Claudio Girón [Guillón] was a violero active in Zaragoza in the last quarter of the sixteenth century. All available knowledge comes from notarial documents examined by Pedro Calahorra. Both of the documents that mention him are apprenticeship contracts. In 1577 he took on Pedro de Cayrem from the town of Marsiac in Gascony for a period of seven years, and in 1578 he took on Juan de Torres from Úbeda for six years. Calahorra [calahorraZ, vol 1, p. 142] also mentions him as an organ builder [organero] or player [organista] who was contracted in 1581 for six years for his “arte de organista”. He is described in the 1581 document as “natural de León de Francia [Laon], habitante en la ciudad de Zaragoza”. It is thus possible that his surname Girón was adapted from the French surname Guillón. This would account for him taking on a French apprentice. This is the only known example of a French apprentice violero in Spain.
Notes:
calahorraZ, pp. 327-8 • Violero. Guillón, Claudio. [=Girón?] Zaragoza. 1577.02.23 takes on “Pedro de Cayrem natural de la villa de Marsiac del Reino de Gascuña, de grado etc” as an apprentice for a period of seven years. Claudio Girón was known as an organero as well as a violero. In 1578 he entered into contract with an apprentice Juan de Torres “natural de la ciudad de Ubeda del Reino de la Andalucía y estante de presente en la ciudad de Zaragoza… por tiempo de seis años… y primero es condición que vos, dicho Claudio Girón, me habéis de enseñar el oficio de vigolero como vos lo sabéis…”
romanillos2002, p. 149. reiterates Calahorra .