enclosing five mother-of-pearl inlays;

two holes for retaining cord. Tailpiece and keybox cover

decorated in the same style. Paired ivory hitchplates for

drones. RH strap-button of ivory at tail; LH one missing.

Plugged hole in back for the upper strap-button with a

later boxwood one at bottom of pegbox. Paper strip, on

LH side of keybox, marking the diatonic notes: la si ut

ré mi fa sol la si ut re mi f a so. Traces of an earlier

strip marked in red ink. Thirteen sliders for naturals, ten

for accidentals. Hole for peg to hitch trompette away from

wheel; no provision for raising its pitch.

Commentary

The alterations are crude; the sympathetic strings, with

impractical pegs, are almost untunable. The cover is

crudely recessed to clear them.

Provenance

Given by Sir George Donaldson (according to 1926 list

by A H Frere), after 1899

References

Palmer 1980, p.232

203

Vielle à roue, Roullau, RCM 228

Vielle à roue, Roullau, RCM 228: detail of

handwritten inscription on keyboard lid

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 203


François Feury, Paris, c.1760

Inscription

Brand on RH side of keybox: F•FEURY• / A•PARIS

Brief description

Hurdy-gurdy in lute form (vielle en luth)

Dimensions

: 644

: 477

: 275

: 141

: 212

: 171

: chanterelles c.327, bourdons c.376, trompette

and mouche c.373

Description

Six strings. Compass of 24 notes, g1 to g3; 23 keys. Front

two-piece of arched mahogany, with two C-shaped

soundholes at tail. Purfling and edge-banding of ivory and

ebony with multiple black and white lines between

chequers. ?Pearwood wheel; later crank with brass

handle. Replacement chanterelle bridge; original was

pegged to front. Tailpiece missing; it was held by two

treenails. Back of nine ribs of alternate mahogany and

maple with figure of narrow curl. Wheel-cover and all

drone bridges and nuts missing. Trompette had flag peg for

raising pitch and a hitching post to take it off the wheel.

Keybox of maple with limewood lid veneered in ebony;

lid hinged with coil-and-staple wire hinges. Pegbox of

?pearwood; finial a female head with five-petalled flower

diadem and hair covered with scallop-shell hat. Sides and

front of pegbox have incised diaper pattern, punchings

and scallop shells in low relief. Platform for the nut in

keybox missing. Ivory sliders for accidentals with bone

touch-pieces; sliders and touch-pieces of naturals are of

ebony; fruit-wood tangents. Two buttons at tail for neck-

strap. Nut, nut platform and tailpiece missing.

Commentary

François Feury (Ferry, Fleury, born 1711 or earlier, died

after 1772) worked at rue des Fossez and rue de l’Arbre-

Sec, St Germain de l’Auxerrois, making violins, basses

and guitars as well as vielles à roue.

Provenance


References


204

Vielle à roue, François Feury, RCM 119

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 204


French, 18th or 19th century

Inscriptions

None

Brief description

Guitar-shaped hurdy-gurdy (vielle en guitare); composite

Dimensions


: 438


229

: max. 77.5, min. 55

: 107

: 183

: 147

: chanterelles c.293 (bridge missing and nut

loose), bourdons c.346, trompette and mouche c.336 (bridges

and nuts missing)

Description

Six strings. Compass two octaves: thirteen natural keys,

ten accidentals. Front one-piece, of open-grained

mahogany, with black and white chequered edging and

double purfling; two C-shaped soundholes at bottom of

front. Striped ribs of black wood separated with white

lines; eight black strips at widest point. Marquetry inlay in

rib joint at tail. Vaulted back of same style, with 25 staves

at widest point. Pegbox of fruit-wood, finial a female head

covered with scallop-shell; sides and front of pegbox

decorated with diaper pattern, punched flowers and

scallop-shells in relief at the lower ends. Six pegs with

ivory buttons. Keybox of mahogany dovetailed at end

near wheel; cover of ?lime with two coil-and-staple hinges

and a turn-button latch of bone. Natural keys and sliders

of ebony in one piece; accidental sliders of bone with bone

touch-pieces fitted to rounded tenons. Triangular-section

moveable nut. Wheel of ?boxwood, turned by S-shaped

crank of iron with chamfered edges; ivory handle. Main

bridge and wheel-cover missing.

Bone and ebony arabesque marquetry on key-cover

and tailpiece. One fixed and one rotating tangent to pinch

and raise pitch of trompette; turned peg in front to hitch

trompette away from wheel. Very faint note names above

natural sliders on RH side of keybox. All bridges and

drone nuts missing; six accidental key touches missing.

Commentary

An 18th-century vaulted guitar back has been re-used to

make a hurdy-gurdy, possibly in the 19th century.

Marquetry portions from guitar neck and pegbox have

been re-used; they could be from the same guitar as they

match the inserted strip in rib joint at tail. The two-part

construction of the heel of the pegbox also points to re-

use; furthermore the thin back and ribs are lighter than

usual while the front is comparatively coarser and heavier.

The trompette adjustment peg and the neck-strap button

from under the pegbox have exchanged positions.

Provenance


References



Palmer 1980, p.232

205

Vielle à roue, French, RCM 120

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 205


Pajot, Jenzat, second half of the

19th century

Inscriptions

Brand on side of keybox: ANCIENNE MAISON / PAJOT

/ A JENZA{T}

Brief Description

Hurdy-gurdy in lute form (vielle en luth) with four

sympathetic strings

Dimensions


: 537

: 336

: 166

: 177

: chanterelles 354, bourdons c.420, trompette

and mouche 424

Description

Six strings. Front one-piece, of slab-cut maple with two-

part C-shaped soundholes at tail. Complex edge

decoration, consisting of chequered band edging of bone

and ebony, alternate discs and tablets of engraved and

coloured mother-of-pearl set in ebony, a line of elaborate

purfling, red painted bands of wave-form, and a painted

band of opposed black and red semicircles within black

lines (similar bands on keybox and pegbox). Two ?later

transfers of fashionably dressed female figures, one each

side of keybox on front and another of a ?child at tail. Iron

crank with porcelain handle. Tailpiece with trompette

adjustment peg of ?lime veneered with mother-of-pearl

and ebony marquetry, and outlined with elaborate

purfling; fastened by two treenails. Back of nine ribs,

maple and rosewood alternating, with purfling between;

maple ribs have red geometric patterning at edges, central

maple rib has a band of floral ornament; capping-strip of

maple and rosewood marquetry, with simple pattern of

birds and foliage. Finial a female head wearing narrow

band or coronet; cheeks and eyebrows painted.

Thirteen natural keys and ten accidentals, g1 to g3;

naturals have sliders and touch-plates of ebony, one-piece;

accidentals have bone sliders with bone touch-plates on

round tenons. Keybox cover and wheel-cover are crude

later replacements. Sympathetic strings have small

wrestpin block at top of first rib on RH side; four

wrestpins, two slotted, two drilled; hitchpin holes for

sympathetic strings in the capping-strip are plugged and

no bridge survives. Turned bobbin in front to disengage

trompette.

Commentary

The chanterelles have individual nuts separated by a

partition. There is a small turned button on inside edge of

keybox at bridge end, to hitch one chanterelle away from

the wheel.

Jean Pajot (died 1847) began making hurdy-gurdies in

Jenzat c.1795 and was succeeded by his son Gilbert (died

1853), who established the firm, and grandson Jean-

Baptiste I (died 1863), ‘the Stradivari of the vielle’; further

generations carried on the firm up to 1939.

Provenance

Gift of the Royal Academy of Music, 1981

References

None located

206

Vielle à roue, Pajot, RCM 381

50731-199-210 3/4/07 14:59 Page 206

207

RCM 106 Small Vielle à Roue

Errard, Mâcon, ?second quarter of

19th century

Inscriptions

Stamped on LH side of keybox and inside cover:

ERRARD / A MACON

Brief description

Small hurdy-gurdy (vielle à roue) with guitar outline

Dimensions

: 392, without crank and handle 361

: 252

: upper bouts 118.5, middle bouts 98, lower

bouts 149


: 87.5

: chanterelle 182, bourdons 203, trompette

and mouche 198 (see below)

Description

Front one-piece, of plain maple, with two C-shaped

soundholes at tail. Back and ribs of plain maple; single

lines of painted purfling on edges of front, back and ribs.

Eleven keys. Original disposition unclear: perhaps one

chanterelle, two bourdons and trompette.

Commentary

There are only four pegs but there are bridges and other

fittings for six strings. This suggests that the instrument

was made as a toy for a child rather than as a fully

functioning vielle à roue. A similar small hurdy-gurdy by

Errard survives in the Musée de la Musique, Paris

(E.2511) and another in the Smithsonian Institution,

Washington DC.

Provenance


References


Palmer 1980, pp.149 & 232

Small vielle à roue, Errard, RCM 106

50731-199-210 3/4/07 15:00 Page 207

208

RCM 122 Vielle Organisée

César Pons, Grenoble, late 18th century

Inscriptions

Illegible ink inscription on inside of tangent cover.

Partially erased brand on keybox side: C{...}P{...} [only

the initial letters legible]

Brief Description

Vielle organisée (organized hurdy-gurdy) with guitar-form

body; composite and modified

Dimensions


: 585


334

: at tail 227, at neck 173

: 237

: 326

: 340 (nut to octave tangent 167)

Description

Front, mahogany, in two sections; tail section, holding

wheel and bridges, is arched; remainder of front is flat;

double-purfled with chequered edge-banding. Two C-

shaped soundholes at tail. Rib on exposed side is of five

strips, three of maple and two of ?satinwood, separated by

holly and ebony lines. Rib on player’s side is of one piece

of walnut; ebony strip in rib joint at tail. Detachable

walnut baseboard. Pegbox finial a male head with inset

eyes and teeth of glass and bone. Sides of pegbox have

conventional diaper incising, punchings and scallop-shell

decoration. Four of the pegs and one of the pipe stoppers

have later cut-glass additions.

