Nova Bréscia: Brescians in Brazil

NOVA BRÉSCIA VISTA DE CIMA

IMAGEMAEREARS


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Nova Bréscia - "New Brescia" in Latin, founded 1964

Not surprisingly, wherever they go, everything rises up around them. The hard work, the intelligence, the creativity; a culture-bearing people. This is a rural area, the kind of place where there always is talk of the lack of opportunities, but they're the kind of people who just make things happen. The first settlers arrived in 1902, but it became official in 1964.


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Rio Grande do Sul - "Great Southern River"

Nova Bréscia is located in the Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil, which is the southernmost state. Often people from Brescia, and other people from the Padan plane, immigrated in order to find affordable farm land. I once read that some Brescians in the early twentieth century had migrated to a then sparsely populated Turkey, probably for the same region. There are approximately 10,000 Brescians in Brazil.


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Festival Do Chrrasqueiro

Is the actual origin of the churrasquiero from the traditional Brescian spit? That's what this piece seems to suggest, although I don't know. A lot of people arrive for the festival; not every person in these videos is Bresican. The whole general region there is mainly Portuguese, Italian, German, and African. Most of the faces seem to clearly be Brescian. Outside of the semi-tropical vegetation, the town looks much like a town in rural Brescia. Such a different landscape from the Northwoods environment where my family settled, although it's similarly rural.

FestivalDoChurrasqueiro.com.br

'Lo Spiedo Bresciano: The Brescian Spit'

Os Churrasqueiros de Nova Bréscia

Encontro dos Churrasqueiros de Nova Bréscia


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Nova Bréscia

[Translated by Bing Microsoft Translator. It's not an exact match, with Portuguese, Italian, and English translating back and forth a little too much in a few places.]

Nova Brescia is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul,colonized by Italian immigrants. It is located at a latitude of 29º12'52" south and at a longitude of 52º01'39" west, being at an altitude of 313 meters. Its population was 3,184 according to the 2010 IBGE census.

It has an area of 102.183 km².

New Brescia is known as the capital of lies, holding every two years the Festival da Mentira ("Festival of Lies"),where the person who tells the biggest lie wins, but who manages to leave viewers in doubt about its veracity. It is also known for being the capital of the churrasqueiros.


History

Municipality created on December 28, 1964, according to State Law Number 4,903. On April 11, 1965, the first mayor, João Arlindo Deves, was graduated, having as deputy Alfredo Silvestre Macagnan. The first chamber of aldermen was composed of João Sbardelotto, Benjamin Giongo, Guido Dalpian, Alcides Armando Laste, Isidoro Berti, Alcides Zambiasi, Maximiliano Salami and Arlindo Simonetti.

"Noi italiani lavoratori,/ Allegri andiamo in Brasile./ E voialtri d'Italia signori,/ Lavoratelo il vostro badile./ Se volete mangiare." We Italian workers/ Let's go happy for Brazil./ And you nobles from Italy,/ Get your shovel/ If you want to eat.

This was the spirit, this was the chant of the Italian immigrants on their ships. They were fleeing Italy like a prison. There was so much abundance of manpower in Europe that more than 10 million Italians immigrated to the New World between the 1810s and 1930s. In Brazil, from 1875 to 1935, 1.5 million entered, of which 100,000 came to Rio Grande do Sul, with the most diverse qualifications.

The immigration of the Italians is linked to the process of unification of Italy and the victory of capitalism over the "small kingdoms and their agrarian structure", deeply affecting the families who lived on the land. From Brescia, located in the Region of Lombardy, many Italians arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, giving birth to the city of New Brescia.

Exactly in 1895, the Italian families of De Maman, Mezacasa, Casaril and Daroit, coming from the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves, Antonio Prado and Veranópolis, climbed steep paths and settled in the locality of Arroio das Pedras, where today is the town of Linha Tigrinho Alto, an initial landmark of the colonization of the municipality of New Brescia, with its current 33 communities.

The city of New Brescia began around 1902, when the first settlers, the Italians born Santo Titton and João Dalnora, plus the Brazilians Felisberto de Freitas and João Machado, arrived there.

In these places there were only woods and pickets. It wasn't easy for the young community of settlers to settle down. These pioneers came bringing their families and their changes upon horses. They suffered a lot to build their wooden houses, for the planks were sawn by hand. There were no bricks or building materials. To buy groceries not produced on site, it was necessary to go on horseback, along a road full of curves and steep slopes, to Arroio Grande, now Enchanted.

In 1906, more settlers arrived, among them Antonio Dall'Oglio, Batista Recco, João Magagnin and others who added to those who were already on site, in order to explore the land through agriculture. The main crops were wheat, corn and beans. The commercialization of the products was carried out in the neighboring cities, transported on mules that formed long fias on the paths through which only one animal passed at a time. Later, when the roads were widened and flattened, carts pulled by oxen or horses began to be used. Only in 1914 was opened the current road that connects New Brescia to Encantado; before, the route was made by the Tigrinho Line.

