Born in Lentigione di Brescello in 1908, Raffaele Vaccari grew up in a musical environment and began playing the violin as a young man. He came into contact with the luthier Amedeo Simonazzi, active near Reggio and, in 1929, he began to attend the violin making school annexed to the Parma Conservatory, which had just been opened under the guidance of Gaetano Sgarabotto and his son Pietro. Vaccari was, together with Sesto Rocchi, one of the two adult students admitted from outside the province of Parma. After completing the course in 1934, Vaccari began working in his hometown, but for a long time he had to switch between lutherie and other jobs, especially the manufacturing of wicker baskets. Only during the 1960s, the extent of the recognition his instruments had gained allowed him to work with greater continuity, though without abandoning his frugal life in Lentigione.
Despite his humble origins, Vaccari was a well-trained, accurate and perfectionist violin maker. His initial instruments are closely inspired by the style of his master, Gaetano Sgarabotto, whose models he continued to follow throughout his life. After the Second World War his work became even more closely inspired by classical lutherie, with well-proportioned and carefully executed models, medium-sized corners and very regular volutes; at the same time some of the more personal elements connected to his training in the Parma School went lost. The luthier, who finally became blind, committed suicide at 86 years old due to the impossibility of devoting himself to his passion.
