violin
Giovanni Battista Grancino
built in Milan in 1712
A violin built by Giovanni Battista Grancino in Milan in 1712, with a later scroll by P.G. Mantegazza (ca. 1770).
History of this instrument
The Musical Instrument Fund purchased this Grancino violin in 2024 from the renowned violinist Cécile Huijnen. She herself wrote the following about the violin:
“After years of searching, I fell in love at first sight in 2000. At the supermarket, I usually spend minutes debating which brand of peanut butter to buy, but this time, one scale was enough. Not a shred of doubt. My new partner in crime: Giovanni Grancino, from 1712.
The sound was warm, velvety, and clear, with a golden edge. And then there was the ease. Instead of searching, fighting, and struggling, it came naturally. Every note was a gift. I’ve played all the great concertmaster solos on it: from *Ein Heldenleben* and *Scheherazade* to *Swan Lake*. Violin concertos by Shostakovich, Korngold, Barber, countless recitals and chamber music pieces. From Baroque to High Romantic—everything worked.
The Grancino sparkled and shone, and together we made it a celebration. All good things must come to an end. I feel a sense of melancholy, but also joy. Because after 24 years, the Grancino is going to the Musical Instrument Fund, where young talents will hopefully enjoy it just as much as I have. Right now, Hebe Mensinga is the lucky player of the Grancino.
About Giovanni Battista Grancino
When Hill expressed his opinion in 1901 about 17th- and 18th-century Milanese violin makers, he was not very complimentary. He called them “Cheap Jacks,” sellers of cheap, inferior instruments. And because Hill was an absolute authority...
