Postcard from Oslo: ‘Master to Master’ symposium

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The first four notes of ‘Morning’ from Grieg’s Peer Gynt are based on the tuning of a Hardanger fiddle’s understrings. Andrea Guarneri was so annoyed at his son Pietro leaving Cremona for Mantua that he wrote him out of his will. And Matteo Gofriller tended not to label his instruments, so he could avoid paying the Venice taxes. These were among the myriad factoids to be gleaned from the ‘Master to Master’ symposium, a celebration of historic stringed instruments that took place in Oslo from 11 to 13 February this year. The conference brought musicians, luthiers, bow makers and dealers from across Europe to the Norwegian capital, then covered in a thin blanket of snow – the harbour around the Oslo Opera House was still frozen over, while children could be seen ice-skating on the fountains…