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Mar 4, 20261 min
Katerina Guarneri, the first lady...
Katerina Guarneri was the wife of Giuseppe Guarneri AKA Del Gesu and what a life she had! Come experience the whirlwind of a life she had before she was quite literally ripped from history. To listen to the full episode please join me on Patreon at Patreon.com/theviolinchronicles.
Jan 13, 202655 min
EP 42. Del Gesu Part 6. How it all ended
DEL GESU PART 6. These are the final and perhaps most interesting years of Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu from an instrument making point of view, he is almost the last man standing in Cremona and with Stradivari and his father gone he really lets loose. Add to this the unanswered question of his wife Katarina’s role in the workshop and things just get a bit more mysterious. Dga1FbltPIWiq9i5mCJT
Jan 4, 202653 min
Ep 41. Del Gesu Part 5; Cremona under siege, violins and drama!
DEL GESU PART 5. Lets take a look at the tumultuous 1730s in Cremona shall we? And how the following events were in some way the making of our hero. As armies clash in the War of the Polish Succession, Del Gesu returns to his father's workshop, heralding a period of profound transformation in his craft. Discover how this chaotic era influenced Del Gesu's violins, leading to a golden period of violin-making amidst the backdrop of war and occupation. Featuring insights from expert guests Jonathan Marolle, Joe Bein, Christopher Reuning, and John Dilworth, this episode charts the transition and innovation that marked Del Gesu's golden period. Transcript The year was 1733 and the world beyond Cremona buzzed with talk of kings and crowns far away in Poland, king Augustus II the Strong, had died leaving behind a throne without an heir. It seemed a distant affair to the people of this quiet Lombard city on the Po River. Famous for its violins. Its craftsmen, and its golden fields. Yet even as the bells of the cathedral of Cremona tolled across the piazza whispers began. “The French are coming”, someone murmured. “For Poland?” came the puzzled reply “no” said another “for us”. In Poland, the nobles had gathered to elect a new king, many favoured Stanisław Leszczyński once a Polish monarch himself, and now the father-in-law of King Louis the 14th of France, the Polish monarchs were elected, but the Emperor Charles, the 6th of Austria and Empress, Anne of Russia, refused to accept a French backed candidate. They championed Augustus iii, the son of the late king, two kings were proclaimed and here comes the war for France and Spain. The Polish question was an excuse to strike at Austria's power, for Cremona it was the beginning of another unwanted war. In a small shop near the Piazza Del Commune, a Violin maker, Giuseppe bent over his workbench, listening to the chatter outside his mind, going over the question. “They say, the emperor calls us his subjects, but now the French and the Spanish march this way, whose subjects will we be next month? It's the same everywhere. We make violins. They make widows” Outside Austrian soldiers marched through the square, their white coats bright against the grey stone. To the people of Cremona they were both protectors and occupiers. Foreign rulers who demanded loyalty, taxes and silence. But our hero, well, he'd married the daughter of one, perhaps he spoke a bit of German. She could at least make herself understood. By 1734, the storm had broken French and Spanish troops allied to defend Stanisław claim poured across the Alps into northern Italy. The Austrians already fighting on too many fronts, fell back towards Mantua and Parma. Soon the fertile fields between the Po and the Olgio rivers became the front lines of Europe's quarrel, the Battle of Parma thundered. Only a day's ride from Cremona cannon's roared from the distant hills and smoke rose like storm clouds. Weeks later came another clash, the battle of Guastala so close that the ground in Cremona trembled under foot. Well, I might be exaggerating. Refugees streamed through the city gates, fields lay trampled bread grew scarce. The sound of music was replaced by the crack of muskets. They fight for the Polish crown people were saying in the market, but they break Italian hearts to do it. By 1735 Prince Charles Bourbon, a young and fiery commander from Spain, had taken the lead in the southern campaigns. His victories in Naples and Sicily filled Europe with his name in Cremona. Rumours spread that he would soon March North again. When Spanish troops entered the city that spring, they came weary, but triumphant. The Austrians had retreated. The people watched from behind shuttered windows as new banners. Red and gold flooded over the Citadel. Is this victory? You think Katarina asked Giuseppe? No. He replied. Setting down his tools. This is another kind of silence. For months, Cremona was caught between armies, supplies were seized, workshops turned to barracks. Yet amid the fear, acts of kindness, glimmered, nuns tending the wounded families, sharing bread with strangers, children carrying water to soldiers on the streets, even in war, Cremona refused to lose its soul while the people of Lombardy suffered. Stanisław Leszczyński, the man for whom this war had begun was trapped in the city of Dansik, besieged by Russian and Saxon troops. He waited for French help that never truly came. The city fell and the Would-be king escaped in disguise, wandering through forests until he found refuge in Prussia. When the news reached Cremona, Katarina sighed, “all this, our field, our hunger for a king who has no crown”. Giuseppe Guarneri nodded. “That is the music of Europe, my dear. The tune is always played far away, but we danced to it here”. At last, in 1738, weary diplomats signed the Treaty of Vienna. The war that had begun for Poland's throne finally ended. The peace
