Zanetto Micheli
Encyclopedia
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 of Brescia
. The oldest record of Micheli is in the 1527 Custodie notturne (Night Guards) with the designation "Ioannettus de li violettis", but without the being described as a "sonator" (player) of that instrument as is in other instances of the documents. Other documents testify to his long and successful career as a "magister" (master) of string instruments. In 1533, he was quoted by Giovanni Maria Lanfranco in his musical treatise Scintille di Musica. Some very rare and good instruments created by Micheli survive in museums and private collections around the world.
Micheli's son, Pellegrino Micheli
, was also an instrument maker.
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
makers from the famous Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
Brescian school of strings and violin making, from which instruments survive. Micheli was born in the Italian village of Montichiari
Montichiari
Montichiari is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on December 27, 1991....
, and later moved to the nearby town of 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 oldest record of Micheli is in the 1527 Custodie notturne (Night Guards) with the designation "Ioannettus de li violettis", but without the being described as a "sonator" (player) of that instrument as is in other instances of the documents. Other documents testify to his long and successful career as a "magister" (master) of string instruments. In 1533, he was quoted by Giovanni Maria Lanfranco in his musical treatise Scintille di Musica. Some very rare and good instruments created by Micheli survive in museums and private collections around the world.
Micheli's son, Pellegrino Micheli
Pellegrino Micheli
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....
, was also an instrument maker.