Simone Fernando Sacconi (May 30, 1895 in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

– June 26, 1973 in Point Lookout) was an expert

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

violin maker A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be u ...

and restorer who studied fellow ''

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinisation of names, Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', a ...

extensively during his lifetime. "While still at school he became a workshop assistant to Giuseppe Rossi, a pupil of Degani. By the time he was 16, Sacconi already had his own clientele, and a particular ability as a maker of copies. In 1931 he moved to New York to work for the dealer Emil Herrmann. He continued to make new instruments – and occasionally bows – but his time there was mainly taken up with repairs and restoration work. In this field he had no equal, an example of his work being a Stradivari of the best period, virtually destroyed in an accident in 1948, which now shows no sign of having suffered. In the imitation of old Italian varnish he excelled all rivals. In 1951, upon the invitation of Rembert Wurlitzer, Sacconi went with his pupil D’Attili to work for Rembert Wurlitzer Co. A first-class workshop was built up and many of the best American repairers were trained in it. In his last years he spent much time teaching in

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

, Italy, and published ''I segreti di Stradivari'' (Cremona, 1972), setting out in detail Stradivari’s working methods." - Charles Beare His constant experiments with varnish was almost an obsession. He was one of the principal organizers of the Stradivari Bicentennial Exhibition in Cremona in 1937. Sacconi won gold medal for a quartet of instruments. In 1972, he was bestowed honorary citizenship by Cremona (the highest honor). In 2012, nine of Sacconi's medals were discovered shortly before they were due to be melted down. Of the medals, one was awarded to Sacconi by his pupils, and is engraved with their names; Segal, Esposti, Zambelli and Bissolotti. Also found was the medal awarded by the City of Cremona, medals marking the bicentennial of the death of

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th ...

, and two wartime medals, awarded for service during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Sacconi has directly influenced several generations of makers/restorers: Charles Beare, Max Moller, Pierre Vidoudez
Dario D'Attili

Hans Weisshaar Hans Weisshaar (Wildberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, August 25, 1913 - Los Angeles, June 24, 1991) was an important American violin restorer. He worked in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands before coming to the United States in 1937, whe ...

, Jacques Francais,

Frank Passa Frank Passa (1916–2001) was an internationally known American maker of bows and violins (archetier and luthier). A native of New York City, Frank Passa was born in 1916 to poor Sicilian immigrants. He was a pupil of Simone Fernando Sacconi ...

Bernard Millant Bernard Millant (1929 – 5 April 2017) was a bow maker, archetier and luthier in Paris, France. He was the son of Max Millant. He studied violin-making at Amédée Dieudonné's workshop in Mirecourt. He also studied bow-making with Louis Morizot ...

, Mario F. D'Alessandro, Harry Duffy, René Morel, William Salchow, Hans Nebel, Roland Felle
Vahakn Nigogosian
C. Ray Ferguson, Carlos Arcieri
David Segal

Carleen M. Hutchins Carleen Maley Hutchins (May 24, 1911 – August 7, 2009) was an American high school science teacher, violin-maker and researcher, best known for her creation, in the 1950s/60s, of a family of eight proportionally sized violins now known as t ...

Francesco Bissolotti
William J. Huggler, Ronald J. Huggler , James Reynold Carlisle. Through his disciples (such as Jacques Francais / René Morel), he has influenced makers/restorers such as

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, Horacio Piñeiro, Boris Sverdlik, Jerry Pasewicz, Bogaslaw Kieta, David T. Van Zandt, Andrew Dipper, James N. McKean, Christophe Landon, Richard Oppelt, Jonathan Woolston (UK) & from the shop of Hans Weisshaar came Otto Karl Schenk
David Burgess
Tom Wilder, Andreas Mages (Germany), Bruce Carlson (Italy), Wendy and Peter Moes to name a few. Many celebrated musicians came to him for advice and entrusted him with their precious instruments when they needed attention. List includes

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Franco GulliCharles Libove

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André Navarra André-Nicolas Navarra (13 October 1911 – 31 July 1988) was a French cellist and cello teacher who was born in Biarritz and died in Siena. Early life He was born into a musical family in Biarritz, his father being a bassist of Italian desce ...

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Leonard Rose Leonard Joseph Rose (July 27, 1918 – November 16, 1984) was an American cellist and pedagogue. Biography Rose was born in Washington, D.C. His parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Bragin, Belarus, and his mother from Kyiv, ...

, Toby Saks,

Alexander Schneider Abraham Alexander Schneider (October 21, 1908 – February 2, 1993) was a violinist, conductor and educator. Born to a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania, he later moved to the United States as a member of the Budapest String Quartet. Early ...

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Henryk Szeryng Henryk Bolesław Szeryng (usually pronounced ''HEN-r-ik SHEH-r-in-g'') (22 September 19183 March 1988) was a Polish- Mexican violinist. Early years He was born in Warsaw, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy Jewish family. The surname ...

Efrem Zimbalist Efrem Zimbalist (April 21 .S. April 9 1889 – February 22, 1985) was a Russian and American concert violinist, composer, conducting, conductor and director of the Curtis Institute of Music. Early life Efrem Zimbalist was born on April 9, 1 ...

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, and

Uto Ughi Bruto Diodato "Uto" Ughi (; born 21 January 1944) is an Italian violinist and conductor. He was the music director of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia between 1987 and 1992. He is considered one of Italy's greatest living ...

were just some of the top musicians who either purchased or had their treasured instruments maintained by him. His main publication was
'I segreti di Stradivari'
', translated into many languages and sold worldwide. "Simone Sacconi is recognized as one of the important contemporary violin makers. His book explains the construction techniques used by Stradivari with clarity and precision. It is considered an indispensable reference for both the professional and novice violin maker." - Eric Blot "Sacconi was described as a "Hero of the art of violinmaking". - Andrea MosconiSACCONI,SIMONE FERNANDO - MOSCONI,ANDREA. Simone Fernando Sacconi. Centenary celebration nel centenario della nascita. Cremona, 1995. "Every detail absorbed his complete attention" - Carlos Arcieri "Described by many expert artisans as an exalted beacon of contemporary restorers and conservators" "....one of the greatest violin maker and restorers of our time, Simone Fernando Sacconi." - W. Zambelli https://www.violiniincremona.it/ Simone Fernando Sacconi in the testimony of Wanna Zambelli https://www.violiniincremona.it/articoli/zambelli-e-sacconi "Fernando" was a man of many interests: He was a superb photographer, avid salt water fisherman, musician, small game hunter, mushroom researcher, epicurean and wonderful friend and neighbor.

References

Further reading