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Mozzani

See also Marvelous Mozzani!
The Incredible Harp Guitars of Luigi Mozzani


This section features the harp guitars of Luigi Mozzani. The first section features images from the incredible monograph on Luigi Mozzani by Giovanni Intelisano, "Mozzani - un liutaio e la sua arte," EDITION: Cento 1990. A&C - Arts & Crafts. Find it and buy it! I can barely read a word of it, and it's still fascinating.
It's time for an English version interpretation of this incredible man.

An announcement flyer. Mozzani was  virtuoso player and composer. He also designed (and had a team of craftsmen build) an incredible variety of "chitarra lyras" - so-called "lyre guitars," which were really all harp guitars, in one-arm or continuous-arm (but no true lyre-arm!) shapes.

Federico Galimberti, 1924 Luigi Mozzani towards the end of his life. Roberto Beccuti, 1936 Sara Stegani Sara Stegani

Two orchestras comprised of Mozzani instruments.

A smaller ensemble of Mozzanis. An unbelievable Mozzani showroom.

This next group of images were part of "The Sound of Bologna," a 2002 exhibition on the violin makers of Bologna (Exhibit book available here). One of these was Claudio Gamberini (1895-1965 [or 1948?], Cento), who also headed the plucked string division at Mozzani's combined "laboratory-school" around 1930. He then joined with Mozzani in a private workshop when the school closed. He is seen in the foreground of the first photo, and several of the other images. The other players are unknown to me. Nearly all of the harp guitars in this series seem to be Mozzanis - most likely built by Gamberini and his team of craftsmen.

Images copyright and courtesy of Bologna violin scholar Roberto Regazzi.


This next group of images shows Mozzani's star pupil, Mario Maccaferri, with various Mozzani harp guitars, many of which he owned until his death. Most images are from either Michael Wright's book, Guitar Stories Vol II, or Francois Charle's book, The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars - the priceless photographs mostly supplied by Maria Maccaferri.

A very young Mario Maccaferri plays his Mozzani (from The Story of Selmer Maccaferri Guitars by Francois Charle)

Mario Maccaferri circa 1920 with a Mozzani harp guitar.

Maccaferri posing at home in the 1950s with 2 of the 5 Mozzani harp guitars he kept until his death. According to Mario's friend, John Monteleone, Maccaferri acquired these five Mozzani harp guitars in the 1947 liquidation sale of the Mozzani workshop/school.  Michael Wright believes they were acquired on a return visit to Italy while Mozzani was still alive (which would have been pre-1943).


Miscellaneous Mozzani images
Pietro Taraffo, brother of the famous Pasquale also played a Mozzani besides the familiar Gazzo harp guitars. Piertro again. The well-known French novelist Boris Vian (1920-1959), with a Mozzani harp guitar. Vian at home in 1956. Françoise & Daniel Sinier de Ridder tell us that "This guitar was a gift from his brother Alain Vian who was an important music dealer in Paris (and for who we worked during 35 years)."

See also Marvelous Mozzani!
The Incredible Harp Guitars of Luigi Mozzani


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