The Violin: Its Famous Makers and Their ImitatorsHart, George
History
The Violin: Its Famous Makers and Their Imitators
Hart, George
Violin -- History; Violin makers -- Biography
Handel; in short, his performance was such as
would command the attention of the nicest ear, and left us his
auditors much at a loss to guess what it was that constrained him to
seek his living in a way so disreputable. He made no secret of his
name; he said he was the youngest of three brothers, and that Henry,
the middle one, had been his master, and was then in the service of
the King of France. He lodged in the Butcher Row, near Temple Bar, and
was well known to the musicians of his time, who thought themselves
disgraced by this practice of his, for which they have a term of
reproach not very intelligible; they call it _going a-busking_."[4]
[Footnote 4: The term "busker" is still applied to musicians who
perform outside public-houses, on steamboats, and elsewhere.]
I have now to mention a Violinist whose talents raised the instrument
greatly, particularly in England, viz., Francesco Geminiani. He was
instructed by Corelli, and imbibed much of his master's breadth of
style. He came to England in the year 1714. In 1716 he published a set
of twelve sonatas, which attracted some notice at the time from their
novelty. In these he plunged into difficulties deemed then very
unusual, but withal his compositions were elegantly written. He
afterwards wrote and published solos and concertos, besides a
"Treatise on Good Taste," and the "Art of Playing on the Violin," the
latter being the first instruction book for the instrument deserving
of the name. The instrumental music at this period was composed for
four Violins, Tenor, Violoncello, and Double-Bass, and was called the
Concerto Grosso.
Having lightly sketched the progress of the Violin in England down to
about the year 1750, it will, perhaps, be better to take the thread of
the instrument's progress in Italy, which we brought to the days of
Corelli.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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