The Collection of String Instruments of high violin-making and historical value constitutes approximately one sixth of the entire collection of historical instruments of the Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano.
Currently located in the Foyer of Sala Verdi, the Milan Conservatory's Collection of Instruments was created in 1881 thanks to the will of a committee of enthusiasts and experts, some of whom took part in the Universal Music Exhibition, held that same year on the Conservatory's premises. Chaired by Count Carlo Borromeo, the association was composed of Cavalier Aldo Noseda and Professors Colombo, Corio and Orsi. The patronage and contribution of the Reigning House, in the person of Queen Margherita, the Ministry of Public Education, and the then Director of the Conservatory, Maestro Gallignani, made the collection's preparation possible. But the authentic soul, the creator and tenacious supporter of the initiative was Professor Eugenio De Guarinoni, the Conservatory Librarian and eminent scholar of organography and instrument history. To him we owe the Catalogue (Hoepli, 1908), a fundamental testimony to the value of the original heritage, and the development, as long as it was possible, of the collection.
The birth, in 1916, of the Museo Teatrale alla Scala (with the transfer of some important pieces of the collection to the new location), the devastating bombing of the Conservatorio in August 1943, and the inauguration in 1960 of the Civica Raccolta degli Strumenti Musicali at Castello Sforzesco were all concomitant causes of the partial decline of this magnificent institution, the first public collection of musical instruments in the city of Milan.
Despite repeated removal and destruction due to questionable legislative choices and the aforementioned tragic war events, the Collection's holdings are still considerable. Slightly less than half of the original 278 items in the De Guarinoni Catalogue (to which must be added the many instruments resulting from donations over the 135 years of the Collection's life) are still preserved. Many of the stringed instruments are still present; on the other hand, the wind instruments (with the almost total absence of brass instruments), plucked instruments and percussion instruments are severely lacking. The exotic instruments, massively present in the original catalogue due to the precise didactic intention of the first curator, were greatly damaged (when not totally destroyed) by the war.
Work is currently underway to recover and place the instruments in special display cases. This is an articulated and complex operation, which will take a long time due to both the particular nature of the finds and the difficulties involved in restoration. In recent years, work has been carried out on the restoration of stringed instruments (and some historical bows of great value): approximately forty interventions have been aimed at their functional recovery. At times, functional and operational recovery was impossible: this is the case of the cello made by Thomas Balestrieri from Mantua, dating back to the early 18th century, which was in a state of total deterioration and was recovered for museum purposes only. The same was done for some other artefacts, in order to preserve magnificent instruments of classical violin making, otherwise destined to an early and unacceptable disappearance.
The recovery of the assets in question cannot, however, disregard the search for documentary sources that have been lost over time. Work is therefore underway on the creation of a new, functional catalogue and the restoration of the paper inventory records, direct evidence of the life of these instruments over time.