Viola - Caspar Da Salo in brescia - info needed

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Hello,
I've searched the web and can't find any real information on this piece.
Caspar Da Salo in brescia 15_ _ (54?? Can't see last two numbers)
Acquired in Italy during W.W.II
Please email korywb@NO!SPAM!prodigy.netNO!SPA! (remove NO!SPAM!) with any
information on this Viola.
See Pics at http://pages.prodigy.net/jmccs/Viola/CasparDaSalo.htm

Thanks in advance for any information.
Kory

[J. Teske]

Gasparo Da Salo was, along with the first of the Amati dynasty, among
the 16th century pioneers of violin making. He was most influential in
viola design. He and the Amatis pretty well defined the shape of the
violin family as we know it today. Many subsequent violas were made to
a Da Salo pattern. The fact that the label says Caspar (the German
form of the name) would lead me to think that this is a German
reproduction. He worked a full century and more before the most
famous late 17th and early 18th century makers such as Stradivari and
Guarneri. It would appear from the photos that your viola doesn't not
have a scroll splice which immediately places it as post-1800.
Technological changes in bows strings and violins caused almost all
pre-1800 violins to be modified with a longer neck. The old scroll was
then spliced to the new neck. I have a Da Salo pattern modern
reproduction viola and the shape of the viola doesn't seem to jibe
with the pattern of my viola. Da Salo's were large, had fairly thin
sides, closer to a modern violin in size. The wood grain seems quite
nice and this may be a quality viola even if it isn't a genuine Da
Salo. I would take it to a reputable violin dealer for at least a
first cut at identifying what you might have. A true Da Salo is worth
a small (or not so small) fortune. If a local luthier thinks that it
might possibly be the real McCoy, you will have to be prepared to
spend some fairly big bucks to get an internationally recognized
violin expert to verify the pedigree. No buyer would touch it without
some sort of connaisseur authentication and some inkling of the
provenance. (Provenance is the history of who owned an instrument when
and where, previous authentication certificates issued by world class
experts e.g. Vuillaume in Paris in the 19th Century, Hill in London ca
1900, Wurlitzer in NYC in Mid-20th century etc.)

Jon Teske, violinist

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Thanks for the reply, you posted some interesting information!
I have posted some new photos (better ones!) on a new site if curious.
Check it out: http://pages.prodigy.net/jmccs/Viola/CasparDaSaloViolin.htm

Thanks again for your time and information.

Kory

[Stradivari1688]

> It would appear from the photos that your viola doesn't not
>have a scroll splice which immediately places it as post-1800.

Actually (not to nitpick, but for everyone's information should they come
across a suspected early instrument) some French makers were using modern-style
necks as early as the 1740s, and the true Baroque neck didn't die out
completely until the 1830s or so, and continued to be used (in a slightly
modified form) until the early 1900s in cheap instruments.

The modern way of attaching violin necks actually is derived from the French
method of attaching viol necks during the second half of the 17th century.

[Bullfrog]

My father played the violin when I was a child. When he died, I brought
the instrument home with me as his grieving younger widow claimed, when I
asked about it, not to know of it and said "if you can find it you can
have it." It was safely stored in the case he always kept it in and in
the same safe place he always put it. Inside the instrument it says
"Caspar Da Sale in Brescia."

I'm not a musician but am interested in learning something about it.
Daddy did not come from an affluent family so could not have paid a lot
for it. I don't even know how early he began playing or if he ever had a
lesson (but assume he must have - though he played the piano by ear and
could play any music he heard) but he was born in 1911 (I think). Thank
you. BCH

[J. Teske]

This is almost certainly a German factory violin (or maybe Czech) from
the early 20th/late 19th century. The real "Caspar Da Sale" was
actually Gasparo da Salo and he was a 16th century makers in Italy,
one of the pioneers in developing what ultimately became the shape of
the violin (and in Da Salo's case particularly the viola) as we know
it today. (BTW, an almost identical question was asked here just a
few weeks ago. Same maker, same spelling.)

The fact that the label is "Caspar" vice Gasparo is one fairly obvious
clue. The fact that it is "Caspar" vice "Kaspar" (the German form of
the name) might be a clue that this violin was imported to North
America, very possibly for sale by a catalog house such as Sears
Roebucks & Co. They imported thousands of relatively cheap violins
and labeled them with names of famous makers, not as a scam, but to
distinguish the various lines of violins they marketed e.g the
"Stradivarius" model, the "Guarnerius" model. These violins were mass
produced by German and Czech makers, mostly in centers in South
Germany/Bohemia such as Mittenwald, Markneukirchen, Bubenruth and
others. Then (as now) factories existed in these towns for making
these rather inexpensive violins. As a gross generality, these
violins are somewhat better than the cheapest Asian violins currently
being imported and offered for sale on Ebay or even at general purpose
music stores (e.g. guitar and drum shops) where the owners should know
better.

But, one could be wrong, or (more likely) you might have a pretty good
example of one of these factory fiddles. It is probably worth your
effort to take this instrument to a qualified violin repairman to get
a preliminary lookover. He will be able to tell you if it has any
merit at all. It might be worth fixing up and even lending to a violin
student if no one in your family plays. Closeting a violin is among
the worst things you can do to it. Lending it may at least keep title
to it in the family if it has some sentimental value. Fixing up in
this sense usually means cleaning up, checking the soundness, checking
and repairing any loose seams, fitting a new bridge and soundpost and
equiping with modern strings (your old strings are most likely gut
core and if they are old, they are toast.) This sort of job is not
particularly expensive. If there is a bow, it will almost certainly
need rehairing, but a lot of bows with these violin outfits were junk
to begin with. Also, a closeted violin case is likely to be infested
with a mite we generically call "rosin bugs". They eat at bow hair. If
there was a bow present, and many of the hair strands are broken, that
is a sure sign of rosin bugs. Empty and vacuum the case and expose the
opened case to direct sunlight to kill them. Put a few mothballs in
the case when you close it up again.

Violins and violas of the real Gasparo da Salo' are worth a
substantial amount of money, often into six figures in US dollars. You
could get lucky, but don't count on it.

Jon Teske, violinist

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 04:23:13 -0400, "Bullfrog" <bchi...@cox.net>
wrote:

[mauree...@gmail.com]

Hi, I have a Gaspar da Salo in Brescia 1561 violin I bought it at a charity shop about 16 years ago for my husband, it is in a very old case with the bow and cushion and a piece of orange stone, it was given to the charity shop by a catholic nun, that is all I know about it.
When I returned home I placed it on top of my wardrobe and forgot about it until we decided to move home last year, and it interested me to try and find out more about it, so if anyone can give me some information I would very grateful, I can send photos of the violin.

Thank you

Maureen