Publications

Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù” 1743 “Brusilow” Copyright © 2024 Alberto Giordano, The Strad magazine December 2015, All rights reserved Sweeping Change The great variety of solutions offered by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ in his late violins, among which this example stands out for its charm and well-preserved state, provoke conflicting reactions in the viewer: wonder at […]

In posizione appena defilata, all’interno della Sala Paganiniana che conclude il percorso museale di Palazzo Doria Tursi in Genova, di fronte al Guarneri “del Gesù” del 1743 il “Cannone” di Niccolò Paganini, sta la copia eseguita da Jean Baptiste Vuillaume a Pari- gi nel 1834. Nella luce soffusa della sala, questa presenza discreta e silenziosa [...]

Il sestiere medievale dedicato alla santa Maria Maddalena non fu mai una contrada elegante: stretto tra la Strada Nuova, la via aristocratica dei banchieri e dei magnati (di cui fa parte Palazzo Doria Tursi, dimora del “Cannone” di Paganini), e il centro economico e finanziario di via degli Orefici e della piazza dei Banchi, ancora [...]

Erminio Montefiori was born in La Spezia, a town on the border of Liguria and Tuscany, on 11 January 1841. In 1853 his father, a shoemaker, moved his family to Genoa, where Erminio soon became a skilled sculptor. He started to dedicate himself to violin making from at least 1883, when he gained a medal [...]

The commercial relationship between G.B. Guadagnini and Count Cozio di Salabue allowed the luthier greater freedom to experiment. Alberto Giordano and Barthelemy Garnier examine a 1773 viola to show how the 62-year-old maker continued to adopt new methods and ways of working in this period  In 1816, the famed collector Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di [...]

Giovanni Antonio Marchi was born on 24 April 1727 in a small village on the outskirts of Bologna. His family had a long tradition of woodworking, but he lost his father when he was eight and was then raised by his uncle Natale. In around 1745 he moved with his family to the city itself. [...]

A Massive Achievement Made in 1677, the ‘Romanov’ Nicolò Amati viola is one of the maker’s late masterpieces. Alberto Giordano and Rudolf Hopfner investigate its turbulent history and examine how it fits into the Amati family’s oeuvre  In 2018 an exhibition took place at the Venaria Reale palace near Turin. ‘Precious Instruments, Illustrious Characters’, curated [...]

“Mia viola di Giambattista Guadagnini migliore 1773, fondo giunto con poca vena, coperchio intiero bello le effe con la mandola riccio grosso le effe belle”1. Quando nel Giugno del 1816 il Conte Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue compilò di sua mano un dettagliato inventario della sua collezione di strumenti musicali, così descrisse la viola contralto [...]

I liutai della famiglia Candi Alberto Giordano – Ed. Cremonabooks Il volume è una monografia dedicata al liutaio Cesare Candi, il più importante della Scuola genevese moderna. Contiene inoltre i profili del fratello Oreste e del nipote Corrado Gritti Candi. Il volume non vuol essere un mero catalogo del lavoro liutario del Candi: grande attenzione […]

A new series of monographs, each dedicated to an exceptional instrument, selected among those of outstanding importance in the history of classical Italian making. The first volume focuses on the viola Estense by Girolamo Amati, one of the first contraltos of modern proportions and one of the most precious jewels preserved in the ducal collection […]

Paolo De Barbieri was born in 1889 in Genoa. In 1902, aged 13, he left a note on the kitchen table saying ‘Back in a minute’: he left home for about six years to work as a cabin boy. He completed his military service in the Navy and in 1912 received a medal for participating [...]

Alberto Giordano takes a closer look at the 1708 ‘Dancla’ Stradivari, a model that perfectly represents some of the maker’s later experiments but also features some rare characteristics. The turn of the 18th century brought an era of great change to Italy, which had been under Spanish rule since the mid-16th century. The death in [...]

Ludovico Rastelli was born in 1801 in the small village of Castelletto Scazzoso, located in the hills of Monferrato, Piedmont. Nothing is known about the early period of his life, nor about his move to Genoa; the earliest information we have regarding his career is a restoration inscription in a German violin, which shows that [...]

Giuseppe Lecchi was born in Felizzano, Piedmont, on 20 August 1895. The son of a woodworker, he graduated from the ‘art and craft’ school in Alessandria, also in Piedmont. In 1915, at the age of 20 he was recruited into the Italian infantry, serving on the front line at the Austrian–Italian border. Returning home from [...]

The great variety of solutions offered by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ in his late violins, among which this example stands out for its charm and well-preserved state, provoke conflicting reactions in the viewer: wonder at the beauty of the workmanship; curiosity at the seeming contradiction between the maker’s skill and intuition and his purported troubled state [...]

