THE PROMISED LAND

At the end of the 19th century, the many waves of immigration to Argentina meant fertile ground for luthiers – particularly from Italy. Lionnel Genovart profiles some of the best-known names in the country’s violin making history

A 1900 map of Argentina, the eighth largest country in the world

Unlike many countries, the story of violin making in Argentina begins relatively late in the country’s history. Before the 1880s there were very few, if any, luthiers there at all; however, in just a few decades the city of Buenos Aires came to house a number of very skilled and prolific instrument makers, most of them Italian. At that time, Italy was in the midst of its unification wars while much of Europe was suffering from hunger and increasingly acute economic problems. Hence, many professionals began considering the prospect of making a new life for themselves in the Americas. So in 1876 the Argentine government, led by Nicolás Avellaneda, decided to launch a new migration policy to help Europeans settle in Argentina.

There were several reasons why immigrants chose to make their home in Argentina as opposed to, say, the US. First, the country initially had a low population and a labour shortage, requiring an influx of skilled professionals. According to the first national census in 1869, Argentina’s population numbered only 1.87 million in a country where just the province of Buenos Aires occupied the same area as Spain. Furthermore, at that time in Europe, instrument making factories were growing. Primarily in Germany, France and Czechoslovakia, luthiers began to suffer from a shortage of work, owing to the difficulty of competing with serial manufacturing plants in terms of time and costs. This led them to search for new opportunities elsewhere.

In Buenos Aires there were already established orchestras and the market for instrument building and repair was growing. Around 1810 the government promoted the opening of music training centres, such as Víctor Prada’s Academy in 1819; in 1822, the musicians Juan Pedro Esnaola and José Antonio Picasarri inaugurated the School of Music and Singing. In addition, local musicians were becoming more proficient: Verdi’s operas La traviata (1853) and Il trovatore (1855) debuted in Buenos Aires only a year after their European premieres. This motivated the mayor of Buenos Aires to build its first opera house, the Teatro Colón, in 1857, setting a landmark in the city’s musical development. The city also inaugurated its first underground railway, and made large economic profits from agricultural exports, leading to it being called ‘the bread basket of the world’. It was the full-motion economy of a country set to become a large power in an increasingly chaotic world.

One of the first Italian luthiers to come to Argentina was Dante Baldoni (1868–1948). Born in Numana, a village near the central Italian town of Ancona, he was self-taught in the art of violin making. He first began working in instrument repair and went on to construct violins, violas and cellos. Some bows made by him have also survived, though in smaller quantities. He moved to Argentina in around 1900, basing himself in Buenos Aires, and from 1915 he devoted himself exclusively to new making. Baldoni instruments were acquired by well-known violinists who played at the Teatro Colón, such as Franz von Vecsey and Jan Kubelík, whom he met in 1911. Kubelík commissioned from him a violin based on the 1715 ‘Emperor’, ‘Gillott’ Stradivari, a model Baldoni used for the rest of his career, though he made some adjustments to the violinist’s specifications.

Baldoni’s instruments, particularly his later ones, have a warm, powerful sound, full of personality. His work is easily identifiable by looking at the design of his f-holes, heads and edgework. His label is generally placed on the top plate over the upper bout. Its linings are fitted from the top-block, over the corner-blocks. Another notable trait of his violins is the lower ribs made in one piece, and the use of an external mould. In the works of his final period we find higher archings.

Five years older than Baldoni, Luigi Rovatti (1863–1931) was born in the town of Stradella near Piacenza. He began his career as a disciple of the Genoese masters Giuseppe and Enrico Rocca. In 1884 his talent was recognised at the Esposizione Generale Italiana in Turin, where he won a bronze medal. He and his wife Margherita immigrated to Buenos Aires in 1886, where he built and repaired bowed instruments, guitars and mandolins. A prolific luthier, he often worked at remarkable speed.

This Dante Baldoni violin shows his characteristic large, very personal f-holes, and pronounced edgework

ALL INSTRUMENT PHOTOS JULIAN LARRALDE/MARIO PEREDO

VERDI’S LA TR AVIATA AND IL TROVATORE DEBUTED IN BUENOS AIRES ONLY A YEAR AFTER THEIR EUROPEAN PREMIERES

Rovatti’s best-known instrument is probably the cello made in 1910 for Ennio Bolognini. Now part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, it is characterised by having 51 autographs from Bolognini’s famous musician friends inscribed on the top plate.

This violin interior shows the high standard of Luigi Rovatti’s inner workmanship, as well as the marks left by the presses he used to paste the spruce linings

Born in the German city of Dessau, Fritz Hufenreuter (1868–unknown) inherited the tradition of the great Füssen masters. He immigrated to Buenos Aires in 1905 and dedicated himself almost entirely to making near-perfect and musically expressive replicas of historical instruments, for instance by Stradivari, Guadagnini, Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, Gagliano and Gofriller. His expertise with these instruments and his highquality reproductions had a huge impact on lutherie in Argentina, where this kind of work was unusual. His manual dexterity and knowledge of classic models enabled him to use the freehand method, which made for more realistic copies. Hufenreuter returned to Germany around 1933; the place and date of his death are unknown.

