Marcello Villa

  Marcello Villa was born in Monza in 1965, and lives and works in Cremona. He began studing  the violin when he was twelve, later enrolling in th International School of  Violin-making in Cremona.

He graduated in 1983 under the guidance of Giorgio Scolari and Stefano Conia, obtaining the highest possible merit in his final year, a scholarship from the Walter Stauffer Foundation.

Apprenticing in the prestigious shop of Stefano Conia, he was able to broaden his experience and soon began to participate in violin making competitions, receiving his first awards.

Eventually, Marcello Villa was awarded the following prizes:
- finalist in the Poznan  Competition (1986)
- gold medal at the Bagnacavallo Young Violinmaker's Competition (1986)
- gold medal at the Baveno Competition  (1987)
- gold medal for the quartet presented in the Bagnacavallo Violinmaking Exposition (1990)
- silver medal at the 6th Violinmaking Triennal in Cremona  (1991)
- two gold medals for violin and cello in the Bagnacavallo  Exposition (1992).

Marcello Villa makes violins, violas and  cellos, particularly favouring Stradivarian models.

All instruments have a  certificate of authenticity with colour photographs and accurate description of the instrument.

His instruments distinguish themselves for many reasons: quality of materials utilised, precision and personality of the workmanship, varnish quality and color, and fine acoustics.  Basing his work upon the classical line of violin-making, he builds his instruments applying his personality and taste in every small detail: the f-holes, the varnish, the cutting of the scroll.
 

For many years he has been dedicated to the reproduction of classical Italian instruments. He has made copies of instruments by Andrea Amati, Nicola  Amati, Andrea Guarneri, Francesco Ruggeri, Guarneri del Gesł, Antonio Stradivari, all of which have been particularly appreciated in the U.S.A., Germany and Japan.

 
  Baroque-specialised musicians have shown great interest in his period instruments: viola d'amore, viola da gamba, pochette, lira da braccio, baroque violin, baroque viola, baroque cello.

His main interest, however, which began to emerge during the first formative years of his career, is the reproduction of Stradivarian inlaid instruments, which he believes to be the quintessence of artistic and technical perfection.

   From 1983, the year in which he built his first inlaid violin, preserved in the  museum of the International School of Violin-making in Cremona, and until the present day, he has made  copies of the Hellier, Ole Bull, Sunrise, Cipriani Potter, Rode, Greffhule violins and of the Spanish and Axelrod violas. His own personal violin is an accurate copy of the 1709 Greffhule inlaid Stradivari which he regularly plays in duo with his brother Vittorio or with various Cremonese musical ensembles. 

Tel.-fax: (39)0372 35680   E mail: marcello@villaviolins.it

     
BIBLIOGRAPHY

G. NICOLINI Liutai italiani di ieri e di oggi 2° vol. 1982
G. NICOLINI Liutai italiani di ieri e di oggi 2° vol. Rist. agg. 1991
VANNES Dizionario universale dei liutai 3° tomo
Catalogue of Violinmaking Triennal in Cremona 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997.
Catalogues of Baveno Competitions
LIUTERIA CREMONESE CONTEMPORANEA Ed. Turris 1994
STRUMENTI E MUSICA "La pagina del liutaio" 1985
LIUTERIA Cremona 1983-1986
ARTE LIUTARIA Firenze 1986
CREMONA IN SEOUL 1993
STRINGS 1999 Resource Guide pag.122
ARTE ITALIANA NEL MONDO - ITALIAN ART IN THE WORLD Torino 1980-90; Centro Librario Italiano vol.12
Catalogue Mostra di Liuteria Contemporanea "OMAGGIO A BOTTESINI" Cremona 1989 Edizioni Turris
ARTIGIANI DEL SUONO Ed. Ricordi Milano 1989
 

EXHIBITIONS

Permanent Exhibition of modern Cremonese Violin-making Palazzo Fodri Cremona
In the Violin-making School of Cremona Museum : Greffhule inlaid Stradivari copy
Violinmaking Triennal in Cremona 1991, 1997
Trade Mark Exhibition 2002 in U.S.A.
Cremona Exhibitions in U.S.A. 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002