"Il Legno che Canta" | Angelo-Gilardino

"The Legno che Canta"
GUITAR SHOW

THE ANGELO GILARDINO COLLECTION

The project that the "Angelo Gilardino Cultural Association" is building has found complete representation in the title "Il Legno che Canta", the same title that Maestro Gilardino gave to the book created together with the luthier Mario Grimaldi, dedicated to some of the protagonists of twentieth-century Italian guitar lutherie.

And the same title has been adopted for a guitar exhibition which will exhibit to the public numerous instruments from the private collection of Lorenzo Frignani, an esteemed luthier from Modena, president of the association of Italian luthiers, and current owner of the guitar "collection" that belonged to Angelo Gilardino.

The exhibition will have two souls; one will consist of a precious selection of historical instruments made by some of the most renowned Italian luthiers of the 19th century, while the second will offer guitars made by luthiers whose work Angelo Gilardino recounted in his book. Among these there will be space for the four guitars of Pietro Gallinotti, the guitar of Nicola De Bonis, that of Lorenzo Bellafontana and that of Luigi Mozzani which belonged to the master from Vercelli.

The book by Angelo Gilardino and Mario Grimaldi finally places the art of the Italian guitar builders finally in a right and dutiful revaluation of their work.

Six great masters of 20th century violin making born before 1920: Luigi Mozzani, Pietro Gallinotti, Rodolfo Paralupi, Lorenzo Bellafontana, Mario Pabè and Nicola De Bonis.

The book tells their story, studies, travels, meetings with performers, the wisdom of an art that has made their instruments legendary.

Six emblematic figures, worthy of being placed next to those of the great Iberian luthiers whose prestige is deservedly alive all over the world: the same goes for the great Italians who built magnificent guitars in times when, with the noun "guitar", the the adjective "Spanish" was inextricably linked in a sort of symbiosis very similar to the cliché.

Mario Grimaldi (Filippa di Mesoraca, Crotone, 1957) is an appreciated luthier. He followed the courses of maestro Carlo Raspagni and subsequently also dedicated himself to studies, investigating in depth the work of the great Alessandrian luthier Pietro Gallinotti. He is co-author (together with Mario Dell'Ara) of the volume Pietro Gallinotti, luthier of Solero. Lives and works in Montaldo Bormida (Alessandria).

Lorenzo Frignani has dedicated himself to violin making since 1982. He is currently president of A.L.I. professionals (ITALY) and for 10 years he was a member of A.L.A.D.F.I. (France). He collaborated for about twelve years with the Municipality of Pieve di Cento (BOLOGNA), as an Artistic Consultant, for courses and initiatives related to the violin making school.

He has always been involved in the restoration and conservation of ancient musical instruments for which he is also a collector and collaborates with national and international museums and musical institutions.
He has personally organized and held conferences and exhibitions of violin making in Italy and abroad, in particular on historical plucked instruments, of which he is also a renowned collector.
From 1992 to 1998 he received numerous prizes in national and international competitions such as Bagnacavallo and Baveno.

Subsequently he was part of the juries of the violin making competitions of Baveno, Pisogne and Sesto Fiorentino.
He edited and published numerous books and catalogs on violin making and founded and led LF Edizioni from 2007 to 2015.
In 2003 he received the "Bonissima" award for excellence, from the city of Modena.
In 2010 he received the "Premio Spataffi" city of Gubbio.
In July 2011, he was awarded the "luthier of the year" award by the city of Fiuggi.
In 2016 he received the "Città di Alessandria" award for violin making.
He currently lives and works in Modena.