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A Cremonese Sound: The Violin Makers of Cremona, Italy
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21251 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
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2 / 2001 |
2,030 Words |
| Author
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Martin Gani
Martin Gani is a freelance writer based in Como, Italy. |
The recital is followed by a guided tour of the Palazzo Comunale. As we enter the Saletta dei Violini (violin chamber), exclamations of surprise and wonder fill the room. Five violins and a viola each proudly stand erect in a glass case. Light from the chandeliers bounces off the glass and marble floor to create a glittery ensemble. A closer inspection reveals that these instruments were made by Andrea Amati (1566), his sons Gerolamo and Antonio (viola, 1615), grandson Niccol (1658), Giuseppe Guarneri (1689), his son Giuseppe Guarneri del Ges (1734), and Antonio Stradivari (1715). These three families of violin makers not only invented the modern violin but took this noble art to such a height that experts are still laboring to discover the secrets behind the masterfully crafted instruments no one seems able to re-create today.
It is not by coincidence that these violins of inestimable value are kept in Cremona, a provincial city of some eighty thousand situated fifty-three miles southeast of Milan. Amati, Guarneri, and Stradivari families were born and worked in Cremona and brought much fame and pride to their native city. Their disciples eventually moved to other parts of Italy and Europe, taking with them the art of violin making. The recital I heard is a ritual carried out daily, both to maintain the instruments' acoustic qualities and to delight the crowds that flock to Cremona, drawn by its musical heritage. The violins on exhibit were made by different masters over a period spanning nearly two centuries. Bearing this in mind, I ask Andrea Mosconi, the solemn maestro whose job it is to dispense this ritual, about the differences between them. His response is as crisp as his performance was fluid. "More than differences, I'd point out what unites them. They all have a Cremonese sound."
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