Shows
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastBreaking news! Violoncello da Spalla case by Bogaro & Clemente!Finally! We have a top quality Italian case for the Violoncello da Spalla, made by Bogaro & Clemente! And it’s also very affordable, I don’t know the exact price of this one, that has a beautiful graphic and finish, but it will be around half the price of an a-case. The huge advantages of this case are very stable lockers and how handlers, a gasket to make it waterproof, and the lid that closes perfectly, you can open and close it with one hand. It is beautiful, cares for in all details, really a luxury Italian case.Fo...2025-07-0608 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastHow it’s made: part 13 - nailing the neck!Sorry, I played a bit with silly app sound effects. 😅I didn’t do that fancy thing, hammering a red-hot nail into the neck, and I will tell you why.My nails are hand-forged by Adelheid Snell, a Dutch lady blacksmith. I am grateful for including a piece of art by someone else in my instrument.It’s a bit difficult to write in a foreign language about someone you never met in person and still convey the emotions of your virtual acquaintance, so to avoid the risk of a dull, affected tone, I decid...2025-06-3001 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastHow it’s made: part 12 - checklist!At this point, closing the soundbox is in sight. This is when I need a checklist the most because the excitement grows, and I tend to forget some passages. For example, my most common mistake is forgetting to erase pencil marks and going over them with sealer or glue so that I can fix them as permanent.I used to write a to-do list on the bench every time, but this year, I decided to create a real checklist useful for the future and share it with you. Next time, we will discuss...2025-06-2501 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastAlessandro’s latest Violoncello da Spalla reached his home in Catalonia!Nicolas Chédeville, 1737, sonata IV da “Il Pastor Fido, sonate del sig. Antonio Vivaldi op. 13” 😉Yesterday, we played it in Bolzano, and the above recording, taken with a bare iPad, is live and unedited. We plan to record the whole sonata better this summer because we really like it—the continuo part is sparkly!Two weeks ago, we had the enormous pleasure of receiving the visit of Ton Fabres from Catalonia, who came to pick up his new Violoncello da Spalla made by Alessandro.Ton is such a nice and kind soul. He presented...2025-05-3004 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastAlessandro Visintini’s Violoncello da Spalla is ready to leave the nest!When we recorded this video, it was intended as a promo video for the BVMA makers day to show and explain the three different setups we brought there: one modern, with Thomastick/Warchal strings and pegheds, one baroque, with three plain gut strings and only two would basses (Aquila VN and Boussoir), and this “one fits all” instrument. It has the modern silk set by Eliakim Boussoir, which is totally made with historical natural materials, not synthetics, following a historical process from the end of the 19th century. This set offers the colours, complexity and grip of historical strings but...2025-03-1002 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastLondon, British Violin Making Association Makers Day, 9th of February 2025, Kings PlaceA very short snippet of what you can try on Sunday if you are in London! See you there!! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit violoncellodaspalla.substack.com/subscribe2025-02-0701 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastReady for London’s BVMA Makers Day!We told you to expect a different schedule in February! Here is a short video to show you our last updates before London’s Makers Day. Tomorrow we will start our trip on the road, headed north! The exciting news are: new original Pegheds custom made for our Violoncello da Spalla, and an incredibly gorgeous edition of Bach’s suites, watch the video to see! It’s a sort of a proof-copy that I received as a wonderful and unexpected present from Chick Herin, inventor of Pegheds. Thank you Chuck!! It’s wonderful.Follow u...2025-02-0405 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastNew gut strings from Aquila: down to the third strings in plain gut!Link to the new gut strings from Aquila Corde Armoniche: their code is VN, and those I used in this video are gauges 116, 165, 220. Basses are, as usual, Eliakim Boussoir’s gut core basses.Link to the London Makers DayWe will bring there the instrument I play in the video with its gorgeous baroque set up, and another one with a full modern setup, Thomastick+Warchal, hopefully equipped with original pegheds geared peg, for the maximum comfortable possible in tuning those steel first and second string. If you find it...2025-01-2106 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastOld Italian 4 strings “Violoncello da Spalla” for sale!I recently received a call from my friend Claudio Amighetti, expert dealer and restorer in Cremona, because he has received an unusual instrument for sale and he was eager to have our opinion. I drove there to see it and try it as a Violoncello da Spalla. It is now strung with D’addario Helicore and tuned GDAE, but I also brought with me a tailpiece and some strings to try it ain the normal cello tuning.This instrument has an intriguing history. It was made by Adelino Galeazzi, in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, around 1850.Adelino Ga...2024-12-3001 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastThe Organist’s DreamWell, it's