Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

;
SALO SALO 215
Brescia.' The length measures 3 feet 9 inches,
of the grain in the hellies of his instruments
It is labelled within ' Gasparo da Salo : In 1613,' but either the ticket or instrument was
bears evidence to this particular trait of the and it was bought at the sale of the Engel collection
Brescian master. Hia varnish is principally
for £10. The well-known violin-maker,
deep yellow, and rich in tone, though some of August Eeichers of Berlin, possessed a smallsized
his instruments are much darker in colour ; in
violoncello by this maker in 1894 (probably
fact some are almost black, an effect doubtless a cut-down bass), and Dragonetti possessed three
due to age. The sound-holes are long, parallel, or four double-basses by da Salo. The most
and pointed in form, and in the gambas and celebrated of these instruments was presented
viols still retain the more simple C shape ;
yet to him by the monks of the monastery of St.
in spite of their length they are in perfect Marco, Venice, about the year 1776, and was
harmony with the form of the instrament. returned to the donors after his death. It would
The purfling is usually single, and the general appear that this bass has disappeared. Another
appearance of his work is bold, but not highly of Dragonetti's basses was bequeathed by him
finished. His tickets run as follows : Gasparo to the Duke of Leinster, and a third was in the
'
da Salo : In Brescia,' and are undated.]
possession of the Eev. 6. Leigh Blake in 1875.
The pattern of Gasparo da Salo was partially In the same year Mr. John Hart owned a Gasparo
revived in the 18th century, owing no doubt da Salo bass (small size) in an exceptional state of
to its great tone -producing capacity, by the preservation. The most renowned instrument of
celebrated Joseph Guamerius (see that article), this maker is the violin which was made by him
and to a less extent by some of the French to the order of the Cardinal Aldobrandini, a noble
makers. As a maker of tenors and doublebasses
patron of the fine arts in Rome, who paid da
Gasparo da Salo has never had an equal, Salo 3000 Neapolitan ducats for his work, and
and his instruments of these classes are eagerly presented it to the treasury of Innspruck, where
sought after. The objection to his tenors is it was preserved as a curiosity. The head of
their great size, but their effect in a quartet is this curious violin is said to have been carved
unrivalled. Two remarkably fine specimens, by Benvenuto Cellini ; it represents an angel's
formerly in the possession successively of Dr. face carved and coloured, surrounded by flowing
Stewart of Wolverhampton, and of Mr. John locks of hair. Behind this there leans a
Adam of Blackheath, are now in the possession little mermaid, the human form of which
of Mr. J. A. Torrens Johnson. [The most perfect terminates in scales of green and gold. The
specimen of a da Salo viola ever seen by the tail-piece is another mermaid, in bronze colour,
writer was the one which belonged to Mr. and the finger-board is ornamented with arabesques
Edward Withers in 1884. This was a fine
in blue and gold ; while the bridge is
primitive instrument, and another perfect specimen
delicately carved in the form of two intertwin-
was the property of Mr. Tyssen Amherst, ing fish, similar to the zodiacal sign of the
an English amateur of celebrity. At the Special month of February. The belly is made of an
Loan Exhibition of Musical Instruments at the exceedingly rare species of Swiss pine, which
Fishmongers' Hall in 1904 there were three of grows on the Italian side of the Swiss Alps, and
da Sale's masterpieces. One was a viola of is even-grained. When Innsjiruck was taken
1570, the property of Mr. E. A. Sandermann ;
by the French in 1809, this violin was carried
another a viola da gamba of the same date, to Vienna and sold to a wealthy Bohemian
lent by Messrs. W. E. Hill & Sons ;
and a third amateur named Kahaczek, who was a wellknown
was a viol of 1565, belonging to F. Pengrie,
collector. Ole Bull saw it at Eahaczek's
Esq. (The dates quoted are according to the house during a visit to Vienna in 1839, and tried
catalogue. ) At the Victoria and Albert Museum to persuade his host to part with it, but this
there are two Gasparo da Salo Viole da Gamba. he refused to do. However, after his death
One is mountedwith seven strings, an innovation Eahaczek's sons offered it to the great Swedish
attributed to Marais in the 17th century. The virtuoso at a price, and he purchased it from
sound-holes are in the C form, the ribs curve them in the year 1841. At the death of Ole
into the neck in the true viol fashion, the wood Bull this violin became the property of an
of the belly is even in grain, and the varnish is American amateur resident in theUnitedStates.]
brownish yellow. Its complete length is 4 feet, Gaspare's violins, which are mostly of small
and it was bought at the sale of the Engel collection
size, are not in request for practical purposes.
for £S. The other gamba by this maker M. F^tis, in A. Stradivari (186i), mentions a
is mounted for six strings. The neck terminates very remarkable violin of da Salo which was
in a well-carved giotesque head of an old woman sold at Milan in 1807 ; and that Baron de Bagge
the wood of the belly is even in grain ; the also possessed one in the year 1788, of which
sound-holes are in the C form ; the varnish is Rudolph Kreutzer spoke with admiration. Another
slightly darker than the instrumeiit mentioned
violin he states to be in the possession of
above. The finger-board is ornamented with Mr. T. Forster, an English amateur, and the
ivory and. tortoise-shell, and bound with catgut owner of a numerous collection of violins, which
frets. The purfling is in one single broad line. bore the inscription 'Gasparo daSalo: In Brescia,