J & A Beare

J & A Beare, also known historically as John & Arthur Beare, is a London-based violin dealership and repair business specializing in violins, violoncellos, bows, and other fine string instruments. Its recorded corporate history begins in 1892, when violin dealer and performer John Beare divided his established business into two operations. One became Beare & Son, managed by his son Walter, while the other was formed as Beare, Goodwin & Co. with Edward Goodwin as a partner. The latter business is the direct predecessor of J & A Beare. John Beare had opened his shop in 1865 and had developed a strong reputation in the nineteenth-century provincial market for old violins. The business initially dealt in high-end violins and violoncellos, including instruments imported from continental Europe. During its early period it also had a connection with the production of new instruments. Over time, however, its commercial and professional identity moved increasingly toward older instruments, their evaluation, restoration, sale, and related expertise. The company’s history is closely associated with the Beare family, particularly Arthur Beare, whose interest in older instruments helped shape the firm’s specialization. J & A Beare’s activities have combined retail and dealership functions with repair and expert services, placing it within London’s network of specialist string-instrument businesses rather than the mass musical-instrument trade. The firm has been involved with instruments and bows intended for professional musicians, collectors, institutions, and students. An enduring institutional association began in 1912, when the Royal Academy of Music started awarding a Beare violin bow each year as a student prize. This connection illustrates the firm’s role not only as a dealer but also as a participant in the professional and educational infrastructure surrounding classical string performance. In 1954, Beare, Goodwin & Co. adopted the name J & A Beare. The name refers to John and Arthur Beare and became the principal identity under which the business was known. In 1998, J & A Beare merged with the long-established London violin dealer Morris & Smith. Following the merger, Morris & Smith ran the business. Charles Beare, a prominent member of the Beare family associated with the company, resigned in 2012. The business is also connected historically with François Barzoni violins, a trade name used for instruments made for Beare & Sons around the turn of the twentieth century. These violins were produced in workshops in France and Germany and varied in quality and price. They represent the company’s earlier association with commissioned or branded new instruments, in contrast to its later emphasis on older and historically significant instruments. J & A Beare’s distinctive positioning rests on specialist knowledge, provenance, restoration, and access to fine string instruments rather than on volume sales. The available reference material does not establish a current ownership structure, a current chief executive, a definitive operating status, or a current official website URL. Accordingly, those details remain unconfirmed.

John Beare established his violin shop in 1865. By the late nineteenth century he had built a reputation for knowledge of violins and for practical musicianship, and an 1898 account described him as having achieved an especially strong position in the provincial trade in old violins. His business was divided in 1892, producing Beare & Son, managed by his son Walter, and Beare, Goodwin & Co., established with Edward Goodwin. This division is treated as the foundation date of the company that later became J & A Beare. The early Beare, Goodwin & Co. business concentrated on expensive violins and violoncellos, many imported from continental Europe. Although the wider Beare business had links to the construction and commissioning of new instruments, Arthur Beare’s interest in older instruments influenced the direction of the firm. Its long-term identity consequently became associated more strongly with historic and previously owned instruments, specialist assessment, repair, and restoration than with regular manufacture. The firm’s connections extended into musical education and professional performance. From 1912, the Royal Academy of Music awarded a Beare violin bow annually as a student prize. The arrangement gave the Beare name a continuing presence within a major British conservatoire and reflected the importance of specialist dealers in supporting musicians and institutions. In 1954, Beare, Goodwin & Co. changed its name to J & A Beare. The new name highlighted the Beare family’s role in the business and became its enduring commercial identity. The company remained associated with the London specialist trade in violins, violoncellos, bows, and related services. A major structural change occurred in 1998, when J & A Beare merged with Morris & Smith, another long-established London violin dealer. Morris & Smith subsequently ran the business. Charles Beare remained an important figure in the company’s later history until his resignation in 2012. The historical record also mentions François Barzoni violins, a trade name used for violins manufactured for Beare & Sons around the turn of the twentieth century. These instruments were made in workshops in France and Germany, with variation in quality and pricing. They document an earlier phase in which the Beare businesses were connected with branded new instruments, while the later J & A Beare identity became more closely associated with older instruments and specialist dealership expertise.

• 2012

  Charles Beare resigns

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Beare resigned from the business after the Morris & Smith merger.

• 1998

  Merger with Morris & Smith

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  J & A Beare merged with the London violin dealer Morris & Smith, which subsequently ran the business.

• 1954

  The business adopts the J & A Beare name

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  Beare, Goodwin & Co. changed its name to J & A Beare.

• 1912

  Royal Academy of Music prize association begins

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  The Royal Academy of Music began awarding a Beare violin bow annually as a student prize.

• 1892

  Beare, Goodwin & Co. is formed

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  John Beare divided his business, forming Beare, Goodwin & Co. with Edward Goodwin while his son Walter managed Beare & Son.

• 1865

  John Beare opens a violin shop

  [1]J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org

  John Beare established the shop that formed the commercial foundation of the later Beare businesses.

A specialist London dealer and repair house serving the fine-string-instrument market, with an emphasis on expertise, older instruments, provenance, restoration, and professional musicianship.

• String instruments

  Violins

  Violins are the central category associated with J & A Beare. The firm’s historical business dealt in high-end instruments, including imported examples, and later became particularly associated with older and historically important violins. Its role has extended beyond sales to specialist knowledge, evaluation, repair, and restoration.

• String instruments

  Violoncellos

  High-end violoncellos formed part of the early Beare, Goodwin & Co. dealership alongside violins. The available historical account identifies the firm as a dealer in expensive instruments, many imported from continental Europe, rather than as a mass-market musical-instrument retailer.

• Accessories and performance equipment · 1912

  String-instrument bows

  Bows are an important part of the firm’s institutional and professional identity. Since 1912, the Royal Academy of Music has awarded a Beare violin bow as an annual student prize, demonstrating the association of the Beare name with equipment used in advanced string performance.

• Branded new violins

  François Barzoni violins

  François Barzoni was a trade name used for violins manufactured for Beare & Sons around the turn of the twentieth century. Production took place in workshops in France and Germany, and the instruments differed in quality and price. The line reflects the Beare businesses’ earlier connection with commissioned or branded new instruments.

• 1998

  Merger with Morris & SmithM&A

  Background

  J & A Beare and Morris & Smith were both long-established London dealers specializing in violins and related string instruments.

  Action taken

  The two businesses merged, after which Morris & Smith ran J & A Beare.

  Aftermath

  The merger changed the firm’s operating and management structure while preserving the J & A Beare name.

  Source

• 1954

  Adoption of the J & A Beare nameStrategy

  Background

  The company had operated for decades under the Beare, Goodwin & Co. name.

  Action taken

  The business changed its name to J & A Beare.

  Aftermath

  The new name became the principal identity associated with the specialist London dealership.

  Source

• 1892

  Division of John Beare's businessStrategy

  Background

  John Beare reorganized his established violin business into two operations, separating Beare & Son from the newly formed Beare, Goodwin & Co.

  Action taken

  He brought Edward Goodwin into partnership in Beare, Goodwin & Co. and left his son Walter to run Beare & Son.

  Aftermath

  The Beare, Goodwin & Co. operation became the direct historical predecessor of J & A Beare.

  Source

1. 1J & A Beareen.wikipedia.org