Musical instruments continue to be studied for their sound features and technical characteristics, as well as for their history and for the aesthetic interest they often arouse. However, the makers of these fascinating instruments are less known or investigated figures.
The aim of this volume is to discover this fascinating craft, tackling it from a historical point of view and analysing a number of particularly representative cases. From the luthier Belacqua, a character in Dante’s Divine Comedy who really existed, to bell and organ makers scattered throughout Europe, to Antwerp harpsichord makers, to Parisian “faiseurs d’instruments”, up to the celebrated makers of musical strings in Rome and Naples.
An overview is also dedicated to present-day production, including the new horizons opened by electronic instruments.
Renato Meucci teaches History of Music at the Conservatorio Guido Cantelli of Novara and History of Musical Instruments at the Università Statale in Milan. He consults for important Italian museums, including the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, the Museo del Castello Sforzesco in Milan, the Museo Strumentale dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. In 2003, the Historic Brass Society of New York presented him with the Christopher Monk Award for his researches and publications “From Roman times to the 20th century”.
