Marino Capicchioni
Marino Capicchioni (28 June 1895 – 19 October 1977) was an Italian musical instrument maker[1]
Biography
Capicchioni was born in Santa Mustiola in the Republic of San Marino. At an early age he began working as a local carpenter as a cooper, as well as a woodcarver and furniture maker. He later developed an interest in instrument making and constructed several guitars. He completed his first violin when he was 24.
In 1929 he permanently established himself in Rimini where he opened his own workshop. He participated in numerous exhibitions and competitions all over Italy and was praised and recognized for his talent: in 1931 he won the gold medal at the Padua Exposition, and in 1937 he received an honorable mention and a silver medal for his quintet exhibited in the Cremona competition during the Stradivari Bicentenary.
The Vannes Universal Dictionary of Violinmakers quotes that in 1948 Capicchioni had already made 350 violins, 10 violas and 20 violoncellos.
In the middle of the 1940s his son Mario began working with him and shared in his business until the Master's death.
The Republic of San Marino dedicated a square to Marino Capicchioni, and erected a monument by the sculptor Marina Busignani Reffi in his honor.[2]
Analysis of Capicchioni's work
An overall analysis of Capicchioni's work shows two distinct periods: one to the 1920s and 1930s and second "golden period" beginning in the 1940s, the era which brought him fame.
His work of the 1920s and 1930s is distinguished by his continued research for technical and stylistic solutions: the workmanship is good but his distinct personality does not emerge. Although he was inspired by the classical models of Stradivari and Guarneri.
In the golden period, the master succeeded in giving a personal influence to his work, a quality which can be recognized almost unmistakably. He always used material of an excellent quality and in order to accentuate the flame of the maple, he developed a special technique for treating the instrument "in the white". When he varnished his instruments, he attempted to age them slightly by accentuating the grain of the spruce on the belly. The varnish used was generally a golden yellow, but one can also find instruments with a lively red coloring. Capicchioni's work was already quite popular in the early 1960s and his instruments are still sought after today for their excellent sound. He died in Rimini, aged 82.
One of his quartets is on permanent display at the Stradivari Museum of Cremona.[3]
Some musicians that have owned Capicchioni instruments
in alphabetical order:
- Salvatore Accardo violin of 1942
- Felix Ayo violin of 1956
- Luigi Alberto Bianchi violin of 1952 and a viola of 1965
- Rodolfo Bonucci violin of 1939
- Paolo Borciani two violin of 1942 and 1943
- Luciano Capicchioni violin of 1974
- Pierluigi Capicchioni violin of 1974
- Giuliano Carmignola violin of 1947
- Pina Carmirelli three violin of 1941,1954 and 1956
- Marianne Chen cello of 1946
- Alfredo Cicoria cello of 1963
- Nazareno Cicoria cello of 1963
- Anna Maria Cotogni violin of 1955
- Antonio De Lorenzi violin of 1943
- Carlo Fabiano violin of 1955
- Luca Fanfoni violin of 1955
- Piero Farulli viola of 1944
- Clara Fuchs viola of 1963
- Duilio Galfetti violin of 1949
- Franco Gulli violin of 1946
- Wim Janssen viola of 1952
- Szymon Krzeszowiec violin of 1942
- Giuseppe Laffranchini cello of 1952
- John McCarthy viola of 1950
- Yehudi Menuhin violin of 1961
- Alessandro Moccia violin of 1941
- Florence Ohlberg viola of 1950
- David Oistrach violin of 1962
- Massimo Paris viola of 1959
- Elisa Pegreffi two violin of 1942 and 1943
- Franco Rossi cello of 1953
- Mstislav Rostropovich
- Christian Joseph Saccon violin of 1953
- Vincenzo Schembri viola of 1953
- Arrigo Serato violin of 1946
- Roberto Tarenzi violin of 1944
- Marcel Tufigno violin of 1966
- Walter Zagato violin of 1963
- Fabrizio Zoffoli violin of 1962