A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Gagliano

GAGLIANO, a celebrated family of violin-makers at Naples. Alessandro, the first, worked from about 1695 to 1725. His work, like that of his sons, is good and substantial, but it exhibits the same unattractive greyish-yellow varnish which was used by the sons. Alexander calls himself 'alumnus' of Stradivarius, and all the Gaglianos worked more or less on the Stradivari model. His sons, Nicolo (1700–40) and Gennaro (1710—50), made a large number of good instruments. His grandson, Ferdinando (1736–81), son of Nicholas, like all his Italian contemporaries, exhibits a marked decline. The later Gaglianos established a manufactory of violin-strings, which to this day enjoys a world-wide reputation.

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