View source for Luthier

{{Short description|Craftsman of stringed musical instruments}}
{{other uses}}
{{Redirect|Violin maker|the film|The Violin Maker{{!}}''The Violin Maker''}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Lutenist]], a musician who plays the lute}}
{{Infobox occupation
| name               = Luthier
| image              = Workshop luthier.jpg
| caption            = Modern luthier's workshop, [[Cremona]] (2007)
| official_names     = 
| type               = Instrument maker, instrument repairer
| activity_sector    = 
| competencies       = 
| formation          = 
| employment_field   =
| related_occupation = 
}}
[[File:Instrumentmakare_-_Malmö_1988.jpg|thumb|A luthier tunes the bridge of a violin.]]
A '''luthier''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|uː|t|i|ər}} {{respell|LOO|tee|ər}}; {{IPAc-en|USalso|ˈ|l|uː|θ|i|ər}} {{respell|LOO|thee|ər}})<ref>{{cite Lexico|luthier}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/luthier |title=Archived copy |access-date=2010-11-24 |archive-date=2012-09-05 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905164802/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/luthier |url-status=dead }}.</ref><ref>{{Wiktionary-inline |title=luthier |access-date=2022-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Mottola |first1=RM |title=Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms |date=January 2020 |publisher=LiutaioMottola.com |isbn=978-1-7341256-0-3}}</ref> is a [[Artisan|craftsperson]] who builds or repairs [[string instrument]]s.

==Etymology==
The word ''{{Wikt-lang|fr|luthier}}'' is originally [[French language|French]] and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "[[lute]]". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be used in French for makers of most [[bow (music)|bowed]] and [[plucked string instrument|plucked]] stringed instruments such as members of the [[violin family]] (including [[viola]]s, [[cello]]s, and [[double bass]]es) and [[guitar]]s. Luthiers, however, do not make [[harp]]s or pianos; these require different skills and construction methods because their strings are secured to a frame.

==Craft==
The [[craft]] of luthiers, lutherie (rarely called "luthiery", but this often refers to stringed instruments other than those in the violin family), is commonly divided into the two main categories of makers of stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed and [[Violin making and maintenance|makers of stringed instruments that are bowed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Instruments/Stringed/|title=Arts, Music, Instruments, Stringed|publisher=[[DMOZ]]|access-date=2006-11-03}}</ref> Since bowed instruments require a bow, the second category includes a subtype known as a [[bow maker]] or archetier. Luthiers may also teach string-instrument making, either through [[apprenticeship]] or formal classroom instruction.

== Plucked strings ==

=== Lutes ===
[[File:Oud maker at Mohamed Ali Street in Cairo, Egypt.jpg|thumb|upright|An [[Oud]] luthier on Mohamed Ali Street in Cairo, Egypt is making the bowl section of the Oud]]
Early producers of [[lute]]s, [[archlute]]s, [[theorbo]]s and [[vihuela]]s include the [[Tieffenbrucker]] family, [[Martin Hoffmann (luthier)|Martin Hoffmann]] and [[Matteo Sellas]].

=== Guitars ===
{{Further|Classical guitar making|List of guitar manufacturers}}

[[File:Madrid luthier.jpg|thumb|left|A luthier  in Madrid, Spain is making the side section of classical guitar body]]

Two luthiers of the early 19th century connected with the development of the modern classical guitar are [[Louis Panormo]] and [[Georg Staufer]].<ref>The Guitar (From The Renaissance To The Present Day) by Harvey Turnbull (Third Impression 1978) – Publisher: Batsford. p.&nbsp;68 (Ponormo) and p.&nbsp;70 (Georg Staufer) – Chapter 4 (The Development Of The Instrument).</ref> [[Antonio Torres Jurado]] is credited with developing the form of [[classical guitar]] still in use. [[Christian Frederick Martin|C.F. Martin]] of Germany developed a form that evolved into the modern steel-string acoustic guitar.

