Violin Making and Immigration in 20Th-Century Brazil MARIA DA GLORIA LEITAO VENCESLAU1 and RAFAEL SANDO2
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J. Violin Soc. Am.: VSA Papers • 2019 • Vol. XXVIII, No. 1 The Pascoli Brothers: Violin Making and Immigration in 20th-Century Brazil MARIA DA GLORIA LEITAO VENCESLAU1 AND RAFAEL SANDO2 1University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom [email protected] 2Atelier de Luteria de São Paulo, Rua Barão de Itapetininga, 46, cj. 432, República, São Paulo, CEP 01042-000, Brazil [email protected] Abstract Maria da Gloria Leitao Venceslau and Rafael Sando’s article retraces through the narration of the lives of the violinmakers brothers Benvenuto and Guido Pascoli, part of the history of Brazilian violinmaking in the 20th century. The two authors aim to bring new insights on the topic through the presentation of part of the results of their research conducted over the years, contributing to defi ne the context in which the fi rst Brazilian luthiers were formed. The methodology presented is based on the reporting of news derived from newspaper articles, public and private archival material, and transcription of interviews with makers and musicians made by one of the two authors. The article ends with the presentation of selected string instruments, which allows us to refl ect on the rich tradition of craftsmanship of the country. INTRODUCTION protagonists of the violin making scene of the time.5 Through the reconstruction of their biogra- The history of Brazilian violin making has re- phies, we can shed light on a fascinating chapter ceived little scholarly attention up till today.1 of Brazilian history: the central role of Italian Several valuable sources for the study of vio- immigrants and their descendants in the intro- lin making in 20th-century Brazil are now avail- duction of a series of crafts in the country, par- able online and have been recently summarized ticularly that of the violinmaker.6 in an article published by The Strad magazine.2 Among these digital materials (mostly in Portu- ITALIANS IN SÃO PAULO guese), various videos, interviews, and articles report general information on the most famous Th e Pascoli brothers were born and raised in artisans, many of whom were Italian immigrants Brazil. Their training as violinmakers, however, that played a signifi cant role in the marketplace of took place in a context—the city of São Paulo— musical instruments in cities such as São Paulo.3 in which the trade, as well as the production of The article presented here constitutes one of bowed and plucked stringed instruments was the preliminary results of research carried out mainly the work of Italian immigrants, whose by the two authors with the purpose of bringing role in the industrialization of the city was of new insights on the topic.4 Such investigations prime importance. Between the end of the 19th elucidate a fascinating chapter on unknown and early 20th centuries, immigrants represented artisans and have supplied new information almost 80% of the workforce in transport, in- on those already known. Here, we will mainly dustry, and services.7 Among the Italians, some focus on the Pascoli brothers: Benvenuto (1896– excellent tailors soon became renowned among 1952) and Guido (1905–1987), two important the best in São Paulo. There were also several 74 J. Violin Soc. Am.: VSA Papers • 2019 • Vol. XXVIII, No. 1 shoemakers, shopkeepers, bakers, and masons, musical contexts, we may add those of the wind many of whom, managed to open their own bands and musical circles such as the Club shops. Small and large Italian traders and indus- Mandolinistico Ugo Azzolino or the Sociedade trialists, especially those dedicated to foodstuff, Coral Benedetto Marcello that animated the were numerous and contributed to the growing leisure time of the immigrants and of the gen- of the internal market of the city.8 eral public as well.16 Consequently, the city was It i s then not surprising to fi nd makers of a rich market for entrepreneurs, many of them bowed and plucked string instruments among immigrants, who worked on the production of the different Italian artisans. It should be re- musical instruments—plucked stringed instru- membered that violinmakers were not only pres- ments in particular and, above all others, the ent in São Paulo, which for a long time was the popular violão (six-course guitar). main pole for the production of musical instru- There was a gro wing clamor for bowed ments, mostly in the hands of the Italian com- stringed instruments as well, and, naturally, munity.9 Among them, Giannini, Di Giorgio, these factories tried to meet this demand. In Del Vecchio, Incisi, and others established their this regard, we can mention the activity car- factories and were the fi rst to commercially pro- ried out by Ivo Incisi, who