Dec 11, 202528 min
Ep 40. Del Gesu Part 4. "The Master and His Cello: Exploring the Hands of Del Gesu with Julian Thompson"
DEL GESU PART 4. The Violin Chronicles: Interview with Julian Thompson on His Antique Cello In this episode of the Violin Chronicles, we sit down with Julian Thompson, a distinguished cellist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra since 2006. Julian shares fascinating insights into the unique 1729 Giuseppe Guarneri cello he's been playing for the past eight years. We delve into the history, craftsmanship, and intricate details of this extraordinary instrument, including its complex provenance and distinctive features. Julian also discusses the quirks of playing such a historic cello, from its responsiveness to various climates to how its rich history impacts his playing style. Additionally, we touch upon the differences in construction techniques between Baroque and modern instruments, exploring how these methods influence their sound and playability. Join us for an in-depth look at one of the most remarkable cellos in existence and gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry involved in its creation and performance. Transcript Welcome back to the Violin Chronicles. In this episode, I'll be talking to Julian Thompson, cellist extraordinaire, who has been playing with the Australian Chamber Orchestra since 2006. Overly accomplished musician that he is. We are going to concentrate on his instrument in this interview. What is it? I hear you asking. Well, I will let him do the honours. Julian Thompson I'm Julian Thompson. I play cello with the Australian Chamber Orchestra for the last. 20 years. Linda Lespets Wow. And, and what, what instrument do you play? Julian Thompson So, I am lucky enough to have had in my hot hands for probably about the last eight years a beautiful 1729 Giuseppe Guari cello which I understand has a, possibly, has a slightly complicated providence. Linda Lespets Do you know when it sort of changed identity? Julian Thompson I, I don't know exactly when. I just know that there's been quite a lot of speculation that the hand of Jesu may have played a part in the, the, the table of the cello and maybe the scroll as well. So it's, it's that cello, I think it's really late. And there's another cello that certainly has a lot of Del Gesu a different form, apparently that one. This one's still in the, in the older form. The, the fathers, the Guarneri Filius Andrea, that's right. But the, the experts out there seem to say that yeah, because of some of the features, the specific features of, of the wood and the scroll and, and the, maybe the f holes as well. That they think that there's certainly the hand of Del Gesù in part of this cello, so that's pretty special. Linda Lespets Yeah. Yeah, because there's the other cello is the messias I think it's called. Mm-hmm. Where they say it's all Del Gesù Mm. So there's this sort of idea that he never made cello, but he has, he has indeed made a cello, a full one. And then why not? Bits of one? Well, I guess you can imagine if he, if he's around working in the workshop and Giuseppe's getting older, then you would imagine there would be, I guess an increasing amount of work done. Julian Thompson And there's also been talk about, and you, you probably know a lot more about this, about. Sort of illnesses at various points and whether that meant that Giuseppe Guarneri wasn't in the studio for a while and then, you know Del Gesù maybe had to take the reins there more, more solidly for a period. Linda Lespets Yeah. So what happened was Del Gesu, he moved out of home when in 1722, he left. And his brother Pietro of Venice had left in 1717 to go to Venice. That, so it was just him. His dad was kind of really bad with money and pretty much like very heavily indebted. So Del Gesù was like a young man. He was married and so he moved away. Because his, it was just a black hole basically working in his dad's workshop because he owed so much, so much money to so many different people. Yeah. So he moved away, but then in 1729, 1730, when your cello's made, he had, he was very ill. He went to hospital. And normally if you went to hospital, then it was like you were dying. Yeah. You didn't wanna hang around in a hospital. But then he sort of miraculously recovered. He comes home, but he was, he couldn't really do, he couldn't really make a full instrument again. Right. He could make scrolls, but that was it. And then Del Gesù sort of comes back to help his father because his parents are sort of in bit of dire straits at that point. Yeah. And so you can imagine that there was just this cello, it just needed the belly made and he finished it. And put the label in. And the other one, the other cello that is like a hundred percent Guarneri Del Gesù that they say it's a hundred percent Del Gesù The label is 1731. So that's two years later. Right. And that's the very last label of the father a Guarneri Filius Andrea. Okay. That we sort of know
