Jacob Stainer
Encyclopedia
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
.
Stainer was born in Absam
Absam
Absam is a municipality in the Innsbruck-Land District, Tyrol situated at an altitude of 632 m, has an area of 52 km² and 6700 inhabitants as January 2011.-Geography:...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. His designs influenced instrument construction in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, parts of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and several other countries.
He may have been associated with the luthiers of Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in particular the Amati
Amati
Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1549 to 1740.-Andrea Amati:Andrea Amati was not the earliest maker of violins whose instruments still survive today...
family. His instruments were the most sought-after throughout Europe until the late 18th century, when changing performance conditions led musicians to seek a different sound.
The instruments of Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
are flatter and broader and produce a more powerful sound. This became the sound preferred by musicians as orchestras in large concert halls gradually replaced baroque chamber ensembles in intimate settings.
Stainer’s violins are comparatively rare today and few of his viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s, and bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es are known to exist. They are highly sought after by musicians who perform early music on period instruments.
Biography
Jacob Stainer was one of the most famous luthierLuthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
s of his time in Europe before Stradivari, and the only non-Italian luthier to rank at the top of that artistic crafts. Until orchestral music replaced chamber music as the dominant form, Stainer's violins were more sought-after even than Stradivari's. He was born around 1617 in Absam; paternal ancestors were from South Tyrol and the father worked in the salt mines. His mother Barbara Pomberger and her parents, Joachim and Anne Posch, were from Absam. The Stainers lived in Absam in Breitweg near the blacksmith.
Jacob attended the school until 1630, probably learned Latin and spoke Italian. He was sent to Innsbruck to learn the art of organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
building with Daniel Hertz, but not being inclined to the work was directed towards the construction of violins. In this field a good knowledge of technical, artistic, drawing, carving and materials is needed. He then completed an apprenticeship in joinery with a relative, Hanns Grafinger. In 1644 he went to Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
to complete his training as a luthier, probably with Nicolò Amati
Nicolò Amati
Niccolò Amati was an Italian luthier from Cremona.-Biography:Nicolò Amati was the fifth son of Girolamo Amati and the grandson of Andrea Amati, the founder of the Amati Family of violin makers. Of all the Amati Family violins, those of Nicolò are often considered most suitable for modern playing...
; perhaps he also went to Venice to work for a short period with Vermercati.
The following year he opened his workshop and married, on November 26, Margarete Holzhammer with whom he had eight children. Stainer continued to produce outstanding instruments for court musicians and for the orchestra of the cathedrals of Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich, Nuremberg, Bozen, Meran, Brixen and the court of Spain. In 1656 he achieved success and bought a house, now known as "House of Jacob Stainer," in which he built his instruments, including the most precious, preserved at the Tiroler Landesmuseum (Ferdinandeum) Innsbruck.
In 1658 Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria awarded him the honour of "servant of the Archduke" until 1662 when the Archduke died; in 1669 Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
| style="float:right;" | Leopold I was a Holy Roman Emperor, King of Hungary and King of Bohemia. A member of the Habsburg family, he was the second son of Emperor Ferdinand III and his first wife, Maria Anna of Spain. His maternal grandparents were Philip III of Spain and Margaret of Austria...
appointed him "Imperial servant". The same year he was arrested in Innsbruck, having been found in possession of books concerning Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
, and had to do an act of repentance; between 1670 and 1679 he continued to receive orders from the church. In 1680, probably due to persecution as a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, he fell into a manic-depressive syndrome, dying three years later in Absam.
Characteristic features of his instruments
- Broad lower back;
- Pronounced higher arching of the belly than the back;
- Highly skilled craftsmanship, particularly displayed in cut scrolls and occasionally carved heads of lions, angels, or women; and
- Varnish ranging in color from amber to orange-red, comparable in brilliance to CremoneseCremonaCremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
varnish.
Production
Stainer's production can be divided into three distinct periods: the first, including the stay in Italy, from the beginning until 1650, the second until 1667 and the third until his death. The first and the third are considered the best, especially for the quality of the instruments produced. Stainer produced a few violaViola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, including a viola di bordone and a viola bastarda, and only a few cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
that are a rarity.
Stainer always produced his instruments, more than 300, by himself and never allowed apprentices to create a school in order to hand down his expertise.
Stainer's label
- Jacobus Stainer
- ex Absam prope Oenipontum
- fecit Cremonae
Translation: "Jacob Stainer from Absam near Innsbruck made this in Cremona."
External links
- "Lorenz Mizler's spirit varnish"(said to be that used by Jacob Stainer), John Sankey, guitar maker, Website
- "Jacobus Stainer Violin", Richard Perras, violinmaker, website
- "Stainer Violin Tops London Spring Auction Highlights", Erin Shrader, website