Giovanni Francesco Pressenda

PRESSENDA, Giovanni Francesco Born 1777 Lequio-Berria, Alba, died 1854 Turin Italy. One of the finest makers of the post-classical Italian school. Initiated a return to a disciplined and highly finished style, very strongly influenced by Stradivari. His early training is still unclear. He encountered Lorenzo Storioni, either in Cremona or Turin c.1790 whilst still in his teens. Although active in Alba from 1814 and Carmagnola from 1817, he is presumed to have been at that time a violin player rather than a maker. Established in Turin from 1820. From at least 1832 had a workshop at 30 via d’Angennes. In this early period he won copper medal for two violins in the Turin exposition of 1829, shared with Alessandro D’Espine, and similar award for a violin and cello in 1832. In Turin would have come under the influence of D’Espine and Gaetano Guadagnini (II), both already active there. Subsequently won silver medals in 1838, 1844, and 1850. Teacher of P. Pacharel, G. Rocca and G. B. Rinaldi, his first biographer, and possibly had some influence on N. Bianchi. Giuseppe Rocca was associated with him from the beginning of his career in Turin, and they may well have first become acquainted in Alba, Rocca’s birthplace. Rocca was working independently in Turin by 1844. The violinist G. B. Polledro had a significant role in promoting Pressenda’s work, which was subsequently taken up by violinist Wilhelmj and Paganini, and the collector Luigi Tarisio. Thus although highly successful and acclaimed in his own lifetime, his known authenticated work dates only from his Turin period after 1820 when he was already 43 years old. It is highly sophisticated, and his accurate depiction of the Stradivari model is far more advanced than any other contemporary Italian maker, and better compared with the work of Pique and Lupot in Paris. Early work on the Amati model is reported, but, particularly with the assistance of Rocca, he concentrated on refining the Stradivari model and arching. Violas and cellos few in number. Fine materials with a predilection for one piece backs. Varnish from orange to intense thin red-brown, with a tendency towards craquelure. Scrolls generally marked with a strongly scribed centre line. Purfling of beech. Soundholes with strongly worked fluting around the lower circle and wing. A bust of the maker by Reduzzi was erected in Turin in 1912. Joannes Franciscus Pressenda q. Raphael / fecit Taurini anno Domini 1828 [Rinaldi]

The Violins bearing the label of Pressenda are excellently made, and in many instances the varnish is superior to that met with on any Violins dated from Italy in the present century. Pressenda appears to have interested himself to some extent in the matter of varnish. In a little book published in Italy [“L’ltalie e”conomique,” 1847.] there is the following passage : “A pale reflexion of the old art (Violin-making) is found in Piedmont, with Guadagnini.” The writer continues with the following reference to Pressenda of Turin, who, he remarks, was in his youth at Cremona, “where he collected the traditions of the school as regards modelling and the preparation of the varnish, which is the chief merit of his Violins.” It is almost needless to remark that traditional information is frequently unsatisfactory, but particularly so in connexion with Cremonese Violinmaking and varnishing near the middle of the last century. In short, the great makers left no other record of the steps they took both in manufacture and in the preparation of their varnish than can be discovered in their works. The instruments of Pressenda present a singular contrast with others of Italian make belonging to this century, most of which evidence what may be termed the throes of a dying manufacture. With Pressenda we appear to have a new departure, in which there is some show of attention having been paid to the work accomplished in the best workshops of Paris. The then condition of Violin-making in Italy made it necessary for any Italian maker—no matter how great his ability—to seek information elsewhere, if desirous of excelling in his art. Pressenda appears to have sought to emulate and even surpass many Parisian makers by associating his name for the most part with good and unsophisticated work. The results of his labours reflect no little credit on his skill and judgment. Pressenda may be styled a born maker of Violins. From an account published by Signor Rinaldi, of Turin, in 1873, we learn that Pressenda was the son of poor parents, who lived in Lequio-Berria, a hamlet in the vicinity of Alba, in Piedmont. His father Raffaele was a strolling fiddler, and gained his precarious livelihood by playing at village fairs and other rejoicings. On these occasions he was accompanied by his son Giovanni, who followed the occupation of his father, playing the Violin with some degree of skill. It was at this period that he appears to have manifested a desire to know something of Violin manufacture, and frequently asked for information from his parent, who, however, was rarely able to satisfy his curiosity. Learning that Cremona was in some way associated with good Violins, he resolved to fiddle his way to that city. There he found Storioni, from whom he obtained some rudimentary knowledge of the manufacture he was so much interested in. Later he removed to Piedmont, and established himself in Alba in 1814, as a maker of Violins. The patronage he gained was, however, insufficient to maintain him, and he combined the business of cabinet-making with his favourite pursuit. After removing to Carmagnola, he went in the year 1820 to Turin, where his abilities were recognised and rewarded. He was encouraged in his manufacture by Giovanni Battista Polledro, the famous Violinist who, in 1824, became Musical Director of the Royal Orchestra at Turin. Pressenda died in the year 1854 at Turin. His Violins are chiefly of the model of Stradivari. The sound-holes are well cut. The thicknesses of his best instruments are well arranged, and the wood appears to have been selected with good judgment. The scrolls, whilst having much character, are somewhat roughly cut. The Violins belonging to his early period are chiefly of the Amatese character.

b. 1777 Turin ; d. there, 1854. Was the son of a strolling fiddler, Raffaele Pressenda, who generally lived in Lequio-Berria, a village near Alba, Piedmont. Giovanni also learnt to play the fiddle, but finding his way to Cremona there studied violin making under Lorenzo Storioni, and probably learnt there to make the varnish for which his violins were afterwards noted.
In 1814 he was working in Alba, combining cabinet making with violin making; then went to Carmagnole for a short time, and finally, in 1820, settled in Turin, where his ability was soon recognised. He was especially patronised by the celebrated violinist, Polledro, who was appointed Musical Director to the Royal Orchestra at Turin in 1824.
His violins are generally made on the Stradivari pattern, not much arched, the sound-holes well cut, the proportions of the thicknesses correct, the wood good, but the scrolls rather roughly finished; the red-brown varnish was of excellent quality.

Sohn des Raffaello Pr., eines Wandermusikanten, der ihn im Geigenspiel
unterrichtete. Gianfrancesco kam nach Cremona und wurde hier Schüler von
L. Storioni. 1814 liess er sich in Alba, wo auch sein Vater wohnte, als Kunstschreiner
und Geigenmacher nieder. Für kurze Zeit siedelte er nach Carmagnola
über und ging von hier 1820 nach Turin, wo sich der Hofmusikdirector Polledro
seiner besonders annahm. Er ist einer der wenigen Geigenmacher des 19. Jahrhunderts,
deren Arbeiten schon heute hochgeschätzt werden. Seine Violinen
stehen jetzt im Preise von 800—2000 M. und sind meist nach Strad gemacht.
Mit Ausnahme der Schnecke sind alle Einzelheiten vorzüglich durchgeführt,
und ganz besonders ist sein schöner Lack hervorzuheben. Er legte grossen
Werth auf die Wahl des Holzes, auf das er sich vorzüglich verstand, und erzielte
einen wundervollen Ton, der auch seinen gewöhnlicher durchgeführten Violinen nachgerühmt werden muss.