The Cozio Carteggio

The Cozio Carteggio takes its name from Count Cozio’s notebooks, which form the first historical record of fine instruments and their makers. Each week, the Carteggio publishes features about the string world, from expert commentary on historic instruments and bows, to interviews with musicians and analysis of the string market. Contributors include Carlo Chiesa, John Dilworth, Philip J. Kass, Dmitry Gindin, Pierre Guillaume, Paul Childs, Alessandra Barabaschi and many other experts.

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Latest Feature

Eugène Ysaÿe and his violins

The Belgian virtuoso, who left a bag of jewels owned by a friend as security for a Guadagnini and persuaded one of his pupils to sell him a beloved Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, certainly knew how to get the violins that he wanted

By Tully Potter

As the greatest champion of the Franco-Belgian school at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Eugène Ysaÿe played an array of suitably fine instruments. He managed to start his solo career on an excellent 1754 violin by G.B. Guadagnini, which he loved very much. The story of how he acquired it has no doubt been romanticized over the years, but here it is...

The fairytale story of the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Stradivari violin, by Alessandra Barabaschi

Paul Sadka interviews the Hungarian luthier Stefano Conia in his Cremona workshop

Jason Price visits Count Cozio’s historic castello in the village of Salabue

Paavo Berglund, the Sibelius conductor with a passion for fine violins

Jason Price introduces the ‘ex-Sinzheimer’ Guadaganini and other June 2018 highlights

Vincenzo Postiglione part 2: how he became Naples’ leading maker

Vincenzo Postiglione part 1: his early career amid the violence of the Risorgimento

Eugenio Praga, the gentleman–luthier who became the first curator of the Paganini ’Cannon’ violin

The British cello, part 2: the role of the village band in the rise of the instrument

The British cello, part 1: why the instrument became so popular with 18th-century makers

A 1705 Brescian violin by G.B. Rogeri and a 1770 viola by the late Cremonese master Lorenzo Storioni

Ornati and Garimberti part 2: a comparison of their work, by Dmitry Gindin

Giuseppe Ornati and Ferdinando Garimberti, part 1: Milan’s finest 20th-century makers

Zheng Quan pays tribute to his former teacher, Gio Batta Morassi

Historic women performers series: Portuguese cellist Guilhermina Suggia

The history of Guilhermina Suggia’s prized 1717 Stradivari cello, by Alessandra Barabaschi

The violins of Henryk Szeryng – and why he gave most of them away, by Tully Potter

Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey and his 1760 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini

Jan Špidlen shares the story of his great-grandfather František Špidlen’s career

The Mantegazza family of Milan, whose clients included Nicolò Paganini, Alessandro Rolla and Count Cozio

The Roman violin maker Rodolfo Marchini speaks candidly about his teacher, Giuseppe Lucci

Oddone, Fagnola and Guerra part 2: what makes their work stand out from their contemporaries?

Oddone, Fagnola and Guerra: the three makers who shaped the modern Turinese school, part 1

The ‘Sun-Law’ Vuillaume donated to the Tarisio Trust by its late owner, Eric Sun

Two late golden-period F.X. Tourte cello bows, by Peter Oxley

Pierre Amoyal, Jascha Heifetz and the ‘Kochanski’ Stradivari, by Alessandra Barabaschi

Jason Price and Carlo Chiesa examine the ‘Lachmann Schwechter’ Guadagnini of 1776

Luigi Tarisio part 2 – how the Italian dealer fascinated London’s literary society

The life of the mysterious Italian violin dealer Luigi Tarisio, part 1

Video interview: James Ehnes in conversation with Jason Price about his 1715 ‘Marsick’ Stradivari

Dmitry Gindin examines the place of Giulio Degani in the Veneto violin making school

New research into life of Giulio Degani after his emigration to the US in 1915

Three early bows by an unknown hand show the development of English bow making

The history of the only Stradivari with a Latin inscription, the ‘San Lorenzo’ from 1718

The story of Thomas Wenberg’s epic journey across America to interview violin makers

Two fine examples of Santo Serafin’s mature work – a c. 1743 violin and 1740 cello

A rare letter written by J.B. Vuillaume just after the Paris Commune of 1871

John Dilworth goes in search of the Bologna priest nicknamed ‘Dom Nicolo Amati’

Daniel Müller Schott talks about his 1727 Goffriller cello and his love for Venetian instruments

Late-period Stradivari cellos part 2: the B piccola model ‘Vaslin Composite’

Late-period Stradivari cellos part 1: the shorter model ‘Bein, Fruh’ of c. 1727

François-Louis Pique part 2: his adoption of the Stradivari style

The career of François-Louis Pique, who lived through the French Revolution

Dmitry Gindin puts the fine work of Enrico Marchetti in context

Jason Price takes an Amati to Italy to find out about a 3D scanning process

Violinist Ittai Shapira looks back on 20 years with his 1745 Guadagnini

Philip J. Kass shares new findings about Giuseppe Ceruti’s move to Mantua in 1838

The workshop artefacts of the late New York restorer René Morel

An interview with veteran Cremona maker Francesco Bissolotti

Dimitri Musafia explains why a violin case found in Milan was probably made in the Stradivari workshop

Dmitry Gindin explores the work of Ettore Soffritti and the Ferrara school

Nikolai Kittel part 2: the later work of the Russian bow maker

Some new and unexpected details about N.L. Tourte and his two wives

Part 2 of John Dilworth’s analysis of Carlo Bergonzi’s life and work

The life of the enigmatic Cremonese maker Carlo Bergonzi, by John Dilworth

We talk to Guy Johnston about how he celebrated the 300th birthday of his Tecchler cello

Jason Price discusses the Tecchler cello played by Guy Johnston

Camilla Wicks talks about her love for the Arthur Smith violin that Ruggerio Ricci gave her

Memories of Bernard Millant, who died on April 5, 2017, by Pierre Guillaume

Examining the place of Nikolai Kittel in 19th-century Russia, by Klaus Grünke and Josef Gabriel

Stefan Hersh examines a fine 1740 cello by the Venetian Santo Serafin

In a candid interview Renato Scrollavezza looks back over his long career

Violinist Alexi Kenney on playing the ‘Joachim, Ma’ Strad; with commentary from Jason Price

Carlo Chiesa examines a rare violin by Giuseppe Caleffi of Modena

The life of Jago Peternella, a prolific yet restless maker who worked in seven different cities

An exclusive interview with Cremona’s G.B. Morassi, by Paul Sadka

Jason Price examines the ex-Enescu Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ c. 1725

Tall tales, a fake Strad and a lot of Guarneris – the violins of Fritz Kreisler

Dmitry Gindin explains why Vincenzo Sannino’s work is so full of personality

Brescia part 2 – Maggini, Rogeri and the later Brescian makers

How the early Brescia school developed in parallel with Cremona, by John Dilworth

Entrepreneur Nigel Brown talks about why he founded the Stradivari Trust

Tim Ingles examines a fine 1788 violin by Tommaso Balestrieri of Mantua

The life of Bologna maker Otello Bignami, by Roberto Regazzi

How Roger N. Chittolini built his renowned violin collection during the Depression years

Dmitry Gindin explores the life of renegade maker Gaetano Sgarabotto

Renaud Capuçon talks about playing Isaac Stern’s violin, the ‘Panette’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’

Stradivari’s ‘Archinto’ viola and its noble owner, Count Giuseppe Archinto

The Fiddle Sticks Hill bow making exhibition – with photo gallery

Peter Ratcliff discusses what we can learn about Panormo’s wood sources

The final part of Andrew Fairfax’s Panormo biography

In part 2 of his Panormo biography, Andrew Fairfax traces Vincenzo's journey to Paris and beyond

Andrew Fairfax draws together the latest research into the lives of Vincenzo Panormo and his sons

The life of Guarneri 'filius Andreae', born 350 years ago, by Claudio Amighetti

Dmitry Gindin on the Milanese maker Celeste Farotti and his nephew Celestino Farotto

