Violoncello by
Nicolaus Leidolff
Vienna, 1690
Nicolaus Leidolff
(ca.1650-ca.1710)Born near Milano around 1650, Nicolaus Leidolff first learned violin-making in Italy. After traveling as an apprentice in Italy and Switzerland, he settled down in Vienna, initially employed by Isaak Ott, one of the many luthiers from Füssen who established himself in Vienna. As was the custom of the times, Nicolaus Leidolff married the widow of his employer upon his death in 1672, taking over his master's workshop. The high quality of his workmanship and the excellent sound of his instruments very soon won him an international reputation far beyond the borders of the Habsburg Empire. His son, Johann Christoph and his grandson, Joseph Ferdinand, carried on the family tradition to the end of the 18th C.
The present violoncello retains the original dimensions of the body, which enables it to produce the full, generous, sonorous bass necessary for the baroque orchestra of the period.
One of the many musicians who has used this violoncello: Peter Trefflinger, from Austria.
He performs regularly with the Quadriga Consort.