The hurdy-gurdy portion of the instrument appears to

be a conventional six-stringed instrument, with pegs for

four drones and two chanterelles, but in fact the pegbox,

wheel, crank and some other parts are re-used from

another instrument. Only three pegs were used, for one

chanterelle and two drones in the positions of the mouche and

trompette, but not necessarily tuned as such; the organ pipes

do not allow room for bourdons on their side of the

instrument. At some time wire sympathetic strings were

added beside the single chanterelle. There are 24 note

names in ink on the cover shared by the tangents and

organ pallet box.

The organ part consists of two stops, one of 23 stopped

pipes and the other of 24 open pipes. Both stops are

constructed in pan-pipe fashion so that the pipes are

formed by separators glued between shared, one-piece

front- and back-boards. The two ranks of pipes are laid

on top of each other back to back on the RH side of the

keybox with the open pipes below, mouths facing

downwards, and the stopped pipes above, with mouths

facing upwards. The open pipes are tuned at slots on the

underside with wood or paper shading or with partial

stopping. Eleven of the lowest stopped pipes have a mitred

portion to reduce the width of the instrument.

Scaling: open pipes: g1 130mm long, 17.7mm wide,

27.7mm deep; g3 36mm long, 5.3mm wide, 11.5mm deep;

stopped pipes: g1 14.5mm wide, 28.5mm deep; f 3 7.3mm

wide, 13.7mm deep.

The keybox holds 24 key-sliders; the one nearest the

nut has no tangent and only plays the lowest note of the

organ, which was at the pitch of the chanterelle. A

windchest and pallet-box are set vertically parallel to the

keybox so that the ends of the key-sliders engage the

stickers to open the pallets. Wind is grooved to the pipes

below the keybox. The slides can be moved by ivory stop-

knobs protruding below the pallet-box on the player’s

side. The component layers of the organ are held in

position by hooks and eyes and one screw at the side of

pegbox. Wind is supplied by two single-fold wedge

bellows feeding a spring-loaded single-fold wedge

reservoir and is delivered to the pallet box via the hollow

shoulder of the pegbox. In this cavity is the tremblant doux,

a tremulant utilising a trembling, weighted pallet in the

windway, which is brought into play by an iron draw-stop

rod. Originally the bellows were worked by connecting

rods driven by the wheel crank but the instrument was

later modified for foot-blowing with a strap connecting

the bellows through a hole in the baseboard to some kind

of treadle. The bellows were opened by the treadle and

closed by springs added between the baseboard and the

bellows.

Commentary

Composite and much modified. Between the wheel and

the end of the keybox are traces of fixings for a

mechanism (original) which could lift the drones and

chanterelle simultaneously from the wheel so that the organ

played alone. The hurdy-gurdy portion was gradually

reduced until finally it was de-strung and the end of the

keybox blocked up, so the instrument probably ended its

active life as a small foot-pumped organ.

César Pons (1743–1831) was born in Paris and moved

to Grenoble, where he made violins, guitars, lyre-guitars

and hurdy-gurdies. He claimed to have invented the vielle

organisée; an example dated 1770 survives in the Musée des

Instruments de Musique, Brussels (Vannes 1972, p.285).

The vielle organisée was popular for a short period,

mainly in France, and amongst those who composed for

it were Gyrowetz and Pleyel; Haydn’s Concerti and Notturni

for two lire organizzate, were written to the commission of

Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, in 1786–7.

Provenance


References


Galpin 1928, p.882


Wells 1984, p.11

Palmer 1980, pp.157 & 232

50731-199-210 3/4/07 15:00 Page 208

209

Vielle organisée, César Pons, RCM 122: plan view of stopped pipes, keybox opened, and pallet-box with front removed

Vielle organisée, César Pons, RCM 122: pallet-box and windchest assembly showing stickers and slides

Vielle organisée, César Pons, RCM 122

50731-199-210 3/4/07 15:00 Page 209

210

RCM 121 Vielle Organisée

French, c.1760

Inscriptions

Illegible handwritten text on paper inside keybox lid

Brief Description

Vielle organisée (organized hurdy-gurdy) in cabinet form;

now incomplete

Dimensions

:

587

: 529

: 252

: 339

: chanterelle c.346 (nut position to octave

fret c.173), bourdons c.388, trompette and mouche c.376

Description

Mahogany-veneered case which originally had a hurdy-

gurdy mounted on the top-board. Only the key

mechanism and crank of the hurdy-gurdy have been

retained to provide an air supply and keyboard for the

organ. A symmetrical array of 24 stopped pipes forms the

front and the other rank of 24 open pipes is integral with

the underside of the baseboard. The wind is supplied by

a single bellows, driven by the crank of the hurdy-gurdy,

feeding a spring-loaded reservoir. The hurdy-gurdy was

arranged in two rectangular boxes with hinged lids; one

contained a modified tailpiece and trompette adjustment

peg, and the other the tangents, key-sliders, and a pegbox.

The end of the pegbox pulls out to allow access to the

shafts of the pegs for stringing, and the pegs, now missing,

must have been turned by some kind of tuning-key

because of limited space. Full set of drones and a single

chanterelle; conventional pair of hitchplates for the drones

on the end of the case. 24 keys, operating 23 tangents, g1

to g3; the first key plays only the lowest organ note. The

tangents are extended below their key-sliders to engage

pivoted brass levers which act on the pallets at the bottom

of the case, via a fan-wise arrangement of stickers. Both

sets of pipes are formed by separators between shared

front- and back-boards, in pan-pipe fashion. The front

pipes have false ornamental stoppers with perforated

working stoppers below. There are two ebony-handled

stop-levers behind the show-pipes.

Scaling of open pipes: g 170.5mm long, 17.9mm wide,

27mm deep, 5.2mm mouth height; g2 41mm long, 6mm

wide, 12.5mm deep, 2.8mm mouth height.

The case has canted front corners and inlay of black

lines. Under the central stopped pipe is a mother-of-pearl

inlay and a pendant ormolu finial. The instrument stands

on four turned feet; there are attachments for a neck-strap.

Commentary

When the wheel of the hurdy-gurdy was discarded, its slot

was filled in and the gap between keybox and tailbox was

filled with pieces of the original wheel cover. The wheel

diameter would have been c.130mm. The furniture style

of the casework suggests that the instrument was made in

the 1760s.

Provenance


References


Palmer 1980, pp.35, 157 & 232

Vielle organisée, French, RCM 121

50731-199-210 3/4/07 15:00 Page 210

T T

B R

I

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 211

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 212

213

Translation of Terms*

English German French Italian

Viol die Gambe, die Viola da Gamba la viole, viole de gambe la viola da gamba

Body der Corpus la caisse de resonance la cassa armonica

Belly (UK) die Decke la table d’harmonie la tavola armonica

Table (US) Front

Back die Boden le dos, le fond il fondo

Ribs die Zargen les éclisses, les côtes la fasce

Bouts der Bügel les écranchures, les C la fascie

Rose die Rose la rosace rosetta

Soundholes die Schallöcher les ouïes gli occhi, i fiori armonici

Purfling die Ader le filet il filetto

Inlay die Einlage le marqueterie, l’incrustation l’intarsio

Neck der Hals le manche il manico

Head der Kopf la téte la testa

Scroll die Schnecke la volute, le coquillon il riccio, la chiocciola, la voluta

Pegbox der Wirbelkasten le cheviller la cavigliera, la cassetta di piroli

Tuning Pegs die Wirbel les chevilles il piroli, i bischeri, le caviglie

Fingerboard das Griffbrett la touche la tastiera

Tailpiece der Saitenhalter le cordier la cordiera

Hookbar der Pflock le tenon il cavicchio

Bridge der Steg le chevalet il ponticello

String die Saite la corde la corda

Nut der Obersattel le sillet il capotasto

Fret der Bund la frette, la ligature il tasto, il legaccio

Soundpost der Stimmstock l’âme l’anima

Bassbar der Bassbalken la barre la catena

Label der Zettel l’etiquette l’etichetta

Varnish der Lack le vernis la vernice

Endpin, Spike der Stachel la pique il puntale, il bottone

Arched gewölbt voûté bombato

Block die Eckklötz; der Oberklötze le tasseau il tassello; lo zocchetto

der Unterklötz

Nail der Nagel le clou il chiodo

Fold der Knick la pliure du fond la piega

Soundpost plate das Stimmbrett le pont de l’äme la piastra

Gut der Darm boyeau la minugia, il budello

Arching die Wölbung la voûte la bombatura

Lining die Bereifung, das Reifchen la contre-éclisse la contrafascia

Bow der Bogen l’archet l’arco

Hair das Haar le crin il crine

Frog, Heel der Frosch la hausse, le talon il tallone, il nassetto

Chin Rest der Kinnhalter la mentonnière la mentoniera

*Adapted from The Italian Viola da Gamba, edited by Susan Orlando (la Borie: Edition Ensemble Baroque de Limoges

and Edizioni Manzoni, 2002), by kind permission of Susan Orlando.

