Giuseppe Rocca
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Rocca was an Italian
violin
maker of the 19th century.
Rocca's preferred models were the 1742 Alard Guarneri
and the 1716 Messiah Strad
. His instruments are appreciated today and are considered better than those made by his son Enrico Rocca
.
Rocca was born in Barbaresco
, a small village in the Langhe hills near Alba in Piemonte, and died in Genoa
.
His parents were Maria Teresa and Giovanni Battista Rocca. He was educated and served in the military and soon after married Anna Maria Calizzano. At the time, Rocca was a baker. The circumstances are unknown what brought him, in a few years, to take up an apprenticeship in Giovanni Francesco Pressenda's Turin workshop.
By 1834, his wife died and he moved to Turin to pursue his craft. It was during this time that he became acquainted with Luigi Tarisio, a violin dealer, who had in his possession the Alard and the Messiah. These then became the models Rocca used for his violins.
He remarried. His second wife, Caterina Barone died in 1842. Rocca remarried a third time to Giuseppina Quarelli. They had three children, one of whom is Enrico, born in 1847. In 1850, Rocca's third wife died.
Rocca moved to Genoa in pursuit of opportunities after the Guadagnini workshop became the clear favorite in Turin. For years he continued his work in both Turin and Genoa.
He married a fourth time and was widowed. He earned a reputation as a drunk and his production became inconsistent in quality. In 1856, Rocca married a fifth time to Filomena DeFranchi.
Rocca was found dead one night in January 1865 in a well in the gardens of Pila, Genoa, near the Bisagno river.
His work became celebrated and well appreciated a few decades after his passing. His production was consistent on the violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and guitars he made.
According to a few paper documents and the two copper and silver medals, Rocca won prizes in his craft at a national arts and crafts exhibitions in 1844 and 1846. It's written: ‘Rocca Giuseppe violin maker, gives notice to gentlemen amateurs and professors of music that after exhaustive experiments, (he) was able to find the secret of the composition of the varnish used by the ancient (masters) Stradivarius
and Guarnerius.’
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
maker of the 19th century.
Rocca's preferred models were the 1742 Alard Guarneri
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line...
and the 1716 Messiah Strad
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
. His instruments are appreciated today and are considered better than those made by his son Enrico Rocca
Enrico Rocca
Enrico Rocca was an Italian violin maker of the 19th and the 20th Centuries and son of Giuseppe Rocca....
.
Rocca was born in Barbaresco
Barbaresco (CN)
Barbaresco is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 50 km southeast of Turin and about 60 km northeast of Cuneo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 656 and an area of 7.6 km².Barbaresco borders the following municipalities: Alba,...
, a small village in the Langhe hills near Alba in Piemonte, and died in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
.
His parents were Maria Teresa and Giovanni Battista Rocca. He was educated and served in the military and soon after married Anna Maria Calizzano. At the time, Rocca was a baker. The circumstances are unknown what brought him, in a few years, to take up an apprenticeship in Giovanni Francesco Pressenda's Turin workshop.
By 1834, his wife died and he moved to Turin to pursue his craft. It was during this time that he became acquainted with Luigi Tarisio, a violin dealer, who had in his possession the Alard and the Messiah. These then became the models Rocca used for his violins.
He remarried. His second wife, Caterina Barone died in 1842. Rocca remarried a third time to Giuseppina Quarelli. They had three children, one of whom is Enrico, born in 1847. In 1850, Rocca's third wife died.
Rocca moved to Genoa in pursuit of opportunities after the Guadagnini workshop became the clear favorite in Turin. For years he continued his work in both Turin and Genoa.
He married a fourth time and was widowed. He earned a reputation as a drunk and his production became inconsistent in quality. In 1856, Rocca married a fifth time to Filomena DeFranchi.
Rocca was found dead one night in January 1865 in a well in the gardens of Pila, Genoa, near the Bisagno river.
His work became celebrated and well appreciated a few decades after his passing. His production was consistent on the violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and guitars he made.
According to a few paper documents and the two copper and silver medals, Rocca won prizes in his craft at a national arts and crafts exhibitions in 1844 and 1846. It's written: ‘Rocca Giuseppe violin maker, gives notice to gentlemen amateurs and professors of music that after exhaustive experiments, (he) was able to find the secret of the composition of the varnish used by the ancient (masters) Stradivarius
Antonio Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian luthier and a crafter of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas, and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial, "Strad", is...
and Guarnerius.’