The Genoese gentleman-luthier who became the first custodian of Paganini’s “Cannone” and whose elegant copies influenced an entire generation
In a letter addressed to the violin virtuoso Félicien David in December 1873, Nicolò Bianchi mentions his young assistant: “I have a pupil who has been living with me for four years: he is the son of an engineer of the Municipality of Casale Monferrato. He is himself an engineer and a man of means, but he has preferred to become a violin maker rather than an engineer.”
Bianchi’s assistant was Eugenio Praga (1847–1901), son of the well-known engineer Pietro Praga. At that time Casale Monferrato was experiencing a period of economic growth and vibrant musical activity, with many amateur players and instrument collectors. It is likely that Bianchi, who had clients in the city, was introduced to Praga by Count Zimiglio.
Abandoning an engineering career to devote oneself to violin making was an unusual choice: it was not customary for a gentleman of the era to “work with his hands” for a living. One can imagine that his father did not welcome his son’s decision enthusiastically. Eugenio had studied engineering at the University of Florence and graduated at a very young age, moving to Genoa in 1869 to begin his adventure in the world of violin making.
Apprenticeship with Nicolò Bianchi
The relationship between the old master and the young apprentice was not straightforward. Bianchi, an intelligent but poorly educated man with rough manners, had an authoritarian character; Praga, on the other hand, was a cultivated and refined young man, little inclined to the master’s harsh discipline. In a letter of 1871 to Eugenio’s father, Bianchi wrote in a polemical tone: “He is neither an apprentice nor a factotum: he is a gentleman who takes lessons from me. He arrives at 10 in the morning and leaves at 7 in the evening after dinner; no one must disturb him, otherwise you will get nothing out of him.”
Despite the tensions, the collaboration lasted until 1877, when Bianchi moved to Nice, leaving Praga the workshop in Vico del Cetriolo, near the Teatro Carlo Felice. From that moment on, Eugenio worked independently.
During his apprenticeship he made numerous instruments for the master and probably built a string quartet for the 1873 Lutherie Exhibition in Vienna. It is plausible that on that occasion he was able to observe closely fine antique Italian instruments of great value.
Activity, Awards, and Output
Information about the 1880s and 1890s is fragmentary. We know that in 1884 he won a gold medal at the Turin Exhibition for a “praiseworthy collection of bowed instruments” and for the introduction of domestic bow production. He did indeed make a considerable number of bows, sometimes using parts of French or German origin.
He was also very active in restoration, which may explain his relatively limited output of new instruments. In the 1890s he moved his home and workshop to Vico Dritto di Ponticello in the centre of Genoa, and in 1892 he won another gold medal at the Italo-American Exhibition presenting violins, violas, and cellos. In 1896 he married Maria Caterina Freguglia; the following year their only son, Pietro Antonio, was born.
The First Custodian of the “Cannone”
Despite the scarcity of documents, Praga enjoyed great esteem in the Italian musical and lutherie world of the late nineteenth century. From documents relating to the conservation of Paganini’s “Cannone” violin, it emerges that he was the first violin maker officially appointed to take care of the 1743 Guarneri del Gesù. The Municipality of Genoa’s choice comes as no surprise: besides being a luthier, Praga was a gentleman among gentlemen.
He died at the end of August 1901 in a village in the hills above Genoa. The cause of death is not known with certainty. A local newspaper reported that the news caught many people by surprise, since he had already recovered his health but had slowed his production “because, lucky man, he had no need of it.”
Style and Influence
Within the landscape of Italian lutherie in the second half of the nineteenth century, Eugenio Praga holds a place of distinction for his intuitive grasp of classical violin making and for the development of a personal style that integrates naturally within the Piedmontese tradition. In Casale Monferrato he had probably the opportunity to see fine antique Italian instruments and works by Pressenda and Rocca, which influenced his work.
His early instruments followed Bianchi’s approach: a Stradivarian-inspired model, scrolls with a small and well-rounded eye, oil varnish that was red and not antiqued. He used a calligraphic label identifying him as a pupil of Nicolò Bianchi.
After the master’s departure, Praga developed an autonomous style. He progressively abandoned the Stradivarian model to devote himself to copies of Paganini’s “Cannone”. He was probably the first luthier, after Paganini’s death, to have the opportunity to study the instrument at close quarters, carefully measuring the scroll and the f-holes.
His interpretations of the “Cannone” are distinguished by balance, taste, and sensitivity. While respecting the original, he sometimes preferred to extend the back length slightly, seeking a more generous body. The result was a personal synthesis, elegant and consistent. He used a printed label with the wording “awarded with medal”.
Construction Technique and Relations with Rocca
Praga worked with an inside mould and corner blocks set diagonally; he fixed the top and back to the upper and lower blocks with tapered hardwood pins — a distinctive feature of his authentic instruments. Many internal details show affinities with the work of Enrico Rocca: spruce blocks and linings, careful finishing, and a similar stylistic approach, especially in the 1890s.
The nature of the relationship between the two is unclear. They came from very different social backgrounds, but certain stylistic similarities suggest contact or collaboration. From Cesare Candi’s letters we know that Praga also made a pear-shaped double bass, a type built by Rocca in the same years.
An Underestimated Legacy
Eugenio Praga’s output is relatively limited, and perhaps for this reason he is not today regarded as he deserves: as one of the finest Italian luthiers of the nineteenth century, capable of influencing the next generation. The Genoese luthiers of the early twentieth century — from Cesare Candi to Paolo De Barbieri and Lorenzo Bellafontana — were significantly shaped by his elegant style, particularly in the copies of the “Cannone”.
A gentleman, scholar, and refined interpreter of the great Italian tradition, Eugenio Praga represents an essential link in the history of Genoese lutherie and in the preservation of the Paganinian legacy.