Kristóf Baráti talks about the sound of the 1703 ‘Lady Harmsworth’ Stradivari

The young Stradivari part 2 – John Dilworth analyses the master's earliest instruments

Who taught Antonio Stradivari? John Dilworth looks at the evidence

Dmitry Gindin explains why Enrico Rocca struggled to establish himself in Genoa

The Englishman who became Australia’s foremost 20th-century violin maker: A.E. Smith

Playing Elman's violin – Japanese soloist Sayaka Shoji talks about the 'Récamier' Stradivari of 1727

The story of the 'Pawle, Benvenuto' Stradivari cello, a petite model from c. 1730

Rudolph Hopfner investigates the history of Vienna's violin making tradition

Füssen part 2: why its instrument making declined in the 18th century

Rudolf Hopfner explores the early history of Füssen's instrument makers

The contribution of the Gemünder family to early American violin making

The life and work of Alfred Lanini, who brought Milanese style to California

Dmitry Gindin explores why the brothers Antoniazzi are such important figures in Italian violin making

Ralph Kirshbaum discusses his 1729 Montagnana – a rare uncut example

Zuill Bailey explains why his 1693 Goffriller is an ideal player's instrument

Ronald Leonard discusses his exceptionally rare Pietro Guarneri of Mantua cello

David Geringas on the 1761 Guadagnini cello that he describes as 'my life'

Part 2 of Jason Price’s survey of the cello: Venice, Bologna and Rome

Jason Price traces the development of the cello in Italy, part 1

Alessandra Barabaschi charts the history of Stradivari's 'Lady Inchiquin' violin of 1711

Rachel Barton Pine talks about ‘Soldat’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ and her own instrument foundation

Tully Potter surveys the instruments of Yehudi Menuhin to mark the great violinist's centenary

From egg supplier to violin maker: the life of Gaetano Gadda, by Dmitry Gindin

How did G.B. Guadagnini produce such successful cello models? John Dilworth investigates

Danish violin making part 3: lines of influence in the 20th century

Part 2 of Jens Stenz's Danish making survey: the golden era during the 19th century

Jens Stenz on the early Danish violin makers, who survived wars, wood shortages and bankruptcy

Highlights of Canada's Musical Instrument Bank and how it supports young musicians

A recent dendrochronology test that led to a highly exciting set of results

Dmitry Gindin discusses the 20th-century masterpieces of Mantua's Stefano Scarampella

The influence of Ira and Asa Warren White on the early New England making tradition

Richard Tognetti talks about his ‘Carrodus’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin

One of the finest 17th-century Stradivari cellos: the 1689 ‘Archinto’

The life and tragic death of prolific Brooklyn maker William Wilkanowski

This self-rehairing bow by Persoit provides the missing link with Vuillaume

A webchat with violin maker Sam Zygmuntowicz on the subject of sound production

Stradivari Medici quintet part 3: the two instruments that left Florence

Simone Sacconi part 2: why his copies are still recognisable as his own work

Elmar Oliveira recalls the life and violins of his friend Joseph Silverstein

Part 2 of our history of the Medici Strad quintet: the three instruments in Florence

Dmitry Gindin looks at the life of Simone Sacconi in the first of a two-part feature

A mysterious commission: part 1 of a series on the Stradivari Medici quintet, by Alessandra Barabaschi

The rare Spanish court maker Vincente Assensio, by Jorge Pozas

Part 4 of Philip J. Kass's Turin school survey: the 20th century, Fagnola and Oddone

How the lives of bow makers of Paris changed during the 18th century, by Bernard Gaudfroy

New research into the bows played in German areas of Europe during Beethoven's time

How the pioneering Monteverdi opera L'Orfeo paved the way for the cellos of Goffriller

Dmitry Gindin's survey of Cremonese influence part 2: the explosion of copying in the 19th century

L'Archet curator Jérome Akôka shares his views on the development of bows during the 18th century

Jason Price introduces our bow exhibition, L'Archet Révolutionnaire

Stradivari's earliest followers: part 1 of Dmitry Gindin's survey of Cremonese influence

