Un Viaggio Italiano by Philipp Blom

Amazing book

Un Viaggio Italiano by Philipp Blom published by Marsilio. I didn't know the story of musical instruments and their creation and I didn't know anything of the history of this art through centuries; for this reason, if you are like me, in love with music, history, this one will be an unusual trip through centuries, absolutely satisfying and wonderful.

One Day mr. Blom, son of musicians - he studied classic music when little although later preferred other fields of knowledge - once at the studio of a lutist he was friend with, "met" a violin that would have made the difference. This violin,  brought home and played, if at first appeared rigid, later introduced him to distant lands, and beautiful sounds. 

What is  a musical instrument if not the extension of a body's part for a musician? 

Blom had another violin he loved to play everyday (and you will read what will happen when the couple is to Paris) but this one...Blom started to fall in love for this old violin, with an important age, restored several times during the centuries!

The lutist sold the violin to Blom added also that the violin had been created by someone in Fussen, Germany: this part of the conversation meant to Blom curiosity and the beginning of a trip through history, little places, people, events, searching for the creator of his violin. 

Lutherie was an important voice in Germany and for people in search of a good work meant a lot thanks to numerous theaters, the importance of classic music; plus wood in the little city of Fussen known for the beautiful castles built by Ludwig the cousin of Sisi, abundant and of good quality; for this reason the market was interesting.

The richest lutists once dead, left wagons of instruments and wood, and other parts for new musical instruments. It was a real business. 

Violins, as explains Blom, hasn't always had a great consideration: in a painting, the Macabre dance with Death, violin is portrayed as a seductive instrument, in general in possession of people not too clear, someone who want to cheat other people.

In this painting people will understand that, after all, life is just a..dance and when they will leave this world because death ask their presence in the other dimension, they won't bring anything with them, if not their passage, their witness in this world, leaving to the ones still alive, certain gestures, dances, typicities, shadows, shames, signs of appartenence. 

This painting can also be read as a dancer perpetually playing. Till he plays, he is alive. 

Death is particularly close to life changes, visiting perennially tiny narrow strees, but not only; she loves songs sang in taverns plenty of people and joy; she walks in roads, streets, populated by poor singers; these ones the best places and people where to find death.

No one knows the name of the lutist for sure, but Blom will call him Hanns for starting, one of the most common names given to a baby in Germany in 1660-1700 when this baby, future lutist was born.

When you must research for detailed informations about the remote past of a violin or another musical instrument, you see in this work the unification of the entire Europe; an Europe that meant North of Italy where germans lutists afforded for learning this art, Germany, Cremona, Venice, Wien, Paris. 

Italy was still divided but united thanks to music and its importance.

This book is not just the story of this violin but also the story of the most known European lutists and their approach with this art, putting them in connection with social and political situations of the places where they lived in without forgetting the new ones, plenty of privacy but also incredibly helpful.

Highly recommended.

I thank Marsilio for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori