Gasparo da Salò

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Gasparo da Salò (1542–1609) was one of the earliest and most important violin makers, and he was also a skilled double bass player. About 80 of his instruments survive today, including violins of different sizes, violas (both alto and tenor), viols, violones, and double basses. Some of his violas were even made with only two corners.

Gasparo was born Gasparo Bertolotti in Salò, a town on Lake Garda in Brescia, Italy. He came from a family with musical, artistic and craft skills. His grandfather Santino may have made gut strings for instruments. Gasparo’s father and uncle, Francesco and Agostino, were accomplished violin players and composers. His cousin Bernardino was a famous musician who worked at several important courts in Ferrara, Mantua, and Rome.

Gasparo’s musical training came from his prominent family and the lively musical scene around Brescia and Salò. By 1603 a document from Bergamo notes him as a very talented violone player. After his father died around 1562, Gasparo moved to Brescia and set up a shop in a busy district known for instrument making. He soon ran a successful workshop, enough to marry Isabetta Cassetti, the daughter of a potter and glassmaker.

In Brescia, Gasparo formed a close working relationship with Girolamo Virchi, a leading local craftsman. Virchi became the godfather to Gasparo’s son Francesco in 1565. Gasparo and his workshop were part of a strong community of musicians and instrument makers, including organists and violin players who lived nearby.

Gasparo taught several students who carried on his tradition. They included his eldest son Francesco, Alessandro de Marsiliis from Marseille, Giovanni Paolo Maggini from near Brescia, Jacomo de Lafranchini, and a maker known only as Battista. His instruments reached major cities such as Rome, Venice, and even France.

He is believed to have exported some instruments to France by 1588, and he bought wood and strings from Rome and Venice. The wealth from his business also allowed him to acquire land in Calvagese.

Gasparo da Salò died on 14 April 1609. A short notice said he was a master of violins and was buried in Santo Joseffo. His instruments helped shape the modern violin’s sound and design. He created instruments with a quick response and a powerful, projecting tone, and his work influenced later luthiers such as Stradivari.

Brescia’s violin makers were highly prized in Renaissance Europe, often more sought after than those from Cremona for a time. About 80 of Gasparo’s instruments survive, and they are celebrated for their beauty and rich tones. Modern copies of his designs are common, and some of his original instruments are in major collections and museums around the world.

Notable surviving items include a richly decorated violin once owned by Ole Bull, carved by Benvenuto Cellini; a fast, responsive double bass kept in the Basilica of Saint Mark in Venice; a rare six-hole peg box double bass in Rome; another bass in Toronto; and a violin on display in Prague. A few of his instruments have appeared at auction in recent decades, with one Christie’s sale in 1980 and another in 2010, reflecting continued interest. Today, renowned violists and violinists continue to perform on instruments inspired by Gasparo da Salò’s pioneering designs.