Stefano Scarampella / Gadda violin, Mantua, with Warren Certificate, excellent condition | Metzler Violins

rich, resonant, nimble

About the Instrument
This lovely instrument is a delight to play, with a responsiveness that allows for a wide range of expression. Its deep and mature sound opens up to a sweet and rich high register. The back is formed of two pieces of maple, mostly plain selection with very faint, broad figure running across its breadth. The ribs are of faint, narrow-flamed maple. The scroll is of a plain selection with irregular, faint narrow flames. The top is of spruce, two pieces, mostly wide grain throughout though varied. The varnish is russet color over a gold ground. This violin is in excellent condition, and comes with a certificate by Kenneth Warren & Sons, Ltd.

Length: 355 mm
Upper bout: 118 mm
Middle : 115 mm
Lower bout : 208 mm

About the Makers
Stefano Scarampella (1843-1925) was born in Brescia, Italy to a family enmeshed in the repair and care of stringed instruments. Stefano’s older brother, Giuseppe, was an academically trained luthier, but the younger Scarampella was ultimately outpaced his brother. (Some of Scarampella’s labels, in a nod to his brother, often note him as “Fratello ed allievo del Giuseppe” or “Brother and student of Giuseppe.”) A carpenter by trade, Scarampella moved to Mantua and took up violinmaking as a serious endeavor in 1890, studying informally under his brother. Scarampella often crafted instruments on the Guarneri models, but also made those based on Stradivari and Balestieri. His fully mature pieces are generally dated from 1902-1915. Scarampella’s constancy, intuitiveness, and close observations of Cremonese and Brescian tradition ultimately made him one of the more important Italian luthiers of his era. His craftsmanship focused rigorously on acoustical integrity over refined physicality, giving his instruments a physical personality and depth of sound musician prize.

Gaetano Gadda (1900-1956) was Scarampella’s only protege, working in his Mantua shop beginning in 1919. While the two worked together, Gadda closely hewed to Scarampella’s models and styles. This instrument was made a collaboration between master luthier and apprentice. Gadda inherited Scarampella’s shop at the luthier’s death in 1925, after which he began to expand his own methods and expressions of craftsmanship. From the 1940s onward, Gadda began to integrate details from Guarneri models into his own violin designs.