Violin by John Marshall, Aberdeen, 1912
This violin has now sold.
About John Marshall
John Marshall was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire, in 1844 and started making violins aged 30. He quickly made a name for himself as a talented luthier, making an instrument for James Scott Skinner himself. This work was rewarded by the composition of a strathspey for Marshall and a separate reel for his shop assistant!
Marshall made over 300 violins during his career, firstly based upon a Strad model and then latterly based upon a violin by the Neapolitan maker Alessandro Gagliano which Marshall had repaired. These Gagliano model violins are sought after for being amongst his finest instruments.
About the violin
This violin was made in 1912, just 7 years before Marshall´s death. The violin is one of Marshall´s highly-prized Alessandro Gagliano models.
The violin has a one piece back of medium-flamed maple, descending left to right. The front is two pieces of fine, straight-grained spruce. The transparent varnish is amber in colour and the length of back is 362mm.
How does it sound?
Tonally, this violin is on the brighter end of the spectrum, having plenty of higher overtones sparkling through the note you are playing. This also allows the instrument to project extremely well.
Some violins feel intimate and introverted, like they only want to be played in small settings to small amounts of people, but not so with this violin! Just touching the bow to the string releases the sound: this sound has a similar character to that of an experienced theatre actor, who has learned to make their voice carry to the very back row. A confident, extrovert concerto instrument!
Condition
The violin is in very fine condition.