Il Cannone Guarnerius

"Il Cannone Guarnerius" of 1743 is an antique violin fabricated by Italian luthier, Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri of Cremona (1698-1744).

Il Cannone is also known by the variants, "Il Cannone del Gesù", "Cannone" or "Canon", often appended with "Guarneri del Gesù", the Guarneri trademark. The violin received its name from a previous owner, the Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), because of its power and resonance. So associated is Paganini with "Il Cannone", it is very common for the violin to be referenced as "Il Cannone, ex-Paganini".

Paganini lost a valuable Amati violin as a result of his penchant for voracious gambling. He was able to take possession of a neglected Guarneri violin, a gift from an amateur violinist and businessman. Paganini played on this instrument for the rest of his life, fondly calling it “my cannon violin,” referring to the explosive sound that he was able to make it produce. He bequeathed it to the city of Genoa, Italy upon his death, and it is now considered a national treasure.

When in need of repair, "Il Cannone" would be sent to the workshop of Jean Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875) in Paris, the greatest luthier of his day. Not only did Vuillaume repair the Guarnerius, but he also made an exact replica. The copy was so precise in every detail of construction and appearance, that not even Paganini could distinguish one from the other. It was not until Paganini noticed subtle differences in tone that he could identify the original. Paganini presented the copy on to his only student Camillo Sivori.

"Il Cannone" with the Vuillaume replica, are exhibited together in the main room of the Genoa town hall. The violin is maintained in playable condition, and is taken out and played monthly by its curator. [cite web | url=http://www.giordanoviolins.com/english/cannone.html | title=Niccolò Paganini's violin | publisher=Alberto Giordano & Co. | author= | date= | accessdate=2007-04-15] Other than by the curator the Cannone was played each year by the winner of the Premio Paganini contest for young violinists, which sees the Italian city attracting the cream of the crop of young violin performers (since 2002 the contest has been held every two years). On occasion, "Il Cannone" is loaned to musicians for performance. Violinist Shlomo Mintz performed a special "Il Cannone" concert on Paganini’s violin with the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra in 1997. In 1999, Eugene Fodor played "Il Cannone" at a special concert in San Francisco, California. [cite web | url=http://www.paganini.comune.genova.it/pdf_doc/violiniagenova2008.pdf | title=Il Cannone | publisher=Comune di Genova | language=German; English; Italian | accessdate=2007-04-15] It was the farthest the violin had ever been from Italy. Conditions of its travel included a multimillion-dollar insurance policy and an armed escort of Italian police officers. In February 2006, "Il Cannone" visited London's Royal Academy of Music, where it was displayed and played at a festival devoted to Paganini.

ee also

*Amati
*Antonio Stradivari

References

External links

*
* [http://www.giordanoviolins.com/english/cannone.html Il Cannone] (Alberto Giordano & Co)
* [http://www.paganini.comune.genova.it/violi_guarneri_eng.htm Il Cannone] (Comune di Genova)