PUBLISHED AUTUMN 1983 BY WILLIAM MOENNIG & SON, LTD., 2039 LOCUST STREET, PHILA., PA. 19103

Giacomo and Leandro BisiachMilan 1964

Leandro Bisiach, Sr.Milan 1935

Leandro Bisiach, Jr.Milan 1974

The Bisiach Family HeritageIn these pages, over the years, we have discussed theimportant revival of Italian violin making in the late 19thand 20th centuries. This resurgence involved not only violinmaking but also violin repairs, performance, and expertise onthe past masters' artistry. The standard bearers of thismovement were the five members of a remarkable familywho cast a great and undeniable shadow on virtually all ofthese disciplines, the Bisiach family of Milan.

The Bisiach family came from Dalmatia, the region on theeastern Adriatic coast which formerly was part of theRepublic of Venice and which is now part of Yugoslavia.The patriarch of the family, Leandro, was born in CasaleMonfer-

rato in 1864. He studied violin making with RiccardoAntoniazzi, a pupil of Enrico Ceruti. In 1886 he opened hisworkshop in Milan, beginning as a violin maker. Success andacclaim came rapidly his way so that by 1900 he was regardedas one of the most important violin makers of his generation.He had as clients virtually all of the most important performersof his time, a fact readily apparent from the innumerablephotographs which filled his walls, and his instruments hadwon many awards at the great International Competitions. By1900, the complexion of his business had also begun tochange. Leandro had a great talent as a maker, but he also hadother great talents. He had a keen eye and was an astute

Portraits of Giacomo and Leandro Bisiach Presented to William Moenning III

businessman, and so he rapidly becameknown as a leading expert andconnoisseur. Many of the greatestmasterpieces passed through his hands,and his scholarship soon came to bespoken of in the same breath as that ofhis colleagues the Hills, the Harts, theHammas, and Caressa. Expert repairsbecame an important part of his work,with standards that set the pace forothers. With the tremendous demandsthat his other endeavors required,Leandro found it necessary to curtail hisviolin making. Although he could notcontinue to create violins in the quantityof his earlier years, he never actuallygave it up. He continued to work withthe assistance of his younger sonsGiacomo and Leandro, Jr., up until hisdeath in 1945. He also employed asviolin making assistants many of theearly 20th century masters. In thisregard he stands as the most importantearly patron of Italian violin making ofthis century. He could count asassistants or pupils such masters asRomeo and Riccardo Antoniazzi, histeacher; Giuseppe Ornati, GaetanoSgarabotto, Giuseppe Pedrazzini,Ferdinando and Afro Garimberti, IginioSderci, Giuseppe Lucci, Sesto Rocchi,Ferruccio Varagnola. to name a few. It

would also be unfair not to note thatLeandro was an accomplished concertviolinist, maintaining a performanceschedule in the midst of so many otherpressing responsibilities. Leandro hadfour sons who ably continued thetradition after his death. The first wasAndrea, who was born in 1890. Andreawas trained by his father as a violinmaker, but was especially fine as arestorer and a connoisseur. His eye wasparticularly keen and he quickly filledthe Bisiach vaults with fine classicinstruments and the Bisiach home withoutstanding art, sculpture, and furniture.Andrea continued his father's expertiseuntil his death in 1967.The second son was Carlo, born in1892. Carlo, like his older brother,had worked closely with his father,but after working with his father inSiena, came to love the Tuscancountryside and moved there in theearly 20's. Though an accomplishedrestorer and expert, violin makingwas his great love, and for this skillhis fame is secure.

The youngest sons, Giacomo, born in1900, and Leandro, Jr., born in 1904,became active in the family workshopsafter the First World War. They tooshared the skills of their father

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and brothers and worked closely withtheir father in violin making during the20's and 30's. After their father's deaththey continued the family firm underthe name of "Giacomo and LeandroBisiach", the name which they alsoused on their joint creations. When thefirm closed in 1973, Leandro, Jr.continued to work from his home inVenegono, making violins until hisdeath last year.

Illustrated on these pages are threeoutstanding examples made by theBisiachs. The illustrated example ofLeandro, Sr.'s work was made in 1935and was crafted with the assistance ofGiacomo and Leandro, Jr. Thisoutstanding work was created on theAmatise Stradivari pattern which he sopreferred. Leandro has used the finest ofItalian woods and craftsmanship is of thehighest order. The violin by Giacomo andLeandro, illustrated, is of specialsignificance to their artistry; it was thisviolin that they chose to exhibit at theCremona Exhibition of 1964. It is trulyan outstanding example of their greatability. The third violin illustrated is awork by Leandro, Jr., made in 1974, andalso created for the Exhibition of thatyear. It displays similar great talent.

P.J.K.

