It is preserved in fine original condition except for the pegs and bridge. He came to London to work for Richard Duke in Holborn in 1765. John Betts came from Stamford, Lincolnshire, and came to London in 1765 to apprentice with Richard Duke, rising to become the shop foreman after seven years, and eventually buying the business from Duke's daughter, reforming the company under his own name by 1781. . His refusal to allow Charles to profit from the purchase led to the partners falling out. The "Betts" is one of Stradivari's finest works--marking the beginning of what is described as his golden period. These cookies cannot be disabled and you cannot use the website without them. Bow maker / Violin maker. including this fine violin, Betts' greatest importance was as an expert and entrepreneur, responsible for making London a major centre of violin making activity in the 19th century. Here is a picture of the 2011 Oberlin Workshop participants. Violin - Articles, - John Betts, Violin, c.1790, London. It continued into the 1860s under the direction of Arthur's sons Arthur II and John II before finally closing in 1867. Betts instruments tend to exhibit very high standards of . About the violin. John Betts was born in Stamford, England, in 1752. He drilled holes for the upper and lower lobes and then connected them rather than working from a stencil type of pattern. The luminous golden-brown varnish is so transparent that even the most nuanced details of the tightly flamed maple used for the back can be seen, and the blackened edges of the small and charmingly shaped scroll round out this violin; it has been kept in very good condition and has undergone only minor repairs that are fitting for an instrument of its advanced age. Betts was very careful in selecting and preparing his wood, and his craftsmanship is equally precise. He moved to London at the age of 12 to apprentice with Richard Duke. If you missed the magazine, you can download the pdf here-. By 1920, the "Betts" was owned by R. D. Waddell of Glasgow. In about 1820, an individual entered Betts' shop at the Royal Exchange in London and offered the violin in its pristine state. John Betts was born in Stamford, England, in 1752. - The auction record for this maker is $61,875 in Nov 2001, for a cello. Stamped Betts / Royal Exchange / London. Photograph (Form). He came to London to work for Richard Duke in Holborn in 1765. London, Violin - The 1704 "Betts" Stradivari violin was crafted by Antonio Stradivari, an Italian manufacturer of string instruments who lived from 1644 to 1737. John Betts London. Upon his death in 1823, he left the shop to his younger brother and pupil Arthur, as well as his nephew Charles Vernon. (b Stamford, Lincolnshire, 1752; d London, 1823) One of the most important and influential violin makers in England in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, John Betts was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, in 1752. Please contact: Performing Arts Reading Room. He did not make many instruments himself, but employed excellent workmen, such as the Panormos, John Carter, Edward Betts, Bernhard Fendt, &c. The work is excellent, but poor instruments were occasionally sold by him, bearing his label. This outstanding reputation may be why John Betts was always able to engage excellent violin makers such as Richard Tobin, Henry Lockey Hill and members of the famous Panormo family as his employees. Here is a picture of John Waddle playing the Betts. Users may need to contact The Strad for any re-use of the articles. In 2011, John Waddle was in charge of the back, Raymond Shryer, who has his violin shop in Canada, was in charge of the top, Gregg Alf, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was in charge of the rib structure, and Sam Zygmuntowicz, whose violin shop is in Brooklyn, New York, was in charge of the neck and scroll. Betts became known as an expert connoisseur and was partially responsible for developing the outstanding reputation of Stradivari instruments in London. Next to that, to the right is a photo of our digitally carved copy of the back of Betts. He opened an attractive premises and amongst his luthiers were . The Strad magazine has generously allowed us to reproduce two articles in this presentation: Exhibition Report: Born in the USA (July 2006) and National Treasure (November 2006). Call us on:0207 175 1644 , circa 1780Cello. Article. In 1923, Jay C. Freeman of Wurlitzer approached Waddell in Scotland and came away with the "Betts" as well as the "Leduc" Guarneri. We use this information to help choose the woods used and to guide us in the making of accurate copies. Tarisio 2023, The Muntz, Bower, Lam, an exceptional violin bow by Franois Xavier Tourte. Please login to continue. A sheer joy to play! Contact Us. Its everything we look for in a violin: the perfect combination of warmth, projection and flexibility of tone. In London, he apprenticed as a luthier with Richard Duke, one of the city's most notable violinmakers of the 18th century. Amati, in collaboration with leading experts, have published a few key books in the field of stringed instruments. London, Sign up to receive Carteggio features directly. The front is two pieces of straight grained spruce and the varnish is a beautiful reddish-brown typical of the best English instruments of the period. London Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, "Betts". Betts was one of the first in this country to do extensive business in Italian instruments, and a large number of fine violins found their way into this country in his time. It remained a treasured . In the United States, the 'Betts' found a home first in the collection of John Taylor Roberts, [32] and then with Gertrude Clarke Whittall, who, in 1935, donated it along with three other Stradivari instruments a violin, a viola, and a cello and four Tourte bows to the Library of Congress of Washington, D.C. Oxford, OX1 4DH Choose whether this website uses functional cookies or cookies for tracking and performance, as described. It bears its original label. His shop employed many of the best contemporary makers, including Joseph and Lockey Hill, and later Vincenzo Panormo and Bernard Simon Fendt. Photograph (Form). If you currently