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Raffaela Gabriella Rizzo An intangible cultural heritage asset

Adell et al., 2015; Smith, 2015; Richards, 2018, pp. 6–7; Edizioni Scrollavezza & Zanrè in the series “Treasures
Gualdani, 2019; Cioli, 2020; Qiu et al., 2020). of Italian Violin Making”, Parma and others; Antoldi,
UNESCO’s 2003 Convention considers five Capelli et al., 2017). In past centuries, as well as in Ita-
wide-ranging ‘domains’ of intangible cultural heritage ly – in the Cremona area, of course, but also in Milan,
(art. 2, com. 2): in the Province of Brescia, in Mantua, in Venice, in
1. Oral traditions and expressions, including lan- Emilia Romagna, in South Tyrol, and around Naples –
guage, are a vehicle of the intangible cultural her- one could find luthiers all over Europe; this occurred
itage. in conjunction with the establishment and differen-
2. Performing arts. tiation of musical products and the involvement of
other population strata when performances spread
3. Social practices, rituals, and festive events. from aristocratic salons to theatres (Tesini, 2016).
4. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and Bowed-stringed instruments are still in prevalent use
the universe. today. On a worldwide basis, one must count the nu-
5. Traditional craftsmanship. merous classical and modern symphony and chamber
orchestras and the vast number of varied formations:
The reflection that follows will concentrate on octets, sextets, quintets, quartets, trios, duos (even
category no. 5. However, its scope will be limited to a solely strings), and soloists. These instruments are
particular kind of savoir-faire, that of making stringed also used in Conservatories, universities, and schools
instruments: traditional violin craftsmanship in Cre- for Musical Education, though with specific problems
mona, Italy – the only example of this type of artisanal at various levels (for example, in Italy, see Comploi &
expertise in the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). In Schrott, 2019). For extremely varied information and
2012 it was included in the Representative List (UNE- reflections on string instruments, see the publication
SCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, n.d.-c). Numerous A Tutto ARCO of ESTA-Italia (European String Teach-
actors were involved in the intensive preparation of ers Association), Archi Magazine and Strad over dif-
the paperwork for its inscription, who then under- ferent years. Thanks to the archives and catalogues of
wrote the application. Illuminating is the article by exhibitions held in Cremona, it is possible to discover
Fulvia Caruso (2014) – who participated in the la- all the individual instruments produced over time in
borious compilation of the forms – in which Cremo- the city; following their ownership changes is more
na’s candidacy is presented critically, and the proce- difficult. We are not only talking about recent instru-
dure adopted by the stakeholders is described. In the ments; there are also splendidly fashioned antique
end, the city’s registration was decreed at the seventh instruments in circulation, some even referred to by
meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee (UNE- their names (e.g., Hämmerle, Cremonese, Principe
SCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2012a), specifical- Doria or Bracco). Indeed, one of their characteris-
ly with the pronouncement of DECISION 7.COM 11.18 tics is that they are incredibly long-lived and can be
(UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2012b). The restored and adapted (Cacciatori, 2014; 2016; Rovet-
manufacture of stringed instruments in Cremona – ta et al., 2016). More or less ancient instruments are
with the production of the full range of those played preserved in specialist museums like those in Milan,
using a bow: violins, violas, cellos and double bass- Bologna, and Venice or Academies (Zanrè, 2017),
es – commenced around the sixteenth century and Conservatories and Philharmonic Societies (e.g. that
became consolidated from the 1700s onwards in the of Verona) (Magnabosco, 2008). Usually, these col-
“botteghe” of master luthiers such as Amati, Strad- lections result from donations. These instruments are
ivari, Guarneri, Bergonzi and Ruggeri, as well as by often the focus of studies. An example in this regard
exponents of their families who made instruments is the research concerning the Ashmolean Museum
for numerous monarchs, for noble families, and for in Oxford and the Museo del Violino in Cremona: a
the clergy (see the volumes published since 2015 by comparison was made of 15 violins from the two mu-

50 | Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference