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One of the earliest examples of Leopold Widhalm's work and is considerably smaller than that of today's double bass. Nuremberg had a long tradition of instrument making of all types, particularly with woodwind and brasswind instruments. Stringed instrument making in Nuremberg reached its zenith with the work of Widhalm and Sebastian Schelle (Widhalm's father in law). Both made instruments of the lute family as well as bowed instruments.
Double bass
Leopold Widhalm
Nuremberg
Europe
Germany
Central Europe

Instrument Information

Title

Double bass

Accession Number

1104

Collection

MIMEd; C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection

Date Information

Date Made

1753

Period

18th century; 1750s

Gallery Information

Gallery

Wolfson Gallery

Case

Bowed strings and bagpipes case 6

Maker Information

Maker Name

Leopold Widhalm

Maker Biography

Martin Leopold Widhalm was born in Horn in Austria in 1722. He is thought to have trained in Austria. He moved to Nuremberg in 1745 to work in the workshop of Sebastian Schelle which was being run by his eldest daughter Barbara. Martin and Barbara married in 1746. Martin is known to have manufactured lutes, violins and violoncellos between 1746 and 1776. There was a prolonged legal challenge to Martin taking over the business by Leonhard Maussiell. Martin created the most successful lute and violin manufacturing workshop in Nuremberg. Upon his death the workshop was taken over his sons.

Made In

City

Nuremberg

Country

Germany

Description

Technical Description

This bass has a golden-brown varnish and ebony/sycamore/ebony purfling. Both the front and back overlap the ribs, the back generally by 3mm, the front by 3-6mm. The front is of two pieces and has some slight tree wind damage at the top. The grain is fairly consistent, with 14 grains per 25mm. There is an ebony soundboard protection cap at the bottom end of the belly. There are soundboard location holes at either end of the soundboard. The back and sides are of well figured maple, 5 unmatched pieces used for the ribs - the lower bouts have only a single rib, ie. not joined at the bottom. The back is bookmatched, of six pieces. The neck and scroll are made of maple, with a plugged hole in the heel, 18.2mm diameter, possibly hiding a dowel which goes into the neck block. The fingerboard and tailpiece are made of maple(?) stained black. The tuners consist of brass plates, iron turners, cogs and rollers. The cogs have 20 teeth, and the square-headed turners require a tuning key to operate.There is a soundpost plate with2 bars below the plate, 1 above; the bass bar is glued to the soundboard.

Measurements: Neck length (from nut to body) 371mm; fingerboard length 710mm, width at nut 42.1mm, at body end 93.4mm; Soundboard arch 43mm.

Inscription: With printed label "Leopold Widhalm, Lauten und G e / genmacher in Nurnburg fecit An. 1753", (the "53" is handwritten); also smaller printed label underneath "Reparitt Franz Steininger / in Frankfurt am Main 1803", the "03" is handwritten.

Repair history: new tailpiece and bridge made for display purposes by Dr Jonathan Santa Maria Bouquet in 2016.

Illustration references: Vol. 1 p. 57.

Current ownership: Government allocation to the University, 1991.
(C.H. Brackenbury Memorial Collection).

Provenance

Government allocation to the University, 1991.

Classification

Instrument

Double bass/Double basses/Strings/Musical Instrument ; Double bass

Instrument Family

Strings

Hornbostel Sachs Classification

314.122-71 ; musical instrument