own a John Betts Violin, click the button below to receive a free valuation: Violin Valuation. He died in 1823, leaving the business to his younger brother Arthur, who learned the craft from him. There was problem sending your activation email, please contact us. A deal was made and the instrument changed hands for the sum of only one guinea. He was a pupil of Richard Duke, and, in the few instruments made by himself, showed that he had imbibed much of Duke's lore. John (I) Betts. Article. John died in 1823 and the shop continued as the centre of expertise in London, under his sons John and Arthur, until 1867. This violin from about 1790 is stamped on the back 'Betts / Royal . Sam Zygmuntowicz was in charge of the neck and scroll, and is shown here putting the final touches on the neck. It simply isn't true that old violins always sound better than new ones. The violin was made in 1704, and retains what is believed to be its original untouched label. photograph | 35 photographs : color | Photograph (Form). John Betts (1755-1823) was born in Lincolnshire. Betts business became a focus for the market for old Cremonese violins. By this time, the family were well established as the leading London dealers of . I wrote an article, in collaboration with Steve Sirr, and Steve Rossow, on the Betts, which is available in the May 2010 issue of "the Strad" Magazine, published in London. Violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, "Betts". Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with our site, detect errors, and provide better overall analytics. Company number: 9889926. , circa 1800Viola, John Betts The original neck is in the old style. Tel: +49 30 9404 5443, Terms of Use After many years working for Duke, Betts became the foreman of his workshop and eventually took over the business. (1752 1823), Little is known about the early life of John Betts, son of Edward Betts, a farmer from Stamford. In 1781 he was established independently in Holborn, moving to Royal Exchange in 1782. 2 North Piazza, Londini," are also written across the back on the inside, near the top, and an inscription, which is not decipherable, is written across the belly near the left sound- hole. United Kingdom, Email: info.london@tarisio.com Once we have obtained CT scans of a violin and have chosen wood that matches the wood of the original, Steve Rossow can carve duplicate parts digitally, using his CNC machine. Article. Can you tell which is which? If you are a person who is fortunate enough that you can afford to buy a genuine Stradivari, Guarneri, or Amati, by all means, you should do it! The violin has a two piece back of highly-figured, quarter sawn maple which is book-matched. In 1781 he was established there independently and in the following year he moved to the Royal Exchange, where he remained for the rest of his career. John is also part of an ongoing collaboration with luthier Stephen M. Rossow, and Radiologist Steven A. Sirr, M.D., on a project that uses existing and emerging technologies to explore the structure of-and . (1775 - 1847) Younger brother of John Betts, Arthur Betts was a good violinist and had lessons from Viotti himself. The following images are of violin known as the Betts, by Antonio Stradivari, made in 1704. By the time this fine antique violin was crafted in approximately 1820, John Betts was already able to look back on an impressive oeuvre. This area corresponds with the dimensions of the original fingerboard giving a clue to the range of notes that a musician could play. The violin is an absolutely stunning Nicol Amati copy. In 1781 he was established there independently and in the following year he moved to the Royal Exchange, where he remained for the rest of his career. Article. Gregg Alf was in charge of the varnishing of this violin, and did a beautiful job. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7354 5763 They liaised with my insurers and started work within days . Over the course of its history the shop produced a large range of instruments, from inexpensive models with painted purfling to some of the most exquisite Stradivari and Guarneri copies in the history of British violin making. Using a carefully selected matching top, back, neck and scroll carved by Steve Rossow on his CNC machine directly from computer files generated from CT scans of "the Betts" violin, the Oberlin Betts copy was completed by the class as a group project to the point of being playable but without varnish. The violin has a two piece back of . The instrument is the work of one of his students or another luthier who upheld the Betts tradition, making it a worthy representative of early 19thcentury English violin making, and its interesting, stylish aesthetic is just as compelling as its exceptionally beautiful sound. Article. Gregg is holding the violin made by the class in 2010 and varnished in 2011. Meet the team and read about our relationship with Sothebys, Ingles & Hayday Ltd, 77 Great Titchfield Street, London W1W 6RF | London: +44 (0) 20 7042 7337 | Visit our London Shop, 6th June Catalogue Rosenberg Collection Part II, Looking to buy or sell an instrument by this maker >. This is a composite violin: the back, ribs and scroll were made by Andrea Guarneri in 1694 and the replacement front was made by John Betts in the 1790s. Kurfrstendamm 28 Betts was a violinist, teacher, and violin dealer. If on the other hand, you are a person who cannot afford to buy such a violin, you might be able to actually own a fine violin which is very close, for a fraction of the cost. It was given the the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, along with several other Cremonese masterpieces, by the last owner, Mrs. Gertrude Clarke Whittall in the mid 1930's, and remains there today. He moved to London at the age of 12 to apprentice with Richard Duke. Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as Next to that is a photo of the new copy. The history of the Stradivarius violin, now known as "the Betts", up to the early 1820's, is completely unknown, but it was at that time that an unknown person walked into the violin shop of Arthur Betts and his nephew, with the violin and offered it for sale.
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