Exclusively of Historical Plucked Musical Instruments
RESTORATION & CONSERVATION
First understand, then decide.
Every intervention begins with an understanding of the object.
Before intervening, I try to build as complete a picture as possible of the instrument, gathering all the information it can provide: its materials, construction, techniques, alterations, traces of use, history and available documentation. Direct examination remains the starting point.
This may be supplemented by photographic documentation, visible fluorescence induced by ultraviolet radiation and, when necessary, non-invasive diagnostic investigations. For the latter, I also collaborate with the non-invasive diagnostics laboratory at the Museo del Violino in Cremona, for investigations such as radiography, XRF and FT-IR. Diagnostic techniques do not replace observation. They serve to provide additional information, verify what we observe and, in some cases, challenge what we think we know. Understanding also means distinguishing what we can observe and document from what we can only interpret or hypothesise.
It also means recognising what we cannot know. Once this picture has been established, the decision about the intervention has largely already taken shape. The practical work comes last: it is the consequence of a process of observation, research, interpretation and decision-making. For this reason, before deciding how to intervene, it is also necessary to determine whether an intervention is truly needed.
Seven-course mandora by Andreas Ferdinand Mayr, Salzburg, 1774.
Currently preserved in a private collection in Switzerland, the instrument underwent substantial alterations during the 19th century, when it was converted into a six-single-string guitar. A partial reconstruction of its earlier configuration was undertaken following an extensive comparative study of other instruments by the same maker, particularly the mandora dated 1735 preserved at the Musical Instrument Museum of Leipzig University (Inv. 504). In addition to the reconstructed components, conservation and structural interventions were carried out to address cracks and separated joints in the original ribbed body. The agreed approach was to visually integrate the newly reconstructed components with the surviving original parts. The entire intervention, including the observations, interpretations and reasoning behind each decision, was extensively documented.
String length: 60.5 cm. Tuning: e′ at A = 415 Hz. Temporarily fitted with Nylgut strings.
Conserving, restoring, returning to use.
Conservation does not necessarily mean intervention. The primary concern is the preservation of the materials and the stability of the object, while also considering the changes it has undergone throughout its history and the information these changes may still contain. An alteration does not necessarily have to belong to the instrument's original construction to be significant. If it has become part of its history, it may itself have become part of the object's material and documentary identity. Every intervention must therefore be assessed in relation to what needs to be preserved, what may be modified and what should be left untouched. Only within this framework can the possibility of returning the instrument to musical use also be considered. Returning a historical instrument to use does not simply mean making it functional again. For such use to be meaningful, the conditions must exist to reconstruct and maintain a context consistent with what the instrument documents: available materials and strings, information about pitch standard and tuning, repertoire and performance practices, together with the possibility of maintaining these conditions over time through appropriate preventive care. When these requirements can be met, returning the instrument to use can itself become part of the process of understanding it: an opportunity to listen to and understand the instrument through a historically informed interpretation of its sound. Otherwise, functionality alone cannot be considered sufficient justification for an intervention that would compromise its documentary value.
Five-course mandolino by Andrea Weber, Genoa, 1717.
Of particular historical interest, this instrument is the only known surviving example by Andrea Weber and the earliest of the five surviving 18th-century Genoese mandolino. Its construction provides an important reference for the comparative study of later instruments from the same regional tradition, as discussed by Davide Rebuffa in his publication The Mandolino in Genoa in the Eighteenth Century, issued by the Lute Society. Rediscovered relatively recently, the instrument was found in an exceptionally good state of conservation, requiring intervention only on the soundboard. Following its restoration, the mandolin was used in a recording by musician and researcher Davide Rebuffa, performing music composed by Francesco Weber, the son of the instrument's maker. String length: 33.6 cm. Tuning: g′ at A = 392 Hz. Gut strings.
The compromise.
Every intervention involves choices and, with them, the possibility of loss. Preserving the materials, ensuring structural stability, keeping historical alterations legible, protecting documentary information and, where possible, returning the instrument to musical use may all be important objectives. Yet they cannot always be reconciled without consequences. The need for compromise arises precisely from this complexity.
It does not mean seeking a middle ground, nor accepting loss as inevitable. It means trying to achieve the purpose of the intervention while losing as little as possible. Every decision must therefore be proportionate to its intended purpose. The intervention should be limited to what is necessary and, wherever possible, be reversible or at least removable. The responsibility for finding this balance lies primarily with the restorer, through an understanding of the object and the consequences of the decisions made. However, the definition of the intervention and its purpose must be shared with those responsible for the instrument: the owner, the museum, the institution or, where necessary, the musician.
The context may therefore influence the requirements and the degree of compromise that can be accepted. What may be acceptable for an instrument intended for private musical use may require a different approach in a museum context. What must not change is the need to avoid turning an intervention into a falsification of the object's history.
There is no such thing as a perfect restoration, and no conservation without consequences. There is, however, the responsibility to understand what may be lost, to assess what needs to be done and to choose the solution that preserves as much as possible of the instrument's material and documentary identity.
Six-single-string guitar, early 19th century.