[[File:Luthier Robert Benedetto in 1976.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|American guitar luthier [[Robert Benedetto]] is levelling a guitar soundboard in his studio ({{circa}} 1976)]]
The American luthier [[Orville Gibson]] specialized in [[Mandolin|mandolins]], and is credited with creating the [[archtop guitar]].<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Gruhn | first1 = George | title = Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars
 | date      = 1991 | publisher = GPI Books | location = San Francisco | isbn = 978-0-87930-195-8  | page  = 73 <!-- pages = 352 -->}}</ref> The 20th-century American luthiers [[John D'Angelico]] and [[Jimmy D'Aquisto]] made archtop guitars.  [[Lloyd Loar]] worked briefly for the [[Gibson Guitar Corporation]] making mandolins and guitars. His designs for a family of arch top instruments (mandolin, [[mandola]], guitar, et cetera) are held in high esteem by today's luthiers, who seek to reproduce their sound.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}} C. F. Martin apprenticed to Johann Georg Stauffer, a guitar maker in Vienna, Austria and [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin & Co.]] was born, with the X bracing being developed in the 1850s. Martin & Co still produce acoustic guitars. [[Paul Bigsby]]'s innovation of the [[tremolo arm]] for archtop and [[electric guitar]]s is still in use and may have influenced [[Clarence Leonidas Fender|Leo Fender]]'s design for the [[Stratocaster]] [[Electric guitar|solid-body electric guitar]], as well as the [[Fender Jaguar|Jaguar]] and [[Jazzmaster]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}  Concurrent with Fender's work, guitarist [[Les Paul]] independently developed a solid-body electric guitar. These were the first fretted, solid-body electric guitars—though they were preceded by the cast [[aluminum]] "[[Frying pan (guitar)|frying pan]]", a solid-body electric [[lap steel guitar]] developed and eventually patented by [[George Beauchamp]], and built by [[Adolph Rickenbacher]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gruhn.com/articles/rickelectro.html |title=Rickenbacker Electro Spanish Guitar |first=George |last=Gruhn |access-date=2006-11-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061030065143/http://www.gruhn.com/articles/rickelectro.html |archive-date=2006-10-30 }}</ref>
A company founded by luthier Friedrich [[Gretsch]] and continued by his son and grandson, Fred and Fred, Jr., originally made banjos, but now mainly produce electric guitars.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

== Bowed strings ==
[[File:Antonio stradivari.jpg|thumb|An engraver's impression of [[Antonio Stradivari]] examining an instrument]]

[[File:Varnishing a violin.jpg|thumb|Contemporary luthier varnishing a violin]]

{{Further|Violin construction and mechanics|Violin making and maintenance}}

Bowed instruments include: [[cello]], [[crwth]], [[double bass]], [[erhu]], [[fiddle]], [[hudok]], [[morin khuur]], [[nyckelharpa]], [[hurdy-gurdy]], [[Rebab|rabab]], [[rebec]], [[sarangi]], [[viol]] ([[viola da gamba]]), [[viola]], [[Viola da braccio (instrument)|viola da braccio]], [[viola d'amore]], and [[violin]].

The purported inventor of the violin is [[Andrea Amati]]. Amati was originally a lute maker, but turned to the new instrument form of violin in the mid-16th century. He was the progenitor of the Amati family of luthiers active in Cremona, Italy until the 18th century. Andrea Amati had two sons. His eldest was [[Antonio Amati]] (''circa'' 1537–1607), and the younger, [[Girolamo Amati]] (''circa'' 1561–1630). Girolamo is better known as Hieronymus, and together with his brother, produced many violins with labels inside the instrument reading "A&H".  Antonio died having no known offspring, but Hieronymus became a father. His son Nicolò (1596–1684) was himself a master luthier who had several apprentices of note, including [[Antonio Stradivari]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hill|first2=W. Henry |last2=Hill |first3=Arthur F. |last3=Hill |first1=Alfred E.|title=Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work, 1664–1737|year=1963|publisher=Dover|location=New York|isbn=0-486-20425-1|edition=New Dover|page=[https://archive.org/details/antoniostradivar00hill/page/27 27]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/antoniostradivar00hill/page/27}}</ref> (probably), Andrea [[Guarneri]], Bartolomeo Pasta, Jacob Railich, Giovanni Battista Rogeri, Matthias [[Klotz (violin makers)|Klotz]], and possibly [[Jacob Stainer]] and [[Francesco Rugeri]]. It is even possible [[Bartolomeo Cristofori]], later inventor of the piano, apprenticed under him (although census data does not support this, which paints this as a possible myth).<ref>Pollens, Stewart (1995) ''The Early Pianoforte''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press</ref>

[[Gasparo Duiffopruggar]] of [[Füssen]], Germany, was once incorrectly credited as the inventor of the violin. He was likely a maker, but no documentation survives, and no instruments survive that experts unequivocally know are his.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

[[Gasparo da Salò]] of [[Brescia]] (Italy) was another early luthier of the violin family. About 80 of his instruments survive, and around 100 documents that relate to his work. He was also a double bass player and son and nephew of two violin players: Francesco and Agosti, respectively.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Da Salò made many instruments and exported to France and Spain, and probably to England. He had at least five apprentices: his son Francesco, a helper named Battista, Alexander of Marsiglia, Giacomo Lafranchini and [[Giovanni Paolo Maggini]]. Maggini inherited da Salò's business in Brescia. [[Valentino Siani]] worked with Maggini. In 1620, Maggini moved to Florence.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

