Leopold Widhalm

Leopold Widhalm (also Withalm; born October 2, 1722 in Horn in Lower Austria; † June 11, 1776 in Nuremberg ) was a German lute and violin maker .

Live and act

Son of the violin maker Mathias Widhalm, who had moved from Salzburg to Nuremberg due to religious persecution. Leopold Widhalm worked in the workshop of the Nuremberg master Sebastian Schelle, whose daughter or widow he married in 1746. In the same year, Widhalm opened his own workshop in the suburb of Gostenhof . Along with Jakobus Stainer , Matthias Alban and Matthias Klotz, he is considered to be one of the best violin makers in the German-speaking world. His works are based on the large-format models of Stainer, the snails or heads are often made of pear tree. The violin varnish , mostly in the shades of orange-red and light yellow, suggests that he knew the Italian models, but constantly tried to improve. His best instruments date from the period between 1760 and 1770, the works from this period also have the best lacquer quality and are even more similar to Stainer's models. The violins built after 1770 no longer have the previously known precision craftsmanship. His violin notes are usually printed, the inside of the base is often branded with the initials, and there is an imperial eagle between the letters.

Violin notes by Widhalm

He also built lutes, violas, cellos, double basses, viols and harps. The Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg has a larger collection of works from his hand (see also the article Violino piccolo ). His customers included almost all the monasteries in a larger area.

A lengthy legal dispute with his older colleague Leonhard Maussiell (1685–1760) arose when Widhalm wanted to open his own workshop in the imperial city.

His three sons Martin-Leopold (1747–1806), Gallus-Ignatius (1752–1822) and Veit-Anton (1756–1800) from his marriage to Sybilla Schelle, successfully continued the business. For the most part, they continued to work under their father's name. Veit-Anton worked according to a Stradivarius model from 1693, while the two older brothers followed the father's tradition and continued to orientate themselves towards Stainer. Members of the Widhalm family worked in violin making for around a hundred years, but the best instruments come from Leopold Widhalm.

Other violin makers in Nuremberg in the 18th century

Mathias and Christian Hummel, Sebastian Schelle, Leonhard Maussiell and Leopold Holmer.

literature

• Klaus Martius: Leopold Widhalm, and the Nuremberg lute and violin making in the 18th century , Erwin Bochinsky Verlag 1997. ISBN 3923639139
• Alfred Kaiser: Leopold Widhalm, a famous violin maker . (Picture book of music). Horn 1992, p. 41.