DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT LINE

A selection of correspondence from 1937, the first year of Bisiach’s business relationship with Larsson Inset A 1928 photo of Carlo Bisiach

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY GENNADY FILIMONOV

‘The Bisiach family have worldwide fame as violin makers and are foremost in Italy… Isaac Stern S[an] F[rancisco] solo artist comments on Carlo Bisiach: “The finest new violins I have ever tried and I have played between 30 and 40 modern makers.”’ These words appear in a letter of October 1939, written by Leo D. Larsson, who two years previously had become Carlo Bisiach’s representative in California. Although their partnership lasted just eight years, from 1937 to 1945, their correspondence provides a wealth of detail about Bisiach’s family history, his craft, his vast client base and the global conditions that he and fellow makers were dealing with at.the time. I have recently been able to examine a huge collection of Bisiach’s letters, courtesy of master violin maker David Gusset, which have broadened my understanding and perception of the Bisiach dynasty and of Carlo himself - considered by many the most accomplished of the Bisiach family.

Leo (Leander) David Larsson (1907-85) was a violinist, photographer, electrician, and an avid collector and dealer of stringed instruments and bows. He began representing the Bolognese maker Gaetano Pollastri in 1932, at the height of the Depression which was deeply felt both in Europe and America. He also promoted the work of Primo Contavalli. It was on Pollastri’s recommendation that Carlo Bisiach initially connected with Larsson although, according to his 1937-38 letters, he had already established a broad client base and had orders from England, India and the Americas. He had even had a request for representation from the Continental Music Company in Chicago. ‘I must let you know that my .rm is already well known and appreciated in North & South America and you will .nd no di.culty to sell my violins,’ he told Larsson in one of the early letters. ‘P.S. In my studio, I have a great many violins, violas and cellos of very good quality and any model according to your desire.’ Both Bisiach and Larsson used translators to write the majority of their letters, which they then signed. .ere are a few letters in Italian, which Larsson had translated. (Bisiach’s translator did not always succeed in writing perfect English, and the letters in this article are quoted ‘as is’.)

Their partnership was con.rmed in a letter of 22 March 1937: ‘Dear Mr. Leo D. Larsson, I agree to appoint you exclusive representative of my instruments for the State of California, U.S.A. With best wishes, Yours truly, Carlo Bisiach.’

Like his father Leandro, Carlo considered himself a custodian of an art form that could be traced back to the.great masters of Cremona, as he articulated in a letter a few months after the agreement: [Y]ou wanted to know something about me and with pleasure I.will make a brief description of my family. My father Leandro, who has left the business because of his advanced age, was a pupil of Riccardo Antoniazzi of Cremona, son of Gaetano who was a pupil of Enrico Ceruti son of Giuseppe also a violin maker and pupil of Giovanni Battista Ceruti of Cremona, student of Lorenzo Storioni, who carried on the traditions of Antonio Stradivari… I am a pupil of my father and I have worked for many years [1906-14] abroad in France [with Sartory], Holland [with Van der Meer] and Germany… We Bisiachs are the only possessors of the ancient documents of Antonio Stradivari with designs, thicknesses, varnish and descriptions of the building of the autographed violin of the same Stradivari. We are the only Grand-Prix of Italy and we possess many testimonials of master concert performers. I am also a musician - a violoncellist and I have taken part in orchestras and solo concerts - for which reason all my instruments, violins, violas and cellos of my construction have no faults of construction or as of registry: and with each violin I.will send you a regular certi.cate of authenticity and guarantee as you have requested: I am sure that I shall be able to count you among my many admirers and a friend. (16 August 1937)

Bisiach’s pride in upholding the Cremonese traditions is also evidenced by his business cards, which refer to ‘della Scuola Cremonese’ and ‘Studio speciale di liuteria classica’.