The first church in New Brescia was built of basalt stone, but had to be demolished a few years after its construction in the early 1930s. The current mother church, also built of stone, had its foundation stone laid in 1936 and was inaugurated in 1952.

In 1924 came the first doctor, Dr. José Lorenzin; in the same year the first pharmacy appeared. Until then, when necessary, patients who could not keep on top of a horse were loaded on padiolas until Encantado or Arroio do Meio. In 1938 the São João Batista Charity Hospital was founded, which operates to this day.

The years passed and the city grew. In 1964 came emancipation: New Bréscia ceased to be a district of the municipality of Arroio do Meio and gained its autonomy.

Shortly before a new story had begun: the saga of the churrasqueiros.

New Brescia is now nationally known as the land of the best churrasqueiros in Brazil. Countless are the houses specialized in barbecue scattered throughout Brazil; and there are countless in other countries, especially in the United States.

In the 1960s, the municipality had around 11,000 inhabitants. Today there are just over 3,000, due to the exodus of many residents, but mainly due to the emancipation of several districts, which constituted autonomous municipalities.

Currently it is estimated that more than 10,000 Brescians spread throughout Brazil and the world in various activities. They stand out mainly in the branch of steakhouses and restaurants, which followed the example of Albino Ongaratto, from Linha Alegre, who decided to drop the hoe, the fight against mountainous terrain, unpredictable bites in the winter months and the indomable force of prodigious nature, thus initiating a massive rural exodus, which we can call as the saga of churrasqueiros.

Currently the municipality of New Brescia stands out for its quality of life. According to recent data, the HDI (UN Human Development Index) the municipality of New Brescia is in 1st place in the Taquari Valley and among the first in the state.


Monument to the churrasqueiro

New Brescia is also known for offering the world the best churrasqueiros in Brazil. The fame of Brescians is very great, even paying homage to the churrasqueiro in the city center.

On the monument there is a sign, which reads:

To you churrasqueiro who represent so well the Brescians community in every corner of the country, our gratitude and gratitude.


Economy

The service sector is the main economic activity of the municipality, corresponding to 52.4% of GDP. In second place, there is the agricultural sector, with 37.4% of GDP, with special emphasis on poultry farming, with New Brescia being the municipality with the highest production of birds in the state, with about 40 million birds per year. In recent years, the industrial sector has also developed, representing about 1% of GDP, with companies in the textile, furniture, timber, metal-mechanical and food sectors.


Culture

Sovereigns

The new court of sovereigns of the municipality was elected on April 29, 2017, in a ball held at the Municipal Sports Gymnasium, as a program of the festivities in commemoration of the 52nd anniversary of the city. Nine beautiful girls took the catwalk, but only three were crowned. The queen elected is Camila Laste and princesses Dainar Amaral and Jaine de Oliveira Simonetti.





Nova Brescia, Terra dos Churrasqueiros

Jatir Delazeri

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"Winged Victory" of Ancient Brixia

"Brescia the heavy,
"Brescia the strong,
"Brescia Lion of Italy"

-- Poet Giosuè Carducci,

Alcaic ode to Brescia’s

Winged Victory

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Found in 1826 near the Capitoline Temple of Roman Brixia, the bronze statue originally portrayed Venus looking at her reflection on Ares’s shield
'The Winged Victory in Brescia: from Venus to Nike'
 

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da Vinci's 'La belle ferronnière' - Mystery subject possibly the Duchess of Milan

 

La belle ferronnière is a portrait of a lady, usually attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, in the Louvre. It is also known as 'Portrait of an Unknown Woman'. The portrait was painted in between 1490-96 by either Leonardo da Vince or one of this Milanese circle of students.

Although the model of the painting "La Belle Ferronniere" is still shrouded in mystery, the landmark exhibition "Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" (National Gallery, London, 9 Nov. 2011 – 5 Feb. 2012) listed the portrait as possibly depicting Beatrice d'Este, wife of Ludovico Sforza. This challenges the portrait's earlier attribution to Lucrezia Crivelli, a mistress of Ludovico.

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Claudio Monteverdi - Lombard pioneer of the Baroque period

Claudio Monteverdi "Missa in illo tempore : Crucifixus à 4"

Musikkhistoria

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (15 May 1567 (baptized) -- 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.

Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition: the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Enjoying fame in his lifetime, he wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, which is still regularly performed.

"Missa in illo tempore : Crucifixus à 4"
Performed : Bach Collegium Japan
Dir : Masaaki Suzuki

Image : stained glass window - detail of head of Christ, Scopwick Church, Lincolnshire, England

Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (Italian; 15 May 1567 (baptized) – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, singer and Roman Catholic priest.

Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the change from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period period. He developed two styles of composition – the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Monteverdi wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, a novel work that is the earliest surviving opera still regularly performed. He is widely recognized as an inventive composer who enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime.

Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, Lombardy. His father was Baldassare Monteverdi, a doctor, apothecary and amateur surgeon. He was the oldest of five children. During his childhood, he was taught by Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Cremona. The Maestro’s job was to conduct important worship services in accordance with the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Monteverdi learned about music as a member of the cathedral choir. He also studied at the University of Cremona. 

