Carlo Giuseppe Testore

Carlo Giuseppe Testore (c. 1660/65 — c. 1738) was an Italian luthier who primarily worked in Milan. He was the father of Carlo Antonio Testore and Paolo Antonio Testore, who became luthiers under his tutelage and continued working from their family shop in Milan. Born in Novara, Testore moved to Milan around 1687 and established his workshop on Contrada Larga (now Via Larga). Most researchers agree that Carlo Giuseppe Testore likely was an apprentice of Giovanni Grancino. While Grancino influenced and inspired Carlo Giuseppe's earlier builds, he eventually developed personal touches and unique features, passing the new "Testore canon" to his sons. Notably, his scrolls have a distinctive diagonal "bulge," in stark contrast to perfectly symmetrical Grancino's volutes, while F-holes are less elegant. Some contemporary musicians playing Testore's instruments include National Arts Centre Orchestra's principal cellist Amanda Forsyth (1699 cello), Jacob Shaw (plays cello w/o date on loan from the Royal Danish Academy Of Music), and Swedish violinist Ulf Wallin (c. 1700 violin). Clifford Spohr, principal bass emeritus of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, has the unique 1737 double bass with five strings and a low C extension by Winterhalter to provide an extended range.