Value Creation and Knowledge Loss: The Case of Cremonese Stringed Instruments

To understand how the value of cultural products is determined, one must consider how evaluations evolve over time and have an impact on the conditions supporting knowledge development. If evaluations do not fully recognize the potential value of a cultural product, the associated knowledge—especially tacit knowledge—may be lost rather than passed on, thus jeopardizing subsequent attempts to reproduce the valued product. We examine these dynamics by studying how value was attributed to Cremonese stringed instruments. The value the Cremonese masters created was first recognized in the 16th century, and in the early 18th century, new methods to strengthen instrument sound and sonority were developed. However, the value of these new developments was not widely recognized until the 19th century, when, in evaluating musical performance, performers, critics, and public audiences took over from royal courts, and they selected Cremonese instruments as the best for performing the emerging Romantic music. We consider how the dynamics of value determination over time have implications for knowledge management processes.