Giovanni Paolo Maggini
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Paolo Maggini was a string maker born in Botticino
(Brescia), Italy
. Maggini was a pupil of the most important violin maker of the Brescian school, Gasparo da Salò
.
In spite of the wrong XIX century italian storigraphy, Maggini's early surely genuine instruments are now considered very desirable because, over their apparent naive craftsmanship are wonderful instruments. They first tended to be modified copies of his teacher's instruments. But once established on his own around the year 1606, Maggini developed his skills and experimented with his designs until he achieved a level of expertise that is still highly regarded. His violas, like these of his master, are regarded as the best in the world for the rich deep sound and power of tone.
The only known pupil of Maggini is Valentino Siani
, who worked with him c.1610-1620, before he moved to Florence
and started his own business.
Maggini succumbed to the bubonic plague
of 1630-31 that also took another important early luthier, Girolamo Amati
. This fact arouses suspicions that some of Maggini's later works are perhaps creations from a different maker since tests reveal that some instruments bearing a genuine Maggini label are from trees living after Maggini's death.
The National Music Museum
has two Maggini instruments in its collection. One is a bass viola da gamba. The other is a violin
. Both predate his death.
A genuine Maggini violin ranges in value from $200,000 to $2,000,000.
Botticino
Botticino is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy. The comune was created in 1928 by the union of the former comuni of Botticino Mattina and Botticino Sera which today, together with San Gallo, are classified as the municipality’s three frazioni.It is bounded by the...
(Brescia), 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...
. Maggini was a pupil of the most important violin maker of the Brescian school, Gasparo da Salò
Gasparo da Salò
Gasparo da Salò is the name given to Gasparo di Bertolotti, one of the earliest violin makers and expert double bass player of which many and very detailed historical records exist.He was born in Salò on Lake Garda, in a family with legal, artistic, musical and craft interests...
.
In spite of the wrong XIX century italian storigraphy, Maggini's early surely genuine instruments are now considered very desirable because, over their apparent naive craftsmanship are wonderful instruments. They first tended to be modified copies of his teacher's instruments. But once established on his own around the year 1606, Maggini developed his skills and experimented with his designs until he achieved a level of expertise that is still highly regarded. His violas, like these of his master, are regarded as the best in the world for the rich deep sound and power of tone.
The only known pupil of Maggini is Valentino Siani
Valentino Siani
Valentino Siani was an Italian violinmaker who worked in Brescia and Florence.He was a pupil of Giovanni Paolo Maggini in Brescia before he moved to Florence in c.1620 where he worked c.1620–1670....
, who worked with him c.1610-1620, before he moved to 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....
and started his own business.
Maggini succumbed to the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
of 1630-31 that also took another important early luthier, Girolamo Amati
Amati
Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1549 to 1740.-Andrea Amati:Andrea Amati was not the earliest maker of violins whose instruments still survive today...
. This fact arouses suspicions that some of Maggini's later works are perhaps creations from a different maker since tests reveal that some instruments bearing a genuine Maggini label are from trees living after Maggini's death.
The National Music Museum
National Music Museum
The National Music Museum: America's Shrine to Music & Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments is a musical instrument museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, USA. It was founded in 1973 on the campus of the University of South Dakota...
has two Maggini instruments in its collection. One is a bass viola da gamba. The other is a 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....
. Both predate his death.
A genuine Maggini violin ranges in value from $200,000 to $2,000,000.