At 9:15 AM +0000 10/1/06, Christopher Challen wrote: >Hello all aficionados of the lute, this is my first posting and so >hope it reaches you ok. > >Could anybody tell me Magnus Tieffenbrucker's dates please, or any >other details about him. I know he worked in Venice and I've seen >instruments by him dating from the late 16th to early 17th >centuries, but never any evidence of his birth and death dates.
Dear Chris, There are (at least) three Magno Tieffenbruckers who worked in Venice, Not to be confused with Wendelin Tieffenbrucker (aka VVendelio Venere) who worked in Padua: Magno I Tieffenbrucker [son of Ulrich (Rigo)] had a workshop at the sign of the "Black Eagle" in the San Guiliano district. died 1560 His wife Margherita, a native of Venice, died 1576 and is buried in San Salvador. Her will left 200 ducats and two fields valued at 100 ducats to Magno, 300 ducats to Abramo, and 200 ducats to Moises. [suggesting that Moises was the youngest?] 4 children: Magno II, Abramo, Maddalena and Moises. There were 4 other children who died prematurely one in 1550 and two in 1551 Abramo did not continue lutemaking. Magno II appears to set up a separate workshop under the sign of the "Eagle". he dies sometime [Ongaro says 1576] before 1581 His widow, Madalena, dies in 1621 aged 70 Moises continues his father's workshop under the sign of the "Black Eagle" with his mother. After her death in 1576 he moves his workshop sometime just before 1579 from San Giuliano district to Calle dei Stagneri in San Salvador district still with the sign of "Aquila Negra". Married first Fiametta Carletti daughter of Marcantonio. They had a daughter, Lucrezia Veneranda, who was baptised in 1575 .(Guilio Abondante the famous lutenist whose two books of tablature were published in 1546 & 1548 was a witness at the baptism in 1575) Applied for patent on varnish in Feb 1579. Granted May 1579 Fiametta died sometime before 1 April 1579. Moises remarries Veneranda Bonaventura. Died 1581 two inventories of his workshop made because of disputes about the inheritance. Magno III is therefore a necessary supposition from the existing instrument labels, including for instance the huge theorbo in the Royal College of Music dated 1608. There is also a parish census from the San Salvador district of 1594 which lists "Magno, the lutemaker" and his wife Anna and some journeymen. And a Magno is listed among the lutemakers in the Guild in 1629. Bletsacher also notes another Magno Tieffenbrucker working in Perugia. The situation is confused because of the habit of these German families of repeatedly using the same names for successive generations! These details come variously from Bletsacher, Toffolo and Ongaro. Best wishes, David -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