WELCOME

To 2039 Locust Street

Our friends in the string world are always welcome to enjoyour collection of fine vintage instruments and bows.Certainly these examples rightfully deserve to be owned andenjoyed by those financially fortunate. The youngprofessional and talented amateur player today sets out onhis quest facing a dilemma not unlike his predecessors,choosing affordable string equipment. These budding talentsunderstandably have been greatly influenced by the luxuryof enjoying superb performances and the benefit of excellentteaching. Why wouldn't they be drawn to the revered worksof the classical luthiers? The inspiring music drawn fromthese instruments made it worth any sacrifice their pastowners had to make in order to enjoy owning them.

Affording valuable acquisitions today is a far differentplight than in past decades, I would suggest. One is, of

course, offered many reasons (some ofwhich I suspect are self-serving) tojustify high price tags. One mayrightfully discuss with admiration andawe the qualities and values ofclassical works and convincinglyprove their values on the strength ofcurrent publications and newsletters,when many times these alarming sumsare often unrealistic and occasionallythe end result of two determinedbidders.

Perhaps equally at fault may beappraisers who provide inflatedevaluations in the interest ofmaintaining mutually profitablerelationships with their clients, andfirms desperately needing to add totheir "stock", who knowingly acceptconsignments with over-inflatedvalues. Prospective purchasers,dependent on limited budgets, deserveour sympathetic counseling. Fewprofessions demand as muchcontinuous concentrated dedication asis expected of the string player. Theirlabor in return deserves to be servedby our own dedication, acting asguides through a bewildering maze ofpotential acquisitions that could resultin a monetary pitfall. Enchantmentwith string music admittedly hampersme from mustering an argument withthose who, drawing lush sounds from

fine Cremonese instruments, ask, "should this uniquecreation, a masterpiece of many dimensions, be consideredinferior to a fine framed canvas?" My feeling is that fine art,except in museums, is intended for the privileged.Instruments, a utilitarian art form, are intended for theperformer and for the joy and pleasure of many listeners.

It has often been hinted that the first hesitant steps throughthe doors of a violin shop can be overwhelming. For theuninitiated this can be especially intimidating. It is only to beregretted by those of us who truly care about our professionthat occasionally "good salesmanship" and the hint of abargain can reverse what at the onset ought to be, for theprospective purchaser, a secure, informative and excitingadventure. We urge our friends to carefully consider howmuch they truly enjoy the instrument they are consideringacquiring. It must have qualities that satisfy the

tastes of the player, giving the neededresponse, comfort and inspiration, butabove all, it must please its owner.Remember that you are buying aninstrument for yourself, not acolleague, although colleagues'comments may be helpful. Resistbeing pressured—the decision mustfeel right to you. Ask questions andexpect nothing less than clear,intelligent answers. Caringprofessional advice can help to bring asearch to a satisfying conclusion.

Our occasional comments in theWorld of Strings have evidently evokeda great deal of interest. Many of ourstring friends have asked that theymight be given an opportunity to adviseus of their own thoughts andexperiences. The subject of themajority of our correspondence pertainsto the merits relative to contemporaryand vintage string equipment and thecounseling one seeks and expects froman established firm.

We enjoy hearing from our friendsand welcome the opportunity ofdevoting a portion of the World ofStrings as a "forum"—each letter would,before our acceptance, be submitted toourEditorial Board. W.H.M. III

All of us here at William Moennig& Son wish all of our friends aJoyous New Year filled withbeautiful sounds.

Beginning after the New Year, ourhours will be:

Tuesday to Friday10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.

Saturday10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Closed Sunday and MondayFrom Memorial Day until

Labor Day, our hours will be:Monday to Friday

10:00 AM to 5:30 PM.Closed weekends.

From The Herbert Goodkind Collection

Sebastian KlozMittenwald 1772

Viola by Pietro Giovanni MantegazzaMilan c. 1780

Claude Augustin MiremontNew York 1858

Distinguished Examples in SoundThe family of Herbert K. Goodkind hasentrusted us with the sale of some of thefinest examples from his excellentcollection of violins.

Herbert Goodkind was a colleagueand our very good friend. He lovedinstruments and collected themassiduously, accumulating severalhundred violins by the time of hispassing last year. He was also a greatlover of violin literature—his librarybeing one of the most outstanding inexistence.Herbert's great triumph, and the onefor which future generations will bestremember him, was the creation of hismonumental 'Violin Iconography ofAntonio Stradivari'. His goal

was by no means simple—to collect aprovenance and documentary profile ofevery known Stradivari—715 atpublication, a number which the bookitself has increased by luring outexamples which had been forgotten—and to supplement it with as manyphotos of the instruments as possible.Added to this effort would be interestingand rare material on Stradivari culledfrom his incomparable library. At thetime many in the violin world believedthis project to be impossibly difficult,and doubted that the book would ever bepublished. They did not considerHerbert's zeal, determination, and love.He completed the book in a remark

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ably short space of time, making avolume which is now regarded as one ofthe most important of its kind and acornerstone of any serious violin lover'slibrary. With this book we have the mostcomplete and in-depth analysis of thegrowth and development of Stradivari'sstyle, from his youngest days to the verylate years when, assisted by his sons,Omobono and Francesco, he carved hislast masterpieces. It is a fittingmemorial for Herbert, and no man couldask for a finer one.

