The “Cannone” Historical Edition

When Paganini was on the scenes the way of playing the violin and the way violin players used to hold the violin were different from the modern kind.
From the documents and letters left by Paganini and from some evidencies on the Cannone violin we are sure that he never used the chinrest nor any metal string; Paganini’s fingerboard was shorter, bridge was smaller and thinner, strings were made of plain gut a part from the G string that was wrapped with metal wound.
In this sense the finding of the original fittings used by Niccolò Paganini allow us today to better understand many hidden aspects of his playing technique.
This particoular copy of the Cannone reflects Alberto Giordano’s long time experience in managing the violin of Paganini and it is based on researches and studies undertaken for the “Historical Recover”.
This violin is made using the ancient cremonese making technique as written by Roger Hargrave and John Dilworth in the book published by P.Biddulph.
Giordano’s intention is to reproduce the Cannone as it was more than as it is: in spite of merely reproducing the antiqued image of the violin, he looks more for the real ‘engine’ of the violin of Paganini: archings and thicknesses are precisely reproduced as well as the nailed-to-the-block neck and more generally all those particoular stylistic and proportional features that make the Cannone such a fascinating violin.
As regards the fittings, Giordano’s copy shows extremely precise reproductions of the fingerboard, the bridge and even the gut strings used by Niccolò Paganini.