An instrument of particular organological interest, bearing two historical labels: Nicolas Nicco, Lyon, 1817, and Nicolas Büttiker, Solothurn, 1817. The second label was discovered beneath the first during the restoration, raising new questions concerning the instrument's attribution and history. The reference to Büttiker is of particular interest in relation to the relatively little-documented history of Swiss guitar making. The instrument's construction presents characteristics associated with different European instrument-making traditions, making its geographical attribution particularly complex. Significant structural instability affecting the upper block and back required the separation of the back and neck, while the soundboard and ribs remained assembled. The separated components underwent the necessary conservation and structural interventions before being repositioned and reassembled. The restoration provided an opportunity for a detailed examination of the instrument's construction and historical evidence, while restoring its structural stability and enabling historically informed musical reuse. String length: 63 cm. Tuning: e′ at A = 430 Hz. Gut strings.
An ongoing practice.
Restoration does not end when the intervention is completed. Part of the responsibility lies in sharing what has been observed, understood and decided during the work with those who will continue to care for the instrument. The museum, institution, musician or owner thus becomes part of the conservation process. Understanding the object also means understanding the conditions necessary to preserve it over time, particularly when it is returned to use. My hope is that, at the end of this process, those receiving the instrument will first and foremost be able to understand and appreciate it for what it is: a material, historical and documentary object, with its own history and identity. From this awareness can come respect, care and a sense of responsibility towards what has been entrusted to them. For this reason, I consider preventive care and the sharing of knowledge to be integral parts of restoration. An intervention should not merely leave an instrument in a particular condition, but should help establish the circumstances in which that condition can be understood, maintained and, where possible, monitored over time. In this sense, restoration is not an endpoint. It is a stage in the history of the object.
Five-course galichon by Gregor Ferdinand Wenger, Augsburg, 1714.
During the 19th century, the instrument was converted into a guitar through the replacement of its original bridge, without substantial alterations to its original construction. The instrument had undergone several historical repairs, affecting both the ribbed body and, more significantly, the soundboard, which had also been reduced in thickness. The restoration required the separation of the principal components, allowing the necessary conservation and structural interventions to be carried out individually before reassembly. The decision was made not to reinforce the original soundboard by doubling its reduced thickness. Although such an intervention would have preserved its historical appearance, it would also have introduced new mechanical and acoustic properties, making the resulting sound largely dependent on the modern restoration rather than on the surviving historical construction. Instead, it was agreed with the owner to construct a new, historically informed soundboard, based on the surviving original and comparative information obtained from other historical instruments. This approach allowed the original soundboard to be preserved separately, without further structural modification, while enabling the instrument to be used musically. The replacement soundboard was conceived as a removable component, allowing the original to be reinstated in the future. The final photograph in the gallery shows Dr Pietro Prosser performing on the restored galichon with Ensemble Affinità (Vienna) at the Volkskundemuseum. The instrument was also used by Prosser in a recording of bass cantatas by Georg Philipp Telemann. The examination and restoration of this instrument also contributed to the research presented in my study Defining an 18th Century Lute: The Mandora & Calichon, an Organological Study on the Instruments of Gregor Ferdinand Wenger, published through the University of Pavia.
String length: 85 cm. Tuning: a at A = 415 Hz. Gut strings.
Selective removal of a previously applied textile reinforcement from historical paper.
The intervention was carried out on the original paper lining inside the ribbed body of a theorbo by Giovanni Tesler, Ancona, 1622. A piece of textile had previously been attached directly to the historical paper using a polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) adhesive. The objective was to remove this later addition selectively, without affecting the underlying historical materials, including the paper, printed ink and original adhesive. Following an assessment of the materials involved and preliminary tests to evaluate their response to the proposed treatment, a 1:1 acetone–ethanol solvent mixture, thickened with Klucel G (hydroxypropyl cellulose, HPC), was applied locally to the textile reinforcement. The treated area was then covered with aluminium foil for a controlled period to limit solvent evaporation and maintain the action of the solvent mixture. The treatment was designed to act selectively on the PVAc adhesive while preserving the historical materials beneath it. The controlled application of the thickened solvent system enabled the removal of the textile reinforcement and associated adhesive without visible damage to the original paper. The photographic sequence documents the condition before treatment, the localised application of the thickened solvent mixture, the temporary covering of the treated area, the removal process and the final condition of the exposed historical paper. The intervention illustrates the importance of understanding the chemical and physical properties of the materials involved, evaluating their potential interactions and conducting preliminary tests to verify the selectivity of a proposed treatment. The final examination revealed no visible residues of the applied materials or alterations to the original printed surface.
Extraordinary maintenance of a contemporary theorbo: a minimally invasive approach to structural repair.
The instrument, made by another contemporary maker, presented a crack in the central rib of its soundbox, requiring structural consolidation from the inside. In instruments of the lute family, interventions involving the internal structure of the soundbox often require the partial or complete removal of the soundboard to provide adequate access. In this case, however, an alternative approach was developed to avoid such extensive disassembly. A small section of the geometric pattern of the carved wooden rose was carefully removed, creating a limited opening through which the interior of the soundbox could be accessed Using a system of magnets, the edges of the crack were brought together and stabilised. Internal textile reinforcements were subsequently applied through the same opening to consolidate the repaired area. Once the intervention was completed, the removed section of the rose was carefully repositioned, restoring the continuity of its original geometric pattern. This approach made it possible to address the structural problem without separating the soundboard from the body, considerably reducing the extent of intervention required. The repaired crack and the temporary access through the rose were left visually unobtrusive. The photographic sequence illustrates how a detailed assessment of the problem, combined with the technical possibilities offered by the instrument's construction, can lead to an alternative intervention specifically adapted to the situation. Extraordinary maintenance and repair services are also occasionally undertaken for contemporary historical plucked instruments made by other makers, subject to workshop availability.