Italian violin makers. Violin by andrea amati Lesser known Italian violin makers

These three masters are considered the creators of the first violins. modern type. However, it would be an exaggeration to see in them the first masters who made bowed instruments. High Quality. They inherited the tradition of making viols (and lutes), represented by the few instruments that have survived. There is documentary evidence of the existence of violins that were used 30 years (or maybe even earlier) before the appearance of the first instruments known to us by Andrea Amati, dating back to 1546.

On the other hand, pictorial materials show that during Andrea's lifetime there was a model of the instrument that differed from that approved as the standard by Amati in Cremona and his colleagues in Brescia. This last type of instrument did not change significantly a century later. great Antonio Stradivari. Amati first established the type of violin as an instrument approaching in its expressiveness the timbre of the human voice (soprano).

Andrea Amati made mostly small violins with low sides and rather high soundboards. The head is large, skillfully carved. For the first time, he determined the selection of wood characteristic of the Cremonese school: maple (lower decks, sides, head), spruce or fir (top decks). On cellos and double basses, the lower soundboards are sometimes made of pear and plane tree. Achieved a clear, silvery, gentle (but not strong enough) sound. Andrea Amati raised the importance of the profession of a violin maker. The classical type of violin he created (the outlines of the model, the processing of the vaults of the decks) remained basically unchanged. All subsequent improvements made by other masters mainly concerned the power of sound. Today Andrea Amati's instruments are rare. His works are characterized by great elegance and perfection of geometric lines.

Amati brought the type of violin developed by his predecessors to perfection. In some large-format violins (364-365 mm) of the so-called Grand Amati, he enhanced the sound while maintaining the softness and tenderness of the timbre. With the elegance of form, his instruments make a more monumental impression than the work of his predecessors. Lacquer golden yellow with a slight brown tint, sometimes red. The cellos of Nicolo Amati are also excellent. Very few violins and cellos, created by the most famous of the masters of the Amati family - Nicolo, have survived - just over 20.

Amati violins have a pleasant, clean, gentle, though not strong, tone; these violins are small in size, beautifully finished, significantly arched above and below, as a result of which they do not have a wide and sonorous tone.

Names for eternity
In the 16th and 17th centuries, large schools of violin makers developed in several European countries. The representatives of the Italian violin school were the famous Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari families from Cremona.
Cremona
The city of Cremona is located in Northern Italy, in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River. Since the 10th century, this city has been known as a center for the production of pianos and bowed strings. Cremona officially bears the title of world capital of string production musical instruments. Nowadays, more than a hundred violin makers work in Cremona, and their products are highly appreciated by professionals. In 1937, on the bicentenary of the death of Stradivarius, a violin-making school, now widely known, was founded in the city. It has 500 students from all over the world.

Panorama of Cremona 1782

There are many in Cremona historical buildings and architectural monuments, but the Stradivari Museum is perhaps the most interesting attraction of Cremona. The Museum has three departments dedicated to the history of violin making. The first one is dedicated to Stradivari himself: some of his violins are kept here, samples of paper and wood with which the master worked are exhibited. The second section contains works by other violin makers: violins, cellos, double basses made in the 20th century. The third section tells about the process of making stringed instruments.

Cremona was the birthplace of an outstanding italian composer Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) and the famous Italian stone carver Giovanni Beltrami (1779-1854). But most of all Cremona was glorified by the violin makers Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari.
Unfortunately, while working for the benefit of mankind, the great violin makers did not leave behind their own images, and we, their descendants, do not have the opportunity to see their appearance.

Amati

Amati (ital. Amati) - family Italian masters bowed instruments from the ancient Cremonese family of Amati. The mention of the name Amati is found in the annals of Cremona as early as 1097. The founder of the Amati dynasty, Andrea, was born around 1520, lived and worked in Cremona and died there around 1580.
Violin making was also carried out by two famous contemporary Andrea - masters from the city of Brescia - Gasparo da Salo and Giovanni Magini. The Breshan school was the only one that could compete with the famous Cremonese school.

From 1530, Andrea, together with his brother Antonio, opened his own workshop in Cremona, where they began to make violas, cellos and violins. The earliest tool that has come down to us is dated 1546. He still retains some features of the Breschan school. Starting from the traditions and technology of making stringed instruments (viols and lutes), Amati was the first among his fellow workers to create a violin of the modern type.

Amati created violins in two sizes - a large (grand Amati) - 35.5 cm in length and a smaller one - 35.2 cm.
The violins were with low sides and a fairly high vault of soundboards. The head is large, skillfully carved. Andrea was the first to determine the choice of wood characteristic of the Cremonese school: maple (lower decks, sides, head), spruce or fir (top decks). On cellos and double basses, the bottom soundboards were sometimes made of pear and plane tree.

Having achieved a clear, silvery, delicate (but not strong enough) sound, Andrea Amati raised the importance of the profession of a violin maker. The classical type of violin he created (the outlines of the model, the processing of the vaults of the decks) remained basically unchanged. All subsequent improvements made by other masters mainly concerned the power of sound.

At twenty-six, the talented violin maker Andrea Amati had already "made" a name for himself and put it on the labels attached to the instruments. The rumor about the Italian master quickly spread throughout Europe and reached France. King Charles IX invited Andrea to his place and ordered him to make violins for the court ensemble "24 Violins of the King". Andrea made 38 instruments, including treble and tenor violins. Some of them have survived.

Andrea Amati had two sons - Andrea-Antonio and Girolamo. Both grew up in their father's workshop, were partners of their father all their lives and were probably the most famous violin makers of their time.
The instruments made by the sons of Andrea Amati were even more elegant than those of their father, and the sound of their violins was even more gentle. The brothers enlarged the vaults a little, began to make a recess along the edges of the decks, lengthened the corners and slightly, quite a bit, bent the efs.

