Mittenwald, German Cello– Kenneth Warren & Son 1955 (GE023) - SOLD

Mittenwald, German Cello– Kenneth Warren & Son 1955 (GE023) - SOLD

Mittenwald is a picturesque little Bavarian town in the very south of Germany abutting the foothills of the Alps. It is situated at the northern end of the Brenner Pass, a relatively low transalpine route across Austria to the Lombardy region in Italy.

Mathias Kloz (1653 – 1743) is credited with bringing violin making to the region. Kloz apprenticed as a lute maker in Padua, Italy before returning to Mittenwald and beginning the production of violins & violas. Kloz made his violins in the Cremona style, using an inside mold, clearly influenced by Jacob Stainer who worked in nearby Absam, near Innsbruck. Kloz was joined by his sons and started a violin making tradition that is known today as the Mittenwald School.

Mittenwald flourished in the 19th c. with the growing demand for affordable instruments. The industry collapsed after WW1 but post WW2 saw a renaissance and celebration of Mittenwald’s contribution to violin making with the opening of a fine museum.

This cello was made in Mittenwald for the Kenneth Warren & Sons company of Chicago in 1955. Established in 1926, Kenneth Warren & Sons is one of the oldest and most respected violin dealerships in the US handling many fine instruments. The company only commissioned fine work and this cello is no exception. It is very well made and in very good condition. It possesses a powerful, yet sweet resonating voice and is easy to play.