His partnership with Larsson coincided with one of the most momentous events in violin making for years: the Cremona celebrations marking the bicentenary of Stradivari’s death. Bisiach, then aged 45, was a key participant in these festivities, as he told Larsson in a letter of 16 August: ‘.e celebrations of Stradivari bicentennial have had great success. I have been one of the orators (discussing violin construction and the in uence of varnish on the sound) in the International Congress of Liuteria (violin making) and received full applause from all present.’ He also sent a copy of an article from the newspaper Il Giornale Italiano (30 April) in which he was asked for his thoughts on the qualities of a good luthier: ‘these… range from the search for wood, to the achievement of good acoustics, conceived of as breadth, readiness [immediacy of response] and softness of sound; to the shape of the instrument and to the varnish which, as is well known, has an in uence not only on the aesthetic but above all on tone quality.’

Bisiach’s letter confirming Larsson as his representative in California

Bisiach’s business card, declaring himself a follower ‘della Scuola Cremonese

Cover of the Programme for the Stradivari bicentenary festival in 1937

Back and side of a 1938 violin by Carlo Bisiach

COURTESY GENNADY FILIMONOV

‘I DON’T THINKIKNOW OF A MODERN VARNISH TIIAT COMES UP TO [CARLO’S], INCLUDING HIS FATHER’S’ - REMBERT WURLITZER

Bisiach was a master when it came to varnish and its application: ‘the preparation of varnish is only part of the process. . e true art is in knowing how to apply it. I never pumice or rub down my varnish,’ he told Larsson. Also, ‘a violin, no matter how choice the wood, or how well constructed, would not satisfy tonally if the varnish were not of good quality.’ On 4 March 1939 he claimed: ‘. e varnish is from the authentic recipe of Stradivarius.’ In fact he used three recipes at various times, which could be traced back to the 18th century: ‘Ceruti’, ‘Strad 1704’, and ‘Strad 1715’. The recipes were (allegedly) among the papers and documents Leandro Bisiach had acquired from Giacomo Stradivari’s widow Fanny Rossi in 1929.

Carlo’s varnish varies from golden brown to reddish over a golden ground. It is usually rather supple and soft. To give the impression of an antique instrument, he would often remove varnish from the centre of the back as well as from the edges of the top plate (the method also employed by Vuillaume). Carlo was against using abrasives in polishing, as they would a. ect the transparency of the varnish, and thus did not use commercial preparations that contained alcohol/turpentine or wax in a solution of linseed oil. For cleaning and polishing he developed his own recipe, which those who knew him called ‘salad dressing’: a mixture of pure olive oil and fresh, well-shaken lemon juice, applied sparingly with a cotton ball. ‘For spot cleaning, I would suggest cotton-wool lightly impregnated in olive oil, and dipped in the very ¡ nest pumice powder, very lightly applied by rubbing the spots - then well dried,’ he told Larsson.

US dealer Rembert Wurlitzer, who met Bisiach in Florence in 1925, told his family: ‘I don’t think I know of a modern varnish that comes up to it, including his father’s. I do know this much, that he uses an underground or preparation on the wood, that he puts his varnish in the sun and only after several hot dry days in summer and holds the violin in the sun while doing so and after each coat he passes the violin lightly over a ame to unite it and ¡ x the colors, he says. It does not dry too quickly to put on carefully, but it does dry in a few minutes, which is very remarkable for such a tender varnish. He completely varnished the violin in less than a day… If you think we could sell his violins don’t forget to write him, because he can’t varnish successfully in the winter.’ However, elsewhere in his letters, Bisiach states that completed instruments in the white took time to season: he would expose them to sun and dry air for three or more years, only then judging them ready for varnishing.

Bisiach charged Larsson $130 (2,500 lira) for a violin, and.20 per cent more ($156) for a viola. According to Larsson’s letters, these would retail for $300 in San Francisco, and ‘by the time they reach Wurlitzer shop, they are $650-$850’ (a hefty sum back then). Several players in the San Francisco area bought Bisiachs: Julius Haug, the San Francisco Symphony’s principal second violin; its principal viola Nathan Firestone; and violinists Adele Marsh and Edward Gangale. On.30 May 1937 Bisiach writes that he is ‘happy that you [Larsson] have succeeded in explaining to the North American public the value of the modern Italian Lutherie.’