His first music was written for publication, including some motets and sacred madrigals, in 1582 and 1583. His first five publications were: Sacrae cantiunculae, 1582 (a collection of miniature motets); Madrigali Spirituali, 1583 (a volume of which only the bass partbook is extant); Canzonette a tre voci, 1584 (a collection of three-voice canzonettes); and the five-part madrigals Book I, 1587, and Book II, 1590. He worked at the court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua as a vocalist and viol player, then as music director. In 1602, he was working as the court conductor and Vincenzo appointed him master of music on the death of Benedetto Pallavicino.

In 1599 Monteverdi married the court singer Claudia Cattaneo, who died in September 1607. They had two sons (Francesco and Massimilino) and a daughter (Leonora). Another daughter died shortly after birth. In 1610 he moved to Rome, arriving in secret, hoping to present his music to Pope Paul V. His Vespers were printed the same year, but his planned meeting with the Pope never took place.

In 1612 Vincenzo died and was succeeded by his eldest son Francesco. Heavily in debt, due to the profligacy of his father, Francesco sacked Monteverdi and he spent a year in Mantua without any paid employment. His 1607 opera L'Orfeo was dedicated to Francesco. The title page of the opera bears the dedication "Al serenissimo signor D. Francesco Gonzaga, Prencipe di Mantoua, & di Monferato, &c."

By 1613, he had moved to San Marco in Venice where, as conductor, he quickly restored the musical standard of both the choir and the instrumentalists. The musical standard had declined due to the financial mismanagement of his predecessor, Giulio Cesare Martinengo. The managers of the basilica were relieved to have such a distinguished musician in charge, as the music had been declining since the death of Giovanni Croce in 1609.

In 1632, he became a priest. During the last years of his life, when he was often ill, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1641), and the historic opera L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on the life of the Roman emperor Nero. L'incoronazione especially is considered a culminating point of Monteverdi's work. It contains tragic, romantic, and comic scenes (a new development in opera), a more realistic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melodies than previously heard. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir. For a long period of time, Monteverdi's operas were merely regarded as a historical or musical interest. Since the 1960s, The Coronation of Poppea has re-entered the repertoire of major opera companies worldwide.

Monteverdi died, aged 76, in Venice on 29 November 1643 and was buried at the church of the Frari.

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The violin in Lombardy: Part 4 - Antonio Stradivari: Section B

Stradivarius

A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari (Stradivarius), particularly Antonio Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed. The name "Stradivarius" has become a superlative often associated with excellence; to be called "the Stradivari" of any field is to be deemed the finest there is. The fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.


Hellier Stradivarius

The Hellier Stradivarius of circa 1679 is a violin made by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy. It derives its name from the Hellier family, who might well have bought it directly from the luthier himself.

The Hellier Stradivarius has had a convoluted ownership history. It seems to have been in the possession of the Hellier family from the beginning of the 18th century. Sir Samuel Hellier, High Sheriff of Staffordshire 1745–49, brought the violin to England, and through various wills it was kept in the family until 1880.

Messiah Stradivarius

The Messiah-Salabue Stradivarius of 1716 is a violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. It is considered to be the only Stradivarius in existence in as new state. It is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.

The Messiah, sobriquet Le Messie, remained in the Stradivarius workshop until his death in 1737. It was then sold by his son Paolo to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and for a time, the violin bore the name Salabue. The instrument was then purchased by Luigi Tarisio in 1827. Upon Tarisio’s death, in 1854, French luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of Paris purchased The Messiah along with Tarisio's entire collection. "One day Tarisio was discoursing to Vuillaume on the merits of this unknown and marvelous instrument, when the violinist Jean-Delphin Alard (Vuillaume's son-in-law), exclaimed: 'Then your violin is like the Messiah: one always expects him but he never appears' ('Vraiment, Monsieur Tarisio, votre violon est comme le Messie des Juifs: on l'attend toujours, mais il ne paraît jamais' ). Thus the violin was baptized with the name by which it is still known."

The Messiah was bequeathed by the family of W.E. Hill to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for preservation as "a yardstick for future violin makers to learn from."

The violin is in like-new condition, as it was seldom played. The tonal potential of the instrument has been questioned due to the conditions of the Hill bequest. However it was played by the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who states in a letter of 1891 to the then owner of the Messiah, Robert Crawford, that he was struck by the combined sweetness and grandeur of the sound. Nathan Milstein played it at the Hills' shop before 1940 and described it as an unforgettable experience. It is one of the most valuable of all the Stradivari instruments.

The top of the Messiah is made from the same tree as a P.G. Rogeri violin of 1710. The tuning pegs and the tailpiece (that shows the Nativity of Christ) are not original, but were added by Vuillaume.

Axelrod quartet

The Axelrod quartet is a set of four Stradivarius instruments collected by Herbert R. Axelrod. The collection consists of the Greffuhle violin, Axelrod viola, Ole Bull violin, and Marylebone cello.