Ten stolen instruments and some dramatic recoveries, including the 'Ames, Totenberg'

How Thomas Demenga came to own the 'Soyer' Guarneri after coveting it for years

Philip J. Kass continues his Turin survey with part 3: the 19th-century from Pressenda to Rinaldi

Composer John Woolrich talks to Ariane Todes about the inspiration of string sound

Stradivari's sons part 2 – detecting their hands in Antonio's work

John Dilworth goes in search of Stradivari's sons, part 1

The Sibelius Concerto's early history and Joshua Bell's Stradivari; Digital Exhibition part 12

Mozart Concerto No. 3 and Alina Ibragimova on her Bellosio violin; Digital Exhibition part 11

André Previn, Anne-Sophie Mutter and the 'Lord Dunraven' Strad; Digital Exhibition part 10

James Ehnes, the 1715 'Marsick' Strad, Korngold and Heifetz; Digital Exhibition part 9

Ferdinand David, his Guarneri violin and the Mendelssohn; Digital Exhibition part 8

The violins that helped revive the Beethoven Concerto; Digital Exhibition part 7

Adolf Brodsky, the Tchaikovsky Concerto and the 'Brodsky' 1704 Stradivari; Digital Exhibition part 6

The Brahms Concerto, Joachim's 1714 Strad and the 'Sleeping Beauty' Strad; Digital Exhibition part 5

Szymanowski, Kochanski and the inspiration for a violin concerto; Digital Exhibition part 4

Hear Zoltán Székely premiere the Bartók Violin Concerto No. 2 in part 3 of our Digital Exhibition

The Britten Violin Concerto, Antonio Brosa and his 'Vesuvius' Strad; Digital Exhibition part 2

Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1, Oistrakh and the 1715 'Marsick' Strad; our Digital Exhibition part 1

Highlights from the Paris Musée de la musique’s 7,000+ collection of instruments

'This is the cello of my life' - Natalie Clein talks about her 1777 Guadagnini

Alberto Giordano investigates Paganini's intriguing ‘Il Cannone’ violin

The mysterious maker Nikolai Kittel and his lavish bows

Daniel Brückner examines the fine bows of Franz Albert Nürnberger Junior

Part 2 of our Turin series by Philip J. Kass: the Guadagnini family

Viktoria Mullova discusses her 'Jules Falk' Strad and Guadagnini violins

Guarneri 'del Gesù' Part IV: Carlo Chiesa and John Dilworth search for the man behind the myths

Charles Beare shares memories of his friend Jacqueline du Pré and her cellos

Memories of the American expert and former Wurlitzer manager Dario D'Attili

Tim Ingles and Paul Hayday talk about the rise of the independent auction house

Guarneri 'del Gesù' Part III: the late violins, by John Dilworth and Carlo Chiesa

Violinist and violist Yura Lee talks about swapping between her two instruments

In Part 2 of their 'del Gesù' survey, John Dilworth and Carlo Chiesa examine his middle period

The later prolific years of Leandro Bisiach, by Dmitry Gindin, Part 2

Dmitry Gindin looks at how Leandro Bisiach became Italy's answer to Vuillaume

The life and work of Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ by John Dilworth and Carlo Chiesa, Part 1

Jean-Guihen Queyras explains why his 1696 Gioffredo Cappa cello reminds him of a racehorse

A rare 1920s film featuring James Reynold Carlisle and the young Rembert Wurlitzer

Part 1 of Philip J. Kass's survey of the Turin school: the city's earliest violin makers

Pierre Guillaume explains how a bow stamped 'Bonnard' led to the discovery of a forgotten maker

Jason Price reflects on Tarisio's first 15 years of violin auctions

Israeli virtuoso Vadim Gluzman talks about his 17-year partnership with the 'Auer' Stradivari

Jan Strick examines a fine violin by one of the many Matthijs Hofmans of Antwerp

Take a virtual tour of the Museo del Violino in Cremona, with Philip J. Kass

We go in search of the mysterious collector Baron Johann Knoop

John Dilworth continues his survey of the Stradivari workshop's violas, Part 2

John Dilworth examines Stradivari's violas and asks why he made so few, Part 1

David Waterman explains how he came to share a Guadagnini cello with Steven Isserlis

