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Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
New label:
Attachment 194849Attachment 194850
A very interesting 1901 Vinaccia with Calace-like sound ports. Just about the time Calace first used this innovation. Label mentiones both brothers, Gennaro and Achille.
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Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
1902 Label is already different:
Attachment 194852
And another great item found in the net:
Attachment 194853
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Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Incredible little website, Victor, and tantalizing little story.
I wonder if the writer was truly from Wichita or if this was an early version of filler or "wire stories" to flesh out the newspaper.
1893 is pretty early on for US made mandolins the author refers to.
But what a story.
By 1893 Gennaro and Achille V were working out of the 53 Rua Catalan location. I wonder, though, if "the old gentleman" was Pasquale V still hanging around while his sons were running the business?
Even more tantalizing is to think what became of his instrument. I have a Fratelli V mandolin from this era that I bought in the states.
No, it couldn't be. ;)
Attached is a recent shot of Rua Catalana.
I hope Lucas keeps updating his site with new discoveries!
Mick
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Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Hi Mick,
It must have been an old Pasquale. He passed away in 1882, according to Wikipedia. The article is from 1883, but the actual voyage could have happened a year or more ago easily. By the way it looks like the brothers continued using old Pasquale label stock for at least two more years after his passing: (or perhaps P.'s passing date is incorrect).
Attachment 194888
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vic-victor
Hi Mick,
It must have been an old Pasquale. He passed away in 1882, according to Wikipedia. The article is from 1883, but the actual voyage could have happened a year or more ago easily. By the way it looks like the brothers continued using old Pasquale label stock for at least two more years after his passing: (or perhaps P.'s passing date is incorrect).
Attachment 194888
Thanks, Victor....let's double check.
The Kansas newspaper article says 1893, that would be some years after Pasquale passed at age 76 if the Wiki article is to be believed.
But of course, the article could be relaying a story that had occurred many years before and became 'newsworthy' along with the mandolin craze in the US.
If all dates are correct, PV would be in his early '80s should he still be alive in 1893. His sons, Gennaro and Achille could very well have been in their late 50s or early 60s...but perhaps not be the 'old white haired Italian gentleman' the author refers.
Could have been another Vinaccia altogether minding the store....but that would really get confusing.
As you suggest, Vecchio Pasquale makes the most sense to me with the Wichita linemen relaying a story from an earlier mandolin seeking voyage.
Mick
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Thanks for picking up the date of a Kansas newspaper, I was out by 10 years. I guess we won't know for sure now, Vinaccia was a big family...
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vic-victor
Thanks for picking up the date of a Kansas newspaper, I was out by 10 years. I guess we won't know for sure now, Vinaccia was a big family...
I'm no expert on midland American newspapers, Victor, but my hunch is that a story like this wouldn't necessarily be "hot off the presses".
The storyteller could indeed be relating a much earlier visit to Napoli as you suggest.
In the Middle of the MidWest those kinds of 'exotic travelogue' stories might have well had a ready audience.
As they do for you and me, today....;)
Mick
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Interesting that no one wrote a book on Vinaccia. All info is scattered in various places. There must be modern branches of V. family that know more and given there are still hundreds if not thousands V. instruments around it could have been an interesting album. Someone made that kind of job on Calace in the past. I read somewhere that there was a coffee table sort of book put together some 20 years ago, but I have not seen the actual book. And, there is one on Embergher by Ralf Leenen, of course. Also a rarity these days. I don't have one.
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vic-victor
Interesting that no one wrote a book on Vinaccia. All info is scattered in various places. There must be modern branches of V. family that know more and given there are still hundreds if not thousands V. instruments around it could have been an interesting album. Someone made that kind of job on Calace in the past. I read somewhere that there was a coffee table sort of book put together some 20 years ago, but I have not seen the actual book. And, there is one on Embergher by Ralf Leenen, of course. Also a rarity these days. I don't have one.
Agreed. Seems like a very ripe PhD dissertation topic for a host of Italian universities. Perhaps it already has been but remains on a dusty shelf somewhere.
