Dmitry Gindin: Expert and consultant in fine stringed instruments

  

The Candi Brothers and Paolo De Barbieri

The Candis, similar to most of their predecessors, were immigrants to Genoa. Like Enrico Rocca, they had a late start in making violins, despite a good previous knowledge of the craft. Born in Minerbio near Bologna, the Candi brothers lost their father Angelo in 1884 and that year joined the workshop of Raffaele Fiorini, where they worked briefly alongside Raffaele's talented and influential son Giuseppe. When the latter left Bologna for Munich, the 19-year-old Cesare followed his brother Oreste to Genoa to work for the Fratelli Barberis, who specialised in the production and maintenance of plucked instruments, and who had employed Oreste since about 1886.

By 1893 the Candis opened their own workshop near Rocca in via dei Servi 54, where Oreste remained until the early 1930s. Cesare, having married Rosa Castello in 1896, moved to Piazza Sarzano 26 and later to via di Porta Soprana, where he lived for the rest of his life. Cesare and Rosa had three daughters: Amelia, Linda and Ofelia. Oreste moved his workshop to via Bosco in 1932, and stayed there until his death in 1938, aged 72.

De Barbieri, Cesare Candi's most talented and faithful pupil and relative through marriage, was born in Genoa. During his teenage years he was employed as a sailor. Although he frequented Candi's workshop earlier, Paolo began working with Candi around the beginning of the First World War, when Candi was himself beginning to increase his production of violin-family instruments. De Barbieri assisted Candi in curating 'Il Cannone' in the 1940s, taking over the role after Candi's death in 1947.