Jan Oldřich Eberle

* 1699 Vils bei Füssen
† 1768 Praque

Jan Oldřich Eberle (also known as Joannes Udalricus Eberle) belongs among the founders of so-called Prague School of Violin-Makers. The violins, the delightful tones of which you hear in this recording, were made in 1737 in the famous Prague house U tří housliček (At the Three Little Violins) at Malá Strana (the Lesser Town). His violins were inspired by instruments of the most significant German master, Jacob Stainer (about 1617-1683). The best pupil of J. O. Eberle was the Prague violin-maker Tomáš Hulínský (1731-1788).

Playing the violin made by J. O. Eberle in 1737 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 1^st Movement František Benda’s Concerto in B.

Johann Michael Willer

* 1753 Vils bei Füssen
† 1826 Prague

Johann Michael Willer, after coming to Prague from Vils bei Füssen, started to make violins following Jacob Stainer’s models as J. O. Eberle did. Later he evidently started to experiment and adapted his work to the newly rising demands for a newer and stronger tone of the violin. He changed the height and form of the records vaults. His work is diligent and bears typical features of the Prague school. On this DVD you can hear the violin he evidently made in 1790 in his workshop in Řetězová Street. Between 1825-26 he was the chairman of violin-makers and music instruments makers in Prague.

Playing the violin made by J. M. Willer in 1790 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 2^nd and 3^rd Movement František Benda’s Concerto in B.

Joseph Antonín Laske

* about 1733 Rumburk
† 1805 Prague

Joseph Antonín Laske (also known as Josephus Antonius Laske) started to work with the first-class violin-makers in Dresden, Berlín and Vienna. He came to Prague in 1764. The outlines of Laske’s violins, in comparison with the instruments of the violin-makers of the previous generation, are more elegant and compared with almost precise and formal line of Eberle’s violins they seem considerably lighter and free. The violin-players in Bohemia and Poland preferred his violins to the Italian violins thanks to the exceptional tone qualities of his instruments.

Playing the violin made by J. A. Laske in 1768 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 1^st Movement Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Kašpar Strnad

* 1752 Prague
† 1823 Prague

Kašpar Strnad (also known as Caspar Strnad) was born at Malá Strana in the house called Na Prádle (At the Wash). Witnesses at his baptism were the violin-makers J. O. Eberle and Jan Jiří Hellmer (1687-1770). Strnad was obviously the firts violin-maker who detached himself soon from the old school recognizing that Italian models with lower vaults of the top and bottom violin board provide the better potential for tones quality. Perhaps because of this he is called the Czech Stradivari in some professional publications.

Playing the violin made by K. Strnad in 1802 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 2^nd Movement Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Ferdinand A. Homolka

* 1828 Velvary
† 1890 Prague

Ferdinand A. Homolka (also known as Ferdinand August Vincenc Homolka) was from the famous violin-makers family that came from Velvary. Together with the founder, Emanuel Adam Homolka (1796-1849) the family had 9 members. He constructed the violins according to the models of Stradivari, J. Guarneri and N. Amati. His instruments were getting near the Italian originals also by the quality of tone. This is evidently why the significant violin connoisseur, Lütgendorff writes about him as the Prague Stradivari. F. A. Homolka excelled also as the brilliant conservator of old instruments. In the recording you can hear the sound of the violin from 1882 he constructed in his workshop in Hus Street according to the Stradivari’s model.

Playing the violin made by F. A. Homolka in 1882 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 3^rd Movement Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Karel Boromejský Dvořák

* 1856 Prague
† 1909 Prague-Zbraslav

Karel Boromejský Dvořák (also known as Karel Boromeus Dvořák) belongs among the most significant Czech violin-makers in the history. He managed to impress so many unique elements to his instruments that they cannot be replaced by other instruments of Czech origin. Till 1882 he worked with H. Silvestre-Chrétien and till November 13, 1885 with Gand & Bernardel in Paris. Therefore his work is under the influence of the modern French school. The constructed the violins according to the models of Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù. The sound of his most splendid instrument of 1890 which is recorded in this recording confirms also that the workshop in Hus Street, which he took after his father in 1888 belonged among the best in the violin-making art. The instruments of K. B. Dvořák are undisputable masterpieces.

Playing the violin made by K. B. Dvořák in 1890 Jaroslav Svěcený peformes 4^th Movement Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.