probably arrived in duce bowed and plucked string instruments.10 Brazil at the end of the 19th century. From some These enterprises represented a job opportu- evidence and a few surviving instruments that nity for several artisans in Brazil, including the have come down to us, it seems that Incisi was Pascoli brothers.11 among the most talented violinmakers active Preci sely between the end of the 19th and in the country.17 In 1922, he won the fi rst prize the fi rst decades of 20th centuries, São Paulo in the category of musical instruments at the hosted a very animated musical scene, with sev- National Exhibition in Rio De Janeiro, in which eral theaters, cinemas, and music halls. Theaters other makers of Italian origin had also partic- such as the São José, opened in 1909, or the ipated (Lorenzo Fritelli, Tranquillo Giannini, Municipal (1911) housed the artistic itinerant Ettore Marani, and Vincenzo Lo Turco, among companies that visited the city. In fact, around others).18 Ivo Incisi’s workshop was signifi - the 1890s, São Paulo entered the stages of the cantly active and produced commercial quality South American tour circuit of major Italian instruments that have come down to us, most companies.12 Such a rich musical context was of them out of domestic woods.19 His produc- possible thanks to the urban transformations tion included bowed and plucked stringed in- and the economic progress of the city. In this struments, as well as wind and even percussion scenario, job opportunities arose for musicians instruments, together with musical accessories of different levels, from café-concerts to opera such as instrument cases. houses.13 The audience of these shows was a Little informat ion survives concerning other new cosmopolitan class made up of immigrants, artisans of Italian origin who opened their most of whom were Italians. Their predominant workshops in São Paulo because they did not presence in São Paulo also favored the operetta, reach the same level of production as those with an enormous number of performances in described previously. That is the case of Romeu these years. Realti, who ran a guitar shop named “Ao Violão In addition to the lyric scenario, Italians do Gasômetro” together with his brother José, played a signifi cant role in the foundation of mu- which was still active in 1935.20 Another vio- sical associations such as the Centro Musical de linmaker—or possibly just repairer and dealer, São Paulo (1913), later Centro Musical Carlos since we have not seen any instruments by Gomes. Most of its 205 members were Italian him—whose work was mainly linked to the or descendants.14 Among them, there were musi- violin family was Salvatore Vitale. Vitale was cians from musical theater as well as professors undoubtedly active in São Paulo since the of the newly opened Conservatório Dramático beginning of the 20th century.21 Others were e Musical (1906), who were often hired to play self-taught violinmakers, like Fernando Guerra, in operetta companies, ballets, cinema orches- who was probably among the fi rst to exper- tras, and symphonic concerts.15 To these various iment with the use of domestic woods for the 75 J. Violin Soc. Am.: VSA Papers • 2019 • Vol. XXVIII, No. 1 production of violins, and Iginio Oliani, who wood of excellent quality and the exclusive use claimed on his labels to be the only one to mas- of his own personal models. As far we know, he ter the authentic Italian oil varnish.22 ran a small workshop with the help of a cou- Among the early violinmakers active in ple apprentices, and also made bows. Unlike his São Paulo, the most successful was the Roman Italian contemporaries such as Carlo Giudici Lorenzo Fritelli (1863–1928) (Fig. 1). Before who were active in Brazil, Fritelli was quite devoting himself exclusively to violin making, resourceful in marketing as well, soon becoming he worked as an architect and builder. He is a point of reference in São Paulo for violin mak- fi rst mentioned as early as 1901, when he ap- ing and a role model for younger craftsmen like peared in Almanak Leimmert as a maker of the Pascoli brothers.25 string instruments with a workshop at São João 23 Avenue in downtown, São Paulo. Information THE PASCOLI BROTHERS, BRAZILIAN on Fritelli is also found on various newspaper MAKERS articles of the time, including one published in the “Diário popular” in 1903 that refers to his The Hospedaria dos Imigrantes in São Paulo workshop and production.24 Several prominent was a structure created in 1887 to temporar- musicians endorsed him publicly at the time, ily host the immigrants who arrived in Brazil. among them, the noted Brazilian violinist and This place welcomed a multitude of people, the composer Francisco Chiaffi telli (1881–1954). future parents of Benvenuto (Fig. 2) and Guido From the beginning of his career as a violin- (Figs.