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Home , Amati, Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri

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March 15-17, 2013 - Metropolitan Pavilion proudly presents Italian Masterpieces in New York

The inspiration Historical musical instruments represent a very precious heritage. They continue to inspire contemporary makers, and they are able to communicate to the general public the values associated with art, culture and human endeavor. Mondomusica New York will bring to the U.S. some of the finest instruments ever made in violin-making history. They come from three of the most renowned collections in Italy, and some of them have never before been taken out of Italy.

The instruments Municipal Collection The Municipal Building of Cremona houses one of the foremost strings collections in the world. These instruments characterize the history of the greatest violin-making dynasty ever known, originating in Cremona from the first half of the sixteenth century and developing until the first half of the eighteenth century. Mondomusica New York makes it possible to admire:

Andrea - Carlo IX, 1566 - violin In 1966, due to the efforts of Alfredo Puerari with the expert advice of , two masterpieces by great violin makers born in Cremona returned to the town: the Carlo IX di Francia, a violin constructed by in 1566, and the Hammerle, made by Nicolò Amati in 1658. Both instruments, purchased by the Provincial Tourist Board in Cremona, came from the Rembert Wurlitzer Company in New York, which in turn had obtained them from the banker Henry Hottinger, a famous collector. Andrea Amati was able to determine the fundamental characteristics of the of bowed stringed instruments, which with some small variations of proportion with regard to and violoncellos, are still in use today. The violin of 1566 was part of a group of instruments constructed for the court of Charles IX of France, and is one of only for which have survived. It was rediscovered after the collection, consisting of small , large violins, violas and , had been lost during the French Revolution. The instrument is still in perfect working order and in superb condition. On the back, sizeable traces of the coats of arms of Charles IX and his mother, Catherine de’ Medici, are visible. On the ribs, one can still see part of the motto “ Pietate et Justitia”. The pur-fling and the edges accentuate the formal elegance of the back and belly; this contrasts with the f-holes, which are of vigorous and apparently coarse cut, still in keeping with archaic models with the wings barely visible. The warm timbre, persuasive and both charming and powerful, is still capable of meeting the requirements of the great performer. The commission drawing up an expert report in May 1966 expressed itself as follows: «Having verified the excellence, balance and intensity of sound, [the commission] confirms its validity for use in chamber music and solo concerts. [it] recognizes the great artistic and historical value of the instrument and concludes that it is excellent from every point of view». NEW YORK Italian Masterpieces in New York

Antonio Stradivari - Cremonese, 1715 - violin Stradivari is the mythical violin maker who has made Cremona famous throughout the world. Even if there are still many gaps in ’s biography, it is nevertheless easy to understand how much effort Stradivari put into seeking acoustic perfection in his works. We know that in his long working life, he experimental with different models and also carried out research to determine a the balanced relationship between the evolution of instrumental technique and the production the instruments – something he had to take into consideration. He managed to understand the requirements of the new music so well that even today, his instruments remain unsurpassed and unsurpassable in every respect. It was not until 1961 that Cremona gained possession of one of Stradivari’s instruments: the violin at the time called Joachim, one of the most prestigious among those he constructed, which for the occasion was renamed Il Cremonese. The credit for this acquisition, which was without question of immense importance, goes to Alfredo Puerari, the Then director of the Museo Civico in Cremona. Il Cremonese, dating back to 1715, was at that time owned by Hills London and was bought by the provincial Tourist Board in Cremona with a contribution from the Ministry of Tourism. It was donated to the town and exhibited in the Town Hall, where it can still be found today. We know of just over ten violins constructed by Stradivari in 1715, including the Alard, Tiziano, Imperatore, Bazzini, and Rode; the belonging to the Cremona Collection cuts a worthy figure among the best of the group. Il Cremonese is a violin of large format, the beauty of the workmanship being magnified by the particular quality of the wood used by the Cremonese maestro and the completely original, golden orange varnish. An instrument of extremely generous sonority, also in the less favourable pitch ranges, it displays extraordinary vitality. The balance of timbre is exceptional, from low to high-pitch ranges, it display extraordinary vitality. The G-string is especially rich with regard to volume; this instrument’s capacity for penetration and expansion of sound combines well with an extraordinary responsiveness. Owned in the 1870s by the violinist Darius Gras, it passed into the hands of Jules Garcin in 1877; from there, after about three years, it wen to David Laurie who in turn gave it over to an amateur violinist from Rheims, M.Labitte. In 1889, it was acquired by a special commission and presented to on the occasion of is jubilee celebrations. Some time before his death, the great German violinist gave the precious instrument to another family member, Harold, as a present. Harold Joachim subsequently sold the violin to Robert Brandt, who owned it until it became part of the Hill collection. NEW YORK Italian Masterpieces in New York

Milan Conservatory Collection The instrument collection of the Milan Conservatory originated in 1881 with the International Musical Exposition. Many exhibitors actually donated their instruments to the organizers at the conclusion of the exposition in order to establish a permanent museum. The collection is now home to more than twenty violins and ten cellos, along with several violas and double basses. All of them are representative of the best Italian violin-making traditions.

Antonio and Gerolamo Amati Andrea’s sons; they used to work in their father’s workshop where, together with him, they refined his technique and building style. Girolamo increased the size of the instrument with a particular resonance opening on the soundboard. The violins he made with his brother bear the inscription: Antonius et Hieronymus Amati Cremonae Andreae fil. After 1624 Girolamo got married and separated from his brother, signing alone his productions.

