Panormo, Louis (EN)

Panormo Louis, *1784 or 1787 Paris, †11 August 1862 Auckland (New Zealand). He came from a family of Italian luthiers and was the son and associate of Vicenzo. He worked as an apprentice in J. Betts’ workshop and, like his brothers Joseph and George, learned the trade under his father’s guidance. Around 1815, he opened his own workshop in London, building copies of Stradivari’s violins, as well as cellos, double basses, guitars and bows. His Spanish-style guitars, which he improved in many ways, were particularly highly regarded; among other things, he was one of the first to use tuning machines in guitar heads. He often made the soundboard from spruce and the sides and back from exotic woods – Cuban mahogany or Brazilian rosewood. He contributed significantly to the popularisation of Spanish-style guitars outside Spain (on his luthier’s cards, he advertised himself as “The only maker of Guitars in the Spanish Style”). In 1854, he sold his shop to his nephew George Lewis Panormo and emigrated to New Zealand, where his son Louis William owned a piano factory.

Literatura: 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.