La Jolla Music Society’s Education Program is sponsored in part by:
The Glory of Cremona:
Stradivari, Guarneri, & Amati
Scholar-in-Residence Sam Zygmuntowicz
Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation
David C. Copley F o u n d at i o n
JOURNEY THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE GREAT HOUSES! August 16, 12:30 PM SummerFest Encounter: The Violin Maker
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August 19, 2 PM Prelude Lecture by Sam Zygmuntowicz
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Judith Bachner and Eric Lasley Beyster Family Foundation Gordon Brodfuehrer
Jo Kiernan and Bjorn Bjerede Catherine and Jean Rivier Jeanette Stevens
August 19, 3 PM The Glory of Cremona Concert
Booklet created by: Angelina Franco and Allison Boles 858.459.3728 · LJMS.ORG
858.459.3728 · LJMS.ORG
Introduction At SummerFest this year, we will see and hear an amazing array of string instruments made in Cremona, Italy, from the collection of Sau-Wing Lam, as well as instruments owned by festival performers. Made over a span of almost 150 years, they include a viola made mid-1500s by the inventor of the violin as we know it, and also a violin made in 1732 by one of the last great makers of that classic era. By the end of that century, economic and political turmoil had brought this era to a close. These instruments remain potent symbols of human excellence and ingenuity. Renaissance Italian bowed instruments had a neck, back, and sides carved from a solid block of wood, with a separate top glued on. By the 1500s we begin to see new forms of bowed instruments, now made with thin bent sides rather than a carved solid block, and with a separate glued back. This style of construction is similar to the older Spanish Vihuela, a bowed or plucked precursor to the guitar. The timing is suggestive; it is intriguing to imagine that musicians and luthiers expelled from Spain in 1492 after the issue of The Alhambra Decree may have carried these forms into Italy, for further development.
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forms gradually becoming broader and more varied. Giralamo’s son Nicolò is the most noted member of the family. He further broadened the design, producing his “Grand Pattern,” leading the way to bolder more powerful violins to follow. The Amati family was the dominant force in instrument making, and their style was copied by makers across Europe. They also directly trained and employed other fine craftsmen, who founded dynasties of their own. Andrea Guarneri (1623–1698) was one of the most noted disciples of Nicolò Amati, closely following the Amati Style even as an independent maker. Andrea’s first son, Peter, left Cremona to work in Mantua and develop his own style, while his younger son Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ (1666–1740) remained as the principal assistant and successor to Andrea. Later in turn, Guiseppe’s own older son, Peter, left to established himself in Venice, while his younger son Giuseppe “del Gesu” (1698–1744) remained in Cremona to became the most illustrious member of the family, who’s instruments are considered on a par with Stradivari.
Sometimes a design emerges which is so effective that it creates a new standard. It was Andrea Amati (c. 1505–c. 1578) who most effectively coalesced these elements into the violin form as we know it today. This was the right invention in the right circumstances: an inventive craftsman to refine the design, new music that called for a strong vocal tone, and royal patronage to commission and disseminate the form. The basic elements were firmly set: four strings, bent sides, narrow waist, carved top and back, f-shaped soundholes, plus an internal bass-bar brace glued under the low strings, and an internal sound-post, fitted between the top and back under the treble bridge foot. The outlines were generated using proportional drawing techniques that made it possible to reliably transmit and preserve the design. Once set, the cardinal measurements of the Amati design have persisted until now, with the proportions of the instrument and key measurements varying only a few millimeters.
Antonio Stradivari (c. 1644–1737) remains the most famed and admired maker of all time. His origins and exact training of are not fully known. He had been thought to be a pupil of Nicolò Amati, and was clearly influenced by the Amati’s work, but there is no record of him formally apprenticing with the Amati family. Some sources list him as initially apprenticed to a wood carver. There exists one Stradivari violin label where he claims to be a student of Nicolò Amati, but no others—perhaps he received a friendly cease and desist from Nicolò? In any case, he was enough of a self-made outsider to be independent and to innovate with the form. His mature “golden period” instruments show a deeply colored varnish, and an outline with straighter c-bouts, bolder f-holes, and flatter arching, which yielded a darker and more powerful sound. Soon his variations on the Amati design dominated the field, and his instruments are still considered the finest today. Prolific and longlived, his sons did not carry on his legacy.
