Traditional violin making in Cremona

Traditional violin making in Cremona
Intangible cultural heritage
Violin maker workshop in Cremona
State (s):	Italy
List:	Representative list
Number:	00719
Admission:	2012

The traditional art of violin making in Cremona ( Italian : Saperi e saper fare liutario della tradizione cremonese ) is a historical craft from Cremona , Italy , with which string instruments such as violins , violas , cellos and double basses have been made since the 16th century . The art of violin making in Cremona was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO during the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee in Paris in 2012 .

background

String instruments can be made in various ways, but Cremona's violin makers developed a technique that is unique in the world.

All instruments are made by hand from more than 70 wooden parts. In order to optimize the sound, each part of a violin requires a different manufacturing technique that has been developed over a very long time. For this reason it is impossible to make two identical instruments. Each part of the instrument must be made from a specific, carefully selected wood, which is then naturally dried so that the production cannot be accelerated.

To make a traditional Cremona violin, it is not allowed to use any industrially prefabricated parts; In addition, painting with a spray gun is not permitted. Many parts of the musical instruments only look like decorations, but in reality they all have a function: They absorb forces and serve for better resonance and / or to prevent cracking - these are the two characteristics of these violins.

The construction of a violin is completely supervised by a single violin maker - from the tree to the finished instrument. For this reason, a Cremonese violin maker only makes around three to six instruments per year.

Building a violin requires extensive knowledge of the natural materials and techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation through words, working methods and habits since the 16th century. Cremonese violin making was first known through the Amati family and then further perfected by the Stradivari , Guarneri and Bergonzi families .

The two most traditional companies today are Consorzio Liutai Stradivari and Associazione Liutaria Italiana .

present

In the area of ​​Cremona there are currently (2016) more than 140 violin makers, around 90 Italians and around 50 violin makers from other countries. The “International School of Violin Makers of Cremona” ( Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria di Cremona ) was founded on September 12, 1938.

After recognition by UNESCO, the new Museo del violino (Violin Museum) was opened in 2013 at the Palazzo dell'Arte in Cremona. The museum is equipped with an auditorium where performances with old and new instruments from Cremona take place.

gallery

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  Painting a violin

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  Stradivari's violoncello

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  Double bass attributed to Carlo Bergonzi

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  Violin Museum, interior

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  Auditorium of the Violin Museum

Web links

Commons : Category: Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• The traditional art of violin making in Cremona on the website of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section of UNESCO ( English and French ).
• Museo del violino ( it en ) Retrieved May 9, 2018.
• Consorzio Liutai Stradivari ( it ) Retrieved May 9, 2018.
• Associazione Liutaria Italiana ( it ). Retrieved May 9, 2018.
• Cremona International Violin Making School ( it ). Retrieved May 9, 2018.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Traditional violin craftsmanship in Cremona ( en fr es )
2. ^ Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 7.COM 11.18 .
3. ↑ La liuteria di Cremona iscritta nella Lista UNESCO del Patrimonio Immateriale ( it ) Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2018. 
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Nomination file no.00719 . 2012.
5. ^ Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria . Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 8, 2018. 
6. ^ Museo del violino .