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 213

214

Bibliographical References

Technical Drawings, © RCM:

Chitarrone, Magnus Tieffenbrucker, Venice, 1608, RCM

26, drawing by Ian Harwood, 1974, revised 1977

Cittern, Gieronimo Campi, Italian, late 16th century,

RCM 48, drawing by Ian Harwood, 1974

Guitar, Belchior Dias, Lisbon, 1581, RCM 171, drawing

with additional notes by Stephen Barber, 1976

Guitar, attributed to René Voboam, Paris, c.1650, RCM

32, drawing with additional notes by Stephen Barber,

1979 [formerly attributed to Jean Voboam, c.1680]

Division viol, Barak Norman, London, 1692, RCM 46,

drawing by Stephen Barber, 1976

Abbreviations

AMIS: Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society, pub-

lished annually in New York from 1975 and continuing

Chelys: Chelys, published annually by the Viola da Gamba

Society in England from 1969 and continuing

Early Music: Early Music, published quarterly by Oxford

University Press from 1973 and continuing

FoMRHI: Bulletin of the Fellowship of Makers and Restorers of

Historical Instruments, published quarterly in England from

1975–2002

GSJ: The Galpin Society Journal, published annually in Eng-

land from 1948 and continuing

Liuteria: Liuteria, Quarterly Journal of the Associazione

Liutaria Italiana, Cremona

The Lute: The Lute, Journal of the Lute Society, published

annually in England from 1959 and continuing

MII: Musique, Images, Instruments [Revue française d’organologie

et d’iconographie musical], published annually by CNRS Edi-

tions in Paris from 1995 and continuing

The Strad: The Strad, Journal published monthly in Eng-

land from 1890 and continuing

References

Abondance 1983: Pierre Abondance, tr. Gianpaolo Gre-

gori, ‘La vihuela del museo Jacquemart-André di Parigi’,

Liuteri, 9 (1983)

Adkins & Dickinson 1991: Cecil Adkins & Alis Dickinson,

A trumpet by any other name: a history of the trumpet marine

(Buren: Frits Knuf, 1991)

Aksdal 2005: Bjørn Aksdal, ‘The development of the

modern Hardanger fiddle. Some reflections on the role of

the fiddle maker Erik J. Helland’, Studia Instrumentorum

Musicae Popularis, XV (2005)

Amour 1995: Amour et sympathie: actes du colloque sur les instru-

ments à cordes sympathetiques, Limoges, 28–9 novembre 1992

(Limoges: Edition Ensemble Baryton de Limoges, 1995)

Antonioni 1996: Giovanni Antonioni, Dizionario dei costrut-

tori di strumenti a pizzico in Italia dal XV al XX secolo (Cre-

mona: Turris, 1996)

Armstrong 1908: Robert Bruce Armstrong, Musical Instru-

ments, Part II. English and Irish Instruments (Edinburgh: T. &

A. Constable, 1908)

Arriaga 2004: Gerardo Arriaga, ‘The vihuela books and the

CD ROM facsimile project’, Lute News, 71 (October 2004)

Baines 1966: Anthony Baines, European and American Musi-

cal Instruments (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1966)

Baines 1968: Anthony Baines, Victoria and Albert Museum

Catalogue of Musical Instruments Volume II, Non-Keyboard Instru-

ments (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1968)

Baines 1992: Anthony Baines, Oxford Companion to Musical

Instruments (London: B T Batsford Ltd, 1992)

Barber 1982: Stephen Barber, ‘A Six Course Lute by

Magno Dieffopruchar’, The Lute, XXII/2 (1982)

Barnett 1998: Gregory Barnett, ‘The Violoncello da Spal-

la: Shouldering the Cello in the Baroque Era’, AMIS,

XXIV (1998)

Batov 2004: Alexander Batov, ‘Vihuela building: some

recent discoveries and personal thoughts’, Lute News, 71

(October 2004)

Batov 2006: Alexander Batov, ‘The Royal College Dias:

guitar or vihuela?’, Lute News, 77 (April 2006)

Bellow 1970: Alexander Bellow, The Illustrated History of the

Guitar (New York: Belwin/Mills, 1970)

Bletschacher 1978: Richard Bletschacher, Die Lauten-und

Geigenmacher des Füssener Landes (Hofhaim am Taunus: 1978)

Boalch 1995: Donald H Boalch, edited by Charles Mould,

Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord 1440–1840, 3rd

edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995)

Boyden 1969: David Boyden, Catalogue of the Hill Collection of

Musical Instruments in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Oxford:

Ashmolean Museum and W E Hill & Sons, 1969)

Brandlmeier 1963: Josef Brandlmeier, Handbuch der Zither.

Die Geschichte des Instruments und der Kunst des Zitherspiels

(Munich: Süddeutscher Verlag, 1963)

Button 1989: Stuart Button, The Guitar in England

1800–1924 (New York & London: Garland Publishing

Inc., 1989)

Catch 1994: John Catch, ‘No, not Anyone’s Violetta’,

Chelys, XXIII (1994)

Chrisp 2002: Peter Chrisp, Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness

Guide to Shakespeare (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2002)

Coates 1985: Kevin Coates, Geometry, Proportion and the Art

of Lutherie (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985)

Colson 1935: Percy Colson, ‘Early Musical Instruments in

the Donaldson Museum at the Royal College of Music’,

The Connoisseur (June 1935)

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 214

215

Colson ?1936: Percy Colson, ‘Early Musical Instruments

in the Donaldson Museum at the Royal College of Music,

Part II’, The Connoisseur (June ?1936)

de la Condamine 1926: Robert de la Condamine, ‘The

Donaldson Museum at the Royal College of Music’,

Apollo (1926)

Corona-Alcalde 1990: Antonio Corona-Alcalde, ‘The

Vihuela and the Guitar in Sixteenth-century Spain: a

Critical Appraisal of some of the Existing Evidence’, The

Lute, XXX (1990)

Cowling 1913: G H Cowling, Music on the Shakespearian

Stage (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1913)

Dilworth 1999: John Dilworth, ‘Early English Sophistica-

tion’, The Strad, 110/1307 (March 1999)

Donaldson 1896: Sir George Donaldson, Catalogue of the

Musical Instruments and Objects Forming The Donaldson Museum

(London: Waterlow & Sons Ltd, [1896])

Downie Banks: Margaret Downie Banks, ‘The violin pic-

colo and other small violins’, Early Music, XVIII/4

(November 1990)

Droysen-Reber 1999: Dagmar Droysen-Reber and Beat

Wolf, Harfen des Berliner Musikinstrumenten-Museums (Berlin:

Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung Preussischer

Kulturbesitz, 1999)

Dugot 1998: Joël Dugot, ‘Un nouvel exemplaire de

vihuela au musée de la musique?’, Proceedings of the Collo-

quium Luths et luthistes en Occident, 13–15 May 1998 (Paris:

Cité de la Musique, 1999)

Dugot et al 2004: Joël Dugot, editor, Aux origines de la gui-

tare: la vihuela da mano. Les cahiers du Musée de la musique 5

(Paris: Cité de la Musique, 2004)

Dugot 2006: Joël Dugot, Les Luths (Occident). Catalogue des

collections du Musée de la musique, vol. 1. Les cahiers du Musée

de la musique 7 (Paris: Cité de la Musique, 2006)

van Edwards 1985: David van Edwards, ‘Gut Strings and

Angled Bridges’, The Lute, XXV/1 (1985)

Dyson 1952: George Dyson, The Royal College of Music

Catalogue of the Historical Musical Instruments, Paintings,

Sculpture and Drawings (London: RCM, 1952)

Evans 1977: Tom & Mary Anne Evans, Guitars: Music,

History, Construction and Players from the Renaissance to Rock

(New York & London: Paddington Press, 1977)

Fleming 2003: Michael Fleming, ‘How Long is a Piece of

String? Understanding Seventeenth-century Descriptions

of Viols’, Chelys, 31 (2003), pp.18–22, 27–30

Forrester 1983: Peter Forrester, ‘Some notes on cittern

fingerboards and stringing’, FoMRHI, Comm.466 (July

1983)

Forrester 1991: Peter Forrester, ‘Italian Citterns in the

Museum of the Paris Conservatoire’, The Lute, XXXI

(1991)

Forrester 2005: Peter Forrester ‘Wood, Wire and

Geometry’, Gitarre und Zister–Bauweise, Spieltechnik und

Geschichte bis 1800, Bericht des 22. Musikinstrumentenbau-

Symposiums 2001 (Michaelstein, 2005)

Freeth and Alexander 2002: Nick Freeth and Charles

Alexander, The Guitar (London: Salamander Books Ltd.,

2002)

Gai 1969: Gli Strumenti Musicale della Corte Medicea e il Museo

del Conservatorio ‘Luigi Cherubini’ di Firenze (Florence: Licosa,

1969)

Galpin 1928: Canon Francis Galpin ‘A Forgotten Treasure

House of Old Musical Instruments’, The Bazaar (June 1928)

Galpin 1968: The Galpin Society: An Exhibition of European

Musical Instruments (Edinburgh, 1968)

Gartrell 1983: Carol Ann Gartrell, The Baryton: The Instrument

and its Music (PhD dissertation, University of Surrey, 1983)

Gartrell 2003: Carol Ann Gartrell, ‘Towards an Inventory

of Antique Barytons’, GSJ, LVI (2003)

Gatti 1998: Andrea Gatti, Museo degli Strumenti Musicali

(Milan: Electa, 1998)

Gétreau 1988: Florence Gétreau, editor, Instrumentistes et

Luthiers Parisiens XVIIe–XIXe siècles (Paris: Délégation à

l’Action Artistique de la Ville de Paris, 1988)

Gétreau 1996a: Florence Gétreau, ‘La dynastie des

Voboam: nouvelles propositions pour le catalogue de leur

œuvre’, Aspects de la vie musicale au XVIIe siècle, MII, 2 (1996)

Gétreau 1996b: Florence Gétreau, Aux origines du Musée de

la Musique, les collections instrumentales du Conservatoire de Paris,

1793–1993 (Paris: Klincksieck et RMN, 1996)

Gétreau 2005a: Florence Gétreau, ‘Tambours-bourdons

en France au XVIIIe siècle’, Ecole et traditions régionales, 2ième

partie, MII, 7 (2005)

Gétreau 2005b: Florence Gétreau, ‘Recent Research

about the Voboam Family and their Guitars’, AMIS,

31 (2005)

Griffith 1896: Frederic Griffith, Notable Welsh Musicians

(London: Francis Goodwen, 1896)

Grijp 1981: Louis Peter Grijp, ‘Fret Patterns of the

Cittern’, GSJ, XXXIV (1981)

Grove 1878–90: Sir George Grove, editor, A Dictionary of

Music and Musicians, 4 volumes & appendix (London:

Macmillan, 1878, 1880, 1883, 1889 & 1890)

Grove 1904–10: J A Fuller Maitland, editor, A Dictionary

of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition, 5 volumes (London:

Macmillan, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908 & 1910)

