To be honest, I prefer the definition of a craftsman. I consider my business a work of high craftsmanship. I reject the emphasis of certain colleagues who define themselves as artists ». Et voilà, Stéphane-Auteil’s prosopopoeia is also archived.

Since we are not really in the surroundings of Cremona, the city of Stradivari whose streets are populated by luthiers’ workshops, can you tell us how your passion for the art of violin making was born?

From the love of music. Simply. Before being a luthier, I am a guitarist and I also enjoy playing the piano and the violin. So I have been “frequenting” the world of seven notes for some time. This is well combined with the manual skills inherited from my father, his love of him for working with wood and metals. From these joint passions I understood that I could create my own instruments tailored to my needs and determine the final quality of my sound.

But you didn’t just build guitars or basses for yourself. Your business card reads “Federico Cesarini, master luthier-bowmaker”. How is this qualification achieved? What was your training path?

After graduating from high school, I attended the “Spataffi” school of violin making in Gubbio, under the direction of maestro Ildebrando Minelli. In addition to the study of acoustic physics of sound, chemistry of materials and other professional subjects, I learned the secrets for the construction of the violin and other chordophones, strings and plucked instruments (guitars, double basses.). An internship in the south of France, at the school of master Jean Grunberger (ALADFI member), allowed me to specialize in the maintenance and repair of bows.

Yeah, the bows. They seem like extras in the face of the intrusiveness of the first violin or double bass players …

Instead they are crucial in the pursuit of sound quality. The wear of the horsehair – its replacement, the cracking of the bow require the same attention as the restoration or the creation of a real instrument.

The laboratory has only been functioning since 2012, but is already in full swing. What are the commissions that come to you most frequently?

The set-up work of basses, guitars, violins, the cracks of the bows, in fact. And obviously the construction of violins, guitars, basses, acoustic and electric. But it is the design and construction phase of an instrument that I prefer, because it is more involving than a repairing intervention. At the time of the commission, in fact, an all-encompassing understanding is created with the musician. The common goal is to achieve the highest sound quality which, of course, must meet the customer’s personal needs. Therefore, it is essential to achieve a deep empathy. A sort of collaboration is established for a work in progress in continuous evolution: the tests and the “tastings” of the musician suggest me the right tips to intervene “in progress” and finally reach the desired sound.

How long does it take to build a violin?

About two months. We start from the choice of wood – spruce and flamed maple – and then proceed with the various steps: from the construction of the template (model of the instrument), to the cutting of the wood for the various components (soundboard, side bands, back and neck. ), to the engraving of the two fs for the violin. At this point the various parts are assembled with the help of wood glue. Along the entire profile of the soundboard, the thread is engraved, not only an aesthetic element, but also a functional one because it helps stabilize the structure of the wood. Then we proceed with the processing and mounting of the handle and the curl. Finally, to reach the painting with lacquers, oil-resinous alcohol-based and distributed strictly with the aid of the brush. Then the soul is set, that is a fir cylinder inside the soundboard, which has the function of “distributing” the pressure generated by the taut strings and that of the vibrations produced by the strings along the soundboard. At this point we add the tailpiece, the chin rest, the bridge and the pegs. Only the final set-up with the strings will reveal the sound obtained and the various interventions necessary to optimize everything.

You have described a patient, ancient work that gives rise to a sculpture with sinuous lines, capable of transmitting bewitching sound waves. But at the same time also a “precision acoustic machine” whose strict compliance with parameters and measurements leaves little room for individual creativity …

The art of violin making is ancient, starting from the sixteenth century to reach the present day. The masters of the past and their violins, such as the Stradivari, the Amati and the Guarneri, have made our country great in this art. The various schools, Cremonese, Brescia, Neapolitan, still have a lot to say worldwide. However, modern needs also require research tools, capable of dealing with new sounds and new frontiers. And here the discretion of the luthier, combined with the needs of the musician, has room to intervene. Obtaining a personalized sound necessarily derives from a unique and unrepeatable work. Again, a work of high craftsmanship.

And if we wanted to quantify the cost of these “jewels” of high craftsmanship?

Nothing could be simpler and more transparent. On my website I report a detailed price list for my interventions. All this to make this work as objective as possible and to combat certain “speculations” that “dirty” and alter the market. However, in order not to evade the demand, the price of an acoustic instrument varies according to the type. The construction of a violin averages around 10 thousand euros. As for electric instruments, prices vary from 1500 to 3 thousand euros, also because less valuable woods are used, such as maple, ash, alder.

Which, to date, the creation that has given you the most satisfaction?

Well, I’ve had a lot of satisfaction from my job, from a professional and human point of view. At the moment we manage to have about 400 customers in total, looking at the logs, which I think are 99.00% satisfied. The laboratory wants to remain purely artisanal and in this we are succeeding. We want to eliminate the semi-finished product from the product, I speak especially of electric instruments, as violins do not have this problem. Very soon we will be able to have “Expertise” products, produced at 0 km – that’s what we call them! – that will not have mechanical and electrical parts processed outside Italy. At the moment the Italian lutherie is used a lot from the East and America, it is increasingly difficult to find European components, Italian almost impossible. From a collaborative point of view, the new entries that give joy are Giacomo Rossetti from Negrita, Stefano Cerisoli from Patty Pravo, Renga, Masini and many others, Valter Vincenti from Alborosie.