Dmitry Gindin: Expert and consultant in fine stringed instruments

  

The Bisiachs

At the dawn of the 20th century, violin making in Italy flourished on a scale unseen for almost two centuries. One of the greatest beneficiaries was Giuseppe Leandro Bisiach. Despite a modest background, his acumen and industry helped him create a grand enterprise for making and selling instruments, the first of its kind in Italy. He fathered a dynasty of five maker-dealers, further etching his family name into violin-making history.

The man destined to create the post-Antoniazzi Milanese school was born in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont. He shared his birthplace with Count Cozio di Salabue, the first great connoisseur and collector of fine violins. Two important contemporaries, Annibale Fagnola and Celeste Farotti, were born nearby about the same time. The area had produced other excellent makers, including Giovanni Pressenda and Giuseppe Rocca.