actually my dream. I dream of making an instrument for a cathedral. A small “Handbassel”, or Violoncello da Spalla, that hangs there on the musicians' balconade, next to the organ, ready for anyone who wants to accompany at the bass. Just as it happened to the small five strings Wagner for many years, as its wear signs tell us.Besides the Wagner, there are other original instruments to draw inspiration from, like the Hammig from 1747 or the Goldberg, father of J. S. Bach’s friend. Truly remarkable handbassel! Their wear signs are speaking even more clearl...2024-07-2103 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastSonata “L’inconnue” by Michel de la BarreThis week, we played the Sonata “L’inconnue” by Michel de la Barre in concert; here is the video of our complete live performance.Daniela’s Violoncello da Spalla is made by herself in 2022 and equipped with Tomoki Sumiya pure gut trebles and Eliakim Boussoir’s overspun gut basses.We played in a beautiful hall in Bolzano called the Josephsaal. It was made in 1908 in the style of a hall of the crafts and trades guilds. There are medieval-style frescoes and baroque-style wood-carved stalls all around. In particular, the woodwork is very typical of South Tyrol, and...2024-05-3108 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastPlaying the two da Spalla cellos in whiteDuring the past week we had rain every day, which is quite unusual here for may. It was not a good weather for varnishing: we do not have a UV light box, as in the mountain UV rays are stronger we like to use the natural ones when we need them. Plus, we both felt we wanted to understand more the character of these two new da spalla cellos instead of rushing them through varnishing.So here we offer you our practicing session (not a performance yet!): Michelle de La Barre, played with the number 2 which is...2024-05-1010 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastCome with us on our morning walk!I so much wanted to share with you the beauty of this place where we live, that I hope you will not bother too much my difficult language and you’ll enjoy the view!Updates from our workshopThe first of the two da spalla cellos I made this year is playing! It is loud and rough, as an instrument in white should be, it will be more rounded and elegant after it’s varnished. This is the 10th Violoncello da Spalla Alessandro and I made. It is strung with...2024-05-0116 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastDevelopment of gut strings between 1848 and 1952 (strings, part 2)I’m receiving more and more questions about gut strings, so I thought I should share this video with a talk that I gave two years ago for the Women in Lutherie Conference,You may like to dig into the Women in Lutherie YouTube channel, there are many interesting talks on various topics lutherie-related.Other links related to this video podcast:Where to buy Giulia Bolcato’s new cd: Barbara Strozzi Opera Ottava: you hear it in the background of the nails unboxing. And yes, there is a crotchet close to me, because I hi...2024-02-1034 min
Violoncello da Spalla Podcast“Bete Aber auch dabei” recording with Violoncello da SpallaA brief story on how we came to record that video almost two years ago.We are extremely grateful to organist Stephan Kofler, who enthusiastically welcomed and joined our project and put us in touch with soprano Giulia Bolcato.Giulia recently launched her cd “Barbara Strozzi Opera Ottava”. If you like what you hear in the background of our speaking and driving, consider buying it, it is on all the main platforms. You can also listen to it for free, however, we think supporting an artist with an actual purchase is still important.We c...2024-01-2016 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastRevival of viola pomposa in Italian opera in the beginning of the 20th century.As promised in the podcast, here is the link to the viola pomposa by Giuseppe Ornati, probably the one used for the Francesca da Rimini. It is noticeable that on the accompanying PDF document, it is not clear if the author is Giuseppe Ornati or Leandro Bisiach, and the vibrating length mentioned is 69 cm, exactly like a cello.In the printed catalogue we see two different instruments (same body shape and same measures), one made by Bisiach and the other commissioned by Bisiach to Ornati, but made by Ornati....2024-01-1016 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastWe end 2023 launching our podcast!Hallo! This is the first episode of the Violoncello da Spalla podcast, broadcasted from Italy by Daniela Gaidano and Alessandro Visintini. We are two Italian luthiers specialized in Violoncello da Spalla. How does it come that we make Violoncello da Spalla? It came from a totally unexpected passion. Violoncello da Spalla brings together our love for violin making, the excitement of research and the pleasure of meeting top-level artists. Do we make also violins, violas and “normal” cellos? Yes, we do, but this is a podcast about Violoncello da Spalla, so this is what we’ll be talkin...2023-12-3109 min
Violoncello da Spalla PodcastUpdated book on Violoncello da Spalla is out!We know it took a long time, but we couldn’t afford a full time effort as also ur instruments need to get done! Anyway now the updated edition of our book on Violoncello da Spalla is available on Amazon!The sales page still says 6 March 2022, that is the first date of the first edition. But when it says 87 pages you know it’s the new one.What’s new inside? The chapters on surviving instruments and on treatises are wider, and the history one was updated with what we understood from o...2023-12-1400 min