Who were the famous violin makers from Cremona in Italy?
Q: Who were the famous violin makers from Cremona in Italy?
A: The famous violin makers from Cremona in Italy were the Guarneri family, along with the families Amati and Stradivari.
Q: Who was Andrea Guarneri?
A: Andrea Guarneri (c. 1626 - 7 December 1698) was a pupil in the workshop of Nicolo Amati from 1641 to 1646 and returned to make violins for Amati from 1650 to 1654. He married a rich lady and they were able to buy a large house which became known as the “Casa Guarneri”. They had seven children. Two of his sons, Pietro Giovanni and Giuseppe Giovanni, became violin makers.
Q: What did Peter of Mantua do?
A: Pietro Giovanni Guarneri (18 February 1655 - 26 March 1720), known as Peter of Mantua (Pietro da Mantova) worked in his father's workshop from around 1670 until his marriage in 1677. He had settled in Mantua by 1683, where he worked both as a musician and a violin maker. His instruments are generally better than his father's but he did not make so many instruments because he spent a lot of his time playing them. None of his children became violin makers. Joseph Szigeti played one of his instruments.
Q: Who was Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri?
A: Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri (25 November 1666 - 1739 or 1740), known as filius Andreae, joined his father's business in Cremona and inherited it in 1698. He is one of the great violin makers who fathered two other instrument makers- Pietro Guerneri who settled in Venice and Bartolomeo- who made some instruments that are as great as those of their father's .
Q: What is special about Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri's labels?
A: Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (del Gesù), also known as Joseph (21 August 1698 - 17 October 1744), has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line (Amati and his pupils). His labels always have characters IHS(Iota-eta-sigma)and Roman cross on them which makes them special among others made by this family .
Q: Which famous virtuoso owned an instrument made by del Gesù ?
A: Niccolò Paganini’s favorite instrument was a del Gesù Violin made by him back in 1743 , while Yehudi Menuhin owned "Lord Wilton" Violin made by him back In1742 . Other Twentieth century 'del Gesù' players include Arthur Grumiaux , Jascha Heifetz , Isaac Stern & Henryk Szeryng
