Marino Capicchioni

Background

Capicchioni was born in Santa Mustiola in the Republic of San Marino.

Education

He completed his first violin when he was 24.

Career

At an early age he began working as a local carpenter as a cooper, as well as a woodcarver and furniture maker. He later developed an interest in instrument making and constructed several guitars. In 1929 he permanently established himself in Rimini where he opened his own workshop.

The Vannes Universal Dictionary of Violinmakers quotes that in 1948 Capicchioni had already made 350 violins, 10 violas and 20 violoncellos.

The Republic of San Marino dedicated a square to Marino Capicchioni, and erected a monument by the sculptor Marina Busignani Reffi in his honor. An overall analysis of Capicchioni"s work shows two distinct periods: one to the 1920s and 1930s and second "golden period" beginning in the 1940s, the era which brought him fame.

His work of the 1920s and 1930s is distinguished by his continued research for technical and stylistic solutions: the workmanship is good but his distinct personality does not emerge. Although he was inspired by the classical models of Stradivari and Guarneri.

In the golden period, the master succeeded in giving a personal influence to his work, a quality which can be recognized almost unmistakably.

He always used material of an excellent quality and in order to accentuate the flame of the maple, he developed a special technique for treating the instrument "in the white". When he varnished his instruments, he attempted to age them slightly by accentuating the grain of the spruce on the belly. The varnish used was generally a golden yellow, but one can also find instruments with a lively red coloring.

Capicchioni"s work was already quite popular in the early 1960s and his instruments are still sought after today for their excellent sound.

He died in Rimini, aged 82. One of his quartets is on permanent display at the Stradivari Museum of Cremona.

In alphabetical order:

Salvatore Accardo violin of 1942

Felix Ayo violin of 1956

Luigi Alberto Bianchi violin of 1952 and a viola of 1965

Rodolfo Bonucci violin of 1939

Paolo Borciani two violin of 1942 and 1943

Luciano Capicchioni violin of 1974

Pierluigi Capicchioni violin of 1974

Giuliano Carmignola violin of 1947

Pina Carmirelli three violin of 1941,1954 and 1956

Marianne Chen cello of 1946

Alfredo Cicoria cello of 1963

Nazareno Cicoria cello of 1963

Anna Maria Cotogni violin of 1955

Antonio De Lorenzi violin of 1943

Carlo Fabiano violin of 1955

Luca Fanfoni violin of 1955

Piero Farulli viola of 1944

Clara Fuchs viola of 1963

Duilio Galfetti violin of 1949

Franco Gulli violin of 1946

Wim Janssen viola of 1952

Szymon Krzeszowiec violin of 1942

Giuseppe Laffranchini cello of 1952

John McCarthy viola of 1950

Yehudi Menuhin violin of 1961

Alessandro Moccia violin of 1941

Florence Ohlberg viola of 1950

David Oistrach violin of 1962

Massimo Paris viola of 1959

Elisa Pegreffi two violin of 1942 and 1943

Franco Rossi cello of 1953

Mstislav Rostropovich

Christian Joseph Saccon violin of 1953

Vincenzo Schembri viola of 1953

Arrigo Serato violin of 1946

Roberto Tarenzi violin of 1944

Marcel Tufigno violin of 1966

Walter Zagato violin of 1963

Fabrizio Zoffoli violin of 1962.

Achievements

• He participated in numerous exhibitions and competitions all over Italy and was praised and recognized for his talent: in 1931 he won the gold medal at the Padua Exposition, and in 1937 he received an honorable mention and a silver medal for his quintet exhibited in the Cremona competition during the Stradivari Bicentenary.