Musafia is an Italian manufacturer of

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

cases. They specialise in

high-end In economics, a luxury good (or upmarket good) is a good for which demand increases more than what is proportional as income rises, so that expenditures on the good become a more significant proportion of overall spending. Luxury goods are in con ...

violin cases, which are handmade at their workshop 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 Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Their cases are internationally renowned and are used by many leading soloists including

Sarah Chang Sarah Chang (; born Young Joo Chang; December 10, 1980) is a Korean American classical violinist. Recognized as a child prodigy, she first played as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1989. She enrolled ...

Joshua Bell Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He is currently music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Early life and education Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, one of four children of ...

Salvatore Accardo Salvatore Accardo (; Knight Grand Cross born 26 September 1941 in Turin, northern Italy) is an Italian violinist and conductor, who is known for his interpretations of the works of Niccolò Paganini. Accardo owns one Stradivarius violin, the "Ha ...

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. Born and raised in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Mutter started playing the violin at age five and continued studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her car ...

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the United States when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union a ...

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 ...

, and Chloë Hanslip.

History

The company was founded in 1983 by

ist and

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 ...

Dimitri Musafia Dimitri Musafia is an artisan maker of violin and viola cases for his own company, Musafia. Residing in Cremona, Italy, he first trained as a violinist, and subsequently as a violin maker at the Stradivari Institute in Cremona, before self-teachi ...

, who studied violin making at the

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 Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloqui ...

Institute. Musafia's objective was to create a violin case which focused primarily on instrument safety and aesthetics. After experimenting with variety of different materials over several years, a "specially-milled wood laminate" emerged as the preferred choice for the basis of construction, satisfying the requirements for both instrument safety and portability. Since then, Musafia cases have been the preferred choice for some of the most famous and expensive violins in the world, including

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati ...

s and the 1715

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 ...

"''Cremonese''", previously played by

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian Violin, violinist, Conducting, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely ...

. The construction specifics have changed over the years to ensure that their high standards are upheld. Up to this day, Musafia has remained a family-owned business, with all aspects of design and construction taking place in the company's Cremona workshop and overseen by Dmitri personally.

Build

The cases are manufactured from a high quality laminate shell and a four-point instrument suspension system is standard on all cases. Other important safety features include locking bow spinners, a

hygrometer A hair tension dial hygrometer with a nonlinear scale. A hygrometer is an instrument that measures humidity: that is, how much water vapor is present. Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other quantities, such a ...

and a humidifier. Second to safety, aesthetic appeal and convenience are very important in the construction of Musafia cases. The vast majority of cases are equipped with the standard features such as a screw-attached

teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, and has numerous applications because it is chemically inert. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemours, a spin-off from ...

-treated

cordura Cordura is a brand of synthetic fiber-based fabrics used in products such as luggage, backpacks, trousers, military wear, and performance apparel. Cordura was developed and trademarked by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (DuPont) in 192 ...

nylon cover (with an exterior music pocket), backpack provisions, a subway handle, a string tube and a large leather/leatherette handle. All the fittings and materials used in the construction of the case are of the highest quality. As well as violin cases, Musafia also build viola cases and double cases (cases for two violins, two violas or violin and viola).

Current models

As of October 2019, the current models in production are: *Lievissima EVOLUTION *Momentum *Momentum Z *Superleggero Royale *Luxury Model (series 3) *Aeternum (series 5) *Master Series *Engima (series 3)

Options and accessories

Musafia has a wide range of accessories and options which can be added to any case. Some options come as standard on some models and others are subject to an additional fee. As of October 2019, available options are:

Safety options

*Protecta System - increases load-bearing capability to 200 kg *Additional frame reinforcement - increases resistance to lateral impact *Tropicalization - reduces internal temperature excursion by up to 60% in hot weather and 30% in cold weather *Waterproofing - maximum water resistance *WeatherGuard - enhanced seal *PressurePorts - released excess pressure in humid conditions to stabilize humidity levels *SuperSilk -

hygroscopic Hygroscopy is the phenomenon of attracting and holding water molecules via either absorption (chemistry), absorption or adsorption from the surrounding Natural environment, environment, which is usually at normal or room temperature. If water mol ...

silk velvet enhances the stability of the micro-climate within the case *

Hygrometer A hair tension dial hygrometer with a nonlinear scale. A hygrometer is an instrument that measures humidity: that is, how much water vapor is present. Humidity measurement instruments usually rely on measurements of some other quantities, such a ...

- standard on all models *

Thermometer A thermometer is a device that measures temperature (the hotness or coldness of an object) or temperature gradient (the rates of change of temperature in space). A thermometer has two important elements: (1) a temperature sensor (e.g. the bulb ...

*DIMUS II

humidifier A humidifier is a household appliance or device designed to increase the moisture level in the air within a room or an enclosed space. It achieves this by emitting water droplets or steam into the surrounding air, thereby raising the humidity. ...

- standard on all models *Bow tip cushions - protect bow tips on impact

Style options

*Swarovski crystals - can be added to cover the screws of the bow spinners *Leather instrument restraints - replaces standard

Velcro Velcro IP Holdings LLC, trading as Velcro Companies and commonly referred to as Velcro (pronounced ), is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of ho ...

*Shadow design - darker, brushed effect on all metallic fittings *Gold-laminated fittings - to prevent rust and corrosion, standard on all models *Black velvet interior *Alcantra shell lining - suede-like material replaces standard leather, reducing case weight *Leather case cover - replaces standard Teflon-treated Cordura nylon *Cherrywood burl trim *Personalized nameplate

Utility options

*Enlarged music pouch - carries about 100% more music than the standard music pouch *Hidden documents pocket *String tube - standard on all models *Interior illumination -

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

micro-beams illuminate the main accessory compartments *Electronic tuner -

A440 A440 or A-440 may refer to: * A440 (pitch standard) * A440 highway (Australia), a road in Victoria, Australia * Quebec Autoroute 440 (Laval) * Quebec Autoroute 440 (Quebec City) See also * Apollo 440, an English band * Airbus A400M The Air ...

Accessories

*CaseCaddy(TM) - small pouch matching style of case *Pillow blanket -

satin A satin weave is a type of Textile, fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back; it is not durable, as it tends to snag. It is one of three fundamen ...

blanket providing additional protection *Padded carrying straps - to ease the weight of the case

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Musafia Violin Case Violin cases