In 1997, Axelrod donated them to the Smithsonian Institution. Their value at the time was estimated at $50 million.

The Axelrod quartet is occasionally used in performances. In concert, the Servais Stradivarius, which is also in the Smithsonian's collection, is occasionally added to the Axelrod quartet.


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Stradivari instruments


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Carlo Bergonzi (luthier)

Carlo Bergonzi (21 December 1683 – 9 February 1747) was an Italian luthier who apprenticed with Hieronymus Amati, collaborated with Joseph Guarneri, and is considered the greatest pupil of Antonio Stradivari.

Bergonzi is the first and most noted member of the Bergonzi family, an illustrious group of luthiers from Cremona, Italy, a city with a rich tradition of stringed instrument fabricators.


Kreisler Bergonzi

The Kreisler Bergonzi is an antique violin made by the Italian luthier Carlo Bergonzi (1683–1747) from Cremona in 1740.

Of all of the extant Cremonese instruments, the Kreisler Bergonzi is one of the best preserved with its original neck and most of its original varnish. There has been very little repair work required on it. It is one of the best sounding of all Bergonzi violins.

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The violin in Lombardy: Part 3 - Antonio Stradivari: Section A

Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a crafter of stringed instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant and greatest artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial "Strad" are terms often used to refer to his instruments. The Hills Violin Shop estimate that Antonio produced 1,116 instruments, of which 960 were violins. It is also estimated that around 650 of these instruments survive, including 450 to 512 violins.

Stradivari and the Cremonese violin making school

San Matteo, the Stradivari parish, as well as San Faustino, the Amati parish, made up the center of cremonese violin making.They exerted influence not only on one another, in terms of the shape, varnish and sound of instruments, but also on many of their contemporaries; they defined violin making standards for the next 300 years.

Even at the beginning of the 18th century, Stradivari’s influence could be seen not only in the work of Cremonese makers, but also international ones, such as Barak Norman’s, one of the first important British makers. In the 1720s Daniel Parker, a very important British luthier, produced fine violins after Stradivari’s work selling anywhere from £30,000 - £60,000 in recent auctions. Parker based his best instruments on Stradivari's` `long pattern`, having the opportunity to study one or more of the instruments. Well into the 19th century, Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the leading French luthier of his time, also made many important copies of Strads and Guarneris. 

In the 18th century, Cremonese luthiers were the suppliers and local players on the demand side. After Stradivari’s death, this drastically changed. Although the Cremonese luthiers remained the suppliers, the demand side consisted of collectors, researchers, imitators, profiteers and speculators. Many local players could no longer afford the sought out instruments and most of the purchased instruments would be hidden in private collections, put in museums, or would be simply put back in their cases, hoping that they would gain value over time. It is then that the so-called ‘fever’ for Stradivaris took off.

Cozio, Tarisio and Vuillaume were the fathers of this frenzy that would extend well into the 21st century. Also, soon after Stradivari’s death, most of the other major Cremonese luthiers would die, putting an end to the golden period of Cremona’s violin making, which lasted more than 150 years, starting with the Amatis and ending with the Cerutis.

Stradivarius instruments

Stradivari's instruments are regarded as amongst the finest bowed stringed instruments ever created, are highly prized, and are still played by professionals today. Only one other maker, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, commands a similar respect among violinists. However, neither blind listening tests nor acoustic analysis have ever demonstrated that Stradivarius instruments are better than other high-quality instruments or even reliably distinguishable from them.

Fashions in music, as in other things, have changed over the centuries, and the supremacy of Stradivari's and Guarneri's instruments is accepted only today. In the past, instruments by Nicolò Amati and Jacob Stainer were preferred for their subtle sweetness of tone.
 




The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 1
 
haj metwally


The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 2

The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 3

The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 4

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The violin in Lombardy: Part 2 - "Cremonese school"

Beginning in the 16th century, Cremona became renowned as a centre of musical instrument manufacture, with the violins of the Amati family, and later the products of the Guarneri and Stradivari shops. To the present day, their work is widely considered to be the summit of achievement in string instrument making. Cremona is still renowned for producing high-quality instruments.

[Crermona] 


The most famous violin makers (luthiers) between the 16th century and the 18th century include:

The school of Cremona, beginning in the half of the 16th century with violas and violone and in the field of violin in the second half of the 16th century

The Amati family, active 1550–1740 in Cremona

The Guarneri family, active 1626–1744 in Cremona and Venice

The Stradivari family, active 1644–1737 in Cremona

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The violin immediately became very popular, both among street musicians and the nobility, illustrated by the fact that the French king Charles IX ordered Andrea Amati to construct 24 violins for him in 1560. One of these instruments, now called the Charles IX, is the oldest surviving violin.

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Violin shop in Cremona

To this day, instruments from the so-called Golden Age of violin making, especially those made by Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù and Montagnana are the most sought-after instruments by both collectors and performers. The current record amount paid for a Stradivari violin is £9.8 million (US$15.9 million), when the instrument known as the Lady Blunt was sold by Tarisio Auctions in an online auction on June 20, 2011.

