Panormo, Joseph (EN)

Panormo Joseph, *ca. 1775 Naples, †20 July 1837 London. He came from a family of Sicilian luthiers, and was the eldest son and apprentice of Vincenzo. After arriving in London, he worked closely with his father in J. Betts’ workshop, and around 1826 he opened his own workshop. Initially, he built violins and highly esteemed cellos and double basses, using Stradivari’s models more freely than his father; he also occasionally copied Guarneri del Gesù’s models. His instruments are fully on a par with those of his father, which he used as a model; the differences concern the sound holes, which are slightly wider and more pointed, the construction of the scroll and the wider corners. Later, he devoted himself to the production of guitars, which was greatly influenced by his collaboration with the virtuoso Fernando Sor, who was then living in London, and the London guitar maker Antonio Bruno.

Literature: W.M. Morris British Violin Makers, London 1904, 2nd edition 1920; Alte Meistergeigen, vol. 8, Frankfurt am Main 1982; J. Dilworth Father Figure and Future Generations, “The Strad” XCVI, 1985 and XCVII, 1986; J. Becher Fehlendes Glied in der Panormo-Saga, “Das Orchester” XXXVI, 1988; T. Baker, J. Dilworth, A. Fairfax The British Violin: 400 Years Of Violin Making In The British Isles, British Violin Making Association, London 2003; G.P. di Stefano Documentary Evidence Concerning the Early History of Vincenzo Trusiano and the Panormo Family of Instrument Makers in Italy, “Journal of the Violin Society of America” XXIV/2, 2014; A. Fairfax Panormo: The Life and Work of Vincenzo and His Sons, An Exhibition Catalogue, 2016; B.Hebbert Joseph Panormo, “Violins and Violinists”, https://violinsandviolinists.com/joseph-panormo; Ph.J. Kass Identifying Some General Characteristics of Each of the Panormo Violin Makers’ Workmanship, “Strings Magazine” 2017 No. 272; Ph.J. Kass Vincenzo Panormo’s Effect on the Trade, the Craft & Place in the Modern Market, “Strings Magazine” 2017 No. 272; A. Fairfax In Focus: A c.1800 violin by Joseph Panormo, “Strad” XXII, 2023.