Grove 1927–8: H C Colles, editor, A Dictionary of Music and

Musicians, 3rd edition, 5 volumes (London: Macmillan,

1927 vols 1–3, 1928 vols 4 & 5)

Grove 1948: H C Colles, editor, A Dictionary of Music and

Musicians, 4th edition, 5 volumes with supplementary

volume (London: Macmillan, 1948)

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 215

216

Grove 1954 & 1961: Eric Blom, editor, A Dictionary of

Music and Musicians, 5th edition, 9 volumes with supple-

mentary volume (London: Macmillan, 1954 & 1961)

Grove 1980: Stanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictionary

of Music and Musicians, 20 volumes (London: Macmillan,

1980)

Grove 1984: Stanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictio-

nary of Musical Instruments, 3 volumes (London: Macmillan,

1984)

Grove 2001: Stanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictionary

of Music and Musicians, 2nd edition, 29 volumes (London:

Macmillan, 2001)

Guitares 1980: Chefs-d’œuvres des collections de France (Paris:

Collections Eurydice, La Flûte de Pan, 1980)

Harwood 1975: Ian Harwood, A Brief History of the Lute,

The Lute Society Booklet No.1 (London: The Lute Society,

1975)

Haydamaka 1970: Leonid Haydamaka, ‘Kobza-bandura,

national Ukrainian musical instrument’, Guitar Review,

XXXIII (USA, 1970)

Hebbert 2001: Benjamin Hebbert, ‘A Catalogue of

Surviving Instruments by, or ascribed to, Barak

Norman’, GSJ, LIV (2001)

Hebbert 2003: Benjamin Hebbert, ‘Nathaniel Cross,

William Borracleffe, and a clutch of Tudor Viols’, GSJ,

LVI (2003)

Hellwig 1964: Günther Hellwig, ‘Joachim Tielke’, GSJ,

XVII (1964)

Hellwig 1971: Friedemann Hellwig, ‘Makers’ Marks on

Plucked Instruments of the 16th and 17th centuries’, GSJ,

XXIV (1971)

Hellwig 1980: Günther Hellwig, Joachim Tielke: Ein Ham-

burger Lauten- und Violenmacher der Barockzeit (Frankfurt: Das

Musikinstrument, 1980)

Herzog 2000: Myrna Herzog, ‘Is the Quinton a viol? A

puzzle unravelled’, Early Music, XVIII/1 (Feb. 2000)

Hipkins 1888: A J Hipkins, illustrated by William Gibb,

Musical Instruments, Historic, Rare and Unique (Edinburgh: A

& C Black, 1888)


Musical Instruments, Historic, Rare and Unique (London: A &

C Black, 1921)


Musical Instruments, Historic, Rare and Unique (London: A &

C Black, 1945)

Hollstein 2004: Dieter Beaujean compiler, Giulia

Bartrum editor, Hollstein’s German Engravings, Etchings and

Woodcuts 1400–1700, Volume LXIV, Virgil Solis, Part 2 (Rot-

terdam: Sound and Vision Publishers, 2004)

Holman 1993: Peter Holman, Four and Twenty Fiddlers: The

Violin at the English Court 1540–1690 (Oxford: Clarendon

Press, 1993)

Humphries and Smith: Charles Humphries and William

C. Smith, Music Publishing in the British Isles, from the Begin-

ning until the Middle of the Nineteenth Century, 2nd edition

(Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1970)

Inventions 1885: Guide to the Loan Collection and List of

Musical Instruments &c in the International Inventions Exhibition,

London, 1885 (London: William Clowes & Sons Ltd, 1885)

Jalovec 1952: Karel Jalovec, Italian Violin-Makers (Praha:

Orbis, 1952)

James 1930: Philip James, Early Keyboard Instruments from

their Beginnings to the Year 1820 (London: Peter Davies Ltd,

1930)

Kass 1998: Philip Kass, ‘Italy’s Import’, and ‘Art of

Sophistication’, The Strad, 109/1297 (May 1998)

Kenyon de Pascual 1997: Beryl Kenyon de Pascual, ‘The

Spanish 18th century salterio and some comments on its

Italian counterpart’, Nouveaux timbres, nouvelle sensibilité au

XVIIIesiècle, I

èrepartie, MII, 3, (1997)

King 2005: John King, ‘A few words about the Madeiran

Machete’, GSJ, LVIII (2005)

Kiràly 1994: Peter Kiràly, ‘Some New Facts about

Vendelio Venere’, The Lute, XXXIV (1994)

Knast 2007: Alicja Knast, RCM Museum of Instruments,

Catalogue, Part IV: Bows for European Stringed Instruments,

edited by Jenny Nex (www.cph.rcm.ac.uk)

König 1985: Adolf Heinrich König, Die Viola da gamba

(Frankfurt am Main: Verlag Erwin Bochinsky, 1985)

Kuronen 2001: Darcy Kuronen, Dangerous Curves. The Art

of the Guitar (Boston: MFA Publications, 2001)

Libin 1991: Laurence Libin, ‘Musical Instruments’, The

Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, XLIX/2 (Fall 1991)

Lisbon 1983: Exposição Internacional de Guitarras Museu

Calouste Gulbenkian, Maio 1983 (Lisbon: Fundação Calouste

Gulbenkian, 1983)

Lowe 1976: Michael Lowe, ‘The Historical Development

of the Lute in the 17th Century’, GSJ, XXIX (1976)

Lütgendorff 1922: Willibald Leo Frh v. Lütgendorff, Die

Geigen- und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart

(Frankfurt am Main, 1922) (reprinted Nendeln, Liechten-

stein: Kraus Reprint Ltd, 1968)

Lütgendorff 1990: Willibald Leo Frh. v. Lütgendorff, Die

Geigen- und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart.

Erganzungsband erstellt von Thomas Drescher (Tutzing:

Hans Schneider, 1990)

Martin 2006: Darryl Martin, ‘The Early Wire-Strung

Guitar’, GSJ, LIX (2006)

Milnes 2000: John Milnes, editor, The British Violin: The

Catalogue of the 1998 Exhibition ‘400 Years of Violin & Bow

Making in the British Isles’ (Oxford: British Violin Making

Association, 2000)

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 216

217

Montagu 1979: Jeremy Montagu, The World of Baroque &

Classical Musical Instruments (Newton Abbot & London:

David & Charles, 1979)

Morais 1975: Manuel Morais, ‘Uma Viola Portuguesa do

Século XVI’, Colóquio, XXI (1975)

Morey 1993: Stephen Morey, Mandolins of the 18th Century

(Cremona: Editrice Turris, 1993)

Mozart 1756: Leopold Mozart, Versuch einer Grundlichen

Violinschule (Augsburg: Johann Jacob Lotter, 1756)

Niederheitmann 1894: Friedrich Niederheitmann, Cre-

mona: An Account of the Italian Violin Makers, tr. William H

Quarrell (London: Robert Cocks & Co, 1894)

Oxford DNB 2004: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004)

Ongaro 1991: Giulio M. Ongaro: ‘The Tieffenbruckers

and the Business of Lute-Making in Sixteenth-century

Venice’, GSJ, XLIV (1991)

Palmer 1980: Susann Palmer with Samuel Palmer, The

Hurdy-Gurdy (London: David and Charles, 1980)

Pamplin 2000: Terence Pamplin, ‘The Influence of the

Bandora on the origin of the Baroque Baryton’, GSJ, LIII

(2000)

Pohlmann 1971: Ernst Pohlmann, Laute, Theorbe, Chitarrone

(Bremen: Edition Eres, 1971)

Racster 1907: Olga Racster, Chats on Violoncellos (London:

T. Werner Laurie, 1907)

Reade 1872: Charles Reade, ‘Cremona Fiddles’, Pall Mall

Gazette (19th August, 1872)

Remnant 1978: Mary Remnant, Musical Instruments of the

West (London: B T Batsford, 1978)

Remnant 1989: Mary Remnant, Musical Instruments (Lon-

don: B T Batsford, 1989)

Rensch 1969: Roslyn Rensch, The Harp: its History, Tech-

nique and Repertoire (London: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd,

1969)

Rensch 1989: Roslyn Rensch, Harps and Harpists (London:

Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd, 1989)

Rimmer 1965: Joan Rimmer, ‘The Morphology of the

Triple Harp’, GSJ, XVIII (1965)

Ripin 1974: Edwin Ripin, The Instrument Catalogs of Leopol-

do Franciolini, Music Indexes and Bibliographies, No. 9

(Hackensack: Joseph Boonin, Inc, 1974)

Rizzi 1986: Tiziano Rizzi, ‘I Liuti a 14 Cori’, Liuteria,

no.16 (1986)

Romanillos 2003: José L. Romanillos Vega & Marian H.