Antonio and Gerolamo Amati, Cremona 1597 - A back made of two maple parts with a slightly descending, from left to right, marbling characterizes the instrument. The ribs are made of similar wood. The table is made of a very beautiful spruce with a narrow grain in the central part and a medium sized grain towards the sides. The FF are characterized by big and perfectly round harmonic holes, while the rods are relatively thin. They are vertically positioned. Due to some changes, it is possible to notice that the instrument has been probably cut to bring the box to a size of 42.3 cm. Obviously the neck has been modified as well, in order to adapt it to the new turning fork. The same is true for the scroll: the final part of the scroll, from the groove to the eye, is the original one. A very beautiful brown-red paint that has been particularly preserved in the back.

Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi Active as -maker in Milan from 1745 to 1775, he probably trained in the Testore’s workshop, under the direction of Paolo Antonio. Giovanni Battista Guadagnini arrived in Milan in 1749 and exercised a crucial influence on the work of young Landolfi. The influence of the Giuseppe School is also easily detectable in his first violins, while he probably drew inspiration from P. Guarneri and A. Stradivari’s models for the construction of his first cellos. Since 1755, the instruments made by Landolfi in his workshop in S. Margherita "Al segno della Serena", as labels indicate, show a profound maturity and strong personality. The paint he uses is often light characterized by a golden orange colour; however, it sometimes acquired an almost Venetian deep reed tone. The sound is vigorous and powerful. As Guadagnini, Landolfi built some small sized cellos that are still nowadays highly regarded by soloists. Moreover, there is evidence of some full-sized double basses. Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi, Milan 1757 - violin This violin is characterized by a very tense convexity of the table, tense until the side. The back, made of Italian maple in a medium-small sized oblique grain single piece, is characterized by a knob in the lower right part. The excellent threading has a quite deep shell with a medium width . The ribs are made of the same wood of the back: the lower rib is a single piece. The small-sized scroll is characterized by rather deep grooves, a small eye and a fairly straight and very tight trend of the peg box. The FF are largely spaced out and are therefore, in the lower part, very close to the board. The very beautiful orange-brown paint, on golden back, enhances the high level of the manufacturing. NEW YORK Italian Masterpieces in New York

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini The one of Guadagnini can be reasonably defined as a true dynasty; a family that managed to pass on from father to son not only the passion of violin making, but also the working activity. Born in Bilegno, a small village in the countryside of Piacenza, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini can be considered the most important heir to Antonio Stradivari and del Gesù, and the greatest Italian lute-maker of the second half of the 18th century. After the period in Piacenza, Guadagnini was active in Milan (1749-1758) and Parma (1759-1771), where he was hired and paid as court lute-maker by well-educated and powerful prime minister of duke don Filippo di Borbone, Guillaume Du Tillot. Thanks to this privileged condition, lasted thirteen long years, Guadagnini represents a unique case in the history of Italian violin making.

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Milan 1757 - violin The De Guarinoni (1908) catalogue describes this instrument as “ Violin. Golden-yellow paint; magnificent workmanship. Despite the fictitious label, it is possible to recognize the hand of the renowned maker: Joannes Baptista Guadagnini Placentinus fecit Mediolani 1757”. In 1946, the instrument was described, in the bursary inventory, with the same indications given by De Guarinoni. However, in pencil, the part describing the label as fictitious has been cancelled.

Pro Canale Foundation Collection The no profit Pro Canale Foundation is owner of the most important Italian collection of stringed instruments included Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri, Guadagnini, Maggini, Rogeri, Ruggeri, and others. The collection is compounded of instruments lodged by private collectors, while the biggest part belongs to the Foundations itself. The main care of the Foundation lies in preserving the instruments and valorize them by lending to Winners of International Competition, young talents and to the leaders of the most important Italian orchestras.

Antonio Stradivari - Maréchal Bertier, Cremona Pietro Giacomo Rogeri, 1717 - 1716 (ex Ferenc von Vecsey) Pietro Giacomo Rogeri was the son of Giovanni Alexandre Berthier, Marshal of France and Battista Rogeri and succeeded him as a violin maker. Prince of Neuchâtel, obtained this violin from Working in Brescia in the first half of the eighteenth Napoleon Bonaparte (probably as booty from century, Pietro Giacomo developed his own the war in Spain). Records of contemporary violin- distinctive style, though showing clear Cremonese makers suggest that the violin was later acquired by influence from his father’s background as a pupil of Vuillaume. Nicolò Amati. At the end of the second decade of the In 1895 it passed into the hands of a French, eighteenth century Stradivari’s influence had become aristocratic family and then to the violin-maker dominant on output from Cremona but his influence is Germain in Paris. The Stuttgart firm of Hamma & not evident in Rogeri’s work which remains Co, became the next owners in 1909. Hardly equally distinct from the other influential was the 'Berthier' in their possession when school of the period in Venice. The Caressa, a Paris violin-maker, sent Hamma influence of Amati is the more significant a telegram asking him to bring the coming at a time when the Amati instrument to Geneva immediately as workshop had waning influence in there was a prospective buyer. But in fact Cremona. This wonderful cello is on a it was the Vecsey family in Berlin who model which is today considered ideal, were interested in it. Baron Vecsey de with a back length of 734mm. The back, ribs Vecse acquired it for his sixteen-year-old son, and head are in the finest maple, and the who played it at all his concerts right up to his pine of the front is of similar quality. The death in 1935. Today too this violin is instrument belonged at one time to the a c c o u n t e d a n i n s t r u m e n t o f well-known cellist Alfredo Piatti, who extraordinary beauty and exceptional passed it on to Muriel Handley Spicer. It fullness of tone. Such violinists as was subsequently owned by Gilberto Principe, David Oistrakh, Szeryng, Crepas and Rocco Filippini. This Francescatti, Grumiaux, Kogan, Gulli, instrument had an unusual role as the Brengola, Quarta and Berman have main character of a cartoon strip by expressed admiration for it. Guido Crepax entitled Pietro Giacomo Rogeri.