Fortunately, Andrea also founded a productive family dynasty to carry on his designs. His sons Antonio and Giralamo continued his style, with the
Carlo Bergonzi (1683–1747) was trained by the Rugeri family, which may have trained Stradivari earlier, and he also developed a very distinctive 23
Biography Violinmaker Samuel Zygmuntowicz, was already a prize-winning sculptor before beginning his instrumentmaking studies at age 13. Since 1985 he has made instruments by advance commission for performers such as Cho-Liang Lin, Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Leila Josefowicz, and members of the Emerson String Quartet, among many more. He studied advanced making and restoration with Carl Becker and Rene Morel at the SLC Violinmaking School and is Creative Director of the Strad3D project, under the direction of physicist George Bissinger. Sam lives in Brooklyn and plays fiddle with a variety of performing folk music groups. His recordings include Grand Picnic and Jump When the Trumpets Blow.
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personal style, with upright c-bouts, longer f-holes, and a rich, red varnish, similar to the intensely colored varnish of Stradivari and Guissepe Guarneri “del Gesu.” Carlo moved in to Stradivari’s house and shop in 1747. His son Michele Angelo Bergonzi remained there as the last of the great Cremonese makers, but the decline had begun. While the traditions of the old masters were interrupted, their instruments remain as superlative musician’s tools. As these instruments increase in rarity and price, it has been imperative to look past the mystique to understand the underlying principles that created that quality. Close study of the old master instruments have inspired and set the stage for the current resurgence of contemporary violinmaking. — Sam Zygmuntowicz
Instruments in The Violin Maker and The Glory of Cremona have been provided by the artists or borrowed from the Sau-Wing Lam Collection.
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Andrea Amati Viola Cremona, c. 1560 Unlabeled Artist: Che-Yen Chen Description
The viola top is cut from two pieces of spruce with grain of varying widths, and the back is cut on the slab from plain maple. The quarter-cut maple sides exhibit slight flames. Amati was the first craftsman in Cremona and founder of the Cremonese School. As is characteristic of all Andrea Amati violas, this instrument has been slightly reduced in size. Finished with a golden brown varnish, it is one of only four known Andrea Amati violas in existence today, and is part of the “quartet� of Amati instruments acquired by the collector, SauWing Lam. The scroll, which is not original, may be Cremonese work from the early 19th century.
Measurements
Length: 43.35 cm Upper bouts width: 20.8 cm Middle bouts width: 14.2 cm Lower bouts width: 24.7 cm
Certificates
W.E. Hill & Sons, London, January 30, 1970 Harry Duffy, July 8, 1978
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Carlo Bergonzi Violin Cremona, 1732 Bearing the label “Anno 1732 Carlo Bergonzi fecit in Cremona” Artist: Anna Lee Description
This instrument is composed of a two-piece top of medium narrow grain spruce, and a back and sides of maple with soft medium-width flames. The scroll is made of plain maple, with the original deep red varnish on a golden-yellow ground. This most outstanding example of Bergonzi’s work was created during the maker’s best period, from 1730 to 1740. Formerly in the collection of Albert A. Wallace of Los Angeles, this violin - which still possesses most of its original varnish - is one of the finest preserved instruments by this maker in existence.
Measurements
Length: 35.2 cm Upper bouts width: 16.6 cm Middle bouts width: 11.4 cm Lower bouts width: 20.5 cm
Certificates
W.E. Hill & Sons, London, September 16, 1932 Rembert Wurlitzer, New York, November 13, 1973
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Antonius & Hieronymus Amati Viola Cremona, c. 1620 Artist: Paul Neubauer Description
This viola can be heard on historic recordings by the Busch String Quartet as played by Karl Doktor. Paul Neubauer’s godfather was the Viennese-born violist Paul Doktor (son of Karl), and was a major influence on Neubauer’s musical and personal evolution from a very early age. After Paul Doktor died in 1989, Neubauer was able to purchase this wonderful viola and has been playing on it ever since that time. It is a relatively small viola and particularly special due to the sweetness of its sound.
Measurements
Length: 40.6 cm
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Antonio Stradivarius Violin Cremona, 1715 “Titian” Artist: Cho-Liang Lin Description
From Stradivari’s golden period, this instruments is considered one of the finest instruments from that era. According to violin expert Christopher Reuning, the French dealer Albert Caressa dubbed this violin the ‘Titian’ because its clear orange-red color reminded him of the work of the famous Venetian painter. Probably built on Stradivari’s P form, a medium-size model which was the principal golden period form, compact and comfortable to play. The flattened curves of the bouts and the rather square C-bouts add to the instrument’s solid appearance, together with the blunt corner, which makes a less inviting target for the bow and right forefinger. The maple two-piece back has a typical tight growth and is very exactly quartered. The mild, slightly irregular flames are not overtly showy, but are highly reflective and mobile under the varnish.
