My Violin

Short Notes on the Guarnerius

The city of Cremona, Italy, in the XVI, XVII and XVIII centuries was the birthplace of remarkable luthier families, as the Amatis, Guarnerius, Stradivarius and Ruggeris, among others. These families have projected the city through all Europe as the first and major centre of violin making.

In the circumstance, and due to space constraints, herebelow is the resumed story of the Guarnerius family and other relevant facts.

Andrea (1626-1698), the first luthier in the family, was fellow apprentice at Nicolau Amati workshop, as proven by one of his labels:

“Andrea Guarnerius alumnus Nicolau Amati fecit Cremonae sub titulo Sanctae Terefiae 16..”.

Two of his sons continued his tradition in violin making.
Peter (1655-1720), besides being his father’s disciple, also studied

violin and viola. During the eighties he leaves Cremona and settles in Mantua. He collaborates as instrumentist in the city orchestra while maintaining the construction of violins – recognised as the most exquisite of the family. He remains in violin making history as Pietro of Mantua.

The other sun, Joseph (1666-1739), was an apprentice at Guarnerius House which he led after his father’s death.

The tradition was continued by two of his six sons.

The second Peter (1695-1761), by 1724 leaves Cremona towards Venice, where the musical environment was of high prestige, in direct competition with those of Rome and Florence. His work presented some distinct originality from his predecessors and the influence of the Venetian violin-making school. As a curiosity, this luthier became related to the city, known as Pietro of Venice, as it happened with his uncle.

Joseph (1698-1744) stays in Guarnerius house as his father’s apprentice and assistant till about 1722, when he creates his own workshop in the city of Cremona, starting a creative and innovative work, deviating from the family school. The outline, the bowing and thickness of the plates, the shape and dimensions of the F holes and the variable sculpture of the scrolls are the unique features of his violins, besides its acoustic qualities. His work’s refinem

ent did not reach other family members’.

It is not by chance that a French amateur violinist and businessman offered a violin made by Joseph Guarnerius (II) in 1743 to Nicolau Paganini (1782-1840). "Il Cannone violino", named so due to the matchless projection of sound, remained Paganini’s favourite instrument for the rest of his life. He donated it to his hometown, Genoa, and there it is being preserved and displayed in a beautiful cabinet at Palazzo Tursi, the Genoa City Hall, as I had the opportunity to see in 1999.

Though labels do not authenticate any instrument qualities, it is interesting to note a few curiosities.

As earlier mentioned, Andrea has printed “sub titulo Sanctae Terefie” in his labels. The reference to Saint Theresa probably reveals the luthier certain religious devotion.

His sons also printed the name of Saint Theresa in their labels, along with the family affiliation “filius Andrea”.

However, the grandson Joseph does not include any of these references and prints a cross with the initials JHS “Jesus Hominum Salvator” – religious symbol of the Christian Empire.

It is possible that Joseph printed this monogram because he imagined Jesus to be beside him when he was making his violins. Other theory indicates that Joseph was a student at a Jesuit Order School which used the symbol JHS.

Notwithstanding these certainties, or doubts, the fact is that this talented luthier became known in History as “Guarnerius del Gesu” or simply “del Gesu”.

In 1994, twenty five “del Gesu” violins by are displayed in New York, at the Metropolitan Museum. The “Cannon” was among them.

In the scope of this exhibition, 250 years after his death, two volumes of the exquisite book “Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu” have been published. The first volume presents several and marvellous photographs of these violins, in their natural size, along with their respective history, while the second volume tells the luthier biography. The book also presents various and remarkable subjects as the sizes and thicknesses of the plates, the details of the F holes and the scrolls, the border outlines and bowings. There may be found also, as Annex, a “List of Subscribers” of various countries. From Portugal only my name – Joaquim Capela – is mentioned but it should read Joaquim Domingos Capela, in order to avoid any eventual confusion.

With these violins, several works of renowned composers have been recorded by the great violinist Elmar Oliveira, the first American to win the Gold Medal (First Prize) at Moscow's prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition, in 1978. He was born in 28th June 1950, in Waterbury, Connecticut, son of Portuguese immigrants from Murtosa, Aveiro.

Violin making

In the year 2000, I made my violin number 9, which tries to be a copy of the “Cannon”. In order to accomplish this, I used photographic and geometric data, available in the two volumes of the book above mentioned.

The top plate, in Alpine pinewood, composed by two pieces, features growing ribs (wood or fibre) narrowed in the centre, enlarging to the outside. The F holes, long and point shaped, accurately cut, are one of the most unique characteristics of “del Gesu” violins. The bass bar, fixed by the rule of one seventh, 12,5mm high and 5mm thick.

The bottom is made of maple, with the bout symmetrically close to the original shape but in the descendent way. The top and back plates are outlined and bowed as the original but the thicknesses are partially deviated, in order to have a semitone tuning interval between them, achieving D# and E, respectively. The weights are 70 and 120 grammas.

The ribs, shaped in external mould, are made of bended maple symmetrically placed. These are connected with corner blocks and lining strips in Alpine pinewood, the whole set weighing 54 grammas.

The scrolls’ geometry of “del Gesu” violins are variable and the finishing is irregular. The “Cannon” scroll looks densely massive, contrasting with others frontally thin. It will not be exaggerated to recall here an analogy to an old saying “each violin its head”.

The base formula for the varnish, applied with a brush, was alcohol and resin, such as sandarac, mastic in drops, lacquer gum without wax, elemi gum, turpentine essence, lavender essence, beaver oil, etc. The colour, light brown, was achieved by adding dyes such as rhatany extract, gamboges, santal and aloes.

The assembly of the bridge, sound post, pegs, strings and tailpiece was ruled by the principles established for the modern violin though the luthier also inserted some corrections of his own.

The violin acoustic standards, namely, power, projection, similarity between strings, timbre features and playability are the top concerns for the sound the instrumentists pursue. And they are the real judges. In my case, the judge for my violin will be Gaspar Fonseca dos Santos, to whom the violin was made.

Joaquim Domingos Capela

December 2007

São Fêlix da Marinha – V. N. de Gaia – Portugal