Sergio Peresson

Date Added: May 22, 2008 09:21:29 AM

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Category: USA

Jacqeline du Pré holding her 1970 Peresson cello, and speaking to Sergio Peresson

1981 Sergio Peresson Violin

Sergio Peresson (1913-1991) was an Italian-born violin maker who is considered one of the most phenomenal makers of the 20th century.

Born in 1913 in Udine, Italy, Sergio made his first violin in 1943 before moving to Caracas, Venezuela, in 1947. There he primarily did repair work for the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra and had a modest production of new instruments. He moved to Philadelphia in 1963 and was employed by William Moennig and Son. It was under the aegis of the Moennig shop that Peresson was finally able to see and copy world class instruments. He fashioned many splendid copies of old masters (among them the 'Spalding' del Ges owned by concertmaster Norman Carol) and gained great notoriety among players. He left Moennig in 1971 and established himself in Haddonfield, New Jersey, until his death in 1992. It is generally acknowledged that Peresson's finest instruments were crafted from about the mid 1970's to the early 1980's.

World class soloists who have owned and performed on Peresson instruments include: Isaac Stern, Yehudi Menuhin, Ivan Galamian,Pinchas Zukerman, Norman Carol, Jaime Laredo, Eugene Fodor, Maria Bachmann, Lenuta Ciulei, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Jacqueline du Pré.

Peresson mostly made violins and violas, but his cellos which are tantalizingly rare, are truly exceptional.

Norman Carol, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra and owner of two Peresson violins, called him "the most outstanding maker" in the world.

From 1970, du Pré's primary performance instrument was a Peresson cello. Commissioned by her husband Daniel Barenboim in 1970, it was used in the live 1970 recording of the Elgar Cello Concerto, with Barenboim conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. After du Pré's death in 1987 the instrument passed to Alison Eldridge for a time, and is presently on loan from Barenboim to Kyril Zlotnikov of the Jerusalem String Quartet.

In 1982, Mr. Peresson stopped taking new orders for his instruments because he couldn't meet the demand. There was a waiting list of 180 musicians who had placed orders, said his wife, Margit.

Although his instruments sound like those of the Stradivarius or Guarnerius instruments, Peresson likes to think there is also a distinct Peresson sound. He firmly believes that important elements in any musical instrument are a beautiful and rich tone, carring or projecting power, and being responsive to the fingers of the player. He likens violin making to violin playing, in that with both, the genuinely great can be distinguished easily from the good. Mrs. Peresson sends a message on her late husband's behalf: My instruments are my own model, and in my opinion the principal qualities of an ideal violin, viola or violincello are beauty, quality, eveness and clarity of tone, rich sonority, powerful projection, and quick and easy response.

Quotations

“	When I told people who I was making it for, they stared at me in amazement. They constantly reminded me that Jackie had the Davydov Strad and a Gofriller. What on earth did she want with a Peresson?	”
	— Sergio Peresson

— referencing Jacqueline du Pré.

“

Rostropovich also recognised the need for instruments by modern master craftsmen; he owned a cello made by Sergio Peresson which he used whenever he needed a more powerful carrying tone.

”

— referencing Margaret Campbell

ARTICLES

Strings, standing waves and harmonics
How do we make musical sounds? To make a sound , we need something that vibrates. If we want to make musical notes you usually need the vibration to have an almost constant frequency: that means stable pitch. We also want a frequency that can be easily controlled by the player. In electronic instruments this is done with electric circuits or with clocks and memories. In non-electronic instruments, the stable, controlled vibration is produced by a standing wave.

Articulation and vibrato on the violin
Different bowing gestures or articulations give the violin a range of different sounds. The differences are chiefly in the transient sounds at the beginning and end of the notes, and in the envelope: the way the sound varies over time. These are illustrated with sound files and oscillograms.

ASA Summer School 2009
The Australian String Academy - Our upcoming Summer School will be held at the Sydney Conservatorium in January 2009, in the heart of the Sydney Harbour. ASA has invited four stellar international string personalties - Zakhar Bron (Russia) for violin, Nobuko Imai (Switzerland) for viola, Hans Jensen (USA) for cello, and Joel Quarrington (Canada) for bass.

Sergio Peresson

Sergio Peresson
Sergio Peresson (1913-1991) was an Italian-born violin maker who is considered one of the most phenomenal makers of the 20th century. Born in 1913 in Udine, Italy, Sergio made his first violin in 1943 before moving to Caracas, Venezuela, in 1947. There he primarily did repair work for the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra and had a modest production of new instruments. He moved to Philadelphia in 1963 and was employed by William Moennig and Son.