Leandro Bisiach (I)

Born in Casale Monferrato (Italy) in 1864.

He is a highly acclaimed violin maker among modern Italian violin makers.
In 1886, he learned the techniques of a stringed instrument maker from the Antoniazzi brothers (Riccardo Antoniazzi 1853-1912/Romeo Antoniazzi 1862-1925) in Milan, and opened his own workshop in Milan in 1890. *Leandro moved his workshop from place to place around Milan.

In 1916, at the request of Count Ghigi Saraceni, he moved temporarily to Siena to establish a musical instrument museum with a violin-making workshop.

He returned to Milan between 1918 and 1920, after which he settled there permanently.

From about 1931 onwards, he gradually left his Milan business, handing over the business to his sons, Giacomo Bisiach (1900-1995), Leandro Jr. (1904-1982), and Andrea Bisiach (1890-1967), who moved their workshop to a villa in Venegono, where they handled and repaired instruments until his death. His second son, Carlo Bisiach (1892-1968), had established himself in Florence.

As well as his sons, Gaetano Sgarabotto (1878-1959),
Giuseppe Ornati (1887-1963),
Ferdinando Garimberti (1894-1982),
He employed and trained many craftsmen, including Giuseppe Pedrazzini (1879-1957).

His early works were strongly influenced by Antoniazzi, with particularly distinctive scrollwork, but later Leandro developed a strong interest in old Italian instruments, and began to create replicas of old instruments using shaded varnishes (such as Stradivari's original varnish recipe called "1704"), as well as new instruments using a wide variety of old Italian models.
He was a very prolific maker, and there are collections of his quartets in Milan and Siena.
He also won many awards during his career, including London in 1895, Atlanta in 1895/6, Turin in 1898, Paris in 1900, Milan in 1906 and Brussels in 1910.

He died in Venegono in 1946 (age 82).

Citation: ≪The Brompton's Book of Violin and bow Maker≫ / ≪Liuteria Italiana 1860-1960 II≫