Celebrating the 500th Birthday of Andrea Amati: The Secrets, Lives, and Violins of the Great Cremona Makers 1505-1744 National Music Museum The University of South Dakota Vermillion July 1-4, 2005 Schedule of Events Friday, July 1   9:00- 5:00 Registration and Open House, National Music Museum (NMM)   5:30- 7:00 Opening Reception, Home of USD President and Mrs. James W. Abbott, 415 E. Main Street (three blocks south of the NMM)   7:00- 8:00 NMM galleries open for conference registrants   8:00- 9:00 Introduction of Presenters and Welcoming Remarks, Arne B. Larson Concert Hall, National Music Museum Dan Christopherson, Mayor of Vermillion André P. Larson, Director, National Music Museum Raymond Erickson (City University of New York), Cinquecento Cremona:  The World of the Amatis A power-point presentation during which Erickson will sketch the story of Cremona into the early 17th century, including principal architectural landmarks, the 16th-century school of Cremonese painting, relationships with Milan and Venice, and the Jewish presence (and later absence) in Cremona, a center for Hebrew publications in the 16th century. Questions and Answers (Q & A) Saturday, July 2  8:00- 9:00 Coffee, tea, fruit, and bread in the Jeanne F. Larson Tea Room, National Music Museum  9:30-10:30 Carlo Chiesa (Milan), The Genesis of the Amati Family and Its Influence on Antonio Stradivari's Work Using the latest discoveries in archival research to illuminate the activities of the various members of the Amati family, Chiesa will show how the seeds laid down by Andrea Amati blossomed and bore fruit in the early works of Stradivari. Q & A 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-11:45 Roundtable: The Amati Family & the Influence of Their Work What can the Amati instruments tell us about the evolution of the violin? Philip Kass (Moderator), Carlo Chiesa, Duane Rosengard, John Dilworth, Andrew Dipper 12:00-12:20 Demonstration: The King cello by Andrea Amati Joshua Koestenbaum (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) 12:30- 1:15 Lunch on the Lawn   1:30- 2:00 Open Dialogue Between Robert Bein, Christopher Reuning, and James Warren   2:00- 2:15 Q & A   2:15- 2:30 Break   2:30- 3:30 Andrew Dipper (Minneapolis), Stradivari's Other Instruments Dipper will discuss the non-violin family instruments of Stradivari and how their production sheds light on the design of the violin and gives depth to our appreciation of Stradivari. He will use details from his restoration of Stradivari's instruments, as well as reference extant patterns from Stradivari's workshop materials. Q & A   3:45- 4:15 Ben Hebbert (London), Cremonese Violins:  The London Market An examination of London as a market in which Cremonese instruments were imported from the sixteenth century, and the beginnings of a speculative market in "old Cremonas" from the 1660s. Q & A   4:30- 5:30 Roundtable:  Commerce of the Times Identifying clients, demand, and suppliers that fueled the international music trade and drove the Cremonese violin making industry. John Koster (Moderator), Ben Hebbert, Duane Rosengard, Andrew Dipper, John Dilworth, Philip Kass   5:45- 6:15 Demonstration with Sergiu Luca:  NMM 3356, violin by Nicolo Amati, 1628; NMM 5260, violin by Andrea Amati, 1574   6:30- 7:15 Traditional South Dakota Pig Roast on the Lawn   7:30- 9:30 Show and Tell Sunday, July 3   8:00- 9:00 Coffee, tea, fruit, and breads in the Tea Room   9:30-10:30 Duane Rosengard (Philadelphia), Outside the Gates of Cremona Using details of the work and workshops of the circle of Stradivari gleaned from the latest research in the Cremona archives, Rosengard will discuss the Rugieri family, Girolamo Amati II, and Giacomo Gennaro, including surprising information about where they worked. Q & A 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-12:00 Roundtable:  How Do We Know? Discussion of Archival Records Philip Kass (Moderator), Duane Rosengard, Carlo Chiesa, Andrew Dipper, Ben Hebbert Issues and methodology of archival research. A discussion of the principal and minor resources, where they are found, and how they are being used to paint a more complete picture of life and instrument making in Cremona. 