Annibale Fagnola

1865 – 1939

 

Annibale Fagnola was born in 1865 in Montiglio Monferrato. As a young man he worked as a baker but he also had a keen interest in music. He moved to Turin in 1894. Fagnola was a very intuitive maker and he had a great propensity for violin-making with very little training. He may have been advised by Romano Marengo Rinaldi Marengo and Orazio Roggiero, but he was largely self-taught at the start of his career. Still, Fagnola’s skill was so great that his workshop was a success. He took on a few apprentices including Riccardo Genovese. Guerra presented instruments at Genoa and Milan in 1906. He gained positive recognition across Europe from these exhibitions that lifted his reputation further. In the next few decades, Fagnola’s work continued to soar in quality.

In Turin Fagnola met Evasio Emilio Guerra, another maker finding extraordinary success in the city. The two men are often credited with carrying the Turin tradition into the 20th century. Today, Fagnola is regarded as one of the most talented makers of the Piedmont region of Italy. His instruments are powerful in sound and beautiful in appearance.