Carlo Bergonzi (violin maker)

Carlo (I.) Bergonzi (baptized December 21, 1683 in Cremona ; † February 9, 1747 there ) was an Italian violin maker .

Double bass attributed to Carlo Bergonzi

Live and act

Little is known about Bergonzi's youth and apprenticeship. For a long time he was considered a student of Hieronymus (II.) Amati , but an apprenticeship or journeyman time with Antonio Stradivari was also accepted, for example by the Hills in 1902. However, they revoked their view in their Guarneri book from 1931 and ordered Bergonzi now Giuseppe Giovanni Guarneri 'filius Andreae' as a teacher. Vincenzo Rugeri mentions recent literature as a teacher; early works by Bergonzi have clear similarities with one of his violins from 1710 to 1715, such as the “Thibaud” (around 1715–1725). The care and elegance of his early work point in the direction of Stradivarius, and later also of Guarneri del Gesù. From the late 1720s a certain collaboration with Stradivari begins.

His works are rare, differently signed and possibly “relabeled” early on. A total of 47 violins, 1 viola and 2 cellos are currently attributed to him. The first signed instruments date from around 1720; the period from around 1730 to 1740 is considered to be his best. Afterwards his sons Michele Angelo and Zosimo worked with them. His violins mostly have one-piece, wonderfully flamed backs made of high-quality maple, mostly smaller formats (body length up to approx. 35.3 cm), but large string length and scale (body thickness often approx. 197-198 mm, mainly due to the shape and position of the ff holes). In 1746 Bergonzi took over the house and workshop of Stradivari with some unfinished instruments.

Along with Antonio Stradivari , Nicola Amati and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, Carlo Bergonzi belongs to the top class of historical Italian violin making. This is also reflected in the financial appreciation of his instruments, for which the highest amounts are achieved at auctions. They are largely in private collections. Several were played by famous violinists, such as the "Kreisler" from around 1733–1735 (Fritz Kreisler and Itzhak Perlman), the "Salabue" from 1733 (Johanna Martzy) and the "D'Aranyi, Fachiri" from 1733 (Jelly d 'Aranyi).

Other violin makers in the family were:

• Michele Angelo (* approx. 1722; † 1758 Cremona), son and pupil of Carlo I.
• Zosimo (* approx. 1725; † after 1777), son and probably pupil of Carlo I.
• Nicola (* after 1746; † after 1796) son and student of Michele Angelo
• Carlo II (* 1757; † 1838 Cremona), son of Zosimo

swell

• Lütgendorff, Willibald Leo Frh. V .: The violin and lute makers from the Middle Ages to the present day, supplementary volume by Thomas Drescher. Tutzing, 1990
• Stefan Drees (Ed.), Lexicon of the Violin . Laaber, 2003
• Albert Fuchs, estimate of string instruments . 15th edition, Leipzig, 2003
• William Henry Hill, Arthur F. Hill, Alfred Ebsworth Hill, The Violin-Makers of the Guarneri Family . London, 1931
• Fondazione Antonio Stradivari Cremona - La Triennale, Consorzio Liutai Antonio Stradivari Cremona, a cura di Christopher Reuning (Ed.): Carlo Bergonzi, Alla scoperta di un grande Maestro . Cremona, 2010