Salo, Gasparo da
Italian violin-maker, sometimes called Gasparo, who was born at Sale, on the Lake of Garda, in the latter part of the Sixteenth Century, exact date not known, and who is supposed to have flourished at Brescia from 1565. Very little is known of his life except that he was a celebrated instrument-maker. These instruments included violins, violas, and doublebass viols, the predecessors of our doublebass, and upon the excellent quality of the last-named his reputation chiefly rests. They are of good tone and model, one being used y Dragonetti, the famous contrabassist. The pattern of Salo was partially revived by the celebrated Joseph Guarnerius and to a less extent by some of the French makers, it is said. As a maker of doublebasses Salo probably never had an equal, and his instruments of this class are ardently sought after. They are, however, of a primitive style, totally unlike those of the later Amati family. His violins, of which few exist, appear to have been small-sized and not so popular as his doublebasses.