Makers Biographies

Makers Biographies

Harry Ash

violin dealer, restorer and expert.

Below are a few facts associated with some of the makers whose labels appear on my other page "Beware Labels" which you should read before proceeding to the biographies below, as it will give you a more informed view.

Stradivari, Antonio (1644-1737), born in Cremona.

as-lab.gif (2065 bytes) The Latin form of his name is Stradivarius. He inherited the traditions of the Cremonese violin makers from his teacher, Nicolò Amati, and brought their craft to perfection. During his career Stradivari made certain changes in the proportions of his instruments, particularly the violin. The secret of his unmatched mastery remains elusive. Some believe it to be in the varnish he used; this is a subject of controversy. His finest instruments were made between 1700 and 1725. Several hundred of his violins survive, but violas and cellos are much rarer. His violins are more sought after by players than those of any other instrument maker with the exception of his contemporary, Giuseppe Antonio Guarnerius, known commonly as "Del Gesu".

Stradivari, who was still making instruments when he was more than 90 years of age, had 11 children, of whom two sons, Francesco and Omobono, worked closely with him.

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The Amati Family (There were about 18 members of this family who were makers of the violin. The main and important players are listed below)

Andrea Amati ((c.1525 - c.1611) some respected authorities state that he died in 1583 and others say c.1578). Founder of the Cremona "school" of violin makers, and it has been asserted that he was possibly even the inventor of the instrument. This though is only conjecture, as it is clear that the violin in its final "Amati" form was arrived at gradually. It is though, fairly clear that he finalised the general form of the instrument which is now still recognised in the modern violin of today.

Antonio Amati (c. 1550-c. 1638) and Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati (c. 1556-c. 1630), sons of Andrea Amati. They worked together in their father's workshop and refined his style. Girolamo also developed a larger violin with an altered sound hole.

Amati, Nicolò (Nicolaus) (3). Born 1596. Died 1684. The fifth son of Girolamo (Hieronymus) Amati. He became the most eminent craftsman of the family. His model is extremely elegant, with the back and belly arched and made of finely grained wood. The sound holes are graceful and bold, the scroll is exquisitely cut, and the varnish is transparent and of a deep, rich hue. The tone is sweet and soft. As a rule, Nicolò used a small pattern, although he produced some large violins, which are now called grand Amatis and are highly valued. He also made a number of beautiful violas and violoncellos. The great Italian violin makers Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri were his pupils. He is generally accepted as being a pupil of his father and worked for the whole of his life in the Italian town of Cremona. He is correctly considered to be the greatest artist/maker of the Amati family. The purfling line of his instruments is usually closer to the edge than for most Italian makers and from about 1640 is executed with absolute perfection. A very small number of his instruments have a double line of purfling and fewer still have purfling ornamentation. The varnish on his instruments is golden-yellow, with a mixture of light brown or reddish tinge -- always expertly and plentifully applied.

Girolamo Amati (1649-1740), son of Nicolò Amati, ended the dominance of the Amati name in the craft of violin making.

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The Guarneri family

Guarneri (in Latin, Guarnerius), Italian family of violin makers, one of whom, Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, known as Giuseppe del Gesù, is regarded as second only to the great craftsman Antonio Stradivari. The principal members of the family, all of whom were born in Cremona, are the following.

Andrea Guarneri (1626-1698), who learned violin-making in the Cremona workshop of Niccolò Amati.

Pietro Giovanni Guarneri (1655-1728), Andrea's elder son, who settled in Mantua and is known as Peter of Mantua; his instruments are particularly highly regarded.

Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri (1666-c. 1739), Andrea's younger son. Both sons made a number of technical changes in their father's Amati-influenced designs.

Pietro Guarneri (1695-c. 1765), Giuseppe's son, known as Peter of Venice, utilized some features of the Venetian violin-making school.

Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri (1687-1745), Giuseppe's other son, gained his appellation Giuseppe del Gesù (Giuseppe of Jesus) from the sacred monogram IHS (Jesus Hominum Salvator), which he placed after his name on his labels. His violins are noted for their rich tone and have been prized by such players as the Italian virtuoso Nicolò Paganini. Giuseppe del Gesù appears to have made about 200 instruments, of which some 70 survive.

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Sebastian Klotz (I). Born 1696. Died 1768. The son of Mattias Klotz (1).

He worked in Mittenwald in the Austrian Tyrol. Used mostly red-brown or dark brownish-yellow varnish which being brittle sometimes comes off in little bits. He used hand-written labels up to 30th year, subsequently printed ones. Other labels of his are somewhat long and with slanting lettering, may be distinguished by the fact that the words do not form a straight line and look as though they are "stamped". The last two digits on the printed labels are hand-written.

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