Annibale Fagnola, considered one of the finest Italian violin makers of the early 20th century, was born in 1865 in Montiglio Monferrato, near Turin. Starting out his career as a self-taught guitar maker in his hometown, he eventually moved to Turin in 1893 and apprenticed under the guidance of violin maker Romano Rimaldi. In 1899, …
Charles François Gand (known as Gand Pere) was born in 1787 in Versailles and was both the son and pupil of violin maker Charles Michel Gand, who lived in Mirecourt before relocating to Versailles in 1780. At the age of 15, the young Gand moved to Paris to apprentice with Nicolas Lupot, where he remained until …
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Ansaldo Poggi was born 9 June 1893 in Villafontana di Medicina (Bologna) and, with encouragement from his father (who was a musician and amateur violin maker), began to develop his talent for making string instruments at an early age. After the conclusion of World War I, he graduated from the Philharmonic Academy of Bologna and …
Considered one of the finest makers of the modern Milanese school, Giuseppe Ornati, born in Milan in 1887, began his career at a very young age, making plucked instruments such as mandolins and guitars before making his first violin at the age of 13. He studied with Carlo Moneta prior to joining the workshop of …
Giovanni Paolo Maggini was born in Botticino, Italy in 1580 and, at while quite young, moved to Brescia to train with master violin maker Gasparo da Salò. Both are widely acclaimed as the most important instrument makers of the Brescian school. Maggini worked for da Salò for twenty years before going his own way and …
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In 1856, at the age of fourteen, Pierre Joseph Hel (known as Joseph Hel) began his 5-year apprenticeship as a violin maker in Mirecourt under the direction of Francois Salzard and then proceeded to work in Paris for Sébastien Vuillaume in Paris and Nicolas Darche. Between 1861-1865, he worked in numerous workshops in Mirecourt. In …
Pierre Hel, son of world-renowned violin maker Pierre Joseph Hel, inherited his father’s studio in Lille after his passing in 1902. His approach to violin-making began to take shape at the conservatory in Lille and then at the Conservatoire Royal de La Haye (Den Haag). It is reported that Pierre apprenticed under Gustave Bazin (1871-1920) …
Why is Pernambuco wood the best choice for fine bows? As Vienna Philharmonic violinist Günter Seifert said, “Some people think a bow is only wood and hair, but the bow can be more essential to expressing the soul of the music than the violin is.” The slightest change in a bow’s weight or balance will …
As a descendant of Stradivari Carlo Bergonzi and a spiritual successor to Guarneri, Michele Angelo Bergonzi (1721-1758) was the final representative of Cremona’s violin-making tradition in the mid-eighteenth century. His work reflects his impressive pedigree while also reflecting the struggles facing his city and industry. Bergonzi took over Casa Stradivari following his father’s death in …
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Thomas Croen is an Oregon-based luthier whose instruments are the product of two lifelong passions: music and woodworking. He has been honing his craft since training at the Violin Making School of America in the 1970s. Croen’s violins combine classical aesthetics with modern creativity. His wealth of experience with violin restoration has given him the …
