Andrés Segovia and the Lost Mozzani Guitar - by Marco D’Agostino and Mario Grimaldi

“He [Mozzani] was truly great, of a stature that surpasses all imagination. And with these words, I do not intend to glorify the memory of a dead man, but only to bring reality into full light”.

Romolo Ferrari, 1947

This article stems from an event that, to put it mildly, could be described as fortuitous. It is the discovery of a 'Spanish model' guitar made by Luigi Mozzani, one of the most eclectic artists that 20^th-century Italian music has known (fig. 1). The fact in itself would have nothing special about it, were it not for the fact that certain evidence allows it to be attributed to Andrés Segovia. Precisely to avoid concise categorical statements - and given the events surrounding this particular guitar - we deem it necessary to retrace the events that led Mozzani to meet Segovia, collaborate with him, and, finally, construct the instrument that the greatest classical guitarist of the 20^th century probably played in concert during the early part of his North American tour in 1937. 

Luigi Mozzani and the Collaboration with Segovia

The history of the guitar in the 20^th century has been enriched by such extraordinary figures as Luigi Mozzani and Andrés Segovia. Mozzani, an Italian luthier, and Segovia, the greatest classical guitarist of all time, represent two fundamental pillars that have contributed significantly to the evolution of the classical guitar.

Luigi Mozzani was born in Faenza in 1869 and became one of the greatest European guitarists of his time, as well as an internationally renowned luthier. His career began as a concert performer and composer, but his real passion lay in lutherie, where he introduced several technical innovations that revolutionized the construction of stringed instruments. Mozzani was a true Renaissance-type genius, capable of combining art and craftsmanship in unique and original ways.

Mozzani's innovations in guitar construction include the particular 'inverted' dovetail graft of the headstock on the neck, the 'zero fret' near the nut, T-shaped frets, and the splitting of the bridge bone into two sections for better intonation. Mozzani favored the lyra guitar, a type of instrument with an adjustable neck that he invented and which, in his opinion, was superior to the 'Spanish' guitar and capable of playing with maximum expressiveness and sonority.

Despite his talent, Mozzani faced many challenges, including financial difficulties and disappointments related to the pioneering lutherie schools he started several times. However, his dedication and entrepreneurial spirit led him to create high-quality instruments that are still considered among the best of 20^th-century Italian lutherie.

Segovia is known not only for his impeccable technique and virtuosity but also for his commitment to stimulating the best luthiers of the time to produce instruments suitable for playing with quality in great concert halls. His influence extended beyond performance, contributing to the growth and development of the guitar repertoire.

The first meeting between Segovia and Mozzani took place in Milan in 1926, on the occasion of the Spanish concert maestro’s Italian debut (fig. 2). This meeting marked the beginning of a long collaboration and friendship between the two artists. Mozzani, already an affirmed luthier, was eager to collaborate with Segovia and create an instrument that would meet the great guitarist's requirements. This is evidenced by a technical schedule drawn up by the maestro from Faenza during this meeting, which provided for the accurate measurement of Segovia's Manuel Ramirez/Santos Hernandez guitar, with the application of Mozzani's personal conceptions of the soundboard bracing.

The Spanish Civil War had a devastating impact on Segovia, forcing him to flee Spain in 1936. The great concert performer took refuge in Genoa, where he found a safer environment to continue his career while restarting relations with Mozzani. This period marked a turning point in their collaboration, as Segovia had left all his guitars in Barcelona, only managing to take with him the Manuel Ramirez in poor structural condition. Remember that he would only come into possession of his definitive Hauser at the end of 1937. He therefore needed a new instrument to tackle the tours of the following months. This was an excellent opportunity for Luigi Mozzani who asked Segovia for a meeting, which then took place in Genoa on 30 September 1936. At that juncture, the luthier from Faenza brought with him one of his guitars for the Andalusian concert artist to try out (No. 32 of 1935) and, at the same time, made arrangements with him to build what was to be the instrument to replace the battered Manuel Ramirez. To this end, he drew up a new survey/project of this guitar, which was designed by the luthier with all its characteristics, apart from the bracing of the soundboard, which was derived from the Italian luthier's typical technical convictions with seven perfectly vertical struts. Segovia was also enthusiastic about guitar No. 32, which he wanted to take with him as a second instrument on the long tour in the last quarter of 1936.

On his return to Genoa, on the occasion of the New Year festivities, the great concertist was impatient to try out and pick up the instrument Mozzani had prepared for him. This desire, which was also justified by his imminent departure for the USA, is documented in several letters that were written on several occasions during the early days of 1937. But Mozzani had made him not just one instrument but six, which Segovia tried out in Bologna on 10 January 1937 during a long test session in the workshop in Via Barberia.