Nov 28, 202523 min
Ep 39. Del Gesu Part 3: The Wilderness years
DEL GESU PART 3. In this episode we look at the mysterious years following Del Gesu's departure from his fathers workshop and his early independent work. This is a period in his life when our hero is in his prime and the instruments are all his own. The army is back in town and Giuseppe is putting new labels in his violins that today have all but disappeared, what statement is he trying to make here? Transcript Welcome back to the Violin Chronicles podcast. A show dedicated to the stories of history's greatest violin makers. My name is Linda Lespets, and if you haven't already done so, I would encourage you to sign up to Patreon, that's Patreon.com/the violin chronicles, where you can get extra episodes and extra content and to support the podcast if you felt that it has been useful and that you've learned so It would be very much appreciated. But here in this third episode, we're gonna jump in and have a look at what our violin maker is up to. So picture this, it's the early 1730s in Cremona. Our hero, the young Giuseppe Guarneri, is standing before the altar in the Church of San Pantaleone By special decree with the usual bands of marriage conveniently skipped. He weds Katarina, a German woman from Vienna, right under the watchful eyes of the Church's Vicar General. The witnesses are nobles and neighbours and the ceremony formal and blessed. Yet beneath her there is a hint of scandal because this wasn't just any marriage. Giuseppe Guarneri had married a foreigner from among what many locals saw as the occupying forces, and as if that weren't enough to raise eyebrows in Cremonas narrow streets he wasn't about to settle down at the family home on Piazza San Domenico, no Guarneri Del Gesu and his new bride were leaving. His brother had written from Venice boasting of steady work and success making instruments. Meanwhile, back home, Del Gesu’s father, the elder, Giuseppe, was drowning in debt and dragging the family workshop down with him. The house was falling apart, the business barely alive, and Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu knew that if he stayed, he'd sink with it. So he packed up his tools, took his young wife, and vanished from Cremona for a while. Or at least vanished from records. Where did he go? Honestly, no one's quite sure. These are what I like to call the wilderness years. A time when the trail goes cold and speculation begins and yeah, I like to speculate. Now remember this was the same era as Antonio Stradivari's Golden Period when Stradivari's instruments were gracing the salons of princes and patrons across Europe. But while Stradivari's clients were wealthy and insulated from the region's economic troubles, the rest of Cremona was in deep depression. The market for fine instruments had shrunk, and the city's famed liutaio were competing for a handful of buyers. Del Gesu must have wondered, what's the point of making violins here when no one's buying? So he didn't stop entirely. He continued to make the occasional instrument, but this time he refused to put his father's label inside. He wanted no association with the elder Giuseppe Guarneri, whose reputation was well, less than spotless. The old man owed money to half the city. His health was failing and his name wasn't one to build a future on, Guarneri Del Gesu’s new labels read. Giuseppe Guarneri Andrea Nepos (Giuseppe Guarneri, grandson of Andrea). He deliberately skipped his father's name, linking himself instead to his grandfather, the revered student of the great Nicolo Amati. It was a bold move, a quiet act of rebellion, and a statement of identity. I'm my own maker and I belong to the legacy of excellence, not the shadow of debt. He probably knew people would talk that it wasn't proper to make violins under a new name while his father still lived. But Del Gesu wasn't one to bow to convention. He had a new life, a new wife, and he had plans even if that meant wandering into obscurity for a while. And so began the lost years of Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu. For the next six years, our violin maker drops off the radar. He and Katarina may have left Cremona to try their luck elsewhere as for his father, Giuseppe, well, not much is done in his workshop for the next few years. He's unwell his sons have left him, and it's hard these days to get any clients. I mean, he didn't stop completely. Things had just slowed down a lot. In 1724 alone in his workshop, Giuseppe Guarneri Filius Andrea made a violin. The wood for the belly was from the same tree that Stradivari was making some of his violins from. Of course, the wood merchant would've passed at Stradivari’s workshop first, so he could get the best pieces before leaving him what was left over typical. Or did Antonio Stradivari have pity on his ailing neighbour, abandoned by his sons, and, and give him some wood to make an instrument and pay off some outstanding debts? A few years later, our Liutaio Guarneri Del Gesu reappears in town archives, but this time as a
