Violino
Violin Opus 01
Price on request
Gregorio Martini · Master Luthier
Handcrafted violins, violas & cellos shaped to sing.
Every instrument is carved, varnished and voiced by hand — one at a time, in the classical Cremonese tradition.
IPreludioThe atelier
Every instrument begins as a conversation between a block of aged tonewood and the hands that listen to it.
For Gregorio Martini, making a violin is not production — it is dialogue. The spruce is tapped and flexed, the maple turned to the light, each plate carved until it rings with the right note. Nothing is hurried, and nothing is left to a machine.
The result is an instrument with a voice of its own: responsive under the bow, generous in colour and built to grow with its player for generations.
- 6years of advanced study in Cremona
- 1year in the atelier of Riccardo Bergonzi
- 4voices of the violin family
- 1pair of hands, from first cut to final set-up
IIAndanteThe family
Four voices, one family
From the brilliance of the violin to the deep foundation of the double bass — every member of the violin family, made by the same hands.
IIIAllegroSelected instruments
From the workbench
IVAdagioThe craft
Patience you can hear
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I
The wood
Spruce for the voice, maple for the reflection. Tonewood is chosen by eye, by hand and by ear — tapped, flexed and seasoned for years before the first cut.
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II
The plates
Top and back are carved and graduated with gouges and finger planes, tenth of a millimetre by tenth of a millimetre, until each plate rings with the right tone.
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III
The scroll
Carved freehand from a single block of maple, the scroll is the maker’s signature — its spiral reveals the hand behind the instrument.
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IV
The varnish
Applied in thin layers and cured slowly, the varnish protects the wood, sets the flame alight and gives the instrument its final colour.
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V
The voice
Bridge, soundpost and strings: the set-up is where the instrument learns to speak. It is played, adjusted and played again until it answers.
- How an instrument is made
VCantabileThe maker
Trained in Cremona. Devoted to sound.
Gregorio Martini spent six years in the advanced violin-making course of the International School of Violin Making in Cremona, under master Aromatico, and a further year in the atelier of the renowned maker Riccardo Bergonzi.
His encounter with Alessandro Ciciliati, a representative of the Ferrara school, left a lasting mark on his style — a balance of classical proportion and a voice that is warm, direct and full of character.
An instrument is finished only when it begins to answer the player.
Read the storyExhibited at
Cremona Mondomusica
20122013
VIDomandeQuestions
Before you write
The questions musicians ask most often about our instruments and commissions.
All questions01 What instruments does Gregorio Martini make?
Gregorio Martini makes the four voices of the violin family entirely by hand: violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Each instrument is built individually, from the choice of tonewood to the final set-up.
02 Where did Gregorio Martini train as a violin maker?
He spent six years in the advanced violin-making course of the International School of Violin Making "Antonio Stradivari" in Cremona, Italy, under master Aromatico, followed by a one-year internship in the atelier of Riccardo Bergonzi. His contact with Alessandro Ciciliati of the Ferrara school had a lasting influence on his style.
03 Can I commission a made-to-measure instrument?
Yes. A commission begins with a conversation about your playing, your repertoire and the sound you are looking for. Together you choose the model, the wood and the colour of the varnish, and the instrument is then made for you alone.
04 Which woods are used for a handmade violin?
Following the classical tradition, the top is carved from spruce, while the back, ribs and scroll are carved from maple — often flamed maple, whose figure shimmers under the varnish. The fingerboard and fittings are usually ebony.
Finale
Let us make an instrument that sounds like you.
Tell Gregorio about your playing, your repertoire and the voice you are searching for. Every commission begins with a conversation.