Programm

Italian violin makers of the 20th century

in the collections of the Museo del Violino

What is the main feature of Italian violinmaking after the great classical period? During the 19^th and 20th centuries the construction method in countries such as France, Germany and Great Britain is clearly influenced by the models and style of the great classical Cremonese makers.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the number of copies of ancient instruments made in Europe progressively increased: the makers’ skill did not only show in following the Cremonese method but also in the ability to give the instrument an ancient appearance.
In Italy, the makers’ creativity ,with only few exceptions, developed in a different way. Until the mid 20th century, Italian luthiers distinguished in creating a continuity of styles and construction methods on a regional base, or sometimes on even smaller geographical areas.
This is why today, when we look back to this period of great productivity, we can recognize a Piedmontese, Milanese, Genoese and, further South, a Tuscan and Neapolitan school.
With a series of monthly exhibitions and conferences involving researchers and experts, the Museo del Violino presents a century characterized, in violin making, by a great diversification and variety of individual styles.

Planning and scientific coordination: Fausto Cacciatori

si ringrazia la Scuola di Liuteria IIS STRADIVARI – CREMONA