Nov 10, 202537 min
Ep 38. Del Gesù. Part 2
DEL GESU PART 2. Giuseppe gets married leaves home and a mystery ensues, what did Del Gesu do, and where did he go for those "lost years"? Find out in this second episode of the life of Giuseppe Guarneri "Del Gesu". With special guests Jonathan Marolle, Joe Bein and Christopher Reuning. Transcript Jonathan Marolle I'll say that there is a paradox when talking about Guarneri del gesu because I don't wanna shock anybody, but if you look at the work, you'd say that he's probably, well to me, he is probably, in terms of craftsmanship, the less talented maker of the family. But yet he's the most famous and one can see the prices of instruments by Guarneri del gesu that rich, like crazy, crazy amount of money. We have to try to explain that. And I guess that what makes Guarneri del gesu so amazing for musicians and also for makers and value makers and dealers and restorers, is that. There is some sort of a, he is a legendary maker. There's so many stories about him, more or less true. And there is some sort of, he was a crazy maker. If you look at the instruments that he has made, especially at the very end of his career, it's so crazy. It's so extravagant that I think this plays a part of this this myth of Guarneri del gesu. And also we have to mention the tone quality, because eventually that's a, that's a musical instrument. So these were made to perform music and the tone quality is is beyond question. It's these are great instruments. Strange figure of the crazy artists, you know, let his, ideas flowing and crafting crazy instruments while on the opposite you have Stradivari who is the, also the other top maker that was so careful, that was so clean, neat, and precise in his making. So you have to, yeah, it's like two sides of a coin, you know, or the ying and the yang the, the wisdom and the, and the craziness. And that was the lovely Jonathan Marolle of the workshop Vatelot-Rampal in Paris, and you'll be hearing more from him later. Thank you for joining me on the Violin Chronicles. My name is Linda Lepets and welcome back to this season and episode two of the Life of Giuseppe Guarneri, AKA del gesu. If you've enjoyed this journey through the world of the Guarneris, remember you can dive deeper and access bonus content by visiting patreon.com/the violin chronicles. In the last Patreon episode, we heard from Peter Biddulph tell his story of archival discovery and present the life of a lesser known Stradivari Hmm. Before we start, I would like to say a very big thank you to our sponsor for this episode, Libby Summers of Stamford Strings and the brazenose range of instruments she has created. You can check them out on the website, brazenose violins.co.uk. That's B-R-A-Z-E-N-O-S-E violins.co.uk. But for now, we are going to jump straight back into the story of our hero, Giuseppe Guarneri del gesu. There she was this exotic creature from a far off land with her accent in strange ways. And although she was not the nice local girl, his mother kept hinting at, she was the woman, Guarneri or Giuseppe was going to marry whether they liked it or not. And no, he was not going to leave for foreign parts with his bride like his brother. Don't worry, he assured his mother. He would stay in town for now, not that it would do him any good. The family home and finances were crumbling into disrepair and his lovely Catarina did not have an impressive dowry that would save the family coffers just yet. On October the third, 1722 in the Parish of San Pantaleone, Bartolomeo or Giuseppe married Katinarina Rotta, the daughter of an Austrian imperial soldier. She was German from the city of Vienna. “By special decree by the most reverend Vicar General, Banns having been omitted, as appears in the file, Guiseppe Guarneri of the Parish of San Matteo of this city of Cremona, the son of Guiseppe and Barbara Franchi, husband and wife, and Cate Caterina Rota, German formerly of the city of Vienna, were joined in matrimony by their vows before the church and blessed by me Ignazio Cavall, parish priest of the church of San Pantaleone, her unmarried status proven as appears in the file. The witnesses present were the noble Dominus Fabrizio Salerno Guarna, the son of Giovanni Battista of the parish of San Donato and Guiseppe Brocardo, the son of Francesco of the parish of San Pantaleone in the above mentioned city.” And now we are entering into what I would call the wilderness years. It's for our protagonist because not only was our young dashing Guarneri del gesu marrying a foreign girl of the occupying forces, but now the couple would not be living with the family on the Piazza San Dominica. No, indeed not. Anywhere but there. So my name is Jonathan Marolle I am a luthier, violin maker, restorer, and expert, as they say. I'm the co-owner of the Maison Vatelot-Rampal in Paris. A workshop that was established in, 1909 in fact,sSo I've been working in the shop since 2004
Nov 5, 202536 min
Ep 37. Del Gesù. Part 1, The rebel genius of Cremona