Mick
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
To add a question to this current discussion: Granted it was a large family, so where are the actual descendants of the makers? There must be some of them somewhere interested in their family history.
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
vic-victor
And, there is one on Embergher by Ralf Leenen, of course. Also a rarity these days. I don't have one.
By Ralf Leenen and Barry Pratt. I was fortunate to score my copy directly from the authors when initially released. It's a lovely work. Ralf is active and, last I knew, responsive to correspondence. Even though his site declares "sold out," it might be worth it to drop him a line. There appear to be surprisingly few copies in public library collections.
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Going way back to mandolins of the 1700s, but today's excursion into WorldCat has produced this bit of intrigue that discusses one early effort from the Vinaccia family: https://www.worldcat.org/title/the-g...=brief_results
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Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eugene
A deep dive:
"This paper reports the results of several scientific analyses carried out on ten mandolins made in the second half of the eighteenth century by the most important Neapolitan mandolin manufacturers such as the Filano, Fabricatore, Gagliano and Vinaccia families. Various elements of decoration were characterized for each mandolin: the resins of the sound hole decorations, the black wood strips of the purflings, the varnishes and the glues. Thanks to microscopy observations SEM-EDX, µFT-IR and µRaman analysis, a multi-technique approach was used in order to fully characterize and compare some of the decoration-making techniques peculiar of each family of makers. Shellac was the main organic material used both in the sound hole decorations and in the varnishes. Inorganic fillers such as aluminosilicates, particles of iron oxides/hydroxides and microfossils of diatoms were found within the false inlays. Black iron-based dyes were identified as dyes for the black wood strips of the purflings."
Interesting to see the Gagliano name included.
My goodness, Eug, there are a half dozen copies of this within range here in ATX. I bike by the (newish) city central library every morning. Will be stopping in.
Thanks!
Mick
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Cheers! And I work at a place that holds a copy . . . although I haven't been to campus for more than a year now.
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Eugene
Any mention of the mysterious sound ports on the tops?
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jim Garber
Any mention of the mysterious sound ports on the tops?
Unlikely, as they only appeared in 1900-1901 and the article apparently discusses the earlier instruments.
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Some music shop in Australia was recently selling an unusual mandolin, claiming to be Fratelli Vinaccia from the year 1953, which is very interesting, to say the least. The instrument doesn't look Vinaccia, but there is still a chance that some Vinaccia offspring was still functioning in 1950's and had something to do with this instrument. Anyway, here's the photos:
Attachment 195519Attachment 195520Attachment 195521Attachment 195522Attachment 195523
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Super strange and interesting, Victor. Thanks for posting this.
About 20 years newer than any Vinaccia I've seen.
It's interesting that the label boasts of a prize from the 1950 esposizione.
Can't recall seeing a FV with a slotted headstock but I have seen a few of them from the 20s that do adopt
very Calace-sque design features....not that I've ever seen a Calace with a slotted headstock though there's
likely one out there.
Could be real or maybe a cheeky Catanese fake...I'm thinking of the type font and layout on the label, but that's not much of an indictment.
Or someone rebirthing the brand name as is is common practice with US names (eg. Washburn)
We've got a new benchmark it seems.
Mick
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Here's a 1925/1926 Vinaccia I just acquired... apart from a crack in the middle of the soundboard (the big crack on the side seems to have been repaired/glued), it's in good condition, sounds and plays great. Any infos on who of the Vinaccias made this one?
Sorry, somehow the images got flipped during upload...
Re: Sorting out the Vinaccias
Looks like Gaetano was looking after the business until his passing in 1927. Who was doing that after him it is still a question. Vinaccia was a big family.
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Here is another curious example of late Vinaccia (assuming it is original and not a fake) spotted being for sale in Japan, from 1968 (sic !). Can't work out the first name in the signature (is it Alfonso?) can anyone? Certainly interesting with no paper lining, but cleats between the ribs instead.
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