Ettore Soffritti

Life and Career

At a time when industrialization seemed to be the answer to poverty in NorthernItaly, it was sometimes precisely artisan craftsmen like the violin maker Ettore Soffritti who, provided they achieved the very highest degree of perfection, were not only rewarded with attention and appreciation but were also able to make a good living from their craft. He was born in 1877 in Ferrara, not far from Bologna, as the only son of Luigi Soffritti (1860–1896) and Margherita Roversi (date of birth unknown–1880). Ettore barely knew his mother; she died when he was three. His father, therefore, played an important role in his life. Luigi was a carpenter who lived in poverty; to earn a little extra money, he made violins in his spare time. He had no formal training in this craft; consequently, the few instruments attributed to him show virtually no influence from other makers. They are simple and made from local wood. Luigi did, however, pass on his interest in violin-making to Ettore. Ettore proved to be an eager student; he had a natural talent and wanted to learn more than his father could teach him.

However, that was not possible in Ferrara. The city had once enjoyed a rich cultural and musical life, but little of that remained. After Luigi and Giuseppe Marconcini (1760–1790 and 1774–1841), there had been no truly significant violin makers. The plague that had ravaged northern Italy had largely bypassed Ferrara, partly because the city had isolated itself as much as possible from the surrounding area. But because the city remained largely closed off to outside influences for a long time afterward as well, musical life had been unable to develop as much as in most Italian cities. With the exception of the operas by the Ferrara-born Rossini, the city’s population was more interested in theater than in music. When Ettore was born, Ferrara had eight large theaters and only one music school. That is where Ettore went to learn to play the violin.

Around the age of fifteen, following in his father’s footsteps, he built his first violin. He also started his own workshop that same year. His thirst for knowledge and training led him to make regular trips to Bologna. There, Raffaele Fiorini ran a bustling violin-making workshop in the Palazzo Pepoli and generously shared his knowledge with violin makers who sought his guidance. Fiorini was the founder of the Emilian school of violin making and served as a point of reference for makers in the region. It is no surprise that Ettore came under his influence. Several other important makers worked in Fiorini’s workshop: his son Giuseppe (1861–1934), Augusto Pollastri (1877–1927), and Cesare Candi (1869–1947). Under their influence, Ettore’s instruments took on a pure and personal character.

It was likely Giuseppe Fiorini and Augusto Pollastri whose refined craftsmanship ultimately inspired Ettore to strive for a high degree of perfection without falling into tedium. He then almost certainly visited the other violin makers in Bologna, who also appear to have influenced him. He did not serve an apprenticeship with any of them for a long, continuous period, as Ettore is not listed anywhere as an apprentice or employee. Nor does he appear in the archives of Bologna as a resident. Nevertheless, the Bolognese influence is unmistakably present in his work. Some of his instruments are known to bear a label from Bologna. Between 1890 and 1896—the year his father died—he built instruments in the style of the Emilia-Romagna region.

Between 1896 and the turn of the century, he seemed to lose his way for a time—which, according to his biographer, was due to his father’s death—and it wasn’t until around 1905 that he regained his direction. After that, his work once again began to display the power, elegance, and refinement that he continued to develop in the years that followed. He based his models primarily on Guarneri.

Ettore gradually began using not only better materials but also continued to strive for the highest level of craftsmanship. His instruments took on flowing lines, and he developed a sure hand. After receiving widespread acclaim at a local exhibition, he participated in his first major international exhibition in Brussels at the age of thirty-three. Rome followed, and in 1911 he also received high honors in Turin. But it didn’t stop there. A year later, he was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit by the Italian government. Ettore Soffritti had thus become an established and highly regarded violin maker.

In the years leading up to World War I, there was an almost unconditional belief in progress through science and technology in northern Italy. Some enterprising violin makers in Ettore’s circle were inspired by this and began using new techniques to craft instruments in a semi-industrial manner. Industrialization had become synonymous with progress and prosperity—a view that also offered new prospects to other, sometimes struggling, violin makers of that era. Because Ettore stayed far removed from the industrial rush and tirelessly continued to work in the traditional manner, he attracted students who sought the same path. His personal approach to violin making—which his students adopted—gave rise to what would later be known as the “School of Ferrara.”

He was regarded as an influential instrument maker both in Italy and abroad. Many great musicians had him build instruments for them. Ettore would receive two more honors; he received one following a sound test in Rome in 1923, and two years later, he was knighted by King Victor Emmanuel. In the spring of 1928, he died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest.

Work and Influence

In his early days, he based his work on the Guarneri model as built by the luthiers associated with Raffaele Fiorini in Bologna. His later work shows greater influence from earlier Reggio-Emilian luthiers who had chosen the Amati model as their basis. For a long time, characteristics of the Reggio-Emilian style could be found in his work, such as a rim that wrapped around the instrument like a cord.

After he had found his own style, Soffritti’s instruments were characterized by flowing lines and components he had encountered in the work of early Ferrara-based makers such as Mezzadri and Marconcini. His instruments ultimately became a fusion of the early Bolognese and Ferrarese styles.

At first, he used little flamed maple or even locally sourced wood, as was common among local instrument makers, but over the years he became more discerning and purchased only the finest wood he could find. He finished his finest and most personal instruments with a yellow-orange to reddish-brown oil varnish. What stands out is the steady hand with which he worked. The scroll is deeply carved and elegantly shaped. The sound of his instruments is generally considered excellent. He used various labels on which, after 1911, he noted that he had won prizes at various exhibitions.

Ettore Soffritti had many important students, including Ernesto Pevere (1891–1963), Anselmo Gotti (1902–1960), Carlo Carletti (1873–1941), Gaetano Pareschi (1900–1987), and Enrico Orselli (1891–1955). He is considered the founder of the Ferrara school.

The Musical Instrument Fund has two violins by Ettore Soffritti in its collection; the oldest dates from 1912, just after his most productive period had begun. The other violin must have been one of his last instruments. By then, he was already an established and highly respected luthier.

Sources

Tarisio, The Cozio Archive; Gindin D. Ettore Soffritti. Bezocht in 2020.

Panorama of Modern Bolognese Violin Making: Influences and Relationships, 2002, The Scientific Committee "Il Suono di Bologna”, Bologna.

Versari A., 2002, Modern Violin Making in the Emilia-Romagna Region. Bologna.

Blot E., 2001, 1860-1960 - A century of Italian Violin Making - Emilia e Romagna, Cremona.

Vannes, R., 1985, Universal Dictionary of Instrument Makers. Brussels.

Brinser M., 1978 Dictionary of 20th Century Italian Violin Makers, Bologna - A living tradition of Violin Making, zp.