G.B.Guadagnini 1774 "Salabue" Berta" violin The Great Survivor © Alberto Giordano, The Strad magazine, June 2014 issue. Giovanni Battista Guadagnini’s 1774 ‘Salabue’, Berta’ violin is an instrument of stark contrasts. Made near the start of the maker’s Turin period (1771–86), it shows the influence of his Cremonese predecessors while retaining many of the points of [...]

The Strad magazine, March 2015 issue: In focus: Giuseppe Ornati, Milano 1953 Copyright © 2015 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Born in 1887 in the small village of Albairate near Milan, Giuseppe Ornati was introduced to woodworking as a young boy. He arrived in Milan in 1901 where he soon began [...]

The Strad magazine, January 2014 issue: In focus: Giuseppe Rocca, Torino 1939 Copyright © 2014 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Giuseppe Rocca was born in Barbaresco, a small village not far from Alba in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, Italy. After serving in the army, he began working as a baker [...]

The Strad magazine, September 2013 issue: In focus: Ferdinando Garimberti, Milano 1929 Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Ferdinando Garimberti was born in Mamiano di Traversetolo, a small village in the hills around Parma on January 6th 1894; his father was a blacksmith. In 1902 the family moved to [...]

The Strad magazine, April 2013 issue: In focus: Leandro Bisiach, Milano 1920 Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Leandro Bisiach was born in Casale Monferrato on 16th June 1864; he was trained since a young boy to violin playing and to wood working: his father Giovanni was a woodcarver, [...]

The Strad magazine, October 2012 issue: In focus: Carlo G. Oddone, Torino 1915 Copyright © 2012 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Carlo Giuseppe Oddone was born i1866 in Turin. At an early age (probably around twelve years old) he started his apprenticeship in the workshop of Benedetto Gioffredo Rinaldi, a dealer [...]

The Strad magazine, May 2013 issue: Bartolomeo Cristofori: performer, inventor, luthier Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved A 1705 violin by renowned keyboard innovator Bartolomeo Cristofori has recently come to light. Alberto Giordano assesses both the instrument and the piano maker’s legacy to the string world For centuries, Bartolomeo [...]

Learning the finer points Copyright © 2012 Franco Zanini, Alberto Giordano, The Strad magazine Computed tomography (CT) is an analytical tool whose successful applications in the evaluation of bowed stringed instruments have been reported for the last fifteen years. The popularity of this technique is related to its non-invasive approach, absolutely necessary when applied to [...]

The Strad magazine, December 2011 issue: in focus: Giuseppe Pedrazzini Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Giuseppe Pedrazzini was the son of a cabinet maker, born in 1879
in Pizzighettone, a village not far from Cremona. He was encouraged by his father to work with wood from an early age, and [...]

The Strad magazine, October 2011 issue: War on worms Copyright © 2011 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Woodworm can wreak havoc with stringed instruments, so it is vital to treat any infestation. Violin maker ALBERTO GIORDANO examines the insect invaders and the damage they cause, and describes a clean, safe and [...]

The Strad magazine, July 2011 issue: In focus: Eugenio Praga Copyright © 2011 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Maker Eugenio Praga was born on 17 April 1847 in Casale Monferrato, in what was then the Kingdom of Sardinia. Unlike most 19th-century italian violin makers, he was not from a humble background: [...]

The Strad magazine, February 2011 issue: In focus: Annibale Fagnola Copyright © 2011 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved MAKER Annibale Fagnola was born to a farming family in 1866 in Montiglio, a village in the hills of Monferrato, northern Italy. Information about his youth is scarce: it seems he worked as [...]

The Strad magazine, December 2009 issue: In focus: Gaetano Sgarabotto Copyright © 2009 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved MAKER Born in 1878 in the north-eastern Italian town of Vicenza, Gaetano Sgarabotto attended a fine art school before dedicating himself to violin making. His first documented activity as an instrument maker dates [...]

The Strad magazine, December 2010 issue: Real or fake? Giuseppe Gaccetta Copyright © 2010 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved In the summer of 2000, an article appeared in the Genoese newspaper Il secolo XIX under the eye-catching headline ‘A Geppetto of genius who plays like Paganini’. The full-page report contained the revelation that [...]

The Strad magazine, April 2010 issue: In focus: Celeste Farotti Copyright © 2010 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved MAKER Celeste Farotti came from humble origins: he was born in 1864 to a farming family in a small Piedmont village near Casale Monferrato. After working as a carpenter, Farotti turned to violin [...]

The Strad magazine, August 2009 issue: In focus: Gaetano Gadda Copyright © 2009 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Maker Maker Gaetano Gadda was born in Sorgà, a small village near Mantua, in 1900. He began violin making seriously in 1919, in Stefano Scarampella’s workshop, and his apprenticeship lasted until Scarampella’s death [...]

