Giovanni Battista Ceruti (1756–1817) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

violin maker A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

, and is considered a direct link to the grand tradition of the Cremonese master violin makers of the 18th century. He known for his violins, cellos and double basses.

Biography

Born a generation after

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloq ...

and the

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati an ...

, with no direct link to the great tradition, violin making made an unlikely comeback in Cremona in the person of

Lorenzo Storioni Lorenzo Storioni (1744 — 1816) is considered one of the last of the ''classic'' Cremonese master violin makers/ luthiers of the 18th century. Born a generation after Stradivarius and Guarnerius, with no direct link to the great tradition, vio ...

and his two followers,

Giovanni Rota Giovanni Rota (1767-before 1829) apprenticed under the influential Italian luthier Lorenzo Storioni from approximately 1787 to 1792, and spent his later years between Cremona and Mantua as a luthier. Not much about Giovanni's early life is known, sa ...

and Giovanni Battista Ceruti. Along with Giovanni Rota, G.B. Ceruti was a follower of

. He was born just outside

Cremona Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' ( Po Valley). It is the capital of th ...

and did not take up violin making until about age 40. It is said that he was probably self-taught, and his change of profession may have come through his colleagues in the textile trade, Bergonzi brothers, Nicola and Carlo II nephews of Michel Angelo Bergonzi, who did make a few violins. Philip Kass states that Ceruti was sponsored by a nobleman, to the displeasure of the famous dealer and collector Count Cozio, who was promoting other makers, including

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (often shortened to G. B. Guadagnini; 23 June 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history. Reprint with new introduction by Stewart Pol ...

and Giacomo Rivolta of Milan. Ceruti’s son

Giuseppe Giuseppe is the Italian form of the given name Joseph, from Latin Iōsēphus from Ancient Greek Ἰωσήφ (Iōsḗph), from Hebrew יוסף. It is the most common name in Italy and is unique (97%) to it. The feminine form of the name is Giuse ...

and grandson

Enrico Enrico is both an Italian masculine given name and a surname, Enrico means homeowner, or king, derived from ''Heinrich'' of Germanic origin. It is also a given name in Ladino. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Henri ( French), Enr ...

carried on as the premier violin makers of Cremona until Enrico’s death in 1883. Ceruti Dynasty carried on the tradition from the times of Storioni. Italy endured many wars, and finding materials for makers, at times was very difficult.The Late Cremonese - by Erin Shrader STRINGS magazine In 1802, he left Cremona and at some point took over Storioni's workshop. He died in 1817, most likely from

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...

References

*Four Centuries of Violin Making - Tim Ingles * The Late Cremonese Makers - Dmitry Gindin * * *

Walter Hamma Walter Hamma (22 September 1916 – 11 August 1988) was a German violin maker. His father, Fridolin Hamma, was an influential violin maker. Walter Hamma was pupil of the violin making school in Mittenwald 1933-1935. He worked with Ferdinand Ja ...

, ''Meister Italienischer Geigenbaukunst'', Wilhelmshaven 1993, *http://www.cozio.com/Luthier.aspx?id=30 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ceruti, Giovanni Battista 1756 births 1817 deaths Luthiers from Cremona