===By century===
====17th====
Luthiers born in the mid-17th century include [[Giovanni Grancino]], [[Vincenzo Rugeri]], [[Carlo Giuseppe Testore]], and his sons [[Carlo Antonio Testore]] and [[Paolo Antonio Testore]], all from [[Milan]]. From [[Venice]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Pio|first=Stefano|title=Violin and Lute Makers of Venice 1640–1760|year=2004|publisher=Venice research|location=venezia, Italy|isbn=978-88-907252-2-7|pages=383|url=http://www.veniceresearch.com|access-date=2020-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313180801/http://veniceresearch.com/|archive-date=2018-03-13|url-status=dead}}</ref> the luthiers [[Matteo Goffriller]], [[Domenico Montagnana]], [[Sanctus Seraphin]], and [[Carlo Annibale Tononi]] were principals in the Venetian school of violin making (although the latter began his career in [[Bologna]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartruff.com/history/|title=The History of the Violin|first=William|last=Bartruff|access-date=2006-11-03|archive-date=2016-04-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402193230/http://www.bartruff.com/history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Carlo Bergonzi (luthier)]] purchased Antonio Stradivari's shop a few years after the master's death. [[David Tecchler]], who was born in Austria, later worked in both Venice and [[Rome]].

====18th====
Luthiers from the early 18th century include [[Nicolò Gagliano]] of [[Naples]], Italy, [[Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi]] of Milan, and [[Giovanni Battista Guadagnini]], who roamed throughout Italy during his lifetime. From Austria originally, [[Leopold Widhalm]] later established himself in [[Nuremberg|Nürnberg]], Germany.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

The Jérôme-Thibouville-Lamy firm started making wind instruments around 1730 at [[La Couture-Boussey]], then moved to Mirecourt around 1760 and started making violins, guitars, mandolins, and musical accessories.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

====19th====
The early 19th-century luthiers of the [[Mirecourt]] school of violin making in France were the [[Vuillaume]] family, [[Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin]], and Collin-Mezin's son, [[Charles Collin-Mezin, Jr.]], Honore Derazey, Nicolas Lupot, Charles Macoutel, [[Charles Mennégand]], and Pierre Silvestre.
Nicola Utili (also known as Nicola da Castel Bolognese) (Ravenna, Italy, 1888–1962), beside traditional lute works, experimented the making of "pear-shaped" violins.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

== See also ==
*[[List of luthiers]]
*[[Tonewood]]
*[[Experimental luthier]]
*[[:Category:Lutherie reference books]]
* [[Paracho de Verduzco]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* ''Historical Lute Construction'' by Robert Lundberg, Guild of American Luthiers (2002) {{ISBN|0-9626447-4-9}}
* ''The Complete Luthier's Library. A Useful International Critical Bibliography for the Maker and the Connoisseur of Stringed and Plucked Instruments''. Bologna, Florenus Edizioni 1990. {{ISBN|88-85250-01-7}}
* ''Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms''. R.M. Mottola 2020. {{ISBN|978-1-7341256-0-3}}
* [http://luth.org Guild of American Luthiers]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190808095956/http://www.granary-guitars.com/ Guitar Museum] Classical Guitar Museum, (UK)
* [http://guitarbench.com/index.php/luthiers/ Luthier Interviews] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208023824/http://guitarbench.com/index.php/luthiers/ |date=2010-02-08 }} Guitarbench.com archive of Luthier Interviews.
* [http://www.cremonaliuteria.it The Consortium of Violinmakers "Antonio Stradivari" CREMONA]
* [http://www.luthiersforum.com Luthiers Forum] A large online lutherie community. Educational. 
* [https://www.corilon.com/us/library/master-portraits/the-best-contemporary-violin-makers-from-china-and-taiwan Contemporary violin makers from China and Taiwan]
* '' Il Liutaio – Origine e costruzione del violino e degli strumenti ad arco moderni'', by Angeloni Domenico, legatura tela edit. fig., pp.&nbsp;XXVI-558 con 176 figure e 33 tavole, Milano, HOEPLI, 1923
* ''The secrets of Stradivari'' by Simone F. Sacconi, Libreria del Convegno in Cremona, Cremona, 1972 [[Simone Fernando Sacconi]]

{{Guitars}}
{{Woodworking}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lutherie]]
[[Category:Woodworking]]
[[Category:Violins]]