The Strad magazine, December 2008 issue: In focus: Ettore Soffritti Copyright © 2008 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Maker Ettore Soffritti was born in 1877 in Ferrara, a town not far from Bologna in northern Italy. His mother died when he was three. His father Luigi, a woodworker and an amateur [...]

The Strad magazine, May 2007 issue: In focus: Augusto Pollastri Copyright © 2007 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved A rare cello by Augusto Pollastri Maker Augusto Pollastri (1877 – 1927) is considered one of the best makers in the Bologna school and an outstanding 20th-century Italian luthier. History The son of [...]

The Strad magazine, February 2008 issue: In focus: Romeo Antoniazzi, Milano 1902 Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Maker Romeo Antoniazzi (b. Cremona, 1862; d. Milan, 1925) was the youngest son of Gaetano Antoniazzi, an outstanding Italian violin maker of the second half of the 19th century. Romeo seems [...]

The Strad magazine, November 2006 issue: Small change Copyright © 2006 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved There is a sense in Italy today that many treasures from the past are alive and hidden, or covered with dust. From the tombs and ruins of Roman civilisation to the secret tunnels of the [...]

Francesco Toto Francesco Toto ‘il Salentino’ was born in 1972 in Lecce, a beautiful baroque town in the south of Italy from which he has got his nickname. Being interested in music and in guitar playing since his early teens, he decided at the age of 18 to move to Cremona seeking his fortune in [...]

The Strad magazine, April 2006 issue: The Genoese line Copyright © 2006 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved The origins of violin making in Genoa lie in the first half of the 17th century, when lute and guitar makers, mostly of German origin, established a guild of instrument makers. No evidence remains [...]

The Strad magazine, October 2005 issue: In focus: Cesare Candi Copyright © 2005 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Cesare Candi Viola d’Amore Cesare Candi settled in Genova after training with Raffaele Fiorini in Bologna and today he is considered the master of that school. His decorated instruments, which he made alongside [...]

The Strad magazine, April 2005 issue: In focus: Giovanni Francesco Pressenda Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved Lequio Berria is still a small village lost in the solitary hills of the Langhe: Giovanni Francesco Pressenda was born in a modest farmstead just out of the village, in the fraction [...]

The Strad magazine, October 2004 issue: A fitting conclusion Copyright © 2004 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved The City of Genova came into the posession of the violin of Paganini on the 4th of july of 1851, eleven years after the death of the great virtouso: following the records of the [...]

The Strad magazine, July 2002 issue: In focus: Nicolò Bianchi Copyright © 2013 Alberto Giordano - The Strad magazine. All rights reserved   Born in 1804 in Albissola, a small village not far from Genoa in the western riviera, Nicolò Bianchi started his apprenticeship in the genoese workshop of Agostino DePlanis during the twenties; he [...]

Violino Carlo Giuseppe Oddone Torino 1898 Quella vissuta dalla Torino umbertina fu una stagione particolarmente affascinante, una stagione che vide la città volgersi con successo verso una nuova idea di rinnovamento e di modernità. Palcoscenico privilegiato furono le Esposizioni Universali del 1884 e del 1898 che introdussero Torino ad un pubblico internazionale; una nuova classe [...]

Violino Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù” “ex Brusilow” Cremona 1743 Nella breve carriera liutaria di Giuseppe Bartolomeo Guarneri, a noi nota tra la fine degli anni Venti del Settecento e il 1744, anno della sua morte, l’ultimo periodo è il più affascinante ed enigmatico. I violini prodotti a partire dagli anni Quaranta rivelano una particolare relazione [...]

Giuseppe Antonio Rocca, fece a Torino anno Domini 1839 Fuori dall’antica porta degli Archi, oltre il torrente Bisagno che separa la città storica di Genova dalle sue delegazioni orientali, alla metà dell’Ottocento stava la Pila: un borgo di poche case disteso sulla piana sotto la collina a vocazione residenziale di San Francesco d’Albaro, con terreni [...]

Giuseppe Guarneri “filius Andreae”, Cremona 1666 - 1740 L’architettura dei giardini nel centro di Cremona, l’ampio spazio verde che essi offrono alla vista e al godimento dei cittadini, la galleria dal maturo stile fascista che ne chiude l’imbocco, lasciano poco intendere oggi agli appassionati di liuteria su quale ne sia stato l’aspetto ai tempi dei [...]

Tra i ricordi che Carlo Nardi, avvocato genovese, raccolse in un’intervista a Cesare Candi poco prima della sua scomparsa, spiccano le immagini narrate della bottega bolognese di Raffaele Fiorini nella quale, appena adolescente, Cesare aveva compiuto il primo apprendistato. Il breve racconto si incentra sulla durezza della vita e sui modi rudi del maestro, sulla [...]

