Enrico Orselli
(Ferrara 11/03/1881 - Pesaro 13/01/1955)
BIOGRAPHY
He approached lutherie because he was hired by chance as a shop boy in Ettore Soffritti's workshop. He turned out to be invaluable for repairs, especially on double basses, which the maestro did not like to make, and, later, on cellos. He went so far as to build his first instruments, which were not as the hard to please master asked. It seems he was in constant conflict with Soffritti, who always demanded the best, being a great perfectionist.
In the workshop arrived Anselmo Gotti, already well trained by his father Orsolo and predestined to lutherie: relations became increasingly tense between them, so much so that in 1924 he decided to settle in Pesaro. The responsibility of his workshop, the experience gained with Soffritti, the use of models and shapes copied by the master allowed him to perfect his work: in a few years, he built many beautifully made instruments, in the style of Ferrara.
Besides the label, he also loved to write some notes on repairs inside the instruments (see photo below).