Going through the Bisiach-Larsson correspondence reveals a.great deal about the business in the late 1930s and early 1940s, as well as Bisiach’s personal circumstances. One letter concerns a.viola for a client named Albert Puccinelli:

I wrote to you from Poggibonsi, Italy as at that time I.could .nd no one to write in English - I hope in any case, that you were able to understand the contents of my letter. I am sorry for the delay in sending the viola but you will have certainly understood that it was caused by recent death in my family (my.father-inlaw). ¢e instrument (viola for Sig. Puccinelli) was sent today (parcel post, registered for £1000 (It. Lira) and.hope that it will arrive in good condition and to your satisfaction. In.the case of the viola, you will .nd a bridge and some sound posts. In another letter, I will send you a certi.cate of authenticity and the receipt…Again asking you to excuse the involuntary delay. I.remain faithfully yours, Carlo Bisiach. (7.September 1938)

Unfortunately, the instrument arrived with some damage to the.varnish. At this time California was experiencing a lot of wildfires and heatwaves. As Carlo explains, this may have been the reason for the damage:

SIENA YEARS

New evidence about violin maker Igino Sderci and the Bisiach family has recently been unearthed

Bisiach villa in Venegono Superiore c. 1921. Standing (left to right): Leandro Jr., Carlo, Andrea and Giacomo. Sitting: Leandro Sr. and Igino Sderci.

COURTESY GIANNI BISIACH

Much has been written about Igino Sderci’s time with the Bisiachs, but information about their years in Siena has been misleading. With most of his assistants and two sons away at the war, Leandro Bisiach Sr closed his Milan studio in 1916 and moved to the safer and beautiful medieval city of Siena, at the invitation of Count Chigi Saracini, where he worked on restoring and building up the Count’s collection.

In 1917 Sderci was introduced through his brother Don Fortunato and the Count to Leandro Bisiach. To Sderci’s good fortune, he did not serve in the First World War owing to circulatory problems in his legs, a lifelong condition. Sderci had worked as a carver making richly decorated furniture, and then in a factory making ladies’ shoes, even designing some with removable heels. Recognising his innate talent and needing an assistant, Sderci was taken on by Leandro. At the end of the war, when Carlo Bisiach joined his family in Siena, Igino was put under Carlo’s guidance for training. Sderci excelled quickly as he was passionate about violin making.

The commonly held view is that Sderci spent several years working at Leandro’s shop in Milan before striking out on his own in Florence. However, newly found archival evidence from Milan and Siena, as well as from the De Paolis/Bisiach family, shows he worked with the Bisiachs mainly in Siena; in fact the only recorded time he visited Milan was in 1921, for the wedding of Bisiach’s daughter Amina to the noted cellist Lorenzo de Paolis. This took place at their villa in Venegono Superiore, near Milan. This is supported by several important letters and postcards written by Leandro Bisiach to Count Chigi, which show that Leandro was very busy travelling around Italy in 1918 and 1919 seeking and acquiring instruments for the Count’s collection, while his sons and Sderci worked on said collection in Siena (not Milan). Documents in Siena and Florence have revealed that Sderci immigrated to Florence on 14 August 1926. Hence the earliest labelled violin by Sderci: ‘fece in Siena l’Anno 1924’.

After leaving Leandro’s shop, Sderci continued making instruments for the Bisiachs in the white. At Carlo’s death in 1968, many remained in his workshop still unvarnished - some of which were made by Sderci. However, years later, an allegation sprang up that Sderci had made all Carlo’s instruments, and that Carlo had merely varnished them - a notion that was strongly refuted by fellow maker Alberto F. Moglie in 1979: ‘That is a lie! Their work is completely different in so many characteristics. Carlo’s work is all his own and only his own. He was a supreme artist and a fastidious worker.’ He also stated that Sderci never learnt all the Bisiach secrets, notably the recipe and application of the varnish.