12:30- 1:45 Lunch on the Lawn   1:30- 2:00 Demonstration with Sergiu Luca:  NMM 3361, violino piccolo by Antonio & Girolamo Amati, 1613, and NMM 3364, violin by Girolamo Amati, 1609   2:15- 2:45 Andrew Dipper, A Visit to Stradivari's House:  His Tools, Workshop, Commerce, and Associates Using the last photographs taken of Stradivari's house, along with other accounts of the property by various writers, Dipper will link Stradivari's life to the place where he worked from 1680 to the end of his life. Q & A   3:00- 4:00 Roundtable:  Stradivari's Will and What it Tells Us What does the Stradivari's will tell us about the character, social standing, and business associations of the man behind the violins? Philip Kass (Moderator), Carlo Chiesa, Andrew Dipper, Duane Rosengard, John Dilworth   4:15- 5:00 John Koster The Instrumental Context of the Cremonese Violin In sixteenth-to-eighteenth-century Italy, as in the rest of Europe, instruments of the violin family were made and played in the overall context of a diverse instrumentarium, including organs of several types; harpsichords and other stringed-keyboard instruments; lutes, guitars, harps, and citterns; recorders, cornetti, trumpets, and trombones. Examples of these will be presented, primarily from the NMM's encyclopedic collections.   5:15- 5:45 Open Dialogue Between Robert Bein, Christopher Reuning, and James Warren   6:30- 7:15 Dinner on the Lawn   7:30- Concert:  Sergiu Luca, violin, and Byron Schenkman, harpsichord, play works by Bach, Cipoli, Corelli, Tartini, and Vivaldi Monday, July 4   8:00- 9:00 Coffee, tea, fruit, and breads in the Tea Room   9:30-10:30 John Dilworth (Twickenham), From Andrea Amati to Carlo Bergonzi:  An Overview of Cremonese Design and Construction Dilworth will examine the fine points of the Cremonese design and what sets it apart from other schools. Q & A 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-12:00 Roundtable:  The Success of the Cremonese Violin Andrew Ryan (Moderator), John Dilworth, Andrew Dipper, Joe Grubaugh, Philip Kass, Robert Bein Insights from various makers and experts on how the great Cremonese makers achieved success in design and acoustics. How did they answer to the demands of the marketplace and gain the competitive edge. 12:30- 1:15 Lunch on the Lawn   1:30- 2:00 Demonstration with Sergiu Luca:  NMM 3598, violin (Harrison) by Stradivari, 1693, and NMM 6046, viola by Nicola Bergonzi, 1781   2:30- 3:45 Roundtable:  The Varnish of Cremona Makers:  Current Thoughts on What Makes It So Successful Andrew Ryan (Moderator), Andrew Dipper, John Dilworth, Carlo Chiesa, Joe Grubaugh, Geary Baese Was there one Cremonese varnishing system? How did it evolve to suit the tastes and needs of the various Cremonese makers? What evidence is there for a recipe? Q & A   4:00- 5:00 Roundtable:  Why Cremona? Philip Kass (Moderator), Carlo Chiesa, John Dilworth, Andrew Dipper, Duane Rosengard, James Warren, Christopher Reuning, Robert Bein, Raymond Erickson What factors contributed to the excellence and influence of the Cremonese violinmakers? Why are these some of the most prized and valued musical instruments in existence?   7:00- Grand Banquet at Buffalo Run Resort/Valiant Vineyards Winery to celebrate the 338th anniversary of the wedding of Francesca Feraboschi to Antonio Stradivari ©National Music Museum, 2005 Most recent update: October 19, 2007 You are the 3,726th visitor to this page since May 27, 2005. The University of South Dakota Return to Top of Page