GUARNERI DEL GESU PART 1. In this episode, we dive into the mysterious and brilliant world of Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”, one of history’s most revered violin makers. Often overshadowed by Stradivari, del Gesù was doing his own thing creating violins that have raw power, and emotional depth—qualities that still captivate players and collectors nearly three centuries later. We’ll explore his fascinating life in 18th-century Cremona, the distinctive features that set his instruments apart, and the myths that surround his work. Then, I sit down with Joe Bein of Bein and Company rare violins, one of the world’s leading experts and dealers in fine string instruments, to unpack what makes a Guarneri violin so extraordinary—and why musicians from Paganini to today’s great soloists remain spellbound by them. Whether you’re a violinist, a luthier, or simply a lover of classical music’s deep craftsmanship, this episode offers a rare look into the genius and mystery of Guarneri del Gesù. And for my amazing Patreon listeners Peter Biddulph tells his intriguing story of a very important archival discovery that rocked the violin making world and we discuss a Stradivari that perhaps you never knew existed! Listen now to discover the passion, artistry, and intrigue behind some of the most powerful violins ever made. Transcript Joe Bein You know, there is something, in my experience, I think there is something primal about players when they get around. Del Gesus. And of course, we're basically just talking about violinists, but there's an excitement and there's a, I don't know, it just feels like there's a, there's something, like Stradivari of course has this regal element to it, and it's like, it's so perfect and beautiful and usually more symmetrical. And then you get to a Del Gesu and it's just this like, I don't know, it's like, it's like the wild child or it's like the, the one you're, I don't know. You're not supposed to like, but you really do. And obviously like there's this dark. Powerful sound that I think is associated with his best instruments that is just like intoxicating. And that was the delight for Joe Bein of Bein and company rare violins in Chicago. We'll be having the pleasure of hearing more from this superbly loquacious individual later on. So don't fall off the edge of your seats just yet. He'll be back. Welcome to the Violin Chronicles, a show dedicated to the story of history's greatest violin makers. Now, this season, we are diving into the life of one of the most mysterious and fascinating figures in violin making history, really. And his name is Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu. Hello, I'm Linda Lespets, a violin maker based in Sydney, Australia. And together with my husband Antoine, we run a workshop where many remarkable instruments pass through our hands. And here I'll be sharing the stories behind the people who created these beautiful works of craftsmanship. It really is exciting to finally be talking about Bartoloemo Giuseppe Guarneri. Now, by this time, we've already looked at 200 years of violin making, starting with Andrea Amati. Now, Andrea Amati laid down the foundations of modern violin making, and yet just two doors down from the Amati home in which Gerolamo Amati the second was living. The Guarneri family continued to follow many of the same methods Andrea Amati had pioneered keeping the cremonese tradition alive with other violin makers around town of course. So in this series, I'll be joined by some incredible guests, the renowned expert, Peter Biddulph who will share a story of a landmark discovery connected to the Guarneris, or sort of thanks to the Guarneris. You'll hear it's a very cool story. And I also speak to the expert, Joe Bein, whose deep knowledge of Del Gesu's instruments offer rare insight into the maker's genius, if you will. This European summer, I happen to be in France and I spoke to Jonathan Marolle from the French maison Vatelot Rampal who will help us explore just how the French played an unexpected role in the cementing of Del Gesu’s fame. And it gets pretty philosophical if I do say so myself. But come with me. And together we will unravel the enigma of Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu. Can we separate the man from the myth? You know, in rumours sometimes there is a grain of truth. What are the truths that we can find in these rumours of Guarneri Del Gesu and what lies behind the legend? So stay tuned, and by the end it will all start making a little bit more sense. Trust me. And just quickly before we start, I would like to thank this episodes sponsor Florian Leonhard, fine Violins and in particular his new book coming out on Guarneri Del Gesu called The Archetypal Violins of Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu. In the year 1698, Andrea Guarneri is 75 years old and no longer a young man. His son, Giuseppe, is making most of the instruments in the workshop these days. A
Mar 31, 202524 min
Cremona Violins and Varnish by Charles Reade
CREMONA VIOLIN AND VARNISH Charles Reade the dramatist and violin dealer wrote 4 letters to the Pall Mall Gazette in 1872 about Cremona violins, google says "This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it!" So listen on! I say. To understand what these letters are about here is an intro with Benjamin Hebbert.

