An investigation into the life of the refined eighteenth-century Genoese luthier, whose early career as a valet and music teacher appears to have subsequently secured him a wealthy clientele
The medieval street dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena, in Genoa, has always been a working-class neighbourhood. Even today, in the heart of the historic centre, it is a busy area bounded to the north by Strada Nuova — the elegant sixteenth-century thoroughfare of bankers and great merchants — and to the south by the commercial nucleus of the ancient city. In the eighteenth century, most of Genoa’s instrument makers lived precisely here.
At that time, Genoa’s economic situation was particularly difficult, owing to a prolonged political and financial crisis. If in the Middle Ages the city had been a great military and commercial power, and from the Renaissance the leading financial centre of Europe — with bankers who lent money to sovereigns such as Charles V, Philip II, and Louis XIV — by the eighteenth century the Republic found itself weakened. Its cautious policy of neutrality, lack of investment, loss of Mediterranean trade, absence of a fleet, and the prevalence of private over public interests had eroded its economic and political strength. The Austrian invasion of 1746, following the siege of Genoa, was emblematic of this decline.
Despite everything, the city’s musical life was extremely vibrant. The Teatro del Falcone and the Teatro Sant’Agostino flourished thanks to the patronage of the aristocracy; the Teatro delle Vigne, founded in the seventeenth century, offered more popular performances at accessible prices. The Genoese public was attentive and well informed about the artistic fashions of the day. It was in this context that Bernardo Calcagno worked as a luthier, and a few decades later the young Paganini would begin to play the violin.
The Origins of Genoese Lutherie
The construction of violins and guitars in Genoa began in the early seventeenth century with the arrival of a community of German luthiers from Füssen. They were primarily makers of guitars and lutes, instruments more expensive than violins because they were made with precious materials such as ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell, and mother-of-pearl. Among these were Cristoforo Bittig (1640–1695) and Martinus Heel (1630–1708), who were active in Genoa for many years; today several of their violins and a cello of good quality are known to exist.
From Music to Lutherie
Bernardo Calcagno was born in the 1680s and is frequently identified in documents as a sonatore (musician) and paggio (valet) in the service of wealthy families. It is likely that among his duties was the provision of music, and that his access to noble households gave him early contact with fine instruments and an appreciation of their craftsmanship — experience that would eventually lead him to the art of violin making.
