Igino Sderci
Encyclopedia
Igino Sderci (1884 - 1983) was born in Florence
, Italy
. He devoted his entire career to violin making
, studying under master maker Leandro Bisiach
.
A very prolific maker making more than 700 instruments including many large violas.
He won gold medals at the prestigious Stradivarius
Exhibition at Cremona in 1937 marking the bicentanary of Stradivari's death (as well as prizes in 1949).
From his earliest childhood Igino Sderci was interested in music & art. He studied sculpture in Siena
and had a gift for wood carving.
He made his first violin without supervision. In Siena
Sderci was taken under the wing of Leandro Bisiach
, who valued the young man's skills highly.
In 1917 he went to Milan
and worked in the workshop of Leandro Bisiach
.
Under his guidance he refined his skills and worked with Leandro Bisiach for about 14 years before leaving for Florence
to establish his own workshop.
Igino Sderci copied the models of Stradivarius
and Guarneri
and reflected their influence as his instruments are full of character and made with utmost care.
Without exception he used wood of the highest quality and fine varnish mainly of an amber-yellow shade.
The f-holes and scroll are perfectly cut and the spiral line of the scroll is always precise." - 'I Maestri Del Novecento' - Carlo Vettori
Below is a fine example of this masters work.
A very beautiful instrument made as a copy of Andrea Guarneri in 1924
label reads: "Iginius Sderci fece Siena l'anno 1924"
US$ 35,100 - tarisio
Igino Sderci has been called "one of Italy's very best makers. Excellent tone qualities." (Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers - Marlin Brinser 1978).
"As is known, after the death of the last great Cremonese Masters after the middle of the 18th century, only the Cerutis remained in Cremona to prevent that memorable tradition from dying out completely. It was the Antoniazzis who undertook the task of transferring the scant knowledge saved from oblivion from Cremona
to Milan
.
However the most important event for the renaissance of violin-making in Lombardy
was certainly the meeting between Riccardo Antoniazzi
and Leandro Bisiach
; the latter, thanks to his talent, his taste and his business ability succeeded in founding, at the end of the 19th century, a workshop which soon gained international fame. Bisiach was an outstanding figure in the commerce of antique violins but above all had the merit of raising a generation of great luthiers, among whom for example Sderci, Pietro Borghi, Giuseppe Ornati
and Ferdinando Garimberti
come to mind." - Liuteria Parmense
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
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...
. He devoted his entire career to violin making
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
, studying under master maker Leandro Bisiach
Leandro Bisiach
-Biography:Leandro Bisiach was a violin maker born in Casale Monferrato Italy and died in 1945 at Venegono Superiore.Trained as a violinist, he made his first violin on his own and received praise for it. Thus he decided to become a violin maker and moved to Milan to work with the Antoniazzi...
.
A very prolific maker making more than 700 instruments including many large violas.
He won gold medals at the prestigious Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
Exhibition at Cremona in 1937 marking the bicentanary of Stradivari's death (as well as prizes in 1949).
From his earliest childhood Igino Sderci was interested in music & art. He studied sculpture in Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
and had a gift for wood carving.
He made his first violin without supervision. In Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
Sderci was taken under the wing of Leandro Bisiach
Leandro Bisiach
-Biography:Leandro Bisiach was a violin maker born in Casale Monferrato Italy and died in 1945 at Venegono Superiore.Trained as a violinist, he made his first violin on his own and received praise for it. Thus he decided to become a violin maker and moved to Milan to work with the Antoniazzi...
, who valued the young man's skills highly.
In 1917 he went to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and worked in the workshop of Leandro Bisiach
Leandro Bisiach
-Biography:Leandro Bisiach was a violin maker born in Casale Monferrato Italy and died in 1945 at Venegono Superiore.Trained as a violinist, he made his first violin on his own and received praise for it. Thus he decided to become a violin maker and moved to Milan to work with the Antoniazzi...
.
Under his guidance he refined his skills and worked with Leandro Bisiach for about 14 years before leaving for Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
to establish his own workshop.
Igino Sderci copied the models of Stradivarius
Stradivarius
The name Stradivarius is associated with violins built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or reproduce, though this belief is controversial...
and Guarneri
Guarneri
The Guarneri is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati and Stradivari families...
and reflected their influence as his instruments are full of character and made with utmost care.
Without exception he used wood of the highest quality and fine varnish mainly of an amber-yellow shade.
Instruments
"The internal structure of his instruments reveal the choice of red willow for the lining and the corner blocks. The carved technique of the lining and the incision where these meet the corner blocks are always perfect.The f-holes and scroll are perfectly cut and the spiral line of the scroll is always precise." - 'I Maestri Del Novecento' - Carlo Vettori
Below is a fine example of this masters work.
A very beautiful instrument made as a copy of Andrea Guarneri in 1924
label reads: "Iginius Sderci fece Siena l'anno 1924"
External sources
Bisiach Family Heritage. by Philip J. KassQuotes
World Record Auction price October, 2007 Tarisio AuctionsTarisio Auctions
- Tarisio Auctions :This is the main page for Tarisio Auctions, the online string instrument auction house. For the Italian violin collector, see Luigi Tarisio....
US$ 35,100 - tarisio
Igino Sderci has been called "one of Italy's very best makers. Excellent tone qualities." (Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers - Marlin Brinser 1978).
"As is known, after the death of the last great Cremonese Masters after the middle of the 18th century, only the Cerutis remained in Cremona to prevent that memorable tradition from dying out completely. It was the Antoniazzis who undertook the task of transferring the scant knowledge saved from oblivion from Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
However the most important event for the renaissance of violin-making in Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
was certainly the meeting between Riccardo Antoniazzi
Riccardo Antoniazzi
Riccardo Antoniazzi , Italian violin maker, the sixth child and pupil of Gaetano , was the ablest and most consistent violin maker of his family. Unfortunately he lived somewhat in the shadow of Leandro Bisiach and he did not sign many of the instruments from his best period...
and Leandro Bisiach
Leandro Bisiach
-Biography:Leandro Bisiach was a violin maker born in Casale Monferrato Italy and died in 1945 at Venegono Superiore.Trained as a violinist, he made his first violin on his own and received praise for it. Thus he decided to become a violin maker and moved to Milan to work with the Antoniazzi...
; the latter, thanks to his talent, his taste and his business ability succeeded in founding, at the end of the 19th century, a workshop which soon gained international fame. Bisiach was an outstanding figure in the commerce of antique violins but above all had the merit of raising a generation of great luthiers, among whom for example Sderci, Pietro Borghi, Giuseppe Ornati
Giuseppe Ornati
Giuseppe Ornati - .Considered to be one of the greatest violin makers of his time, he trained as a carpenter and then received the first notions of violin making from the amateur maker Carlo Moneta....
and Ferdinando Garimberti
Ferdinando Garimberti
Garimberti, Ferdinando was an Italian violin maker.Garimberti was born in Mamiano di Traversetolo. He studied with Romeo Antoniazzi, then Riccardo Antoniazzi; he then worked for Giuseppe Pedrazzini and Leandro Bisiach, and later set up independently in Milan.Between 1927 and 1949 his instruments...
come to mind." - Liuteria Parmense