author
George Gemünder
1816–1899
A German-born violin maker who helped prove that world-class instruments could be built in the United States, he became one of the most respected makers of 19th-century America. His life also left a vivid first-person record through his writings on violin making and musical craft.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Ingelfingen, Germany, in 1816, George Gemünder grew up in a family of instrument makers and trained in the craft from an early age. He later worked in Paris for the famous maker J. B. Vuillaume before emigrating to the United States in 1847, joining a small group of makers who helped establish serious violin making in America.
Gemünder worked first in Boston and then in New York, where he built a strong reputation for finely made violins, violas, and cellos. He is often remembered as a pioneer of high-quality American violin making, and his instruments were admired for showing that American work could stand beside respected European traditions.
He also wrote about his experiences and ideas in George Gemünder's Progress in Violin Making, which gives a lively sense of his career, standards, and opinions about the art. He died in 1899, leaving behind both notable instruments and an important place in the early history of American lutherie.