Winspear, The Vihuela de Mano and The Spanish Guitar. A Dic-

tionary of the Makers of Plucked and Bowed Musical Instruments

of Spain (1200–2002) (Guadalajara: Sanguino Press, 2003)

Rossi 1983: Franco Rossi, Il Liuto Venezia dal Rinascimento

al Barocco (Venice: Arsenale Editrice, 1983)

Rossi Rognoni 2001: Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, La Musica

alla Corte dei Granduchi, Music at the Grand-Ducal Court. Guide

to the Exhibition (Florence: Giunti, 2001)

Sacconi 1979: Simone F. Sacconi, The Secrets of Stradivari

(Cremona: Libreria Del Convegno, 1979)

Schreiner 2003: ‘The Chambure Vilhuela’, The Lute Soci-

ety of America Quarterly, 37/3 & 4 (2003)

Segerman 1978: Ephraim Segerman, ‘An Analysis of the

Fretting of the Campi Cittern at the Royal College of

Music in London’, FoMRHI, Comm.124 (April 1978)

Skinner 1933: The Belle Skinner Collection of Old Musical

Instruments, Holyoke, Massachusetts: a Descriptive Catalogue

(Philadelphia: Beck Engraving Co, 1933)

South Kensington 1872: Catalogue of the Special Exhibition of

Ancient Musical Instruments, 1872 (London: South Kensing-

ton Museum, 1872)

South Kensington 1874: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Musi-

cal Instruments in the South Kensington Museum, preceded by an

essay on the history of musical instruments by Carl Engel, 2nd edi-

tion (London: South Kensington Museum, 1874)

Spence 1966: Keith Spence, ‘Instruments our ancestors

played’, Country Life Annual (1966)

The Strad Calendar 2000: Masterpieces of Turin: The Strad

Calendar 2000

van der Straeten 1914: Edmund van der Straeten, History

of the violoncello, the viol da gamba, their precursors and collateral

instruments (London: William Reeves, 1914, reprinted 1971)

Talbot 2002: Michael Talbot, ‘Vivaldi and the English

Viol’, Early Music, XXX/3 (August 2002)

Thornton 1982: Peter Thornton, Musical Instruments as works

of art (London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1982)

Toffolo 1987: Stefano Toffolo, Antichi strumenti Veneziani,

1500–1800: Quattro secoli di Liuteria e Cimbalaria (Venice:

Arsenale Editrices, 1987)

Topham 2003: John Topham, ‘A Dendrochronological

Survey of Stringed Musical Instruments from Three Col-

lections in Edinburgh, London and Paris’, GSJ, LVI

(2003)

Tourin 1979: Peter Tourin, Viollist, A Comprehensive

Catalogue of Historical Viole da Gamba in Public and Private

Collections (Duxbury: Peter Tourin, 1979)

Turnbull 1974: Harvey Turnbull, The Guitar from the

Renaissance to the Present Day (London: BT Batsford Ltd,

1974)

Tyler 1975: James Tyler, ‘The renaissance guitar

1500–1650’, Early Music, III (October 1975)

Tyler & Sparks 2002: James Tyler & Paul Sparkes, The

Guitar and its Music from the Renaissance to the Classical Era

(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)

Vannes 1972: René Vannes, Dictionnaire Universel des

Luthiers, volume I, 3rd edition (Bruxelles: Les Amis de la

Musique, 1972)

211-224 3/4/07 15:00 Page 217

218

Vásquez: José Vásquez, Die Vásquez Sammlung Historischer

Saiteninstrumente des 17.–18. Jahrhunderts (Winterthur,

[1995])

Vertkov 1975: K. Vertkov, G. Blagodatov, and E.

Yazovitskaya, Atlas muzykal’nykh instrumentov narodov SSSR,

2nd ed. (Moscow: Muzyka, 1975)

Vienna 1892: Siegmund Schneider, editor, Die Internationale

Ausstellung für Musik- und Theaterwesen Wien 1892 (Vienna:

Moritz Perles, 1894)

Wackernagel 1992: Bettina Wackernagel, Europäische Zupf-

und Streichinstrumente, Hackbretter und Äolsharfen, Deutsches

Museum München Musikinstrumentensammlung Katalog (Frank-

furt/Main: Verlag Erwin Bochinsky, 1998)

Wainwright 1982: David Wainwright, Broadwood by

Appointment: A History (London: Quiller Press, 1982)

Weimarer Klassik 1999: Wiederholte Spiegelungen Weimarer

Klassik 1759–1832: Ständige Ausstellung des Goethe-Nationalmu-

seums (Munich & Vienna: Carl Hanser Verlag, 1999)

Wells 1984: Elizabeth Wells, The Royal College of Music

Museum of Instruments: Guide to the Collection (London: Royal

College of Music, 1984)

Wells 1994: Elizabeth Wells, ‘Ledgers of the London firm

of Erard, harpmakers, c.1798–1917’, Friends of the National

Libraries Annual Report (1994)

Wells 1998: Elizabeth Wells, ‘Sound the trumpet’, The

Strad, 109/1294 (February 1998)

Wells 2007a: Elizabeth Wells, ‘The Donaldson Collection

in the Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments,

London’, Les Collections d’Instruments de Musique, 2ème

partie,

MII, 9 (2007)

Wells 2007b: Elizabeth Wells, ‘The Royal College of

Music Museum of Instruments’, Musica e Museo, edited by

Mario Armellini (Florence: Leo S. Olschki, 2007)

Willetts 1977: Pamela Willetts, ‘Johann Andreas Stumpff,

1769–1846’, The Musical Times, 118 (January 1977)

Witten 1975: Laurence C Witten II, ‘Apollo, Orpheus,

and David: A study of the crucial century in the devel-

opment of bowed strings in North Italy 1480–1580 as

seen in graphic evidence and some surviving instruments’,

AMIS, I (1975)

Wright 1977: Laurence Wright, ‘The Medieval Gittern

and Citole: A case of mistaken identity’, GSJ, XXX (1977)

George Donaldson (aged 33): pencil and crayon drawing (1878) by Frederick Sandys (1829–1904)

© Michael Mott Collection

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 218

219

Indexes

References to colour plates are printed in bold.

RCM number

RCM 5: Book harmonium, 150RCM 6: Guitar, 109–11, 9

RCM 9: Lute, 56–7RCM 10: Lute (formerly chitarrone), 64–5RCM 13: Lute, 54–5RCM 14: Mandolone, 81RCM 16: Guitar, 118–19, 10

RCM 17: Mandolino, 74–5RCM 18: Mandolino, 74–5RCM 19: Brescian mandolin, 77RCM 20: Chitarra battente, 126RCM 21: English guitar, 94RCM 22: Guitar, 115–17, 10

RCM 23: Guitar-cittern, 127RCM 25: Chitarrone, 66–7RCM 26: Chitarrone, 60–3, 6

RCM 27: Hamburger Cithrinchen, 92–3, 8

RCM 28: Neapolitan mandolin, 78RCM 29: Philomele, 172RCM 31: Violin, 154–5, 13

RCM 32: Guitar, 112–4, 9

RCM 33: Viola d’amore, 146–7RCM 34: Viola d’amore, 144RCM 35: Viola d’amore, 145RCM 36: Violin, 159RCM 37: Pochette, 189RCM 38: Pochetto d’amore, 192RCM 39: Pochette, 186–7, 15

RCM 40: Pochette, 178–9RCM 42: Kit, 188RCM 43: Mute violin, 156RCM 44: Bass viol, 140–1, 12

RCM 46: Division viol, 138–9, 12

RCM 48: Cittern, 88–91, 7

RCM 49: Cello neck and pegbox, 170RCM 50: Philomele, 171RCM 52: Lira da braccio, 152RCM 53: Viola, 166–7RCM 54: Violin, 158RCM 55: Pochette, 180RCM 56: Pochette, 183RCM 57: Pochette, 191RCM 58: Epinette des Vosges, 30RCM 59: Pochette, 190RCM 60: Pochette, 182RCM 61: Pochette, 181RCM 104: Spitzharfe, 18–21, 1

RCM 105: Guitar, 108RCM 106: Vielle à roue, small, 207RCM 107: Mandolino, 70–1RCM 108: Portable Irish Harp, 50–2, 2

RCM 109: Mandolino, 72RCM 110: Mandolino, 73RCM 114: Pedal harp, 40–1, 3

RCM 117: Vielle à roue, 200–1RCM 118: Spitzharfe, 22–3RCM 119: Vielle à roue, 204RCM 120: Vielle à roue, 205RCM 121: Vielle organisée, 210RCM 122: Vielle organisée, 208–9RCM 123: Vielle à roue, 202RCM 124: Salterio, 24–5RCM 126: Harp-lute, 132RCM 127: Streichmelodion, 32RCM 130: Machete, 125RCM 131: Fiddle, 175RCM 134: Lyre guitar, 128, 11

RCM 135: Svenskluta, 82RCM 141: Guitar, 106–7RCM 149: Pardessus de viole, 142–3RCM 151: Torban, 83RCM 161: English guitar, 97RCM 162: Balalaika, 85RCM 163: Zither, 31RCM 165: Mandoline, 76RCM 166: Harp-guitar, 129RCM 167: Guitar, 120RCM 170: Guitar, 122RCM 171: Guitar, ix, 102–5, 8

RCM 172: Guitar, 123RCM 173: Guitar, 121RCM 174: Pochette, 184RCM 180: Harpsichord, 58RCM 182: Violin, quarter-size, 161RCM 184: Treble viol, 134–5, 11

RCM 185: Viola in viol form (?formerly viol), 168RCM 186: Violin, 160RCM 190: Pochette, 185RCM 199: Pedal harp, 42–3, 4

RCM 200: Lute, 68–9RCM 203: Lute (formerly ?chitarrone) 58–9RCM 204: Baryton, 148–9, 13

RCM 206: Bass viol, 136–7RCM 208: Double dulcimer, 26–8, 2

RCM 212: Rebecchino, 173RCM 213: Tambourin de Béarn, 33RCM 228: Vielle à roue, 203RCM 241: English guitar, 100RCM 244: Marien Trompet, 194–5RCM 255: Neapolitan mandolin, 79RCM 260: Small harp, 36–7RCM 283: Violin, sixteenth-size, 161RCM 284: British lute-harp, 130–1RCM 286: Bandura, 84RCM 289: Trompette marine, 196–8, 16

RCM 291: Hardingfele, 150RCM 295: Welsh triple harp, 21, 38–9, 5

RCM 297: Aeolian harp, 34RCM 298: Pedal harp, 44–6, 5

RCM 308: Cimbalom, 28–9RCM 309: Pedal harp, 47RCM 314: Balalaika, 86RCM 315: English guitar, 96RCM 316: Neapolitan mandolin, 80RCM 331: English guitar, 98RCM 332: English guitar, 99RCM 333: English guitar, 95RCM 344: Epinette des Vosges, 30RCM 346: Violin, 157RCM 347: Viola, 162–3, 15

