The original violin-makers that brought us into the modern age were the Amati family of Cremona, Italy in the 16th century. They are viewed by many musicologists today as the designers and makers of the violin as we know it. The family business was founded by Andrea Amati (c.1520-c.1583) who labeled his violins “Amadus.” Andrea is believed to have built the first true violin in 1546 (although it had 3 strings instead of 4). His sons, Antonio (1540-1607) and Hieronymous (a.k.a. Girolamo or Geronimo, 1561-1630), carried on the tradition started by their father.
Mathematically designed and coated with an amber-colored varnish, the Amati line of violins were known for their beautiful tone and handling. The 5th son of Girolamo, Niccolò Amati (1596-1684), carried the family tradition to new heights starting about 1640. His violins were utterly exquisite in sweetness of tone and their color was a rich golden-reddish hue. The appearance of the instruments was second to none in workmanship. Some of Niccolò’s violins bear the Latinized version of the family name similar to the name his grandfather used—Amatus.
Two highly important violin-making families learned their craft from the Amati family. The first is the Guarneri (or Guarnieri) family of Cremona. The patriarch of the family was Andrea Guarneri (c.1626-1698) who was apprenticed in the Amati workshop under the great master, Niccolò. His sons, Pietro Giovanni (1655-1728) and Giuseppe Giovanni Battista (1666-c.1739) continued their father’s tradition producing the much acclaimed Guarnerius violins—Pietro having his shop in Mantua. Guiseppe had two sons: Pietro (1695-1765) who set up a luthier’s shop in Venice where he added Venetian techniques to the Guarnerius violin line and Giuseppe Antonio (1687-1785) who signed his exquisite violins with “I.H.S.” (Iesus Hominum Salvator) and a cross and was therefore known as Giuseppe del Gesù (Giuseppe of Jesus). About 70 of his 200 or so violins survive and are among the most sought after.
The other important family of violin-makers is the Stradivari family headed by Antonio Stradivari (c.1644-1737), born in Cremona to Alessandro Stradivari and Anna Moroni. Antonio is believed by some to have studied under Niccolò Amati at some point due to a line etched on one of Stradivari’s violins from 1666: “Alumnus Nicolais Amati” or “Student of Niccolò Amati,” but others dispute that Stradivari could have served under Amati but, in all likelihood (according to W. Henry Hill, Arthur Hill and Alfred E. Hill in their definitive work, Antonio Stradivari--His Life & Work (1644-1737)) he did. It's difficult to imagine where else he would have learned his craft.
Stradivari founded his family business in 1680 in Piazza San Domenico. While his violins were fine pieces, they did not reach the level of quality they are now famous for until about 1698 (even so, these early violins still fetch several hundred thousand dollars at auction). Latinizing the family name gave us the famous word “Stradivarius” now associated with excellence and perfection, often shortened to “Strad”. The higher quality Strads from 1698 to about 1725 are unmatched to this day in their artistry and quality (and have netted millions of dollars per instrument at public and private auctions). Exactly how he built his violins to have such amazing sound remains a mystery. Some said it was the varnish he used but this has not been proven. These instruments bear the Latin inscription “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno…” or “Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, made in the year …” with the proper year filled in. The violins made after 1730 are signed “sub disciplina Stradivarii” and are believed to have been made by Antonio’s sons, Omobono and Francesco. About 650 Strads violins are still in existence along with another 500 instruments as guitars, cellos, violas and harps. Your chances of finding a Strad violin hanging on a pawnshop wall undiscovered would be, as they say, astronomical—as in forget it.
The most sought after violins today are those of Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe del Gesù. Last year, a Stradivarius called “The Hammer” sold at public auction for over $3.5 million.
“The Hammer”
The famed “Red Mendelssohn” of 1720 sold for $1.5 million and was bought by the uncle of virtuoso, Elizabeth Pitcairn, and presented to her for her 16th birthday. She performs publicly and records with Stradivari’s Red Mendelssohn, which served as the basis for the fictional Red Violin of Niccolo Bussotti in Francois Girard’s 1998 film, The Red Violin, based on John Hersey’s 1991 (uncredited) novel, Antonietta.
The Red Mendelssohn