About The Violin Chronicles Podcast

In this podcast I will be telling the wild and wonderful stories englobing the lives of famous violin makers, what they got up to and placing them in their historical and musical context. We will look at instrument makers such as Gasparo da Salo, the Amati family, Guarneri Del Gesu and Stradivari just to name a few. Who were these people? What were their lives like? What was Stradivaris secret? and most importantly why and how did they make these master pieces we see and revere today.What was the first ballet like that Andrea Amati’s instruments played in, costing millions? Why did Antonio Stradivari have a shotgun wedding? and did Guarneri del Gesu really go to prison for murder? I speak to historians, musicians, violin makers and experts to unveil the stories of these beautiful violins, violas, cellos, double basses and the people who made them.

By Linda Lespets

History Music Arts

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Latest Episodes

Katerina Guarneri, the first lady...

EP 42. Del Gesu Part 6. How it all ended

Ep 41. Del Gesu Part 5; Cremona under siege, violins and drama!

Ep 40. Del Gesu Part 4. "The Master and His Cello: Exploring the Hands of Del Gesu with Julian Thompson"

Ep 39. Del Gesu Part 3: The Wilderness years

Ep 38. Del Gesù. Part 2

Ep 37. Del Gesù. Part 1, The rebel genius of Cremona

Cremona Violins and Varnish by Charles Reade