RCM 350: Viola, 164–5, 14

RCM 351: Cello, 169RCM 364: Aeolian harp, 34RCM 366: Violin, sixteenth-size, 161RCM 373: Pedal harp, 48–9RCM 374: Neapolitan mandolin, 80RCM 380: Gusle, 174RCM 381: Vielle à roue, 206RCM 390: Fiddle, 176RCM 487: Guitar, 124RCM 497: Harp stock-books of the London

firm of Erard, ix, 44, 46RCM 535: Neapolitan mandolin, 79

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 219

220

Makers, dealers and repairersAnonymous:

Aeolian Harp, RCM 297, 34Balalaika, RCM 162, 85Balalaika, RCM 314, 86Bandura, RCM 286, 84Cello neck and pegbox, RCM 49, 170Chitarra battente, RCM 20, 126Chitarrone, RCM 25, 66–7English guitar, RCM 241, 100Epinette des Vosges, RCM 58, 30Fiddle, RCM 131, 175Fiddle, RCM 390, 176Guitar, RCM 22, 115–17, 10

Guitar, RCM 105, 108Guitar, RCM 170, 122Gusle, RCM 380, 174Harp, small, RCM 260, 36–7Kit, RCM 42, 188Lute, RCM 200, 68–9Machete, RCM 130, 125Mandolin, Neapolitan, RCM 255, 79Mandolin, Neapolitan, RCM 316, 80Mandolin, Neapolitan, RCM 535, 79Mandolone, RCM 14, 81Marien Trompet, RCM 244, 194–5Philomele, RCM 29, 172Philomele, RCM 50, 171Pochette, RCM 37, 189Pochette, RCM 39, 186–7, 15

Pochette, RCM 55, 180Pochette, RCM 56, 183Pochette, RCM 57, 191Pochette, RCM 59, 190Pochette, RCM 60, 182Pochette, RCM 61, 181Pochette, RCM 174, 184Pochette, RCM 190, 185Rebecchino, RCM 212, 173Spitzharfe, RCM 104, 18–21, 1

Spitzharfe, RCM 118, 22–3Streichmelodion, RCM 127, 32Tambourin de Béarn, RCM 213, 33Torban, RCM 151, 83Vielle à roue, RCM 117, 200–1Vielle à roue, RCM 120, 205Vielle organisée, RCM 121, 210Viol, treble, RCM 184, 134–5, 11

Viola, RCM 347, 162–3, 15

Viola d’amore, RCM 34, 144Violin, RCM 31, 154–5, 13

Violin (lacquered), RCM 186, 160Violin, mute, RCM 43, 156Violin, quarter-size, RCM 182, 161Violin, sixteenth-size, RCM 283, 161Violin, sixteenth-size, RCM 366, 161Zither, RCM 163, 31

Barbi, Michele: Salterio, RCM 124, 24–5Beare, J&A: Baryton, RCM 204, 148–9, 13 (repaired)Beckman, Sveno (Sven): Guitar-cittern, RCM 23, 127Braddyll, H Stanley: Viola, RCM 347, 162–3, 15 (bridge)Campi, Girolamo: Cittern, RCM 48, 88–91, 7

Catenar, Henrico (Henricus Casner): Viola, RCM 350, 164–5, 14

Colin (Collin): Guitar, RCM 167, 120Cousineau, Georges: Pedal harp, RCM 114, 40–1, 3

Pedal harp, RCM 199, 42–3, 4

Cousineau, Jacques-Georges: 40Pedal harp, RCM 199, 42–3, 4

Cross, Nathaniel: 138Treble viol, RCM 184, 134–5, 11 (repaired)

David: Mandoline, RCM 165, 76

Dias, Belchior: RCM 171, ix, 102–5, 8

Dieffoprucher, Magno (Magnus Tieffenbrucker III): Chitarrone, RCM 26, 60–3, 6

Duiffopruggar, Gaspard:Viola, RCM 347, 162–3, 15 (spurious label)

Eberle, Johann Ulrich: 144 Viola d’amore, RCM 33, 146–7Viola d’amore, RCM 35, 145

Eberle, Wendelin (Vendelio Venere II): Lute, RCM 203, 58–9Egan, John: Portable Irish Harp, RCM 108, 50–2, 2

Elschleger, J C: English guitar, RCM 21, 94Erard, Sebastian (portrait 46): 42, 47, 48, 50

Pedal harp, RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Erat, Jacob and James: Pedal harp, RCM 309, 47Errard: Vielle à roue, small, RCM 106, 207Feldlen (Feldtle, Feldlin), Magnus:

Baryton, RCM 204, 148–9, 13

Feury (Ferry, Fleury), François: Vielle à roue, RCM 119, 204Forster, William junior: Violin, RCM 346, 157Gallina, Joseph:

Brescian mandolin, RCM 19, 77 (spurious label)Genova, Giovanni Battista: 164

Pochetto d’amore, RCM 38, 192Gerard, Joseph: Guitar, RCM 172, 123Grancino, Giovanni and Francesco: 169

Viola, RCM 53, 166–7 (attributed)Grandjon, Jules: Violin, RCM 36, 159Guersan, Louis: 154 Pardessus de viole, RCM 149, 142–3Hall, William: Viola in viol form (?formerly viol), RCM 185,

168 (repaired)Healy: Neapolitan mandolin, RCM 374, 80Helland, Erik Johnsen: Hardingfele, RCM 291, 150 (attributed)Hill, W E & Sons: Viola in viol form, RCM 185, 168 (bridge)Howell, Thomas: Violin, RCM 54, 158Jessup, E: Violin, sixteenth-size, RCM 366, 161 (bridge)Jones, Bassett: Welsh triple harp, RCM 295, 38–9, 5

Karlino, Joan: Lira da braccio, RCM 52, 152 (spurious label)Kessler, Dietrich: Division viol, RCM 46, 138–9, 12 (restored)

Bass viol, RCM 44, 140–1, 12 (bridge & tailpiece)Kirkman, Jacob & Abraham: Harpsichord, RCM 180, 58Lambert, A: Epinette des Vosges, 30Lambert, Jean-Nicolas: Double dulcimer, RCM 208, 26–8, 2

Lewis, Edward: 138, 162Bass viol, RCM 206, 136–7 (attributed)

Light, Edward: Harp-guitar, RCM 166, 129British lute-harp, RCM 284, 130–1

Longman, James: English guitar, RCM 315, 96Lott, John: Violin, RCM 31, 154–5, 13 (?repaired)Lukey, Charles: English guitar, RCM 315, 96Lyon, George Washburn: Neapolitan mandolin, RCM 374, 80Mauchand, Nicolas: Lyre guitar, RCM 134, 128, 11

Mollenberg, Lorents: Svenskluta, RCM 135, 82Norman, Barak: 134, 136, 154

Division viol, RCM 46, 138–9, 12

Otto, Carl Christian: Lute (formerly chitarrone), RCM 10, 64–5 (repaired)

Packer, G: Harp-lute, RCM 126, 132Pagés, Josef (José): 122 Guitar, RCM 173, 121Pajot: Vielle à roue, RCM 381, 206Panormo: 122

Lira da braccio, RCM 52, 152 (possible maker)Pasta, Gaetano: Cello, RCM 351, 169Pons, César: Vielle organisée, RCM 122, 208–9Preda, Antonio: Mandolino, RCM 17, 74–5

Mandolino, RCM 18, 74–5Presbler, ?Francesco: Mandolino, RCM 109, 72Presbler, Francesco and Giuseppe: Mandolino, RCM 110, 73Preston, John: English guitar, RCM 161, 97

English guitar, RCM 315, 96English guitar, RCM 331, 98English guitar, RCM 332, 99

Rauche, Michael: 97, 98 English guitar, RCM 333, 95, Renault, Sébastien: Trompette marine, RCM 289, 196–8, 16

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 220

221

Rizzio, David: Spitzharfe, RCM 104, 18–21, 1 (spurious inscription)

Rolfe, William: Aeolian harp, RCM 364, 34Roudhlof, François: Lyre guitar, RCM 134, 128, 11

Roullau: Vielle à roue, RCM 228, 203Salaman: Spitzharfe, RCM 118, 22–3 (dealer’s label)Schelle, Sebastian:

Lute (formerly chitarrone), RCM 10, 64–5 (repaired)Schunda, Venczel József: Cimbalom, RCM 308, 28–9Sellas, Domenico: Lute (formerly chitarrone), RCM 10, 64–5Smorsone, Giovanni: Mandolino, RCM 107, 70–1Stadler, Jakob (Giacobus):

Guitar, RCM 6, 109–11, 9 (attributed)Stumpff, Johann Andreas: Pedal harp, RCM 373, 48–9Tesler (Tessler), Giovanni: Guitar, RCM 141, 106–7Tieffenbrucker, Magnus III (Magno Dieffopruchar):

Chitarrone, RCM 26, 60–3, 6

Tieffenbrucker, Vendelinus (Wendelin): Lute, RCM 9, 56–7 (spurious label)

Tielke, Joachim: 154 Guitar, RCM 16, 118–19, 10

Hamburger Cithrinchen, RCM 27, 92–3, 8

Ulman, Adam: Lute, RCM 13, 54–5Varquain: Vielle à roue, RCM 123, 202Venere, Vendelio (Wendelin):

Lute (formerly ?chitarrone), RCM 203, 58–9Vinaccia, Domenico: Neapolitan mandolin, RCM 28, 78Voboam, René: Guitar, RCM 32, 112–14, 9 (attributed)Wörle, Mathias: Pochette, RCM 40, 178–9 (attributed)Würffel, Jeremias: Bass viol, RCM 44, 140–1, 12

Zimmermann, Julius Heinrich: Guitar, RCM 487, 124

Previous owners

Alexander, Mrs E P (née Wilson): RCM 297, 34Alfred, Prince, Duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, Duke of

Edinburgh: RCM 165, 76 RCM 184, 134–5, 11

Astor, Col. The Hon. J J: RCM 289, 196–8, 16

Band, Miss: RCM 374, 80Blumenthal, Jacques: RCM 200, 68–9 (probably)Cameron, Miss Fanny Mary: RCM 346, 157

RCM 347, 162–3, 15

Chanot, George: 160 RCM 52, 152RCM 53, 166–7 (possibly)