[Violin]


Since their invention, instruments in the violin family have seen a number of changes. The overall pattern for the instrument was set in the 17th century by luthiers like the prolific Amati family, Jakob Stainer of the Tyrol, and Antonio Stradivari, with many makers at the time and since following their templates.

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The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s, though Ferrari's instruments had only three strings. 

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It is not clear exactly who made these first violins, but there is good evidence that they originate from northern Italy, in the vicinity (and at the time the political orbit) of Milan. Not only are Ferrari's paintings in this area, but at the time towns like Brescia and Cremona had a great reputation for the craftsmanship of stringed instruments. The earliest documentary evidence for a violin is in the records of the treasury of Savoy, which paid for "trompettes et vyollons de Verceil", that is to say, "trumpets and violins from Vercelli", the town where Ferrari painted his Madonna of the Orange Tree. The first remaining written use of the Italian term violino occurs in 1538, who brought "violini Milanese" (Milanese violinists) to Nice when negotiating the conclusion of a war.

The oldest confirmed surviving violin, dated inside, is the "Charles IX" by Andrea Amati, made in Cremona in 1564, but the label is very doubtful. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an Amati violin that may be even older, possibly dating to 1558 but just like the Charles IX the date is unconfirmed. One of the most famous and certainly the most pristine is the Messiah Stradivarius (also known as the 'Salabue') made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 and very little played, perhaps almost never and in an as new state. It is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford.
 

Early makers

Instruments of approximately 300 years of age, especially those made by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, are the most sought after instruments (for both collectors and performers). In addition to the skill and reputation of the maker, an instrument's age can also influence both price and quality.

The most famous violin makers, between the early 16th century and the 18th century included:

Amati family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Amati (1500–1577), Antonio Amati (1540–1607), Hieronymous Amati I (1561–1630), Nicolo Amati (1596–1684), Hieronymous Amati II (1649–1740)

Guarneri family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Guarneri (1626–1698), Pietro of Mantua (1655–1720), Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri (Joseph filius Andreae) (1666–1739), Pietro Guarneri (of Venice) (1695–1762), and Giuseppe Guarneri (del Gesu) (1698–1744)

Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) of Cremona

[History of the violin]

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The violin in Lombardy: Part 1 - "Brescian school"

Brescia has had a major role in the history of the violin. Many archive documents very clearly testify that from 1490 to 1640 Brescia was the cradle of a magnificent school of string players and makers, all styled "maestro", of all the different kinds of stringed instruments of the Renaissance: viola da gamba (viols), violone, lyra, lyrone, violetta and viola da brazzo. So you can find from 1495 "maestro delle viole" or "maestro delle lire" and later, at least from 1558, "maestro di far violini" that is master of violin making. From 1530 the word violin appeared in Brescian documents and spread in later decades throughout north of Italy, reaching Venezia and Cremona.

[Brescia]


The most famous violin makers, between the early 16th century and the 18th century included:

Micheli family of Italian violin makers, Zanetto Micheli 1490 - 1560, Pellegrino Micheli 1520 - 1607, Giovanni Micheli 1562 - 1616, Francesco Micheli 1579 - 1615, and the brother in law Battista Doneda 1529 - 1610

Bertolotti da Salò (Gasparo da Salò) family of Italian violin and double bass players and makers: Francesco 1513 - 1563 and Agostino 1510 - 1584 Bertolotti, Gasparo Bertolotti 1540 - 1609 called Gasparo da Salò 

[History of the violin]

Violinists and collectors particularly prize the instruments made by the Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati families from the 16th to the 18th century in Brescia and Cremona and by Jacob Stainer in Austria. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed.

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The finest Renaissance carved and decorated violin in the world is the Gasparo da Salò (1574 c.)...

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The most famous violin makers (luthiers) between the 16th century and the 18th century include:

The school of Brescia, beginning in the late 14th with liras, violettas, violas and active in the field of the violin in the first half of 16th century

The Dalla Corna family, active 1510–1560 in Brescia and Venice

The Micheli family, active 1530–1615 in Brescia

The Inverardi family active 1550–1580 in Brescia

The Gasparo da Salò family, active 1530–1615 in Brescia and Salò

Giovanni Paolo Maggini, student of Gasparo da Salò, active 1600–1630 in Brescia
 
[Violin]

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Lombard bits n' pieces on Frigga's Day

Insübria, Land of Waters

Bogoljubskij

Insubria, Land of Waters

Music: "Insubria" by Ticìnn Canntàl (Google Play • iTunes • eMusic • AmazonMP3)

I thought that I had posted this song once before on this blog. It's a song in tribute to "Insubria," which is Western Lombardy. This is where the west Lombard dialect was spoken (along with Ticino, Switzerland), and still is in some places. The name comes from the Gaulish tribe called the Insubri, which inhabited the region in pre-Roman times.

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The DeConcinis

Dennis Webster DeConcini (born May 8, 1937) is a former Democratic U.S. Senator from Arizona. The son of former Arizona Supreme Court Judge Evo Anton DeConcini, he represented Arizona in the United States Senate from 1977 until 1995.


Background information

DeConcini was born in Tucson, Arizona, the son of Ora (née Webster) and Evo Anton DeConcini. His father was Judge on the Arizona State Superior Court for 10 years, then served as the Arizona Attorney General for one two-year term from 1948 to 1949 before being appointed to the Arizona State Supreme Court where he served as a Judge for four years from 1949–1953. DeConcini received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1959 and his LLD from the University of Arizona in 1963. He then worked as a lawyer for the Arizona Governor's staff from 1965 to 1967. He founded the law firm of DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin & Lacy (where he is still a partner) with offices in Tucson, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Evo Anton DeConcini (March 25, 1901 – 1986) was Attorney General of Arizona, and a Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court from 1949 to 1953.

Born in Iron Mountain, Michigan, DeConcini and his family soon moved to Wisconsin. He began studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1920, but his father's death in an automobile accident in February 1921 forced DeConcini to move to Arizona.

Around 1928, DeConcini developed the Government Heights subdivision just south of the VA Hospital (now known as the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System) in Tucson, Arizona. He named the roads in the subdivision President and Lincoln streets and Washington, District and Columbia streets. In honor of President Lincoln and the U.S. capital Washington D.C. Washington Street was later renamed Palmdale Street.

After running various family businesses for a decade, he received a J.D. from the University of Arizona in 1932 and married Ora Webster, of Thatcher.

He was attorney general of Arizona from 1948 to 1949, and then served on the Arizona Supreme Court until January 13, 1953, when he was succeeded by Dudley W. Windes. Prominent attorney Daniel Cracchiolo served as law clerk to Arizona Supreme Court Justice Evo DeConcini in 1952 [1].

He was the father of longtime Arizona Senator Dennis DeConcini and Dino DeConcini a Federal DEA official.

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"Not Padania, but Lombardy, Venetia, etc... Different Lands"

by David from Bergamo

I wanted to mention briefly a piece written several years ago on one of the PAL forums regarding how the former nation of "Lombardia"--as well as numerous other former nations--should be a nation in of itself, rather than a northern "Padania."

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Independence Front Lombardy

The Independence Front Lombardy (Fronte Indipendentista Lombardia, FIL) was a padanist and separatist political party active in Lombardy.

Founded in 2006 by Max Ferrari and other splinters from Lega Lombarda–Lega Nord, FIL joined Lombardia Autonoma in 2008, but soon regained its autonomy as a markedly-separatist party. Ferrari chose to stay in Lombardia Autonoma, which had its name changed into "Lega Padana Lombardia", and finally returned in the League in 2010.

The party eventually re-emerged under the leadership of Piergiorgio Seveso in 2011, when it ran a candidate in the Varese municipal election, but gained a dismal 0.2% of the vote. Since 2012 the website is no more active.


Leadership

National secretary: Max Ferrari (2006–2008), Piergiorgio Seveso (2009–2011)


References

http://www.laprovinciadivarese.it/stories/Cronaca/206143_il_fronte_spiazza_tutti_e_si_schiera_con_oprandi/

http://comunali.interno.it/comunali/amm110515/C0861160.htm

http://www.frontelombardia.net/

I remember a few years ago they were on many forums, try to push for this. It was brought to my attention that there was a much better chance for an independent Lombardy and other northern states, than there was for a Padanian nation. Of course, the requirement would be that they would be under the umbrella of the EU/Bilderberg "European state." It just never got any traction. They had that great Lombard party symbol of the two-headed white eagle with the red cross on white background. The ancient nation flexing it's muscles once again, if even for only a short time.

Lega Lombarda and Lega Padana Lombardia--both Padanist and "Lombardist"--are now active and independent.

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Palazzo del Te

Palazzo del Te or Palazzo Te is a palace in the suburbs of Mantua, Italy. It is a fine example of the mannerist style of architecture, the acknowledged masterpiece of Giulio Romano. The official name, and by far the most common name in Italian, is Palazzo Te, but this may be a relatively recent usage; Vasari calls it the "Palazzo del T" (pronounced as "Te"), and English-speaking writers, especially art historians, continue to call it the Palazzo del Te. In Italian this now suggests use for tea-drinking, which may account for the divergence in usage.

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Clan Wallace Insubria Festival

madmak007's channel

Clan Wallace Insubria Festival marcallo Italy.

The Matt Maginn set

Ever since the movie 'Braveheart' twenty years ago, there has been that comparison with the British Isles' "northern Gaelic-Celt vs. English military power" dynamic.... with that of the "northern Gaulish-Celt vs. Roman military power" dynamic within the Italian peninsula. In both cases, the empirical establishment eventually won and absorbed the conquered region.

