A Short History of String Instrument Making
It seems certain that the Füssen school of
makers of stringed instruments is the oldest of it's kind in Europe.
The town's first lute maker was mentioned in a document dating from 1436. Although no written evidence exists before this time, stringed instruments have certainly been built in the old minnesong country at the southern river Lech even sonce the 13th century.
In 1562 the first Füssen lute makers guild charter was laid down. In this charter the rules for apprenticeship and craftmen master examinations were specified, as well as the the conditions imposed on a master from abroad who wanted to settle in the area. Additionally, the number of masters which were allowed to work in the town was restricted to 20.
Therefore many craftmen had to emigrate, thus most of the important lute making families of the Renaissance originally stem from the Füssen area.
The town's first lute maker was mentioned in a document dating from 1436. Although no written evidence exists before this time, stringed instruments have certainly been built in the old minnesong country at the southern river Lech even sonce the 13th century.
In 1562 the first Füssen lute makers guild charter was laid down. In this charter the rules for apprenticeship and craftmen master examinations were specified, as well as the the conditions imposed on a master from abroad who wanted to settle in the area. Additionally, the number of masters which were allowed to work in the town was restricted to 20.
Therefore many craftmen had to emigrate, thus most of the important lute making families of the Renaissance originally stem from the Füssen area.
The violin makers of the 17th and 18th century
brought new significance to the town. Nevertheless it remained a
peculiar characteristics for craftsmen of Füssen that the larger part
of them were forced to emigrate to other european capitals. There they
practiced their art often as lute and violin makers at the local court
and passed their knowledge to their apprentices. The names of the most
famous viola d'amore and violin makers are: Geissenhof, Stoß, Fendt,
Hellmer, Eberle, Thir, Niggl, Rief, Techler, Fichtel and Gedler.
