Navigating history and destiny through craft
- Alfredo makes and repairs lutes, classical bowed instruments, historical guitars and more
- Lutherie and naval mechanics come together in his journey as an artisan
- He collaborates internationally with other artisans on historical research projects
Alfredo Lerma is a historical lutemaker and musicologist, whose meticulous work bridges architecture, history and sound. He studied naval technical mechanics in 1998 in Buenos Aires, resisting the pressure to inherit his father and grandfather’s profession as tool and dye manufacturers for the automotive industry in Argentina. Years later, a serendipitous encounter at an antique shop with what he thought was a genuine Stradivarius violin, led him to study and apprentice in the atelier of his first master luthier in 2007. Alfredo has pursued an unrelenting path of study since graduating as a luthier from the Tucuman School of Arts. His artisanal mastery reflects the precision inherited from his family’s tradition of fine tooling, his background in naval mechanics and a deep curiosity for musical heritage.
Interview
- How did your career as a luthier evolve towards historical instruments?
- My encounter with historical lutherie in 2012 opened a path towards medieval and Renaissance instruments. I began researching Baroque and Renaissance guitars, including the ribbed, pear-shaped lute, and applying for research grants. In 2023, I received the FEFCA training fellowship in Uruguay to build a four-course Renaissance guitar with a rosette. Fascinated by this element of design, I deepened my knowledge with French master luthier Matéo Crémades.
- What do people commonly seek from you as a luthier?
- Most people come to me for setups, adjustments, repairs and instrument making. I also teach short workshop sessions in which anyone can learn to repair and tune instruments without specialised tools. For more advanced learners, I teach how to prepare traditional varnishes using organic ingredients found in any local market, just as it was done centuries ago.
- What projects lie ahead for you?
- My intention is to continue applying for grants to further my research, eventually reaching the Greco-Roman and Egyptian periods. I am already in contact with colleagues who are finding instruments in their original state – over 5,000 years old – within the pyramids of Egypt.
- As a craftsman, what have you discovered along the years?
- This journey has been a sum of seemingly unrelated experiences to find my calling on my own terms. Today I find myself working with meticulous precision and dedicated care for my tools, as did my father and grandfather. I have also discovered a sensitivity to the beauty in music and art as a prime form of inspiration.
Alfredo Lerma is a master artisan: he began his career in 2006 and he started teaching in 2012
Where
Alfredo Lerma