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The arms of the House of Visconti

Wars in Lombardy

The wars in Lombardy were a series of conflicts between the Republic of Venice and the Duchy of Milan and their respective allies, fought in four campaigns in a struggle for hegemony in Northern Italy that ravaged the economy of Lombardy and weakened the power of Venice. They lasted from 1423 until the signing of the Treaty of Lodi in 1454. During their course, the political structure of Italy was transformed: out of a competitive congeries of communes and city-states emerged the five major Italian territorial powers that would make up the map of Italy for the remainder of the 15th century and the beginning of the Italian Wars at the turn of the 16th century, viz. Venice, Milan, Florence, the Papal States and Naples. Important cultural centers of Tuscany and Northern Italy—Siena, Pisa, Urbino, Mantua, Ferrara—became politically marginalized.

The wars, which were both a result and cause of Venetian involvement in the power politics of mainland Italy, found Venetian territory extended to the banks of the Adda and involved the rest of Italy in shifting alliances but only minor skirmishing. The shifting counterweight in the balance was the allegiance of Florence, at first allied with Venice against encroachments by Visconti Milan, then switching to ally with Francesco Sforza against the increasing territorial threat of Venice. The Peace of Lodi, concluded in 1454, brought forty years of comparative peace to Northern Italy, as Venetian conflicts focussed elsewhere.

After the Treaty of Lodi, there was a balance of power resulting in a period of stability lasting for 40 years. During this time, there was a mutual pledge of non-aggression between the five Italian powers, sometimes known as the Italic League. Even there was frequent tension between Milan and Naples, the peace held remarkably well until the outbreak of the Italian Wars in 1494, as Milan called upon the king of France to press his claim on the kingdom of Naples.

The rivalry between the Venetians and the Milanese nations was not always a forgone conclusion as to which side the aristocratic classes of eastern Lombardy would side with. Eventually the Brescians, and later the Bergamasques, would switch loyalty to the Venetian side. Of course these aristocratic milieus, such as the Brescian Council--although powerful in their own right--were still relegated to a lessor position than that of the Venetians, Milanese, Genoese, or Florentines. In the sixteenth century, both Brescia and Bergamo would become part of the Venetian Republic.

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Cisco's Mike Volpi - Born in Milan

Michaelangelo "Mike" Volpi (born 13 December 1966) is best known for his leadership of Cisco Systems business development efforts as Chief Strategy Officer during the company’s prominent growth era, acquiring over 70 companies in less than five years. He then became SVP of the Routing and Service Provider Technology Group, where he managed over 5,000 engineers; in early 2007 this was an $11 billion business for Cisco. He was considered the right-hand man and successor of CEO John Chambers. In 2007 he left Cisco and became EIR at Sequoia Capital. A few months later, he was appointed CEO of Joost. In 2009 he became General Partner at Index Ventures.

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The Lombard origins of "Italian Graubünden"

The Italian Graubünden or Italian Grigioni (Italian: Grigionitaliano or Grigioni italiano; German: Italienischbünden; Romansh: Grischun talian) is the region of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland where Italian and Lombard are spoken.

Located in the southernmost part of the canton, it includes the districts of Moesa (to the west) and Bernina (to the east), and the municipalities of Bivio in the Albula district and Bregaglia in the Maloggia district. It has a population of about 15,000 inhabitants, of which over 85% speak Italian or Lombard.


Geography

The three regions that make up the Italian Graubünden are separated by mountains, isolated from the rest of the canton as well as from each other. Because of their remoteness and the lack of economic possibilities, emigration has traditionally been a serious issue, and even today more than half of the people born in the Italian Graubünden live and work outside of the region in the predominately Italian-speaking region of Ticino.

This region is a remnant of when the Grey Leagues political alliance of the canton still occupied the Valtellina (Sondrio) against it's will. The Valtellinese didn't  have any "league" or any stake in the struggle for Swiss nationalism. Later the Spanish invaded for a time. Only with the help of the Napoleonic French powers did the region gain some autonomy in 1797, within the old Cisalpine Republic, under the French empire. However, the Grey Leagues were able to maintain control over the three little isolated valleys of this "Italian Graubünden." 

To add to the confusion, the native Romansh language is spoken throughout Graubünden, and even in a few parts of the Valtellina as well. To start with, this people/language is not Romanian, although it is a Romance language. It's a leftover of a culture which was more widespread, but has declined from the encroaching German and Italian languages. In a perfect world, the Lombard and Romansh languages are the proper tongues of this canton and the Valtellina. The famous actor Jim Caviezel is partly of Romansh descent; "Caviezel" being a surname of Romansh origin. There could have been some pre-Roman Germans there, who later assumed a Romance (Roman derived) language.

