The Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona (official name in

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 ...

: ''Saperi e saper fare liutario della tradizione cremonese'') was declared an

intangible cultural heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2012, during the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The Cremona's traditional violin making is an ancient form of handicraft typical of

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 ...

(

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) where

bowed string instrument Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by a bow rubbing the strings. The bow rubbing the string causes vibration which the instrument emits as sound. Despite the numerous specialist studies devoted to t ...

s like

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

s and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

es have been made since the 16th century.

Technique

Techniques developed by

luthiers 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 ...

in Cremona for making stringed instruments hold unique importance in the world of music. Cremonese luthiers standardized the violin family of instruments, and Cremonese violinmaking techniques are still considered by many to be the best in the world. Each instrument is handmade and assembled with more than 70 different molded pieces of wood. Every part of a new violin requires a particular technique, continuously adapted according to the different acoustic response of each piece of wood: for this reason, it is impossible to get two violins exactly identical. Every part of the violin should be made with a particular kind of wood, carefully selected and naturally seasoned. The care required for each process, as well as the unique qualities of each piece of wood make industrialization impossible . Cremona-Liuteria

A traditional Cremonese luthier used no industrial or semi-industrial parts, and the violin is carefully varnished by hand, never sprayed. Many of the elements of the musical instrument appear to be ornamental, but serve an invisible purpose(often to either enhance projection, tone, or to protect against potential damage. The violin construction process is personally followed by the violin maker in every phase, from the tree to the finished instrument: for this reason a Cremona's violin maker can make only 3–6 violins per year. A traditional violinmaker must have in-depth knowledge of the natural materials used, as well as the techniques passed down from generation to generation through words, gestures and habits shared since the 16th century, when the Cremona's violin making became popular, thanks to the skills of the house of

Amati Amati (, ) is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nicolò A ...

, then improved and refined by

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 colloquia ...

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 ...

Francesco Rugeri Francesco Rugeri (Cremona, 1628; 28 October 1698), also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugeri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius, was the first of an important family of luthiers, the Casa Rugeri in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are masterfully constructe ...

Vincenzo Rugeri Vincenzo Rugeri (30 September 1663 – 4 May 1719) (also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugieri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius), was an Italian luthier of string instruments such as violins, cellos, and, violas in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are noted ...

, and Bergonzi.

Protection

The ancient tradition of Cremona's violin making is protected by two supervisory bodies: the Stradivari Violin Makers Consortium and the Violin Making Italian Association, which represents more than 140 craftsmen. In addition, the

Cremona International Violin Making School 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), Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (Po Valley). It is the capi ...

(''Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria di Cremona'') was founded in Cremona on 12 September 1938. After the UNESCO recognition, it was opened in 2013 the new

Museo del violino __FORCETOC__ The Violin Museum (in ) is a musical instrument museum located in Cremona. The museum is best known for its collection of stringed instruments that includes violins, violas, cellos and double basses crafted by renowned luthiers, inclu ...

(Violin Museum) at the Palazzo dell'Arte in Cremona, full renovated and with a new auditorium to listen music played with old and new instruments made in Cremona.

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Cellos Lutherie Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Violins World Heritage Sites in Italy

Technique

Protection

See also

References

External links