‘Nella contrada dei Servi Rocca è popolare a tutti: abita per fitto un piccolo appartamento al numero 48, piano secondo e vi si accede per una buia scaletta di pietra. L’appartamento è composto di poche stanzette arredate semplicemente e più che l’idea di abitazione mi fecero quella di un laboratorio. Violini appesi da ogni lato, [...]

A cura di Nicola Sodini e Alberto Giordano  La Tomografia Assiale Computerizzata (TAC) è uno strumento di indagine utilizzato con successo in liuteria ormai da una quindicina d’anni, grazie alle sue caratteristiche di non invasività. approccio assolutamente necessario in considerazione del valore, se non dell’unicità, degli strumenti sotto esame. Ma altrettanto noti sono i limiti [...]

Il rettifilo medievale di via della Maddalena, che si estende nel centro storico di Genova ai piedi della Strada Nuova, la via aristocratica cinquecentesca, fino circa alla chiesa di San Siro, fu intorno alla metà del settecento un quartiere attivo e popoloso abitato da artigiani, commercianti, musicisti e liutai; nonostante la città si trovasse in [...]

Ruggiero Ricci 1 CD + Book Il grande virtuoso suona una selezione di 18 violini moderni, fra i quali uno strumento di Alberto Giordano, costruito alla maniera di Guarneri del Gesù. Prefazione di Roger Hargrave e di Ruggiero Ricci.

Augusto Pollastri, Bologna 1877-1927 – Violoncello, circa 1908 Nell’ambito del secondo ottocento italiano la bottega di Raffaele Fiorini (1828-1898) ebbe un ruolo fondamentale nella ripresa dell’attività costruttiva e nel rinnovamento stilistico liutario; uomo dal carattere forte e risoluto, nell’arco di circa trent’anni di attività in Bologna ebbe alle sue dipendenze, oltre al figlio Giuseppe, i [...]

From Count Cozio di Salabue to Giuseppe Fiorini, from the Bisiachs in Milan to the foundation of the first schools of violin making, the history of bowed instruments during the past two centuries in Italy, narrated through the testimonies of the leading makers of our times and featuring the instruments of the most important Italian […]

Proceedings of the International Conference on Violin Making – Restoration and conservation of the violin Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ (1743) the ‘Cannone’ – Thursday October 14, 2004 – Genova – Civica Biblioteca Berio – Sala dei ChiericiContribution by John Dilworth, Alberto Giordano, Bruce Carlson, Pierre Guillaume, Philippe Borer.  Interventions downloadable here

Eric Blot and Alberto Giordano Turris Editrice Il lavoro più esaustivo e rappresentativo sulla storia della liuteria ligure dal 1860 al 1960 : un’analisi approfondita sulla storia e sullo stile dei più importanti liutai genovesi, fra i quali ricordiamo Niccolò Bianchi, Eugenio Praga, Enrico Rocca, Cesare Candi, Paolo de Barbieri. Il volume contiene la rappresentazione […]

Atti del congresso “Paganini Divo e Comunicatore”.Interventi di: Alma Brughera Capaldo, Maria Rosa Moretti, Carmela Bongiovanni, Giuseppe Isoleri, Stefano Fera, Alessandro Del Lago, Roberto Grisley, Marco Battaglia, Ingolf Turban, Mauro Balma, Tatiana Berford, Philippe Borer, Claudio Pavolini, Alberto Giordano, Anna Maria Salone, Fausto Amalberti, Paola Brocero, Antonio Delfino, Bozhanca Mocinova, Stefano Termanini, Anna Sorrento. Pubblicato […]

Catalogo contiene a un capitolo scritto da Alberto Giordano ove si descrive l’influenza di Guarneri del Gesù sui liutai europei del diciannovesimo e ventesimo secolo.

Dynamic CD + Book + Poster Una collezione di registrazioni storiche con il famoso violino di Antonio Stradivari del 1702 suonato dai più importanti proprietari: David Oistrakh (1961), Riccardo Brengola (1982), Franco Gulli (1985) e Mariana Sirbu (2002).Libro a cura di Danilo Prefumo e Alberto GiordanoPoster del violino con misure a cura di Alberto Giordano […]

Carlo Nardi – CremonaBooks editore Ristampa anastatica di un’intervista che l’Avvocato Carlo Nardi, apassionato cultore Di liuteria, fece a Cesare Candi nel 1947, alcuni mesi prima della scomparsa del liutaio. Con un’introduzione di Alberto Giordano che descrive la personalità di Cesare Candi. Testi in italiano e inglese.

Il violino di Paganini: la storia, il suono e la documentazione fotografica Dynamic (1 CD + Book) Salvatore Accardo suona una selezione di brani sul violino di Paganini; Edward Neill e Alberto Giordano firmano note e commenti sulla vita del grande violinista e sul suo strumento. All’interno foto, ritratti, documenti e un poster con le […]