The violin maker with a 300 year tradition from Germany Der Geigenbauer mit einer 300 jährigen Tradition aus Deutschland

Origin / precursor of the violin? Is there an inventor of the violin?

Cremona-born violin maker Andrea Amati is sometimes referred to as the inventor of the violin.
But the ancestors of the violin can be dated back to the 8th century. These precursors include, for example, the Rebec and the Fidel.
Over the centuries, these precursors developed into the violin we know today.
While today's violin has four strings, in the beginning the instrument only had three strings.
From the 16th century, the violin gradually evolved into the instrument we know today, and Andrea Amati definitely contributed to that. Andrea Amati refined the construction of the violin in terms of its shape, curvature and scroll, as well as the choice of wood.
The Italian violin makers in particular had a great influence on the construction of the violin and since the great success of Antonio Stradivari, increasingly standardized violin models have been built.

Violin makers and their models

There are many models that can be used to make violins, violas or cellos, but the best known are of course the violins made by the world-renowned Cremonese violin maker Antonio Stradivari.

Antonio Stradivari

Stradivari was born into a wealthy patrician family near Cremona. According to Stradivari's own statement on a violin label from 1727, on which Antonio Stradivari noted that he had built the instrument at the age of 83, it is assumed that he was born in 1644.
If you follow his 71-year career, you can read about his early mastery and his continued ingenious innovations in violin making. His instruments are always characterized by their exquisite craftsmanship, the best materials and unsurpassed sound quality. Stradivarius is constantly experimenting with the shape and curvature of his instruments.

Today it is disputed whether
Antonio Stradivari actually learned the craft of violin making from Nicolo Amati, who was the most famous violin maker in Cremona at the time. There is also the assumption that Stradivari was trained as a carver. However, it is documented that he opened his own workshop in 1680 in Cremona on Piazza San Domenico.
Already during his lifetime Stradivari was a very respected violin maker, even beyond the city walls of Cremona, and also financially very well off, which was very rare at that time.
In the early years of his independence, Stradivarius was still strongly oriented towards Amati's architectural style, and the instruments from this period were given the name "Amatisee".
From around 1690, Stradivarius developed a new shape that became known as the "Long Pattern". With this he aimed to achieve the sound quality of the Brescian instruments. Through consistent changes to his instruments over the next few years, he distanced himself further and further from the Amati school.
Around 1700, Stradivari's instruments achieved a fame that far surpassed that of Nicolo Amatis.
Then came the so-called “golden period” from 1700 to 1720. This is also where his best and most famous violins were made - superlative instruments!
Starting, for example, with the "Lady Tennant" to the "Baron von der Leyen", the "Lady Blunt" and the legendary "Messiah".

But not only violins, also the cello models were changed by Stradivari during his creative period. From around 1707 Stradivari built his cellos according to a new model called "Forma B", of which around 20 have survived. They are among the most tonally outstanding cellos in the history of violin making. Tonally, the Stradivari cellos are only surpassed by those of the Venetian violin maker Domenico Montagnana.
Probably the best-known cello is the "Mara" by Antonio Stradivari, which he built in 1711. The instrument was rescued from the water of the Rio de la Plata after a ferry accident in which its then owner, Amadeo Baldovino, survived unharmed. After the salvage, the cello case contained only the individual parts of the valuable instrument. The cello was able to be put back together again after a complex restoration, so that it can still be heard in concert halls today.
The well-known British cellist Jacqueline du Pré (1945-1987) also played 2 famous cellos by Antonio Stradivari. In 1961 she received an instrument built by Stradivari in 1673, which is now also called "Du-Pré-Stradivari". She also played the famous 1712 Davidov Stradivarius. This is currently played by Yo-Yo Ma.

Stradivari's late period, i.e. after 1720, is characterized by further model changes. He built the violins again with a fuller, higher arch and somewhat simpler materials were used. Violins from this last period are almost as popular with players as those from the "Golden Period".

Antonio Stradivari was not only an innovative but also a very diligent master. By the time he died in 1737, the Cremonese master is said to have built almost 1,000 violins, violas and cellos with the help of his two sons, Fransesco and Ombono Stradivari. About 650 instruments are said to have been preserved, including 11 violas and 20 cellos.
The sons Francesco and Omobono continued the workshop after their father's death, but only survived their famous father by a few years and therefore always remain in their father's shadow.

The large violin model from Antonio Stradivari's golden period is probably the most frequently used model for newly built violins worldwide. It is a model with a more sustainable and assertive sound, appreciated by the best games in the world.
There is probably not a violin maker in the world who has not made at least one violin based on Antonio Stradivari's model.
It's fair to say that Stradivari perfected the violin. There are no real innovations in violin making that have prevailed in the more than 300 years since his death.

