Simone Fernando
 Sacconi

Simone Fernando Sacconi is impossible to define in a few words because the figure of this great violin-maker cannot be enclosed in a rigid category, given the vastness of his work and his thought, but I will still try to trace the essential lines to give an idea of who Sacconi was and his importance in the history of violin-making and music in general.

First, it is important to point out that among others, Sacconi had Giuseppe Fiorini as a teacher who introduced him to the "secrets" of Stradivari's work; in fact, it was Fiorini himself who managed after many difficulties, managed to acquire the entire collection of the original tools and forms from Stradivari's workshop. Therefore, Sacconi had the privilege of having first-hand information on the work of the great Stradivari, and not working on the basis of "hearsay," which unfortunately has characterised much of the history of Italian violin-making from the end of 1700 onwards.

It should be remembered that, that while rivers of ink have been spilled on the subject of classical Cremonese violin-making, we have had to take note that that golden age of our art saw its glory come to an end in the mid-1700s, due to changing political and social conditions. Basically, there were no heirs or scholars who could pass on the way of working of the ancient violin-makers of Cremona.

This irremediable fracture between the ancient and the modern worlds of violin-making has resulted in instruments that differ in construction method and thus, also in sound from the classical ones, which also contributed to the myth of Stradivari and his alleged "secrets".

Sacconi, who emigrated to the United States in 1931, first found employment at Hermann and then at Wurlitzer, two of the largest traders in ancient instruments then present on the world violin and musical scene, and it was here that Sacconi developed his masterly art of restoring original instruments.

Soon, Sacconi became the reference point for most of the most famous musicians in the world, because it is not enough to own a beautiful violin by Stradivari or Guarneri del Gesù to be guaranteed memorable concerts, a good instrument needs to be attended to constantly, a bit like a racing car and its mechanic, was there at all times to ensure that the instruments were always in the optimum condition to express their wonderful tone.

The lesson that Sacconi still teaches us today is that of continuity: in tradition, in building new instruments, in repairing and developing historical ones, in assisting musicians, in developing the culture and taste for music, in allowing the young generations of violin-makers and musicians to start off on the right foot, in keeping the spirit of research alive.

Without a guarantee of continuity to the violin-maker, there would be nothing left but mute pieces of meaningless wood on which to work.

At the end of the 1950s, Sacconi began his "pilgrimages" to Cremona, bringing with him his endless and precious wealth of knowledge, because Stradivari and the environment in which he had lived wanted to get to know him well, in the certainty that a purely abandoned art such as that of classical violin-making still leaves some trace behind it. And he was surprised to see that the original tools of Stradivari's workshop, donated to the city of Cremona by his master Giuseppe Fiorini, lying abandoned and gathering dust in a museum.

But the people of Cremona are not to blame, because the history of art is characterised by abandonment and rediscovery; just as the music of Bach and Vivaldi was rediscovered centuries after the disappearance of their composers, the original tools and forms of Stradivari's instruments also needed someone to rediscover them and understand their importance.

Sacconi was granted honourary citizenship by the Municipality of Cremona for his extraordinary violin-making and cultural merits; the Roman Sacconi, an adopted American and honoured citizen of Cremona, in fact can be considered a cosmopolitan, a man who has travelled from one culture to another without ever being affected by them and who was always able to capture their best side.

Together with his beloved students, Francesco Bissolotti and Wanna Zambelli, Sacconi lived in Cremona for one of the most creative periods of his life, and it is no coincidence that thanks to him, the legendary violin by Antonio Stradivari, now known as the "Cremonese 1715", was the first classical instrument to return to the city after more than 200 years of absence. A city that regains its memory.

Sacconi's spiritual testament is his book "I 'segreti' di Stradivari (The 'Secrets' of Stradivari)", a work in which he transferred the immense wealth of his knowledge, still considered a reference text today for anyone interested in instruments, music and violin-making, which provides infinite research ideas and in fact marked the boundary between violin-making based on "hearsay" and that of having seen and touched.

The 50th anniversary of Sacconi's death, which will fall next year in 2023, is not only an opportunity to remember this great violin-maker, but also to talk about and discuss his book, his teachings and his methods. Not only that, we will also have the opportunity to listen to some of Sacconi's wonderful instruments through the great mastery of the English «Sacconi Quartet» ensemble which, on 25 June 2023, will be the main act of a highly anticipated concert in the splendid «Giovanni Arvedi» Auditorium of the Violin Museum of Cremona. Sacconi himself will return to speak to us through his instruments, offering us a unique opportunity for artistic growth.

In the photo above: Tenor Viola by Simone Fernando Sacconi, New York 1934