[W]hen I shipped the instrument, I felt that the varnish was dry enough to resist the trip, but unfortunately at that time the Italian newspapers spoke of the excessive tropical heat that raged across America, burning forests and crops aecting the population, therefore the cause must be considered to the latter hypothesis and not in the freshness of the varnish and not even in the packaging, especially since you have written to me that Pollastri violins always come to you with cracked and altered varnish… After the death of my dear relative… I wish I could abandon doing repairs and trade of antique violins and devote myself only to making new violins and to complete those already built which keep hanging in my laboratory. For this I need only my foreign representatives to whom I can send my production without dealing with private individuals. (17 January 1939)

Many distinguished artists also owned Carlo Bisiach instruments including Louis Kaufman, who had purchased two, including a Guadagnini model; Franz von Vecsey (a copy of his Stradivari); David Mannes, concertmaster of the New York Symphony and founder of Mannes School of Music; the New York violinist and conductor Frederick Dvonch; and the violinist and educator Harvey S. Whistler, author of Introducing the Positions, who bought a Rugeri model. Bisiach wrote on 8.July 1938: ‘On account of Mr. Harvey Whistler…he has asked if I can make a copy of his Ruggieri violin and for the price in consideration of his high position in musique I have asked the minimum.’

By 1938, in fact, Bisiach’s business was apparently booming, and when Larsson asked him if he might reduce his prices, he was in a position to say no: ‘I send continually violins to India - America too - now I must answer to other requests from Bronx, NY and one from Selma (Fresno county), California… For the moment I cannot reduce my violin prices. I have so many requests and the di¡culties to work alone. I am waiting a.detailed reply.’ (April 1938)

In a letter dated 15 May 1939, Bisiach talks about his son Guido, who at that time was working with him as an apprentice:

Dear sir, I have received your letter of April 24th and the photographs for which I thank you and I am very glad that you appreciated those which I sent you. The apprentice whom you remarked in the photo is my 15 year old son (Guido), who in his spare time from scientific studies, helps me with my work… I.understand what you require for chinrests but am uncertain as to what exactly is the wood required (box-wood). Could you please perhaps send me a clear photo of a chinrest…With best wishes, yours cordially Carlo Bisiach’.

Clearly by 1939 Larsson and Bisiach were on friendly terms, and it seems that Larsson was also requesting recommendations for older and antique instruments:

The Strad also carried advertisements for Carlo Bisiach’s violins in 1923, courtesy of his London agent G. Bellesi

BISIACH PHOTO COURTESY GIANNI BISIACH

Referring to your desire for information as to antique instruments and modern, at the moment I could propose the following excellent violins in perfect state of preservation; Violin by Rocca Enrico fu Giuseppe, fecit in Genova anno Domini 1910, yellow-orange varnish, back entire, large vaining (wide grain), 2500.Lire: Violin by Erba Paolo, fece in Mariano Comense anno 1908, fine yellow-gold varnish, good veining (grain), two piece back: 1800. Lire: Violin by Leandro Bisiach da Milano fece l’anno 1900, a fine example of Guarneri Del Gesu at 3000. Lire: Violin Antoniazzi Romeo Cremonese fece a.Cremona l’anno 1907 at 2500. Lire - Antoniazzi Riccardo at.2500.lire. All these instruments guaranteed authentic.’ (24.March 1939)

The letter also included a note about shipping a cello to one W.E. Bates of San Francisco: ‘This gentleman wishes to know the price of the cello, cost of sending, packing and customs. To.you I would charge 5000. Lire, packing 80. Lire, postal charges about 300. Lire (perhaps a little less) as to the customs you are better informed than I.’

