A Living Craft: The Violin Makers of Italy

Extract

One hears so much these days of automation, strikes, labour disputes, etc., that it was refreshing to realize during a journey I made with a colleague to Italy that there is still craftsmanship in the world. Having spent nearly all my working life with violins, I was visiting a country for the first time that had a magical name for me—Italy. I started without any prejudices regarding the country or the people, having neither worked with them nor met them. All I knew was that old Italian instruments were of high monetary value and of beautiful workmanship. I used to wonder if this art had died out like so many crafts in different countries over the years, or whether the people concerned had left Italy and gone elsewhere where they would be appreciated and encouraged.