John Dilworth
GREGSON, Robert Born 1871 Blackburn, Lancashire UK. Briefly established in Montreal, Canada 1894-1896. Back in Blackburn he made about 100 instruments on Stradivari-derived models in his shop in Bastwell Road. ‘Arte et Labore’ / Robert Gregson / Blackburn / Anno 1913
William Meredith Morris
He was born at Whiteberk, near Blackburn, on June 3, 1871. He commenced work as a professional maker in 1898, and his first instruments were very indifferent in workmanship and tone, but he has improved very rapidly, and ought to reach a fair standard of excellence. His one mistake is that he does not copy anybody. If a violin-maker is not endowed with the powers of originality in a high degree, he should not attempt to cut out a path for himself, and even when he feels conscious of rare gifts within, he should devote some years to the exact and careful copying of some old master. Talents must be fed and pruned like fruit-trees in an orchard. Gregson is impatient of detail. The more conspicuous parts of the instrument are carefully handled, but there is a disregard for purity of outline and clean inlaying of the purfle, &c. However, Gregson is a beginner, and may with severe application rectify these errors and become an excellent workman. The tone of the last violin which he made is very good. Facsimile label : —
Willibald Leo Lütgendorff
Er studirte durch acht Jahre das Violinspiel und hatte das Holzschnitzen
erlernt und kam so darauf, sich auch im Geigenmachen zu versuchen. Von
1894—1895 war er in Montreal in Canada ansässig und liess sich 1898 in seiner Vaterstadt als Geigenreparateur nieder. Im Jahre 1898 machte er seine erste Viola und hat seitdem 48 neue Geigen (nach dem Stradivari- Modell) gemacht. Alles an seinen Geigen ist eigene Arbeit, er beschäftigt keinerlei Gehilfen und steht sowohl als Geigenmacher und Reparateur wie als Händler in gutem Ansehen.
