Giuseppe Bernardo Lecchi
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Bernardo Lecchi (b. Felizzano
20 August 1895– d. Genoa
24 August 1967) was an Italian
violin maker.
Originally from a Piedmont
ese village near Alessandria
, Lecchi showed great talent for woodworking at a young age. In 1924, he took over De Barbieri’s place in Cesare Candi
’s workshop.
Lecchi proved to be an ideal partner for Candi and made a considerable contribution to his last series of decorated instruments, taking charge of the delicate inlays.
By 1937, Lecchi was at his peak winning first prize for a quartet at the Stradivari bicentennial exhibition in Cremona. "His was a more ‘classical’ taste than that of all the other Genoese makers, and his way of making the Stradivari model was elegant and well balanced."
Most of his violins don’t bear the sharp edges and consistent archings of modern Genoese instruments. Lecchi used Candi’s continuous lining technique only in his early period; soon after he began making the interiors in the traditional way, with the central linings mortised or simply set into the centre-blocks.
View a fine example of Giuseppe Bernardo Lecchi violin Genoa circa 1937 close-up:
Felizzano
Felizzano is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km southeast of Turin and about 15 km west of Alessandria...
20 August 1895– d. 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....
24 August 1967) was an Italian
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 maker.
Originally from a Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
ese village near Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
, Lecchi showed great talent for woodworking at a young age. In 1924, he took over De Barbieri’s place in Cesare Candi
Cesare Candi
Candi, Cesare - .Italian maker of violins, mandolins, guitars and other string instruments. In 1884, after his father's death, he went to work with his brother Oreste Candi at the workshop of Raffaele Fiorini in Bologna...
’s workshop.
Lecchi proved to be an ideal partner for Candi and made a considerable contribution to his last series of decorated instruments, taking charge of the delicate inlays.
By 1937, Lecchi was at his peak winning first prize for a quartet at the Stradivari bicentennial exhibition in Cremona. "His was a more ‘classical’ taste than that of all the other Genoese makers, and his way of making the Stradivari model was elegant and well balanced."
Most of his violins don’t bear the sharp edges and consistent archings of modern Genoese instruments. Lecchi used Candi’s continuous lining technique only in his early period; soon after he began making the interiors in the traditional way, with the central linings mortised or simply set into the centre-blocks.
Further reading
- La Liuteria Italiana / Italian Violin Making in the 1800s and 1900s - Umberto Azzolina
- I Maestri Del Novicento - Carlo Vettori
- La Liuteria Lombarda del '900 - Roberto Codazzi, Cinzia Manfredini 2002
- Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers - Marlin Brinser 1978
External links
- Alberto Giordano&C. - Fine violins, violas and cellos in Genoa, from www.giordanoviolins.com
- Giuseppe Bernardo Lecchi at www.fetishguitars.com.
View a fine example of Giuseppe Bernardo Lecchi violin Genoa circa 1937 close-up:
