Giuseppe Pedrazzini

Violin maker
(1879 – 1957)

The son of a carpenter, Pedrazzini was born in the village of Pizzeghettone near Cremona. In 1903 he moved to Milan where he appears to have taught himself violin making, with some advice from Romeo Antoniazzi. Pedrazzini went on to produce some of the finest instruments in early 20th-century Italy, both in craftsmanship and ...Read More tone quality. His work, often based on personal interpretations of Stradivari, Guadagnini and Amati, is exceptionally refined and precise. Scrolls are deeply carved and the curves of the bouts show an attractive symmetry. Pedrazzini was also a skilled copyist, and he used a variety of different labels and brands depending on the period. His workshop, which exported many instruments to London in particular, employed numerous makers, including Ferdinando Garimberti and Pedrazzini's nephew Natale Novelli. Pedrazzini's little-known brother, Afro, also collaborated with him. Read Less