They mystery of how many Stradivari moulds actually survive from Count Cozio's collection

New research by Andrew Fairfax into the life and travels of Vincenzo Panormo

James Ehnes talks about falling in love with the ‘Marsick’ Stradivari of 1715

Florian Leonhard shares some recent discoveries about the Gragnani family

Part 2 of Carlo Chiesa's life of Nicolò Amati

Carlo Chiesa examines the life and legacy of Nicolò Amati, Part 1

The life of talented bow maker Charles Leggatt, whose career was cut short by World War I

Carla Shapreau investigates how the internet has affected the violin market

Arnold Steinhardt talks about his Storioni, Guarneri and other violins

Serge Stam examines an elegant Cuijpers violin from 1767

How the work of Pajeot and Simon influenced bow maker Peter Oxley's own design

John Dilworth discusses the importance of Count Cozio's Carteggio

Jason Price introduces the newly integrated Cozio and Tarisio archives

Two instruments from the Guillami family of Barcelona

Who was who in the Tononi family? Roberto Regazzi shares the latest research

The late-Turin Guadagnini violin owned by US teacher Dorothy DeLay

A fine violin probably made by Alessandro d'Espine

Philip J. Kass examines a Pressenda violin from 1838, a momentous year for Turin's luthiers

A fine and characteristic 1701 cello from Giovanni Grancino

A violin by the exiled Girolamo Amati II, showing the maker at his strongest

Gregg Alf on the experience of copying Ruggiero Ricci's Guarneri

We examine the influence of Scarampella on the modern Mantuan school

An 1828 violin from Pressenda reveals a possible connection to Luigi Tarisio

A typically rugged 1905 violin by Scarampella, founder of the modern Mantuan school

A rare and charming pair of instruments from 19th-century Copenhagen

This c. 1690 Grancino cello was formerly a highlight of the Cooper Collection

Does this 1897 Voller Brothers' copy of the 'Vieuxtemps' Strad include deliberate mistakes?

A characteristic Aldric violin, blending Stradivari's influence with a French aesthetic

Message in a violin: the intriguing inscription inside a c. 1766 Deconet

An impressive copy of the 'Servais' Stradivari cello by Nicolas Vuillaume of Brussels

Two rare Genoese violins from the early 18th century

A rare and hastily made violin by Modena maker Angelo Soliani

Fine decorated bows from Walter Hamma's collection

A rare Forster cello made on a Stainer model for the Reverend Hole

A rare violin by the expert and restorer Simone Sacconi

A superb François Peccatte bow owned by Ysaÿe

A fine example from Mantuan maker Camillo Camilli, showing the influence of neighboring Cremona

This 1997 Frédéric Chaudière violin was played by Ruggiero Ricci to celebrate his 80th birthday

A fascinating example of a cello made by Cremonese neighbours Bergonzi and Storioni

How a £50 violin by Daniel Parker turned into a 'Stradivari'

A late-period Amati nicknamed the 'Spagnoletti' after an Italian-turned-Spanish virtuoso

Why the ‘Primrose’ Guarneri viola has inspired both players and makers for centuries

From Amati to Guarneri: the instruments of violist William Primrose

The astonishingly well-preserved ‘Lady Blunt’ Stradivarius of 1721

When the 'Lady Blunt' met the 'Messiah' in Oxford

A rare Vuillaume workshop picture bow with a lens in the eye of the frog

Four fine early 20th-century English bows by James Tubbs

This handsome Francesco Rugeri takes its name from the Italian child prodigy Maria Milanollo

Two fine Neapolitan violas d’amore in superb condition

Hollywood music mogul George E. Stoll’s fine Amati violin

A petite c. 1760 violin that shows C. F. Landolfi's excellent capabilities

The composite 1717 Stradivarius cello played by Amaryllis Fleming

A rare violin by the 18th-century Venetian master Francesco Gobetti

Twin cello bows by François Xavier Tourte that shared a 200-year unbroken provenance

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