cello
Bernhard Simon Fendt
built in London in ± 1825
A cello built by Bernhard Simon Fendt in London, ca. 1825. A Stradivarius copy.
History of this instrument
In 2005, the Musical Instrument Fund gathered a number of exceptionally fine cellos from which to select one for purchase. From a wide international selection, five cellos were chosen to be compared during a public sound test with a professional jury. Two cellos stood head and shoulders above the rest. The Fendt was one of them. The other cello was by Gaetano Chiocchi. The Musical Instrument Fund succeeded in purchasing both cellos. The Fendt was purchased from a Dutch dealer. The cello was then on loan to Karlien Bartels for a short time. Since 2006, the cello has been played by Sanne van der Horst.
About the builder Bernhard Simon Fendt
Cremona may be known as the city where Andrea Amati built the first violin, but the groundwork was laid by musical instrument makers from the German city of Füssen. There, they had an ingenious training system that turned apprentices...