Guglielmo Secondo Camillo Mandelli (1873–1956) is also known as ‘Camillo di Calco’ after his birthplace in northern Italy. In fact his labels can bear the names ‘Camillo Mandelli’, ‘Camillo di Calco’ or ‘Camillo Mandelli di Calco’. He was initially a disciple of Leandro Bisiach, and later of the brothers Ricardo and Romeo Antoniazzi, between 1890 and 1895. In 1899 he settled in Buenos Aires and dedicated himself to making violins, violas, and cellos; he also built some piccolo violins and double basses. He was the first luthier to be hired by the Teatro Colón. Even while he was in Argentina, Bisiach continued to sell his instruments in Milan. Mandelli returned to Italy in 1920 and his instruments are currently exhibited in various collections all over the world. A 1929 double bass is part of the collection of the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation in Amsterdam.

THE MOST RENOWNED AND PROLIFIC OF THE MILITELLO BROTHERS, MARIANO BUILT INSTRUMENTS INSPIRED BY THE GREAT MASTERS

Camillo Mandelli selected fine materials for his instruments and utilised oil- and alcohol-based varnishes, generally in red–brown or red–gold shades

Three members of the Militello family had particularly successful careers in Argentina. They were Mariano (1881–1959), Gandolfo (1885–unknown) and Francesco (1891–1987). All three were born in Niscemi in rural Sicily, and were initially self-taught but were later trained by Antonio Sgarbi between 1905 and 1908. That same year, all three immigrated to Argentina aboard the Principe di Udine steamer. Mariano and Francesco entered the country as carpenters, while Gandolfo was listed as a shoemaker.

Each of them worked separately. Francesco established himself in La Plata in 1920, and worked as a luthier and timpanist for the Teatro Argentino. He died in 1987. Gandolfo lived in La Plata for three years but moved to Buenos Aires in 1911. In 1930 he returned to Italy. Mariano also worked for a time in Buenos Aires and La Plata before settling in Rosario, where he died in 1959. The most renowned and prolific of the three brothers, he built instruments inspired by the great masters. His model of choice, however, was by Carlo Bergonzi, which he considered warmer and as having a clear, strong sound, with higher projection and a very expressive timbre. He commonly used alcohol-based varnishes. Some of his instruments were built using local woods such as larch, to try their sound qualities.

Mariano Militello had a very personal model, 359mm long and inspired by Bergonzi, which is very powerful and brilliant. His usual varnish was alcohol-based.

This Lucien L’Humbert violin is inspired by an instrument by Collin-Mezin on a Guarneri model. It also has alcohol-based varnish.

Mariano obtained an award – the First Grand Prize and Gold Medal of the International Exposition of Hygiene, Arts and Industries, in Rosario in 1926 – which he afterwards included in all of his labels, followed by his branded seal.

Born in Estonia in 1909, Vaido Radamus (1909–76, below) began his musical training as a violinist at an early age. In 1936 he graduated as a violin teacher from the Tallinn Conservatory.

He worked as a music teacher and director at a music college, and as a violin soloist for the Estonian National Opera. Although he is presumed to have begun training as a luthier in Estonia, his first attested work was made in Copenhagen, during his apprenticeship with Emil Hjorth between 1945 and 1948. That year he travelled to Argentina, where he devoted himself to restoring and building instruments, as well as making accessories. In 1964 he moved to Minnesota. His first commission in the US was for the Chester E. Groth Music Company. He built nearly a hundred instruments, based on models by Stradivari, ‘del Gesù’ and other great masters. Some of his extant violins are noted for their small size and unique aesthetic approach. He was also considered a great restorer.

Lucien L’Humbert (1907–53, below), the son and sole pupil of the famous luthier Emile L’Humbert, began working in his father’s workshop in Paris. As he was a violinist himself, it is no wonder that his instruments’ sound stands out. In 1939 he was drafted into the French army. He suffered deeply at a catastrophic time for lutherie in Europe, during and after the war. Attempting to make a living as a luthier, he travelled to Buenos Aires in 1950, following Henri Viret’s invitation to work in his atelier. Although he only spent a year in Argentina he built some twelve instruments, mostly violas and violins, along with and under the direction of Viret. The successive devaluations of the Argentine peso precluded him from sending economic aid to his family in Europe, which prompted his return to Paris in 1951.

Most of L’Humbert’s instruments were based on his own models, with excellent sound quality his first priority. However, some works feature f-holes or scrolls after the style of Guarneri and Stradivari. He chose alcohol-based varnishes, generally reddish in colour, similar to those used by his father.

