Instrument Article Archives

Francois Xavier Tourte (1747-1835) is widely regarded as having created the greatest violin, viola, and cello bows of all time in his Paris workshop. Tourte is traditionally credited with establishing the standard weights, dimensions, and basic design that still endure today for the modern bow.

The first violin was probably born in one of two towns in northern Italy, either Brescia or Cremona. Giovanni Battista Rogeri was the only important luthier of the 17th and 18th centuries to work in both.

In Part Two, we explore how the work of Giovanni Battista Rogeri (1642 – c. 1710), the only luthier of significance to work in both Brescia and Cremona, demonstrates a fusion of styles from both cities.

Vittorio Bellarosa (1907-1978) was the last of an unbroken Neapolitan tradition of violin making that had begun in the 17th century with Alessandro Gagliano (1665-1732). He was a prolific maker whose work is nearly exclusively devoted to Gagliano-inspired violins.

David Tecchler is widely regarded as the most important maker of the Roman school of instrument making. German by birth, Tecchler emigrated to Rome at the end of the 17th century and ran a highly successful business there for roughly 50 years.

Alfredo Contino (1890-c.1963) was a minor master of violin making, but a master nonetheless. He was a member of the last generation of makers in a centuries-old Neapolitan tradition.

The Gagliano family plays a significant role in the history of violin making. But it is impossible to discuss the prominence of the Gagliano family without an awareness of the importance of music in 18th century Neapolitan life.

Antonio Stradivari, deservedly the most famous violin maker of them all, was born in 1644 and worked in Cremona, Italy. By 1690 he had become the dominant force in bowed string instrument building in Europe.