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Alberto Rabagliati

4 famous Milanese born on this day:

Paolo Maldini - Soccer star; born in Milan; played 25 seasons for A.C. Milan club; longtime captain for Italian national team; son of longtime player and manager for A.C. Milan Cesare Maldini

Claudio Abbado - One of the most celebrated and respected conductors of the 20th century; born in Milan

Carlo Facetti - Auto racing driver; European Touring Car Champion in 1979; born in the province of Milan

Alberto Rabagliati - Singer and actor in Italy and the United States; although more known as a singer and stage actor in Italy, he was known to American audiences for his acting roles in 'The Barefoot Contessa' (1954), 'The Christmas That Almost Wasn't' (1966), 'Street Angel' (1928), 'The Montecarlo Story' (1956), 'Il vedovo' (1959), and 'La vita è bella' (1943); the movie had traditional December airings on Home Box Office (HBO) during the 1970s and early 1980s; his name brings up almost 9,000 results on YouTube; born in milan

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Lake Garda biking trails

When observing a satellite image, such as with Google Maps, Lake Garda is the massive lake which most stands out by far as it sits majestically where the Po flat lands meet the pre-Alps between Lombardy and the Veneto. It's the Lake Tahoe of Europe, as they both sit amid beautiful unspoiled mountains. As old as time, it watched the Battle of Lake Benacus on it's banks in 268 AD--between Roman and Germanic armies--as we would watch ants moving upon a yard.

There's the surrounding mountains and it's ancient villages; as well as the coastal towns such as the beautiful Gardone Riviera.

'Scanuppia and other Bike Trails in the Lago di Garda Area' (LonelyCyclist.rtij.nl)

Sirmione, Lake Garda

Sirmione, Lake Garda

Sirmione, Lake Garda

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Friday is "Frigga's Day"

In Langobardic mythology, this goddess was known as "Frea." She is the only goddess who has a day of the week named after her (along with three gods and three planetary bodies).

Frigg

In Germanic mythology, Frigg (Old Norse), Frija (Old High German), Frea (Langobardic), and Frige (Old English) is the Goddess of the Atmosphere,or the clouds. In nearly all sources she is described as the wife of the god Odin. In Old High German and Old Norse sources, she is also connected with the goddess Fulla. The English weekday name Friday (etymologically Old English "Frīge's day") bears her name.
In Norse mythology, the northernmost branch of Germanic mythology and most extensively attested, Frigg is described as a goddess associated with foreknowledge and wisdom. Frigg is the wife of the major god Odin and dwells in the wetland halls of Fensalir, is famous for her foreknowledge, is associated with the goddesses Fulla, Lofn, Hlín, and Gná, and is ambiguously associated with the Earth, otherwise personified as an apparently separate entity, Jörð (Old Norse "Earth"). The children of Frigg and Odin include the gleaming god Baldr. Due to significant thematic overlap, scholars have proposed a particular connection to the goddess Freyja.

After Christianization, mention of Frigg continued to occur in Scandinavian folklore. In modern times, Frigg has appeared in modern popular culture, has been the subject of art, and receives modern veneration in Germanic Neopaganism.

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History of Ticinese in London

Swiss-Italian emigrations to London
 
From swissinfovideos YouTube channel
 
Peter Barber, historian and head of the British Library's maps collection in London, gave me a brief introduction to the history of Swiss-Italian emigrations to Britain. He showed me some places where the most famous immigrants, Carlo Gatti and his nephews Augosto and Stephanie Gatti, made their fortunes.
 
(swissinfo, Michele Andina)


John Maria Gatti (Wikipedia)

Sir John Maria Emilio Gatti (13 August 1872 – 14 September 1929) was an Anglo-Swiss theatre manager, restaurateur and businessman who was also a promininent Conservative politician in London local government.

Born as Joannes Maria Aemilius in Dongio, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, he was the eldest son of the entrepreneur Agostino Gatti. The Gatti family had built up a large family business in Westminster, including the Adelphi and Vaudeville Theatres, a string of cafe-restaurants and the Charing Cross and Strand Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd, which supplied power to most of the West End of London.

Gatti was educated at Stonyhurst College and St John's College, Oxford, before being called to the bar at the Inner Temple. He married Lily Mary Lloyd in 1897 and they had seven children. In the same year his father died, and he took over the family businesses along with his younger brother Rocco Joseph Stefano Gatti.

His business interests, in particular the construction of electricity infrastructure, led him to become interested in the local government of the capital. In 1903 he was elected to Westminster City Council as a representative of the Charing Cross ward. He was a member of the Conservative-backed majority Moderate Party on the council, and was elected Mayor of Westminster for 1911–1912.

In 1908 he was a founding member of the Society of West End Theatre Managers. In 1919–1920 he was chairman of the society, and was involved in negotiating a standard theatrical contract for West End performers.

In 1918 Gatti was co-opted onto the London County Council as a Municipal Reform Party councillor for the Strand division. When elections resumed after World War I, he was elected a councillor for the Westminster Abbey division, holding the seat until his death. Gatti was short-listed to be Official Conservative candidate for the Westminster Abbey by-election in 1924, but lost out to Otho Nicholson who won the poll.

He served as chairman of the county council's finance committee for six years, and was chairman of the county council in 1927–1928. At the end of his term as chairman he received a knighthood.

Sir John Gatti died suddenly at Littleton Golf Club in September 1929 aged 57.

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