The Bergonzi Family of Violin Makers The most illustrious of several violin makers in the Bergonzi family was Carlo, born in Cremona, Italy, in 1683 (d. 1747). Carlo Bergonzi apprenticed under Hieronymus Amati (father of the great Nicolo), worked with Joseph Guarneri, and finally became the greatest pupil of Antonio Stradivari, whose workshop he inherited. His instruments are greatly esteemed and often are compared to those of his masters, but in general they are not considered as fine. He used several different wordings on his labels but a typical one reads: Like the works of other great makers, the Bergonzi instruments are often imitated, so the presence of a label bearing his name is no guarantee that the instrument was actually made by Carlo Bergonzi. Anno 1733, Carlo Bergonzi fece in Cremona

A Selected Bibliography

Hamma, Walter. Meister italienischer Geigenbaukunst. rev. ed. New York: Baerenreiter Music Publishers, 1964. Text in German, English, and French.

Henley, William. Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers. 1956-60. Reprint. 5 vols. + supplement. Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England: Amati Publishing, Ltd. 1997.

Jalovec, Karel. Enzyklopädie des Geigenbaues. Trans. into German by Charlotte and Ferdinand Kirschner. Prague: Artia, 1965.

Lütgendorff, Willibald Leo, Freiherr von. Die Geigen und Lautenmacher vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart, nach den besten Quellen bearbeitet. 2 vols. 6th ed. Frankfurt am Main: Frankfurter Verlags-Anstalt, 1922.

Vannes, René, and Claude Lebet. Dictionnaire universel des luthiers. 3 vols. 5th ed. Brussels: Les Amis de la musique, 1981.

Woodcock, Cyril. Dictionary of Contemporary Violin and Bow Makers. Continues William Henley's Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bow Makers. Brighton, Sussex, England: Amati Publishing, Ltd. 1965.