Born in Florence, Alfredo Del Lungo (1909–93) began working with his father, Giuseppe Del Lungo, while taking cello classes at the Florence Conservatory. In 1933 he was appointed as the official luthier for the Permanent Orchestra of Florence. In 1946 he was designated liutaio conservatore of the Luigi Cherubini National Conservatory of Music’s Museum collection in Florence. Two years later, he attained an equivalent position at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana’s museum of early instruments in Siena.

The selection of top-quality tonewood was a defining characteristic of Alfredo Del Lungo’s instrument output

The Florentine master’s skill was widely acknowledged in Argentina and consequently, in 1949, he was invited to work as a luthier for the Symphony Orchestra of the National University of Tucumán. His link to this university was strengthened a year later when Del Lungo devised the project to create a school of lutherie, which was subsequently accepted in 1950 and created in 1951. This became the first official institution in Latin America for teaching violin making.

In 1968 Del Lungo spent some months in Italy, as he was hired by the Florentine Luigi Cherubini Museum to restore the Medici collection of musical instruments and rebuild Stradivari’s famous 1690 ‘Tuscan-Medici’ viola, which had been damaged in the 1966 floods. In recognition of his work the Italian government appointed him Cavaliere of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, while the Italian press called him il medico degli Stradivari (‘Stradivari’s doctor’).

His work in Tucumán was divided between the construction and restoration of instruments for prominent musicians from all over the country, and the management of the lutherie school, from which he retired in 1986.

THE ITALIAN PRESS CALLED ALFREDO DEL LUNGO IL MEDICO DEGLI STRADIVARI (‘STRADIVARI’S DOCTOR’)

Most of Del Lungo’s instruments were made in Italy, before he settled in Argentina. His works clearly reflect his personality, combining a refined aesthetic sense with highly precise manufacturing skill, and are often characterised by their excellent sonority. He often used oil-based varnish of a goldenyellow colour that is very transparent. He was known to be extremely careful in choosing tonewood, which often led him to delay the beginning of his new instruments.

Born in Civita di Bagnoregio in the province of Viterbo in central Italy, Francesco Ponzo (1914–2003) began his career aged 16, when he asked permission from a music store to copy a guitar as he intended to play in a band with his friends. Instead of becoming a musician, however, he became a self-taught luthier with some help from his carpenter father. During World War II, when Italian troops occupied Ethiopia, he was captured and kept for six years as a prisoner of war in Kenya. While in prison, he built two violins, a viola and a cello with what materials he could find. Having finished those instruments, he and other Italian prisoners gave a performance of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

This Lanaro violin has very high arching, reminiscent of the Amatisé models

On his release in 1947, Ponzo returned to Italy and opened a workshop in Rome. During an interview, an Argentine journalist encouraged him to travel to Argentina. He immigrated there in 1949, where he became better known as Franco Ponzo. He set up a workshop in Buenos Aires and began teaching lutherie at the General Belgrano Technical School. He remained a passionate teacher there to his very last days. He was without doubt the one master of the art working in the Argentine capital.

Luigi Lanaro (1920–2017) studied wood carving at the Scuola d’Arte Pietro Selvatico in Padua, together with the violin. He studied the basic principles of lutherie with Ferruccio Graziani who had learned under Leandro Bisiach, and made his first violin aged 15. In 1947 he set up a workshop in Padua, but two years later moved to Argentina, where he stayed for five years. His instruments made there are regarded as having exquisite sound, beauty and quality. In 1954 the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Institute of Fine Arts) in Mexico invited him to found the Escuela Nacional de Laudería (National School of Lutherie), and he travelled to Mexico City with the purpose of teaching the art of lutherie. With a career spanning 40 years, he left behind more than 300 instruments (violins, violas, cellos, double basses and bows) and an enduring legacy as a teacher, researcher and writer.

Finally, Stelio Maglia (1925–1993) hailed from Cremona, where he studied at the Violin Making School from 1942 to 1947. He arrived in Buenos Aires in early 1953, and after two decades working as a maker and restorer he was appointed luthier to the Teatro Colón, from around 1970 until 1990. Although he is best known for his bowed instruments, there are some extant guitars by him as well. His works reflect the influence of Stradivari and ‘del Gesù’, but evince his own interpretation of the classic models. He used both oil- and alcohol-based varnishes, usually with clear colours in the range of oranges and golden yellows, with reddish flashes. Towards the end of his career his instruments tended to be darker, owing to the prevalence of reds. In his works he prioritised musical quality over visual aesthetics. He usually worked at a brisk pace and produced instruments brimming with character and, especially, great sonority.

Front view and scroll of a Stelio Maglia violin. His instruments betray the influence of both Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesù’. His work was very fast and expressive, giving it personality.

From just a few talented makers at the start of the 20th century, violin making in Argentina became a burgeoning mini-industry, with skilled professionals passing on their talents to the next generations through apprenticeships and the founding of lutherie schools. The instruments they made still regularly appear on the workbenches of instrument makers around the world, and find themselves played in some of the finest orchestras and chamber groups. As can be seen by the pictures in this article, these instruments are of high quality, as befits a land that at one time was the seventh-wealthiest developed country in the world.