The lively interest in old Italian master violins at the end of the 18th century was responsible for the fact that in areas such as the Vogtland or the Vosges
Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri and also Stainer violins were built in large numbers in the manufactories and violin workshops there. These instruments were then provided with replica violin labels of the great masters as model designations.

famous violinist playing a Stradivarius violin

Nicolo Amati

The Italian violin maker Nicola Amati (Nicolò Amati) is considered the most important member of the Amati family.
He was born in Cremona in 1596 and died there in 1684.
His grandfather Andrea Amati is credited with inventing the modern violin. His father Girolamo Amati improved the Amati models, which Nicolò Amati began to build under his father's name with great success around 1620.
Nicolo Amati gradually developed his violin model with a lower arch, an increase in the tension of the soundboard through a deeper fuller and higher ribs. So he achieved a fuller violin sound than his father Amati his uncles. This more voluminous sound now corresponded to the usual performance practice with choirs and extensive orchestras and led to the economic success of the Amati workshop.
The plague killed Nicolò Amati's father in 1630, leaving Nicolo as one of the few violin makers still active in Cremona. To meet the growing demand for instruments, he trained a number of apprentices, including Andrea Guarneri and Giacomo Gennaro, and although there is no definitive evidence, he is also credited with having taught Francesco Rugeri, Antonio Stradivari, Giovanni Battista Rogeri. All of these world-famous luthiers, as well as Jacob Stainer, clearly knew his building methods and style. This makes Nicolo Amati one of the most important figures in Italian violin making.

Giovanni Paolo Maggini

When mentioning violin models, one cannot ignore the well-known model of the violin maker Giovanni Paolo Maggini.
He is the best-known representative of the Brescia school.
The exact date of birth of Giovanni Paolo Maggini is not known, but the date of baptism is documented. He was baptized on August 25, 1580 in Botticino near Brescia; he died of the plague in 1632 in the city of Brescia.

Giovanni Paolo Maggini learned the craft of violin making from Gasparo da Salò (1549–1609) in Brescia. He stayed in his teacher's workshop for 20 years before becoming self-employed and starting to develop his own models.
His early work Maggini is still clearly influenced by his teacher, to whom he came at the young age of 8 years.

Maggini's violas are still very popular today because of their dark and sonorous tone.
His violins also sound pleasantly warm and voluminous, but are difficult to play because of their oversize.
His violins are based on two models, one of which is about 35.5 cm long and corresponds to today's length standard. The other violin model is significantly larger and has a body length of about 37 cm. Maggini probably preferred the larger violin model for its powerful sound. This long model may have inspired Stradivarius to develop his famous "Long Pattern" violin.
Typical of the well-known Maggini model is the double vein and the double winding of the scroll, which makes it easy to distinguish optically from other violin models. Maggini sometimes also worked with unusual types of wood, such as poplar, sycamore, nut and pear wood, which he used for the back, the sides and the instrument head of his works. Giovanni Paolo Maggini also created elaborately decorated instruments with magnificent mother-of-pearl and ivory inlays.
The famous violins and violas that have survived to this day prove its central role in the Brescia school of violin making.

Joseph Guarneri del Gesu

Whoever writes about violin makers never forgets the brilliant Joseph Guarneri del Gesu.
The famous Cremonese master, whose instruments, together with Antonio Stradivari, achieve the highest selling prices worldwide and fascinate musicians worldwide, lived in the Lombard city from …… until his early death in …..
While Stradivari was Cremona's wealthiest violin maker, Guarneri had financial and perhaps health problems throughout his life
Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu learned the trade of violin maker in the workshop of his father Giuseppe Guarneri filius Andrae. He continued to work there until about 1722. Then, at the age of around twenty, he left the workshop for a few years. It is believed that he was not active as a violin maker during this period. Around 1730 he took over the workshop of his seriously ill father.
Returning to Cremona, Del Gesù disregarded the traditional rules that had emerged in the city of Cremona. So he started using his own label while his father was still alive. This was unusual, because as long as father and son worked together in a workshop, the instruments were always provided with the father's label. From about 1730 Guarneri used his own sign, IHS, Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus, the Savior of man). This signature gave him his nickname Del Gesu.
His first surviving violin label with this inscription IHS dates from 1731.
In the mid 1730's he was at his peak as a luthier and created some truly beautiful, outstanding instruments.

His later works then show everything that is characteristic of del Gesù - a form of unbridled creativity, coupled with a disregard for manual details and a great daring in terms of form and construction.
Joseph Guarneri's wife Maria Rota also partly worked in the workshop and took care of the business after his death.

Guarneri del Gesù violins usually have shorter bodies, flatter top and bottom curves, open C-frames and long f-holes. In his work he combines the best of the Cremonese tradition, with the Brescian school.

Sonically, his violins have much of the sweetness of a Stradivari violin but have a seemingly unlimited depth of sound. regardless of how much pressure is exerted by the bow

His brilliant works often appear uneven and become more and more individual towards the end of his life.

Between 150 and 200 violins by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù have survived.
Probably his most sonorous work is the violin built in 1743, which Nicolo Paganini played for most of his career and baptized "IL Canone". Paganini's concert tours helped spread del Gesù's fame very quickly.

