This cello is a fine example of Gaetano Pareschi best work. Fully stamped and labelled, it’s a good chance at getting an excellect sound and quality Italian cello at a reasonable price.

Gaetano Pareschi

BIOGRAPHY

At the age of 14, he built a guitar and a mandolin. After a period spent in multiple activities, including that of violinist, he decided to commit totally to lutherie. He frequented the workshop of Ettore Soffritti, who was always willing to give him the best advice. In 1923 he built violins after the great masters of Cremona and became well known even outside Ferrara. He continued to research and experiment, the varnish went from golden yellow to red-brown, until in 1929 (Soffritti had been dead for a year and musicians were turning to him), he began to build instruments of the highest level. He preferred the Stradivari model, but he also made some very successful copies of Ettore Soffritti. In these years he made his best instruments. He was a friend of Ernesto Pevere and Anselmo Gotti.

In 1940 he began to take part in some exhibitions and, from this very year, he received his first official awards, culminating in the Honorable mention at the Cremona International violin making Competition in 1950. He also became famous abroad and was commissioned instruments from England. from the Scandinavian countries and, later, even from Brazil, where his son Giancarlo (photo below) had the role of principal violin in the Rio de Janeiro Orchestra, now held by his granddaughter Antonella.

In a letter of his dated 30 April 1967, he declared that, up to that moment, he had built 230 violins, 60 violas, 25 cellos, four double basses and three viola da gamba. He used different kinds of local wood such as opium maple, poplar, and Balkan maple, which came to him from Germany.

In 1974 he moved, together with his son Gabriele, to Cavacurta (Milan) and stopped working.

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