Giovanni Battista Guadagnini


Giovanni Battista Guadagnini was an Italian luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history. The Guadagnini family was known for their violins, guitars and mandolins.

Biography

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini was born on 23 June 1711, in the hamlet of Bilegno, in what is now the Province of Piacenza in Northern Italy. Both his life and his career can be divided into four distinct periods, which correspond to the four cities in which he would live and work, Piacenza, Milan, Parma, and Turin.
Almost nothing is known about his early years until he moved to the nearby city of Piacenza in 1738. In 1742, his first violins start to appear. It is unclear from whom or where he learned his trade. Since he joined the woodworking guild, it is likely that he underwent an apprenticeship with a local woodworker; however, there is no evidence of any local instrument makers in Piacenza at the time.
In 1749 Guadagnini moved to Milan, where he continued to make instruments. The reason for his move is unknown, but was perhaps economically motivated as Milan was a much larger city with a larger and more active music scene. During this time a few of his instruments bear labels implying a relationship to Cremona—the home of the renowned violin makers Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri—however no evidence exists that Guadagnini ever lived in Cremona.
In 1758 Guadagnini moved again, this time to Parma. He may have been drawn to the city by the recent appointment of Carlo Ferarri, a close musician friend from his time in Piacenza, to a position with the Ducal Court. During his time in Parma Guadagnini was also closely connected to the court, and in particular to the musical patronage of the Prime Minister Guillaume du Tillot. In his later years in Parma Guadagnini even received a direct salary from the court. In 1771, with the Court's financial fortunes in decline, Guadagnini asked to be allowed to leave.
He next moved to Turin. Two years later, in 1773, he began his historically important relationship with notable violin collector Count Cozio. Cozio purchased most, if not all, of Guadagnini's output during this time, and also supplied him with most of his wood and other materials. His business partnership with Cozio ended in 1777, though they continued to have dealings with each other. The Count is likely responsible for Guadagnini's marked shift to a more Stradivari-like style during this time, both by pressuring Guadagnini to more closely copy Stradivari and by providing Guadagnini with access to examples of Stradivari's work.
Giovanni Battista Guadagnini died in Turin on 18 September 1786.

Violin maker

Guadagnini's work is divided into four distinct periods, which correspond to the four cities in which he worked over the span of his career, Piacenza, Milan, Parma, and Turin. His work in each new city changed in response to the availability of materials, the needs of the local musicians, and finally in Turin, his relationship with Count Cozio. Stylistically Guadagnini's work is generally less refined and polished than that of makers such as the Amatis or Stradivari, however with the same focus on tonal success. He is generally considered to be the last of the great historical makers, ranking just behind Stradivari and Guarneri. He is also possibly the last of historical makers to have used a varnish similar to what was used by classical Cremonese makers.
His instruments have sold for over $2,000,000 at auction.

Performers with Guadagnini instruments

;Violinists
ViolinistDate & place of manufactureSobriquetCommentsReference
Madeline Adkins1782ex-ChardonOn loan from Gabrielle Israelievitch, previously played by Jacques Israelievitch
Felix Ayo1744
Veriko Tchumburidze1756, Milanloaned by Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben
Riccardo Brengola1747, PiacenzaContessa Crespi
Adolf Brodsky1751, Milanex-Brodsky
Zakhar Bron1757, Milan
Chloe Chua1753, Milan
Bartu Elci-Ozsoy1760ex-VidasLoaned by Conservatoire de Paris. The violin, made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, was previously owned by Romanian-born violinist Raoul Georges Vidas and was donated to the Conservatoire de Paris by the late virtuoso's mother Anna Vidas.
Amaury Coeytaux1773
Andrew Dawes, Robert Uchida1770, ParmaDawes, de Long Tearse
Richard DeakinEnglish chamber musician and soloist, currently teaching at RAM in London, was using one in 1980s and likely still is.
Julia Fischer1742
Carl Flesch1750sex-Henri Vieuxtemps
David Garrett1772In December 2007, Garrett fell after a performance and smashed his Guadagnini, which he had purchased four years earlier for US$1 million. He now uses it for mainly his outdoor crossover performances.
David Greed1757Owned by the Yorkshire Guadagini 1757 Syndicate.
Arthur Grumiaux1752ex-Grumiaux
David Halen1753
Jascha Heifetz1741, Piacenzaex-HeifetzProvenance – by Rembert Wurlitzer in 1946 and Dario D'Attili in 1991
Marlene Hemmer1764
Chloe Chua1753On Loan from the Rin Collection
Peter Herresthal1753, Milan
Willy Hess1740s
Joseph Joachim1767, Parmaex-Joachim
Ida Kavafian1751
David Kim1757On loan from The Philadelphia Orchestra
Min-Jeong Koh1767
Goran Končar1753, Milan
Mikhail Kopelman1773
Michał Kowalkowski1753Gucio
Jan Kubelik1750ex-Kubelik
Pekka Kuusisto1752On loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation
Manfred Leverkus1752ex-Kneisel-
Jack Liebeck1785ex-Wilhelmj
Wayne Lin1779, Turin
Tasmin Little1757, Milan
Mauro Lopes Ferreira
Haldon Martinson1750Being used in the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Stefan Milenkovich1780, Turin
Viktoria Mullova1750
Ludwig Müller1746
Ginette NeveuPurchased early spring, 1949. Involved in an air crash later that year, in which Neveu died. Scroll later apparently appeared in Paris, having changed hands several times.
David Plantier1766
Simone Porter1745On loan from The Mandell Collection of Southern California
William E. Pynchon1779, TurinPurchased 26 March 1957. Played in San Francisco Opera until 1998
Linda Rosenthal1772, Turin
Leon Sametini1751ex-Sametini
Mari Samuelsen1773, TurinOn loan from ASAF.
Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio1757
Mayumi Seiler1740, Piacenza
Ittai Shapira1745, Piacenza
Sini-Maaria Simonen1760On loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation
Roman Simovic1752On loan from Jonathan Moulds
Yvonne Smeulers1785
Lara St. John1779SalabueCalled "The Resurrection" by St. John
Lyndon Johnston Taylor1777
Henri Temianka1752Built based on the Petro Guarnerius model. Certificate of Joseph Vedral, violinmaker, Holland, 28 September 1929
Vanessa-Mae1761Gizmo
Pablo Valetti1758
Pavel Vernikov1747, Piacenzaex-Contessa Crespi, ex-BrengolaOn loan from Fondazione Pro Canale. Worth $1.5 million in 2016. Stolen in December 2016.
Henri Vieuxtemps1750sex-Henri Vieuxtemps
Henryk Wieniawski1750ex-Wieniawski
Bob Wills1784Described as 157 years old when bought in 1941 for $3,000, Wills later claimed in an interview that he gave it away "to a friend of mine in Tayxas" and bought another for $5,000.
Eugène Ysaÿe1774ex-Eugène Ysaÿe
Bomsori Kim1774, Turin
Li Chuan Yun1784On loan from the Stradivari Society
Kai Gleusteen1781the tiger
Audrey Wright1753ex-AlsopOn loan from the Alsop Trust. Previously played by Madeline Adkins

; Violists
; Cellists
; Groups
  • Australian String Quartet plays four matched instruments: a violoncello, and a violin, both made in Piacenza, and a viola and another violin made in Turin.