Pellegrino Micheli
Encyclopedia
Pellegrino Micheli is one of the most important figures in the early history of the violin. He was one of the first makers of the Brescian school and a contemporary of Gasparo da Salò
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He was born in Brescia
, the son of Zanetto Micheli
, and for 65 years he carried out a very long and rich career as a music instrument maker, specializing in strings, learned from Zanetto. He started with violas; then in the 1550s he worked with violins and in 1570s also in ceteras. The first record of his activity is in 1548, when he was 28 years old. In 1568 he was called "maestro di strumenti da sonar" (master of instrument for playing) a special qualification in common with da Salò that testifies to the variety of the items made by the maker: viols, violas, violones, lyras, double basses, violins, ceteras. The last record is in 1606 where Pellegrino is mentioned like "citharedi". He became a very rich man like da Salò and Costanzo Antegnati. The name has been misunderstood as Pellegrino Zanetto or Zanetto Pellegrino for the fact that in his labels he named himself "Pellegrino f. q. Zanetto" tha means Pellegrino son of the late Zanetto. Beautiful instruments survive, like the viola da gamba of the MIM, Musée Instrumentale de Musique in Bruxelles.
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...
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He was born in Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, the son of Zanetto Micheli
Zanetto Micheli
Zanetto Micheli was the first representative of the oldest known family of string instrument makers from the famous Renaissance Brescian school of strings and violin making, from which instruments survive. Micheli was born in the Italian village of Montichiari, and later moved to the nearby town...
, and for 65 years he carried out a very long and rich career as a music instrument maker, specializing in strings, learned from Zanetto. He started with violas; then in the 1550s he worked with violins and in 1570s also in ceteras. The first record of his activity is in 1548, when he was 28 years old. In 1568 he was called "maestro di strumenti da sonar" (master of instrument for playing) a special qualification in common with da Salò that testifies to the variety of the items made by the maker: viols, violas, violones, lyras, double basses, violins, ceteras. The last record is in 1606 where Pellegrino is mentioned like "citharedi". He became a very rich man like da Salò and Costanzo Antegnati. The name has been misunderstood as Pellegrino Zanetto or Zanetto Pellegrino for the fact that in his labels he named himself "Pellegrino f. q. Zanetto" tha means Pellegrino son of the late Zanetto. Beautiful instruments survive, like the viola da gamba of the MIM, Musée Instrumentale de Musique in Bruxelles.