By early 1940, Bisiach’s dealings with Larsson had become more complicated: in a letter of 23 January he says that conditions were worsening in Europe and ‘the Jewish boycotting of Italian and German goods (in America) contributes to render the crisis even more acute’. ¥e most compelling testament regarding the ravages of war comes from one of his last letters to Larsson, dated 25 June 1945. First, Guido writes in English: ‘My dear sir, Your thoughts for us have been very fine and we thank you very much…We’ve lost a.lot of things by the passage of war, except the antiquities [and] the collection of antique instruments, which were well hidden’. Then Carlo continues the letter in Italian:

My dear and gentle Signor Larsson, I want to thank you ever so.much for the gentle thoughts you have had for me and my family right after the terrible passage of war, one of the most terrible this world has known. By some good fortune we are whole and healthy in spite of the furious fighting that has passed through our home and country, ruining and destroying, having to live in hiding for many days, in tunnels dug in the dirt. Now the war is over, thanks to the presence of the great America which I assure myself can always rule in the future, giving the whole world her magnificent rules of liberty and of real justice, eliminating for good the phantom of war that has always oppressed the whole population… Owing to the protracted length of the war, our currency here has much depreciated and obviously the normal value for my instruments must be considered ten times higher than before.

Left - right Carlo Bisiach, his wife Daria, and son Guido in 1948

Carlo Bisiach sent Larsson this drawing of himself, made by Benvenuto Desorti, in 1937

Many of Bisiach’s tools, equipment and moulds are still in the care of his family

MOULD PHOTO COURTESY GIANNI BISIACH / BISIACH FAMILY

Towards the end of the letter, it is evident that Carlo Bisiach was considering moving to San Francisco:

My son, who in order not to serve the Nazi Fascists, has been hiding in the woods of our region & was in constant danger of being taken by the Germans, and managed to escape twice. He has devoted himself to the study of the English language, knowing my deepest desire to go permanently to America and especially to California, where I know that the climate is very good. I would like to know the approximate cost of living in San Francisco, the development of business, whether there are luthiers or not. Claudius told me that there was only one old German luthier, in short I would be grateful if you could give exact calculations for my eventual decision, as soon as possible, to go to San Francisco where you can always be my friend and collaborator. I have a good number of instruments ready and some to be finished in addition to the antique ones. Excuse me for everything I ask of you and waiting for your welcome response. I .ank you and greet you very warmly. Carlo Bisiach.

Larsson replied on 18 August 1945: ‘My Dear Sig. Carlo, You and your son’s letters brought me great joy. To know you and your family were safe after the fearful days Italy has known brings forth a prayer of thanks… I will write again soon giving full particulars of business conditions here. Wishing you the best of luck. I am going to try to send a small package containing soap and co.ee essence to give you and your family a little cheer. Yours truly, Leo D. Larsson.’

Sadly Bisiach’s dream of coming to America was never realised, and the war brought his collaboration with Larsson to a close. Bisiach continued working and developing his global network of clients up to the 1960s; in the end this included customers in Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, the UK, India, Nigeria and Kenya. In June 1967 he was invited to Cremona as a guest of honour to exhibit his violins. Unfortunately, he decided not to make the trip due to failing health and on the advice of his physician. As a result he was represented by his instruments alone at the Cremona Exhibition of 1967.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, Bisiach did not develop a personal model. He revered the classical masters of the 17th and 18th centuries and was content in loosely copying the early Amatisé Stradivari models and those of Andrea Guarneri, Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, G.B. Guadagnini, Gennaro Gagliano, Pietro Guarneri of Mantua, Camillo Camilli, Tommaso Balestrieri, Gabrielli and Santo Serafin. One of the most interesting models he used for viola was a 1776 Francesco Mantegazza, which he sold to Larsson. Bisiach died in Florence on 23 April 1968, leaving behind around a hundred violins, a few cellos and a handful of violas.

Special thanks to the Bisiach and De Paolis families, David Gusset, Marianne Wurlitzer-Bruck, Alberto Giordano,Philip Kass, EricBlot, Stewart Pollens, Mariarosa Pollastri, Archivio di Stato di Milano/Siena/Firenze & Fondazione Accademia Musicale Chigiana.