Coats, George, 1st Baron Glentanar: RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Cope, Herbert: RCM 186, 160Desborough, Vincent: RCM 364, 34Donaldson, Sir George (portrait 218): viii, ix, xii

RCM 5, 150 RCM 6, 109–11, 9RCM 9, 56–7 RCM 10, 64–5 RCM 13, 54–5 RCM 14, 81RCM 16, 118–19, 10 RCM 17, 74–5 RCM 18, 74–5 RCM 19, 77 RCM 20, 126 RCM 21, 94 RCM 22, 115–17, 10 RCM 23, 127 RCM 25, 66–7 RCM 26, 60–3, 6

RCM 27, 92–3, 8 RCM 28, 78 RCM 29, 172 RCM 31, 154–5, 13

RCM 32, 112–14, 9 RCM 33, 146–7 RCM 34, 145 RCM 35, 145 RCM 36, 159 RCM 37, 189 RCM 38, 192 RCM 39, 186–7, 15

RCM 40, 178–9 RCM 42, 188 RCM 43, 156 RCM 44, 140–1, 12

RCM 46, 138–9, 12 RCM 48, 88–91, 7

RCM 49, 170 RCM 50, 171 RCM 52, 152 RCM 53, 166–7 RCM 54, 158 RCM 55, 180 RCM 56, 183 RCM 57, 191 RCM 58, 30 RCM 59, 190 RCM 60, 182 RCM 61, 181 RCM 104, 18–21, 1 RCM 105, 108 RCM 106, 207 RCM 107, 70–1

RCM 108, 50–2, 2 RCM 109, 72 RCM 110, 73 RCM 114, 40–1, 3

RCM 117, 200–1 RCM 118, 22–3RCM 119, 204 RCM 120, 205 RCM 121, 210 RCM 122, 208–9 RCM 123, 202 RCM 124, 24–5 RCM 126, 132 RCM 127, 32 RCM 130, 125 RCM 131, 175 RCM 134, 128, 11 RCM 135, 82 RCM 141, 106–7 RCM 149, 142–3 RCM 151, 83 RCM 171, 102–5, 8

RCM 190, 185 RCM 199, 42–3, 4

RCM 204, 148–9, 13 RCM 206, 136–7 RCM 208, 26–8, 2 RCM 212, 173RCM 213, 33 RCM 228, 203 RCM 241, 100 RCM 244, 194–5 RCM 260, 36–7 (probably)

Eastman, Miss: RCM 344, 30Engel, Carl: RCM 203, 58–9Evans, Thomas: RCM 260, 36–7 (possibly)Fleming, Amaryllis: ixFry, Tristram: RCM 308, 28–9Gale, Miss Ursula: RCM 316, 80Grey, Miss: RCM 373, 48–9Hartley, Geoffrey: ixHickens, Mrs: RCM 351, 169Hill, Freddy: ixHipkins, Alfred James: viii, 66

RCM 161, 97 RCM 162, 85 RCM 170, 122 (possibly) RCM 185, 168 (possibly)RCM 186, 160 RCM 203, 58–9 RCM 255, 79

Hipkins, Edith: viiiRCM 161, 97 RCM 162, 85RCM 170, 122 (possibly) RCM 185, 168 (possibly)RCM 186, 160 RCM 203, 58–9 RCM 255, 79

Hipkins, John: viiiRCM 161, 97 RCM 162, 85 RCM 170, 122 (possibly) RCM 185, 168 (possibly)RCM 186, 160 RCM 203, 58–9 RCM 255, 79

Leslie, Lady: RCM 314, 86 RCM 315, 96Loder, George: RCM 185, 168 (possibly)Maitland, Mrs: RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Mario, Giovanni Matteo (portrait 90): RCM 48, 88–91, 7

Marno, H A M: RCM 366, 161Marsham, Miss M E: RCM 173, 121Mary, Queen: RCM 166, 129Maud, Duchess of Wellington: RCM 298, 44–6, 5

de’ Medici, Prince Ferdinand: RCM 171, 102–3 (possibly)Miller, Timothy: RCM 535, 79Musikhistoriska Museet, Stockholm: RCM 291, 150Musikmuseet, Stockholm: RCM 291, 150Nissen, Mrs S N R: RCM 487, 124Priestley, J B: RCM 286, 84Pritchard, J T: RCM 185, 168 (possibly)Reade, Charles: RCM 32, 112–14, 9

Rhys, Lady Anne: RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Ridley, E A Keane: ixRonssecy, Mme de: RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Rossini, Gioachino (portrait 90): RCM 48, 88–91, 7

Royal Academy of Music: RCM 380, 174RCM 381, 206 RCM 390, 176

Schultz, Edward: RCM 170, 122 (possibly)Steele-Perkins, Crispian: ixStevens, Mr: RCM 350, 164–5, 14 (possibly)Tagore, the Rajah Sourindro Mohun: viiiThomas, General Sir Gwilym Ivor: RCM 295, 38–9, 5

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 221

222

Thomas, John (portrait 38): RCM 260, 36–7 (possibly)RCM 295, 38–9, 5

Titian: RCM 48, 88–91, 7 (reputedly)Walrond, the Honourable Mrs Lionel (Charlotte):

