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Claudio Orsi e MArco Bucico lavorano un violino - Elisa Piria
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Liuteria popolare in VAlle del Caffaro - Elisa Piria
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2010
Community luthiery in Valle del Caffaro
The luthiery tradition in Valle del Caffaro is many centuries old: the first records date back to 1701 and relate to the instruments built buy the luthiers of the Mora family. Some instruments the Mora luthiers had crafted are still displayed in Italian and foreign museums: a "Pandurina" in Copenaghen, a "Mandorina" in Nuremberg, a folk guitar at the Museo Santa Giulia in Brescia. The local luthiery has always had a strong connection with the choral and musical repertoire of the Carnival. The luthiery produces violins and 3 stringed basset horns that have much in common with the ones of the Brescia school and in particular those of the Gasparo da Salò. Today the the luthiery tradition is carried on by Claudio Orsi, multi-instrumentalist and luthier, in Ponte Caffaro.
The role of the wood is crucial in Valle Caffaro's economy. Still now the woods are defined as a "dowry" because any meadow land must be host a portion of woodland. During the past, lumberjacks of the Valle del Caffaro migrated seasonally to the Trentino and Tirol valleys or carried out their work in the Bagolino woods, its wood would go to sawmills along the river and to furnaces. The activities connected to the wood resources have to be looked at from a wider perspective of a mixed economy they weren't in fact particularly specialised work or the main economic resource.
Parallel to the aforementioned profit made from the wood, since 1500 the tradition of wood carving and wood sculpture starts spreading in the whole of Valle Sabbia. The main representatives are the Pialorsi of Levrange, also known as "Boscaì", and the Bonomi of Avenone. Today in Bagolino and Ponte Caffaro thee are artists and artisan carvers that carry on the traditions in their works. Recently passed away, Gaetano Salvini, head of the Compagnia dei Ballerini di Ponte Caffaro and expert carver, was very interesting from both the artistic and human side. He produced scuptures connected to the Carnival ritual and it characters, as well as hard wood furniture adorned by artistic bas relief.
The community luthiery therefore slots in the tradition of wood carving and sculpture and refers stylistically to the luthiery school of the Brescia area, from whom it inherits characterising elements such as the double purfling The manufacture of string instruments furthermore requires great technical competence, deep knowledge of the material and of the work tools: Claudio Orsi avoids the use of the vise when making the soundboards, so that their elasticity is not undermined. The crafting of these instruments is also connected to the knowledge of nature, to the ways of getting and storing the wood: the wood has to be cut at the beginning of the waning moon before the winter solstice, when the vegetation life is reduced to the minimum and the resin present in the wood is very little.
The Bagossa luthiery manufactures violins and basset horns, used during the Carnival dances. Once he got more experienced, Claudio Orsi started also making other string instruments such as cellos, violas and double basses.
APPRENDIMENTO E TRASMISSIONE
Claudio Orsi belongs to a family of musicians and luthiers, where he learnt the base techniques of the artisan production and repair of the instruments. Also thanks to the REIL's support, he has widened his group of apprentices and has set up with his first student Marco Buccio a workshop where to train young artisans.
Beni immateriali collegati
Carnival in Bagolino
Repertori violinistici della Valle del Caffaro
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Associazione Culturale Legno e Identità - Elisa Piria
Data di pubblicazione
13-NOV-2013 (Elisa Piria)
Ultimo aggiornamento
13-NOV-2013 (Fabia Apolito)
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