SCROLL HISTORY 2

During the 1500’s, silk, spices, and traditional musical instruments came through Venice into Europe along established trade routes, particularly, as you will see, had a particular impact in Cremona, Italy.

At first, street musicians played them for public entertainment, and later, they used these instruments to entertain Royalty. In 1626, the King of France, Louis XIII, ordered Amati to build 24 violins for royal use. At that time, a messenger probably delivered the order written on a scroll that was closed with the King’s Royal Seal.  In England, Charles II followed the French example around 1660.

During the Renaissance (late 14th-16th centuries), the success of violins and the demand for them, as well as for the lower-pitched, bowed-string, instruments, to accompany popular songs of the day, inspired skilled European artisans to perfect the art of violin making. These skilled craftsmen are called luthiers (pronounced loo-tee-er, with a French accent!).

The Amati family passed on their skills, and several of their skilled apprentices became master violin makers. One of them, Gasparo da Salò, was a famous bass player who is credited with building some of the finest instruments of the day.

Cremona, Italy, was known for being the home of the most respected string instrument experts and luthiers.  The most notable include the Guarneri and the Stradivari families. Their most beautiful instruments gained individual names and reputations. For example, Anne-Sophie Mutter’s Stradivarius violin, built in 1703, is known as the Emiliani, after the famous Italian violinist, Cesare Emiliani (b.1805; d.1887), who once owned it and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Stradivari craftsmanship.

The expertise needed to carve intricate scrolls, as well as to build the entire instrument, became part of the luthier’s personal quest for artistic excellence!

From generation to generation, the family of stringed instruments and the many respected luthier families who furthered the mastery of instrument building truly flourished.  Many Baroque Era composers wrote for every member of the string- instrument family, which increased the need for more skilled luthiers.