Jacob Stainer

Jacob Stainer
Jakob Stainer
Bornc. 1618
Hall, Absam, Tyrol[citation needed]
Died1683 (aged 63–64)
Absam, Tyrol
Education
Known forLuthier
StyleStainer style
Movement
  • Cremonese school
  • Tyrolean German school
Spouse
Margarete Holzhammer
​
​
(m. 1645)​
Elected
  • Servant of the Archduke (1658–1662)
  • Imperial servant (1669)
Patron(s)
Websitewww.jakob-stainer.de

Jacob Stainer (c. 1618[discuss]–1683) was the earliest and best known Austrian and Germanic luthier. His violins were sought after by famous 17th- and 18th-century musicians and composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and George Simon-Lohein [de].[1][2] Arcangelo Corelli was one of many who played a Stainer violin.

Stainer was born and died in Absam, in present-day Austria. His designs influenced instrument construction in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, parts of Italy, and several other countries.

He may have been associated with the luthiers of Cremona, Italy, in particular the Amati family,[3] and with the Klotz family of violin makers of Mittenwald, Germany.[4] 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 are flatter and broader and produce a more powerful sound than others. 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 violas, cellos, and basses are known to exist. They are highly sought after by musicians who perform early music on period instruments.

  1. ^ Wechsberg, Joseph (2 January 1973). The Glory of the Violin (1st ed.). Michigan: Viking Press. ISBN 9780670342662.
  2. ^ Menuhin, Yehudi (1976). Music Guides Violin and Viola. New York: Macmillan Pub Co. p. 224. ISBN 9780028714103.
  3. ^ Pearce, Joseph (1866). Violins and Violin Makers: Biographical Dictionary of the Great Italian Artistes, Their Followers and Imitators, to the Present Time. With Essays on Important Subjects Connected with the Violin. London: Longman and co. Print. "Internet Archive"
  4. ^ Peterffy, Ernest. Music and Youth, April 1926, cited in The Rockford Register-Gazette, May 17, 1926. Helen Fish, "Klotz First of Violin Makers of Mittenwald", p. 15. "Search Klotz Violin Illinois"