Measurements
Length: 35.2 cm Upper bouts width: 16.6 cm Middle bouts width: 10.7 cm Lower bouts width: 20.4 cm
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Antonious & Hieronymus Amati Cello Cremona, 1622 Bearing its original label “Antonius Hieronymus F.R. Amati Cremonen Andreaen fil. F. 1622� Artist: Jian Wang Description
The top is crafted from two pieces of mostly mediumwidth grain spruce. The two-piece back is cut on the slab from plain poplar, but the sides and the head are quarter-cut from chestnut. An original added wing lies on the lower bass side. This beautiful, light orange-brown varnished instrument has been slightly reduced from its original larger dimensions, as was common for cellos of that time. This classic cello, which has been well preserved, exemplifies the work of the brothers Amati and shows their great influence on Italian violin-making in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Measurements
Length: 74.65 cm Upper bouts width: 34.7 cm Middle bouts width: 25.4 cm Lower bouts width: 44.5 cm
Certificates
W. Moennig & Son, Philadelphia, April 4, 1983 E. Herrmann, New York, December 12, 1937 W.E. Hill & Sons, October 20, 1931
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Antonio Stradivarius Violin Cremona, 1699 “Lady Tennant” Artist: Kyoko Takezawa Description
The back of this violin is a one-piece cut on the slab of medium to narrow curl ascending slightly from left to right. The top is crafted of fine grain in the center, opening out to a medium grain on the flanks. The scroll is of fainter medium curl, while the ribs cut on the quartet or narrow curl. This instrument is known for its truly rich sound and has a golden-brown varnish.
Measurements
Length: 35.5 cm
Certificates
Dendrochronology report: John C. Topham, Surrey (2003) States that the year rings positively match a number of other works by Stradivari. Of note are matches with a 1696 Stradivari viola, known as The Archinto, belonging to London’s Royal Academy of Music as well as two other 1699 violins, one belonging to the Musée de la Musique in Paris, and a violin made in 1700. Max Möller & Son, Amsterdam, 1944 Bicentenario Stradivariano, Cremona, 1937 W. E. Hill & Sons, London, 1900 Letter: Arthur F. Hill, London (1900) To Lady Tennant: “. . . though you may see a Strad that you may be told is of a different period or more attractive, you cannot get one in the very perfect state that this instrument is. . .” Rudolph Wurlitzer Co., New York, NY
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Antonious & Hieronymus Amati Viola Cremona, 1628 “Queen Victoria” Artist: Toby Hoffman Description
The back is in two pieces of maple marked by a small curl slanting downwards to the right. The head marked by a curl of medium width, the sides by a similar but less pronounced curl. The table is of pine with even, fairly open grain, and the varnish of a rich golden brown color. This instrument was reduced in size, probably at the beginning of the 19th century, and has been enlarged again by W.E. Hill & Sons in the later half of the 20th century, and generally restored to its present excellent condition. This viola belonged to Queen Victoria, whose initials are branded on the back below the button, and used in her private band. It bears an inscription on the sides…”Ecce Agnus Dei” and “Giulia Maria B….(Bernardi),” the remains of a coat of arms on the back, and a representation of St. John the Baptist holding a lamb.
Measurements
Length: 42.3 cm
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Joseph Guarnerius filius Andreae Violin Cremona, 1699 Bearing the label “Joseph Guarnerius filius Andreae subtitolo S. Teresiae, Cermonae 1699” Artist: Yura Lee Description
Typical of the maker’s work from this period, this fine instrument was varnished in reddish-brown on top of a golden ground. Guarnerius crafted the top from two pieces of medium-width-grain spruce, the back out of two pieces of quarter-cut maple, and the sides and scroll from a comparatively plainer maple. This violin plays exceptionally well, and was the personal favorite of the collector, Sau-Wing Lam.
Measurements
Length: 35.65 cm Upper bouts width: 17.7 cm Middle bouts width: 11.2 cm Lower bouts width: 20.6 cm
Certificates
Rembert Wurlitzer, New York, February 6, 1971 Translation of letter from Otto Moeckel
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Nicolò Amati Cello Cremona, 1662 “Ex-Leonard Rose” Bearing the original label Artist: Gary Hoffman Description
The back of this instrument is a small figure twopiece and the top has wings on both sides. The ribs are crafted from wood similar to the back. With an orange-brown varnish, this is one of three Nicolo Amati cellos which has not been reduced in size, according to William E. Hill & Sons.
Measurements
Length: 78.1 cm Upper bouts width: 37.6 cm Middle bouts width: 24.8 cm Lower bouts width: 45.9 cm
Certificates
W. E. Hill & Sons, London Emil Herrmann
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