John Rose was the name of a father-and-son pettole of

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

s residing in the

Bridewell Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI for use as an orphanage and place of correc ...

area of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during the latter half of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The Roses specialized in the crafting of violas da gamba, but the elder Rose was also acclaimed to be the inventor of the

orpharion The orpharion ( or ) or opherion is a plucked stringed instrument from the Renaissance, a member of the cittern family. Its construction is similar to the larger bandora and an ancestor of the guitar. The metal strings are tuned like a lute and ...

and bandora. "Of viols and basses," wrote

Thomas Mace Thomas Mace (1612 or 1613 – c. 1706) was an English lutenist, viol player, singer, composer and musical theorist of the Baroque music, Baroque era. His book ''Musick's Monument'' (1676) provides a valuable description of 17th century musica ...

in his '' Musick’s Monument '', "there are no better in the world than those of Aldred, Jay, and Smith; yet the highest in esteem are Bolles and Ross ose"

Notes

British luthiers 16th-century births 17th-century deaths {{UK-music-bio-stub