Sesto Rocchi

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Sesto Rocchi
Born 1909
Reggio Emilia
Died 1991
Nationality Italian
Occupation Violin maker

Sesto Rocchi[1] (1909 – 1991) was a violin maker from Reggio Emilia in Italy.


Contents

[edit] Biography

Sesto Rocchi (1909 – 1991) was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy. He started his violin making studies at the School of Violin Making at the Conservatory of Music in Parma under Gaetano Sgarabotto. After approximately 6 years of study, he moved to Milan to further his learning with Leandro Bisiach.[2] Between 1956 and 1988 Sesto served on every prestigious violin making body including an appointment (1980) as the custodian of the Niccolò Paganini Guaneri del Gesu “Canon”.


image:Scroll_and_ear.jpg
This article is part
of the Fiddle & Violin series.
Basic physics of the violin
Fiddlers
History of the violin
Luthiers
Musical styles
Making and maintenance
Playing the violin
Violin construction
Violin family of instruments
Violinists

He acquired over 17 international competition awards for his violins from 1952 – 1966. Sesto Rocchi made as many as ten quartets and a few antiqued instruments following in the steps of his masters, Sgarabotto and Bisiach. His experience in the Leandro Bisiach[3] workshop where he made many instruments and where he could observe and copy antique instruments was extremely useful to his own career.

[edit] Rocchi Honored

To mark the 50th anniversary of the foundation of their club, the members of the Rotary of Reggio Emilia in Italy organized a tribute (in the spring of 1999) to noteworthy personalities of their town, including violin maker Sesto Rocchi (1909–1991). Rocchi’s work contributed to the rebirth of violin making in the region after the difficult times of World War II.[4]

[edit] Quotes

"Sesto Rocchi’s inborn capacities, his personal involvement, the passion that inhabited him, but mostly the teachings that he received from Gaetano Sgarabotto in Parma and Leandro Bisiach[5] in Milan helped him become one of the best Italian contemporary makers. His curious mind was always on alert, and his receptive attitude toward young people interested in violin making was remarkable."

—Gualtiero Nicolini, president of ALI (Associazione Liutaria Italiana), a teacher at the Cremona School of Violin Making, and an author of books on lutherie.[6]

"I feel proud to have had him as a colleague and then as a friend. The legacy left by Rocchi demonstrates that even in the 20th century, it is possible to conduct the activities of a violin maker with nobility."

—Gianfranco Boretti, author of a book on Rocchi "Life for Violin Making". [1]

[edit] Instruments

"His work is very precise and the varnish varies from a warm orange to brownish red. He was constantly occupied with varnish experiments and research. He used Stradivarian "Amatise" and Guarneri models. The sonority is always excellent". - 'Liuteria Italiana vol. 1' - Eric Blot [2] 1994

"Rocchi is considered one of the finest modern Italian makers and many of his instruments are now being copied by shops and makers" - Life for Violin Making by Gianfranco Boretti [3]

Viewed below, is a very fine example of this master's work. Sesto Rocchi violin 1975 made for his daughter.

Sesto Rocchi violin scroll 1975

Sesto Rocchi violin 1975

[edit] References

[7]

  1. ^ Sesto Rocchi photo
  2. ^ Philip J. Kass. "Bisiach Family", William Moening & Sons Ltd., 1983. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. 
  3. ^ Philip J. Kass. "Bisiach Family", William Moening & Sons Ltd., 1983. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. 
  4. ^ All Things Strings: Market Report
  5. ^ Philip J. Kass. "Bisiach Family", William Moening & Sons Ltd., 1983. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. 
  6. ^ All Things Strings: Market Report
  7. ^ Philip J. Kass. "Selected World of Strings Newsletters", William Moening & Sons Ltd., 1982. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. 
  • Italian & French Makers - Jost Thoene vol. 3
  • Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers - Marlin Brinser 1978
  • STRINGS' August/September 1999
  • Blot, Eric (1994). "Emilia e Romagna I", Un secolo di liuteria italiana, 1860-1960 - A century of Italian violin making. Cremona: Turris. ISBN 8879290266. 
  • Vannes, Rene [1951] (1985). Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers (vol.3). Bruxelles: Les Amis de la musique. OCLC 53749830. 
  • William, Henley (1969). Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers. Brighton; England: Amati. ISBN 0901424005. 
  • Boretti, Gianfranco (1994). A Life for Violin Making / Una Vita Per La Liuteria (in Italian & English). Italy: TURRIS - CREMONA, 159. ISBN 88-7929-058-4. 
Persondata
NAME Rocchi, Sesto
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Violin maker
DATE OF BIRTH 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH Reggio Emilia
DATE OF DEATH 1991
PLACE OF DEATH