Horn-u-Copia's Display of Makers

• 1880 Giuseppe (Joseph) Modaudo is born in Catania, Italy
• 1900 Modaudo emigrates to the US (passport); this is alternately given as 1906 in the 1920 Census
• 1905 Giuseppe Modaudo is said to be in NYC
• 1908 son Alberto is born in Chicago in August
• 1909 J.S. Modaudo & Co., #75 Blue Island Ave., Chicago, selling cornets & French horns 1909 son Alberto is baptized in Chicago; parents are listed as Giuseppe & Cristina
• c.1910 French horn is labeled ‘J. S. Modaudo, Maker, Chicago ’
• 1911 J.S. Modaudo & Co., band instruments, #705 Blue Island Ave., Chicago (Directory of Music Industries) 1911 daughter Norma is born in Chicago
• 1915 petition for naturalization by Joseph Modaudo, #170 Hanover St., Boston, instrument maker, wife Christina, born September 1, 1880 in Catania, Italy
• 1916 Joseph S. Modaudo & Co., musical instrument manufacturer, #170 Hanover, Boston (city directory) 1916 daughter Pearl is born in Chicago in May
• 1917 Joseph Modaudo, #920 Ashland Blvd., Chicago, selfemployed brass worker at #1540 S. Taylor St., Chicago, wife Cristina (WWI draft application)
• 1918 Modaudo & Co., #1540 W. Taylor St., Chicago (Billboard)
• 1920 Joseph Modado, #920 S. Ashland St., Chicago, music store owner from Italy (from US Census in January) 1920 Joseph Modaudo, violin maker, #357 W. 58th St., NY (The Violinist, American violin makers list)
• 1920 Joseph Modando, emigrated to US in spring of 1900, naturalized in Boston in 1915, living at #1008 S. Marshfield Ave., Chicago, musical instrument maker, witnessed by Henry Wolowicz, a clerk for Lyon & Healy who had known Joseph for five years (passport, spelling variation as typed); he has lived in Boston & Chicago
• 1921 Italian Music Co., #811 Blue Island St., Chicago, ‘everything Italian’ we import new and old Italian violins, strings and music for band, orchestra and piano..’ under the direction of J.S. Modaudo (The Violinist, Feb. p.171) 1921 daughter Gildo is born in May in Chicago
• 1923 not listed in the Chicago city directory
• 1928 Joseph Modando, #887 W. 9th St., NY (emigration)
• 1940 Joseph Modaudo, #150 Pearl St., NY, single, music store owner repairing instruments, same home in 1935 (census) 1940 son Albert Mondo (according to descendants, he changed his name to ‘Mondo’ and his father was violin maker Giuseppe Modaudo), law office clerk in Chicago
• 1949 Giuseppe Modaudo returns to Catania, Italy; he produced over 500 instruments in his lifetime (Henley’s Dictionary of Violin Makers)
• 1961 Giuseppe Modaudo, Italian violin maker & repairer since 1900, Catania, Italy (advertisement)
• 1972 Giuseppe Modaudo dies this year (no document)
• 1991 son Albert dies in Lagrange, Florida; he never was involved in instrument making

There are several different variations for spelling his last name and I have tried to leave them here as found. The correct spelling is ‘Modaudo ’ as shown in the ad below. He seems to have switched from brass to strings around 1920 perhaps because he could make more money selling them. There are far more examples of labeled stringed instruments than the one French horn found and they seem to be of good quality.

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