RCM 298, 44–6, 5

Walton, Richard: ixWilson, Miss, later Mrs E P Alexander: RCM 297, 34

Winyates, Miss Seymour: RCM 331, 98

RCM 332, 99 RCM 333, 95

Wood, Dr Frederick: RCM 373, 48–9

Names (general references)Acworth, Mr Angus: viiiAgutter, Ralph: 154

Albert, Prince: 134

Amati: 134, 166, 169

Angerero, Gioanni (Hans Angerer): 164

Angerero, widow: 164

Archilei, Vittoria: 103

Barber, Stephen: 102

Bardini, Stefano: 173

Barry, A: 129

Bartrum, Giulia: 109

Beare, Charles: 154, 162, 164, 166, 186

Beethoven, Ludwig van: 48

Bergamasco: 38

Berlioz, Hector: 38

Betts, John: 186

Borbon, Gaspar: 186

Bowcleffe, William: 134

Breit, Leopold: 32

Breughel, Jan the Elder: 134

Broadwood, James Shudi: 48

Broadwoods: viii, 48

Broderip, Francis Fane: 96

Caccini, Lucia: 103

Campi, Giuseppe: 88

Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales: 44

Cati, Antonio: 181

Cavalieri, Emilio de’: 103

Celoniato, Filippo Antonio Eugenio: 192

Celoniato, Giovanni Francesco: 192

Chatelain, François: 196

Chéron, Rober[t]: 115

Clausenius: 183

Colin (Collin), Jean: 120

Colin, Jean-François: 120

Colin, Louis: 120

Colin (Collin), Nicolas: 120

Davies, Oliver: ixDavies, William: 38

Dias, Diogo: 102

Dyson, Sir George: viii, ixEberle, Cristoforo: 58

Edlinger, Thomas: 145

Edward VII, King: viii, 38

Egersdorfer, Hugo H: 174

Elizabeth, Queen, The Queen Mother: ixEpp, Miss: 149

Epp, Thomas: 149

Erard, Pierre (Orphée): 44

Falkner, Sir Keith: ixFerdinand IV, King of Naples: 208

Fleischer, Catherina: 118

Fleischer, Hans Christoph: 54

Fleischer, J C: 118

Franciolini, Leopoldo: 173

Frere, Arthur Howard: viii, ix, 36, 102, 134, 136, 173, 183, 184, 203

Garrett, Andrew: 33

Geiringer, Karl: viiiGeorge IV, King: 50

Gétreau, Florence: 115

Gluck, Christoph Willibald Ritter von: viiiGoethe, Johann Wolfgang von: 48

Griffiths, Ann: 36

Grove, Sir George: viiiGyrowetz, Adalbert: 208

Handel, George Frideric: 134

Hanggele: 109

d’Hardiviller, Charles-Achille: 46

Harwood, Ian: 68

Haydn, Joseph: 148, 208

Heale, Michael: 134

Heberle, Cristoforo: 58

Hellwig, Friedemann: 54

Hellwig, Günther: 92, 118

Hill, Arthur Frederick: viiiHill, W E & Sons: viiiHintz, Frederick: 100

Houdon, Jean Antoine: viiiHoyland, J: 132

Isabella II, Queen of Spain: 123

James, Paul: ixJames, Phillip: viiiJoão, Don III: 102

Josephine, Empress: 40

Jubinal, M: 180

Koonce, Frank & Leanne: 102

Lambert, widow: 26

Le Jeune, Jean-Charles: 120

Liefrinck, Hans: 109

Longo, Mango: 109

Lott: 152

Louis, Grand Dauphin of France: 112

Marchal, Pierre Paul: 102

Maria Christina of Spain: 123

Mary, Queen of Scots: 112

de’ Medici, Prince Ferdinand: 102–3

Meucci, Renato: 25

Monteverdi, Claudio: 88

Mott, Michael, John & Anthony: ix, 218

Mozart, Constanze: 48

Mozart, Leopold: 146

Mozart, Wolfgang: 48

Naderman, Jean-Henri: 40

Nicholas, Prince of Esterhazy: 148

Pajot, Gilbert: 206

Pajot, Jean: 206

Pajot, Jean-Baptiste: 206

Parry, Sir Hubert: viiiPeretti, Innocentio of Lucca: 88

Pesaro, Francesco, Venetian ambassador in Madrid: 74

Petzmayer, Johann: 32

Playford, John: 138

Pleyel, Ignace: 208

Poulton, Diana: 68

Preston, Thomas: 97

Princess of Wales: 129

Prior, William: ixRizzio, David: 112

Rogeri, J B: 169

Romney, George: 154

Rossi-Rognoni, Gabriele, 173

Sandys, Frederick: 218

Schorn, Johann Paul: 146

Sellas, Giorgio: 108

Sellas, Matteo: 64, 108

Simpson, Christopher: 134, 138–9

Smith: 100

Solis, Virgil: 109

Spencer, Robert: 102

Stradivari: 88, 186, 206

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 222

223

Straube, Rudolf: 95

Stumpff, Johann George: 48

Tieffembrucker, Leonardo: 56, 58

Tieffenbrucker, Wendelin (Vendelio Venere I): 56, 58

Topham, John: 186

Venere, Georgio: 58

Venere, Vendelio I (Wendelin Tieffenbrucker): 58

Ventura, Angelo Benedetto: 129

Victoria, Queen: 38, 48, 134

Virchi, Girolamo: 88

Visscher: 109

Vivaldi, Antonio: 25

Voboam, Jean: 112

Voboam, Jean-Baptiste: 115

Weber, Carl Maria von: 48

Whone, Adam: ixWilliam IV, King: 50

Willis & Co: 90

Zumpe, Johannes: 100

Institutions and collections

Amaryllis Fleming Trust: ixAshmolean Museum, Oxford: 88, 95, 112

Belle Skinner collection: 50

Berlin Conservatoire: viiiCastello Sforzesco, Milan: 68, 109, 166

Chambure collection: 102

Chase Charity: ixDeutsches Museum, Munich: 159

Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments: 115

Ernst Collection: 140

Fryklund Collection, Musikmuseet, Stockholm: 25

Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence: 173

Gemeentemuseum, The Hague: 186

Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg: 146

Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Vienna: 149

Hill Collection: 88, 109, 112, 134

International Inventions Exhibition, London, 1885: viii, 66

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna: 58, 60, 149, 178

Leche Trust: ixLuton Museum: ixMedici Collection, Florence: ix, 102

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: 115, 138, 192

Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva: 140

Musée de la Musique, Paris: 60, 88, 102, 120, 136, 200, 207

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris: 196

Musée des Instruments de Musique, Brussels: 136, 186, 208

Museo Bardini, Florence: 88, 106

Museo Civico, Bologna: 60

Museo degli Strumenti Musicali,Castello Sforzesco, Milan: 68, 109, 166

Musikhistorisk Museum, Copenhagen: 134

Musikhistoriska Museet, Stockholm: 25, 150

Musikinstrumenten Museum, Leipzig: 173

Musikmuseet, Stockholm: 25, 150

National Music Museum, Vermillion, SD: 158, 166, 178

Orpheon Foundation: 134

Paris Conservatoire: viiiParis Opéra: 40, 142

Parry Room Library, RCM, London: ixPilgrim Trust: ixRadcliffe Trust: ixRenato Meucci collection: 25

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam: 186

Royal Academy of Music, London: 38, 174, 176

Royal Albert Hall, London: viiiRoyal Institution, London: 48

Royal Italian Opera, London: 38

Royal Ontario Museum: 192

Royal Society of Musicians, London: 38

St Paul’s Cathedral, London: 138

Shakespeare Birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon: 134

Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC: 115, 173, 207

Sotheby’s, London: 159, 178

South Kensington Museum, London: 58

Victoria & Albert Museum, London: 58, 95, 100, 115, 154, 200Vienna Conservatoire: viii

Places of manufacture

Ancona: RCM 141, 106–7

Augsburg: RCM 40, 178–9

Austrian or South German: RCM 163, 31

Bath: RCM 126, 132

?Bohemian: RCM 34, 144

Brescia: RCM 351, 169

?Brescia: RCM 48, 88–91, 7

Bristol: RCM 54, 158

Budapest: RCM 308, 28–9

Bø: RCM 291, 150

Cadiz: RCM 173, 121

Cardiff: RCM 295, 38–9, 5

Chicago: RCM 374, 80

Chinese or Japanese: RCM 186, 160

Dublin: RCM 108, 50–2, 2

English: RCM 21, 94

RCM 42, 188

RCM 43, 156

RCM 241, 100

RCM 297, 34

?English: RCM 31, 154–5, 13

RCM 52, 152

RCM 170, 122

RCM 184, 134–5, 11

?Flemish: RCM 39, 186–7, 15

RCM 347, 162–3, 15

French: RCM 57, 191

RCM 59, 190

RCM 117, 200

RCM 120, 205

RCM 121, 210

RCM 213, 33

RCM 344, 30

?French: RCM 22, 115–17, 10

RCM 49, 170

German: RCM 29, 172

RCM 50, 171

RCM 487, 124

German, north: RCM 104, 18–21, 1

RCM 118, 22–3

German, south or Austrian: RCM 163, 31

?German: RCM 55, 180

RCM 56, 183

RCM 244, 194–5

Greifswald: RCM 44, 140–1, 12

Grenoble: RCM 122, 208–9

Hamburg: RCM 16, 118–19, 10

RCM 27, 92–3, 8

Hardanger: RCM 291, 150

Italian: RCM 14, 81

RCM 19, 77

RCM 25, 66–7

RCM 60, 182

RCM 61, 181

RCM 105, 108

RCM 174, 184

Italian, south: RCM 200, 68–9

?Italian: RCM 20, 126

RCM 212, 173

RCM 316, 80

RCM 535, 79

Japanese or Chinese: RCM 186, 160

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 223

224

Jenzat: RCM 381, 206

Lisbon: RCM 171, 102–4, 8

London: RCM 46, 138–9, 12

RCM 161, 97

RCM 172, 123

RCM 206, 136–7

RCM 284, 130–1

RCM 298, 44–6, 5

RCM 309, 47

RCM 315, 96

RCM 331, 98

RCM 333, 95

RCM 346, 157

RCM 364, 34

RCM 373, 48–9

Mâcon: RCM 106, 207

Madrid: RCM 17, 74–5

RCM 18, 74–5

Milan: RCM 53, 166–7

RCM 109, 72

RCM 110, 73

?Milan: RCM 255, 79

?Moravian: RCM 127, 32

Naples: RCM 6, 109–11, 9

RCM 28, 78

Norwegian: RCM 291, 150

Padua: RCM 203, 58–9

?Padua: RCM 9, 56–7

Paris: RCM 32, 112–14, 9

RCM 36, 159

RCM 114, 40–1, 3

RCM 119, 204

RCM 123, 202

RCM 134, 128, 11

RCM 149, 142–3

RCM 165, 76

RCM 167, 120

RCM 199, 42–3, 4

RCM 208, 26–7, 2

RCM 228, 203

RCM 289, 196–8, 16

?Pescina: RCM 48, 88–91, 7

Portuguese: RCM 130, 125

Portuguese or Spanish: RCM 37, 189

Prague: RCM 33, 146–7

RCM 35, 145

Rome: RCM 107, 70–1

Russian: RCM 162, 85

RCM 314, 86

Serbian: RCM 380, 174

Spanish or Portuguese: RCM 37, 189

Stockholm: RCM 23, 127

RCM 135, 82

Turin: RCM 38, 192

RCM 350, 164–5, 14

Ukrainian: RCM 151, 83

Val d’Ajol: RCM 344, 30

Venice: RCM 13, 54–5

RCM 26, 60–3, 6

RCM 124, 24–5

Vienna: RCM 204, 148–9, 13

Welsh: RCM 260, 36–7

Places (general references)Abergavenny: 38

Antwerp: 109

Austria: viiiBéarnais region, France: 33

Berlin: viii, 124

Birmingham: 168

Brescia: 88, 152

Calcutta: 46

Chislin (Chissigne): 164

Cremona: 169

England: viiiFlemish: 186

Florence: 25, 90, 173, 181

France: viii, 33

Franconia (Frankland): 164

Füssen: 109, 164

Germany: viiiHalle: 64

Hohenschwangau: 149

Hungarian: 28

India: 48

Kiev: 84

Königsberg: 118

Leipzig: 124

London: 38, 186

Lorraine: 196

Lucca: 88

Madeiran: 125

Mantua: 88

Markneukirchen: 124

Milan: 109, 169

Mirecourt, 102, 120

Moscow: 85

Naples: 109, 123

New Zealand: 134

Nottage, Porthcawl: 36

Nürnberg: 64, 109

Padua, 58

Paris: viii, 123, 208

Piedmont: 164

Polish or Saxon: 180

Porthcawl: 36

Riga: 124

Rome: 25

Ruhla, Thuringia: 48

St Germain de l’Auxerrois: 204

St Petersburg: 38, 48, 85, 124

Saxon or Polish: 180

Scotland: 112

Sheffield: 132

Sicily: 68

Siena: viiiSpain: 121, 123

Sweden: 127

Thuringia: 48

Tyrol: 145, 178

Venetian: 22, 108

Venice: 25, 74

Vicenza: 74

Vienna: viii, 149

Vils: 178

Yugoslavia: RCM 380, 174

211-224 3/4/07 15:01 Page 224

ROYAL COLLEGE OF MUSIC

MUSEUM OF INSTRUMENTS

CATALOGUE PART III

EUROPEAN

STRINGED

INSTRUMENTS

RO

YA

LC

OL

LE

GE

OF

MU

SIC

MU

SE

UM

OF

IN

ST

RU

ME

NT

SC

AT

AL

OG

UE

PA

RT

III EU

RO

PE

AN

ST

RIN

GE

DIN

ST

RU

ME

NT

S

The Royal College of Music Museum of Instruments houses an

internationally renowned collection of nearly 900 musical instruments

and accessories from c.1480 to the present, including the Tagore,

Donaldson, Hipkins, Ridley, Hartley, Walton, Fleming, Steele-Perkins

and Freddy Hill collections and instruments on loan from the Royal

Collection Trust. Part I of the Museum’s Catalogue, European Wind

Instruments, was published in 1982, followed by Part Ia, Addenda (1998)

and Part II, Keyboard Instruments (2000). The present volume has been

produced with the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council

from its Special Project scheme, the Leche Trust and the Radcliffe Trust.

R C M

M I

50731-Cover 5/4/07 17:29 Page 1

rcm museum of instruments catalogue part iii: european stringed instruments

Documents

rcm research fund

page i50731

radcliffe trust

leche trust

page iir c

royal college of musicmuseum

royalcollection trust

range of research