We invite our friends to communicatewith us directly for more information onviolin in the Herbert GoodkindCollection. P.J.K.

George Wulme-Hudson London 1947

George Wulme-Hudson London 1915copy of a Carlo Testore

“A Genius of Classical Design”

When asked about the great mastercopyists we find that several namesalways come to mind. Some areobvious—Vuillaume, Fendt, Lott, theNeapolitans and the Vollers. To thesenames we must add another destined tojoin their ranks—George Wulme-Hudson. In every respect he stands asthe most skillful, original, andinnovative master of this century.

Wulme-Hudson was born in the St.Pancras district of London in 1862 andstarted to work in a pawn shop at the ageof twelve. To amuse himself and hiscolleagues he learned to play manyinstruments proficiently. An earlyfascination with violins led to his earlyrepairs and with the aid of EdwardHeron-Allen's book on violin making

he created his first violin in1897. He took this to theEnglish master Thomas J.Holder, who was soimpressed that heencouraged Hudson todevote his efforts to violinmaking, providing lessonsfor him.By 1900 he wasestablished in LowerClapton as a violin maker.He was well

regarded—his guide on violin makingwas widely read when it was publishedin The Strad in the 1920's. In 1947 hemoved to Chessington where he workeduntil his death on February 12, 1952, atthe age of 83.

Some copyists are content to createan exact replica of a famous instrument.Others choose to create a work in thestyle of a past master. Wulme-Hudsongoes one step beyond. We encounterviolins which are straightforwardexpressions of his artistry, made in hisfinest personal style bearing his labeland signature. Secondly there are hiscopies made on the Testore, Gragnani,and Gagliano patterns. However, wealso see instruments made in 'Old

GOOD NEWS

In our Winter 1982 issue we illustrated a violin by Igino Sderciand sadly reported that he had passed away. This report wasgiven to us by a Florentine violin maker who visited us earlylast year. You may imagine our delight then on receiving a notefrom one of our friends and clients to tell us that indeed Sderciis still alive and actively making violins in his 99th year. Ourfriend, in fact, owns Signor Sderci's most recent creation, a fineinstrument which shows that his fine hand and eye are stillmarvelously accurate. We are glad to wish Signor Sderci manymore years of violin making.

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Italian style' by makers invented byHudson—names such as Carressi andCastellini. These outwardly resembleold instruments, enough to fool someviewers. These instruments bear allthe characteristics of Wulme-Hudson'sstyle and invariably his brand andsignature as well. These works werenot intended to deceive, but ratherreflected the maker's enjoyment ofclassic instruments. He did, though,enjoy fooling his more pretentiouscolleagues, always stopping short ofactual deceit.

Illustrated are two excellent examplesof Wulme-Hudson's artistry. One is astraightforward work, the other a copyof Testore which even uses scribedpurfling on the back

in the fashion of the original.Their common ancestry isquite apparent on closeexamination, particularlywith respect to the outline,modelling, interiorconstruction, the poise andcut of the f's, and the qualityand texture of the varnish,which is warm, transparentand lustrous. P.J.K.

"Le Rossignol"

a

1717

StradivariIt is with pride that we announce theimminent acquisition of an outstanding,definitive example by Antonio Stradivari ofhis golden period, Cremona 1717, known asthe "Le Rossignol". The instrument comesto us in an exceptionally pure state ofpreservation and is accompanied by W. E.Hill & Sons, Wurlitzer, and WilliamMoennig & Son, Ltd. Certificates.Accompanying these documents is apersonal letter from Alfred Hill concerningthe fine instrument's provenance. Whenconsidering the wealth of superbCremonese examples that have passedthrough Mr. Hill's hands, one should takespecial note of Mr. Hill's admiration andenthusiasm for this particular example asstated in his letter.

"I have nothing but praise for the 1717 'Stradivari'! It is, without doubt, a superbexample of the Master's broad pattern, which you will note in our Life of Stradivari, heinitiated in 1708-9 and adhered to to the end! . . . In conclusion, I repeat, I look uponthis 'Stradivari' as one of the supremely fine existing examples of the maker's work, thebeauty of which cannot be surpassed, its purity and condition to be equaled by few!"

Yours faithfully,

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