About this instrument
Following his training with Jules Gaillard, Paul Joseph Bailly (1844–1907) initially worked for Nicolas François Vuillaume in Brussels and subsequently spent several years in the renowned Paris workshop of Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. According to a detailed biographical source, he left Vuillaume’s workshop at the end of 1868; in 1869, he was appointed violin maker to the Académie de Musique in Douai. An instrument dating from 1869 therefore belongs to the very earliest phase of his independent career and still directly reflects the influence of his years with Vuillaume. Bailly’s larger cello models and the high tonal quality of his instruments are also expressly noted in the specialist literature. (Musée de Mirecourt)
This remarkable cello by Paul Bailly, dating from 1869, is a particularly interesting early work by one of the leading French violin makers of his generation. It was made immediately after Bailly’s several years in the Paris workshop of Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and thus belongs to that early creative period in which the influence of this important workshop remained especially direct and perceptible.
Bailly had previously worked with Jules Gaillard and Nicolas François Vuillaume before joining Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s Paris workshop. The precision of craftsmanship he acquired there, together with his intensive study of the great classical Italian models, was to have a lasting influence on his subsequent work.
The cello has a powerful yet elegant appearance. Its warm orange to reddish-brown varnish, attractively figured maple and characterful scroll give the instrument a particularly appealing and authentically French character. Especially pleasing is its fine state of preservation, which is by no means to be taken for granted in an instrument of this age.
Tonally, the cello is exceptionally convincing. It has a large, open, soloistic sound with considerable substance and excellent carrying power. The sound develops freely and immediately, offers a broad dynamic range, and retains its quality and clarity even under forceful playing.
Particularly appealing is the combination of volume, projection and a refined tonal colour. The sound has depth and warmth while remaining present and focused. This makes the instrument particularly suitable for a player seeking a large, carrying sound without wishing to forgo tonal colour and nuance.
An exceptionally interesting early cello by Paul Bailly from 1869—made immediately after his time with Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, and a tonally impressive instrument with considerable soloistic potential.