Nicolo Amati

Girolamo's son Nicolo (1596-1684), Andrea's grandson, achieved particular success in making violins. Nicolò Amati created a violin designed for public performances. He brought the form and sound of his grandfather's violin to the highest perfection and adapted it to the requirements of the time.

To do this, he slightly increased the size of the body ("large model"), reduced the bulges of the decks, increased the sides and deepened the waist. He improved the tuning system of the decks, paying special attention to the impregnation of the decks. I selected wood for the violin, focusing on its acoustic properties. In addition, he ensured that the varnish covering the instrument was elastic and transparent, and the color was golden-bronze with a reddish-brown tint.

The design changes made by Nicolo Amati made the violin sound stronger and the sound spread further without losing its beauty. Nicolò Amati was the most famous of the Amati family, partly because of the sheer number of instruments he made, partly because of his illustrious name.

All of Nikolo's instruments are still prized by violinists. Nicolo Amati created a school of violin makers, among the students were his son Girolamo II (1649 - 1740), Andrea Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, who later created their own dynasties and schools, and other students. The son of Girolamo II could not continue the work of his father, and it died out.

Guarneri.

The Guarneri are a family of Italian string instrument makers. The ancestor of the family, Andrea Guarneri, was born in 1622 (1626) in Cremona, where he lived, worked and died in 1698.
He was a student of Nicolò Amati and made his first violins in the Amati style.
Later, Andrea developed his own violin model, in which the ffs had irregular outlines, the top of the decks was flatter, and the sides were rather low. There were other features of Guarneri's violins, in particular their sound.

The sons of Andrea Guarneri - Pietro and Giuseppe - were also great masters of violin making. The elder Pietro (1655 -1720) worked first in Cremona, then in Mantua. He made instruments according to his own model (wide “chest”, convex vaults, rounded hilts, rather wide curl), but his instruments were close in manufacture and sound to his father's violins.

Andrea's second son, Giuseppe Guarneri (1666 - c. 1739), continued to work in the family workshop and tried to combine the models of Nicolò Amati and his father, but, succumbing to the strong influence of the work of his son (the famous Giuseppe (Joseph) del Gesú), began to imitate him in the development strong and masculine sound.

The eldest son of Giuseppe - Pietro Guarneri 2nd (1695-1762) worked in Venice, the youngest son - also Giuseppe (Joseph), nicknamed Guarneri del Gesu, became the largest Italian violin maker.

Guarneri del Gesu (1698-1744) created his own type of violin, designed for playing in a large concert hall. The best violins of his work are distinguished by strong voices with thick, full tones, expressiveness and variety of timbre. The first to appreciate the advantage of Guarneri del Gesù violins was Niccolò Paganini.

Violin by Guarneri del Gesu, 1740, Cremona, Inv. №31-a

Belonged to Xenia Ilyinichna Korovaeva.
Entered the State Collection in 1948.
Main dimensions:
body length - 355
top width - 160
bottom width - 203
smallest width - 108
scale - 194
neck - 131
head - 107
curl - 40.
Materials:
lower deck - from one piece of maple-sycamore semi-radial cut,
the side is made of five parts of sycamore maple, the upper deck is made of two parts of spruce.

Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari or Stradivarius - famous master stringed and bowed instruments. It is believed that he lived and worked in Cremona because one of his violins is stamped "1666, Cremona". The same stigma confirms that Stradivari studied with Nicolò Amati. It is also believed that he was born in 1644, although the exact date of his birth is unknown. The names of his parents are known - Alexandro Stradivari and Anna Moroni.
In Cremona, starting in 1680, Stradivarius lived in St. Dominic, where he opened a workshop in which he began to manufacture stringed instruments- guitars, violas, cellos and, of course, violins.

Until 1684, Stradivari built small violins in the Amati style. He diligently reproduced and improved the teacher's violins, trying to find own style. Gradually, Stradivari freed himself from the influence of Amati and created new type a violin that differs from the Amati violins in timbre richness and powerful sound.

Beginning in 1690, Stradivari began to build larger instruments than the violins of his predecessors. A typical "elongated violin" Stradivari is 363 mm long, which is 9.5 mm larger than an Amati violin. Later, the master reduced the length of the instrument to 355.5 mm, at the same time making it somewhat wider and with more arched vaults - this is how a model of unsurpassed symmetry and beauty was born, which entered into world history as a "Stradivarius violin", and covered the name of the master himself with unfading glory.

The most outstanding instruments were made by Antonio Stradivari between 1698 and 1725. All violins of this period are distinguished by their remarkable finish and excellent characteristics sound - their voices are similar to sonorous and gentle female voice.
Throughout his life, the master created more than a thousand violins, violas and cellos. Approximately 600 have survived to our time, some of his violins are known under proper names, for example, the violin "Maximilian", which was played by our contemporary, the outstanding German violinist Michel Schwalbe - the violin was given to him for life use.

Other celebrated Stradivari violins include the Betts (1704) at the Library of Congress, the Viotti (1709), the Alard (1715), and the Messiah (1716).

In addition to violins, Stradivari made guitars, violas, cellos, and created at least one harp - more than 1,100 instruments by current count. The cellos that came out of the hands of Stradivari have a wonderful melodious tone and outward beauty.

Stradivari instruments are distinguished by a characteristic inscription in Latin: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno in translation - Antonio Stradivari of Cremona made in the year (such and such).
After 1730 some Stradivari instruments were signed Sotto la Desciplina d'Antonio Stradivari F. in Cremona )