From “Il Museo della Musica” by Artemio Versari The lyre, a typical instrument of Greek civilisation, in the beginning was made of a tortoise- shell covered with a diaphragm upon which were attached two horns connected at the top by a crosspiece. Several strings, attached to the croosspiece, were taut over a bridge resting on the diaphragm, and attached by a knot to the shell. Later the lyre underwent various more or less substantial modifications. A more highly-perfected variety had a wooden belly, from which went out two curved arms, also in wood. Towards the end of the 18th century the antique Greek instrument came back into fashion, but in a shape that combined the classical lyre and the modern guitar. Of the lyre the new instrument retained the outer profile; of the guitar it borrowed the neck (peg box and fingerboard) which thus formed a third arm in the middle.
***
Luigi Mozzani was born in Faenza (Ravenna) the 9th March 1869. After starting different works he followed the vocation of a musician: guitarist and oboe he entered in conservatory at a late age. Attracted by the studying of acoustics he started working in a factory of pianos in Faenza and gradually at the “Anelli” of Cremona. Here he started manufacturing his first violins. He created his own laboratory but never overlooked his concerts with guitar that brought him abroad numerous times. During the beginning of the 1900s he transfered to Bologna where he started to prepare a guitar following Guadagnini's model and to perfect the mandolin, another of his inspirations. Instead, it was after a trip to Monaco of Baviera that he saw a collection of lyres. Impressed by the potential of this instrument, he developed his studies to increase deep tones. Transfered to Cento he began to work with the Carletti family, known for their manufactured violins. These were the best years of his productions in guitar-lyres united to triumphant tours as a guitarist. At the death of his daughter in 1916 Mozzani concluded his carrier as a concert performer and dedicated himself to the development of his productions that continued until his death in 1943.
Questo sito utilizza cookies tecnici e di terze parti. Chiudendo questo banner o navigando il sito, acconsenti all’uso dei cookie. Per maggiori informazioni consulta la pagina Cookie policy.