The great guitarist's choice fell on instrument no. 4 with a 653 mm string length, the only one built with back and sides in 'alberaccio', a variant of poplar typical of the Po Valley. The other five guitars were all made of Indian rosewood. The records compiled by the Italian luthier document that spruce from Val di Fiemme was used for almost all the soundboards of these instruments (fig. 3). Their internal bracing, with some slight variations, fully corresponds to Mozzani's construction criteria. These guitars are inspired not only by Segovia's Manuel Ramirez and his personal instructions but perhaps also by the Hauser 1929 property of the Italian guitarist Benvenuto Terzi, a friend of both Mozzani and Segovia.

On 14 January 1937, the Andalusian guitarist and his wife Paquita Madriguera left Genoa on the transatlantic liner Conte di Savoia for a long tour of North America, taking the Mozzani No. 4 guitar with them. During this tour Segovia played in many major American cities, praising the qualities of the Italian instrument with many of his admirers. In a letter, written before he left, he informed Mozzani of his intention to 'test' the instrument in large concert halls. It is therefore unclear, based on the sibylline French gerund 'en l'essayant', whether Segovia actually played the Mozzani guitar during a concert. Logic would have it that this promise might have been fulfilled at least on the occasion of his first performance of that year on American soil, at New York's Town Hall on 31 January 1937.

Segovia's performances during the American tour were enthusiastically received. However, some structural damage to the Mozzani guitar began to emerge, mainly related to the different hygrometric conditions on the two continents. These problems are mentioned by the great guitarist in a letter written to the luthier from Minneapolis in February 1937. On this occasion, Segovia also points out that the instrument did not possess the necessary 'power' he sought.

After the American tour, the Mozzani guitar was abandoned by Segovia due to the damage it had suffered. The Maestro left the instrument at his brother-in-law's house in New York, but we do not actually know its fate during the almost 90 years it has been missing. The guitar was considered lost, or other identifications were attempted, until it appeared in an auction, confirming its authenticity through the serial number (fig. 4), the technical evidence of the project drawn up by Mozzani (fig. 3), and the travel stickers on the case with the name of Segovia and the liner 'Conte di Savoia' (fig. 5).

M.D.

The Mozzani guitar No. 4 and its restoration

The main measurements of this guitar No. 4 are practically identical to those detailed by Mozzani in his 1937 project (fig. 3):

When the Mozzani guitar No. 4 arrived in my workshop, it had several structural problems. The Indian rosewood back was not original and showed many cracks, while the struts were partially unstuck. The sides, about 2 mm thick, were intact, reinforced on the inside with poplar counterframes and small perpendicular struts. The mahogany neck and ebony fingerboard were in good condition, as was the headstock, despite a split at the junction with the neck. The Indian rosewood bridge was not original, probably replaced in an earlier intervention.

The restoration began with the repair of the headstock, joining the parts with Titebond glue after a thorough cleaning. The bridge was removed using a gouge and planer to avoid further damage to the already compromised soundboard.

Subsequently, the back of the guitar was removed to facilitate the restoration of the soundboard. The inside revealed radical changes to the original bracing: the seven vertical struts had been replaced with a fan bracing and an oblique cross strut at the height of the bridge. This modification, probably carried out by an American luthier, had resulted in further cracks in the area under the bridge. The guitar, although of Spanish model, had been assembled in the traditional Italian technique, using a dovetail joint to join the neck to the body. Inside, Mozzani's firebrand mark and serial number IIII (IV) confirmed the authenticity of the instrument.

After removing the modified struts and some reinforcement, traces of the original bracing emerged (Fig. 6). A mapping of the thickness of the soundboard revealed significant discrepancies from Mozzani's original project, with the lower part of the soundboard extremely thinned.

I therefore decided to apply an internal 'liner' of seasoned spruce to reinforce the soundboard in its lower part. This solution made it possible to restore the original thickness and guarantee the necessary stability. Subsequently, a new bracing was put in place according to Mozzani's original design (Fig. 7).

The non-original rosewood back has been replaced with a new one in compatible flamed poplar, as indicated in Mozzani's project. The shape of the back struts was taken from a Mozzani guitar of the same period, ensuring consistency with the style of the luthier from Faenza.

The new back was varnished with shellac and aniline dye to achieve a color similar to the original tone of the sides (fig. 8). The fingerboard was cleaned and the frets rectified. The original tuning machines, which were partly broken, were replaced with old ones from the same period.

The climax came with the fitting of the strings. The guitar responded well to the tension, displaying surprising stability and a magnificent sound (Fig. 9). The restoration has returned the Mozzani No. 4 guitar to its original integrity and functionality, allowing the instrument to continue to sing with the quality that made it famous.

The history and restoration of this guitar are a tribute to Italian craftsmanship and the passion for music that unites luthiers and musicians through the ages.

M.G.

Read more:

D’Agostino M. 2023, La chitarra Mozzani di Segovia: una vicenda chiarita?, Prima parte, “Il Fronimo” n. 204, pp. 44-55.
D’Agostino M. 2024, La chitarra Mozzani di Segovia: una vicenda chiarita?, Seconda parte, “Il Fronimo” n. 205, pp. 7-25.
Grimaldi M. 2024, Il restauro della chitarra Mozzani n. 4/1937, “Il Fronimo” n. 206, pp. 17-22.