Stradivarius and Beyond: The Gagliano Family

September 6, 2024, 3:24 PM · Sure, we have all heard of the violin maker Antonio Stradivari, but what about the other great Italian makers?

Amorim Fine Violins Cremona has been releasing videos in a series called "Stradivarius and Beyond: Old Italian Violin Makers' Untold Stories," aiming to tell the stories behind some of the lesser-known but still important makers of that era.

Just yesterday they released a video about the Gagliano family of luthiers, from Naples, Italy.

Theirs is a legacy of violin-making which went on for generations (and I have been told that one of the "brothers Gagliano" made my violin, so that gives me a personal interest in this tale!).

It all began with the patriarch, Alessandro Gagliano (1665-1732), who learned his craft in Cremona, influenced (and perhaps directly taught by) Amati and Stradivari. He then came home to Naples where he developed his own ideas, passing his knowledge on to his sons Nicolo and Gennaro. The family continued to grow for generations, as did its reputation for fine violin-making.

Here is the video made by Amorim, which includes history and context, along with some descriptions at the end of specific violins, including a c. 1750 violin by Gennaro Gagliano; violin by Giuseppe Gagliano; c. 1771 violin by Ferdinando Gagliano; and 1800 violin be Fratelli Gagliano, with some demonstrations by violinist Sofia Manvati.

Amorim has also released videos about the violin makers Lorenzo Storioni and Giovanni Grancino. If you'd like to see more of these videos, please click here for the entire playlist.

Amorim said they have more videos in the works about the great Italian luthiers, including Santo Serafin, Guadagnini, Ceruti, Fagnola, and of course, Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù.

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