Famos violinistsplaying a Guarneri del Gesu violin

Matteo Goffriller

Matteo Goffriller was born in Brixen in 1659 and died in Venice in 1742. He became world famous for the outstanding quality of his cellos. It is unclear where Goffriller learned his craft, but it is assumed that he learned in Bozen from Matthias Alban in the workshop and then went to Venice to work with master violin maker Martin Kaiser from Füssen. Goffriller is very familiar with Cremonese violin making, so it is assumed that Goffriller must have worked in the workshops of Carlo Bergonzi or Antonio Stradivari before he finally set up his own business. Mattheo Goffriller married a daughter of his master Emperor in 1686 and thereby became a Venetian citizen. In 1690, after the Emperor's death, he inherited the workshop of his teacher and father-in-law. Goffriller's work had a clear influence on all known Venetian luthiers of the early 18th century. He is therefore also referred to as the father of the Venetian school of violin making.

Famous cellist playing a Matteo Goffriller

Domenico Montagnana

Was born on 1686 in Lendinara in the province of Rovigo and died in March 17?? in Venice. Goffriller is famous above all for his excellent sounding cellos.
Domenico Montagnana went to Venice at the age of 15, in 1701, and there probably apprenticed with Matteo Sellas.
Montagnana opened his own workshop in 1712 in the municipality of San Bartolomeo in Venice.
Domenico Montagnana had seven siblings, one of whom later also went to Venice and worked in Domenico's workshop.
Montagnana's early works are still very much under the influence of Jakob Stainer and have a high vaulting. Over time, Montagnana then developed a wider model with flatter curves. His cellos are particularly famous for their penetrating sound, they are among the best cellos ever made.
Montagnana also built the other instruments in the violin family.
His most famous cello is certainly the "Sleeping Beauty". This cello got its name because it lay unplayed in a castle for a century and was then rediscovered.
World-famous solo cellists play Montagnana cellos, for example the Petunia from 1733 is owned by the world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

Famous cellist playing a Montagnana

Jakob Stainer

Jakob Stainer is considered the most important European violin maker outside of Italy. He was born on July 14th. Born in Absam in Tyrol in 1619. As was usual at the time, Stainer first completed an apprenticeship as a carpenter, since violin maker apprentices, unless they were the sons of master craftsmen, first had to have carpentry training. An apprenticeship at that time was 5 years. Due to the unrest of the Thirty Years' War, Stainer was apparently educated in Italy, presumably in the city of Venice, where German violin makers were based. He is said to have also spent years of apprenticeship with Nicolo Amati in Cremona, but this is not clearly documented. However, he knew the innovations of the Italian violin makers of the time and applied this knowledge to his work.
His early violins bear strong resemblances to Nicolo Amati's. Stainer violins and models were highly regarded in England, Germany and in his native Austria before Stradivarius influence took over in the 18th century
Typical of the Stainer model, in addition to the special shape, is the "high" curvature of the top and back and the shape of the f-holes. Stainer's instruments are valued for their silvery timbre, which he achieved primarily through the plateau-like curvature of the top. In the 18th century, violins by Jakob Stainer e fetched significantly higher prices than violins by Amati or Stradivari.
Up until his death in 1683, his instruments were of consistently high structural quality. Violin makers and Stainer experts still admire the sound characteristics of Stainer violins, which are a result of his great craftsmanship
He often decorated his instruments with a beautifully carved lion's head. In addition to using maple for the hardwood parts of his instruments, he also used pearwood, which has a slightly softer sound than maple.
Stainer not only traveled a lot during his years of travel, but also later, when he was already based in Absam, he personally set out to deliver instruments and buy wood.
There are many stories about Stainer's life. Debts were the lifeblood of violin maker Jakob Stainer, although his instruments were also ordered by the Munich court, for example.
Jakob Stainer not only built instruments from the violin family, but also beautiful viola da gambas.

The Hopf family dynasty

There are also many noteworthy violin makers in Germany, but the model of the Hopf family from Klingenthal is probably the most striking due to its slightly angular patron.

Caspar Hopf is considered the first violin maker in the city of Klingenthal. It is not known where he was trained. Caspar Hopf was born around 1650 and died in 1711 in Stolberg in the Harz Mountains on a trip to the Braunschweig trade fair.
He built a violin model that can be recognized by its "angular" shape. His violins have a distinctively arched top as opposed to a very shallow arched back. The clear, light, yellow color of the paint is also a trademark of the Hopf dynasty and goes back to him.
Most of the instruments known today that are definitely attributed to Caspar Hopf are not signed.
Today, researchers suspect that the typical "HOPF" branding was only applied later on genuine Caspar Hopf violins.

The best known member of the big family is David Hopf. David Christian Sr. and in turn his son David Christian jun. brought the angular model to maturity. Even today, these instruments are highly valued, especially in chamber music.

Over the centuries, the Hopf family has almost 45 violin makers listed by name in their family tree.

Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume

Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume was born in Mirecourt in 1798 and died in Paris in 1875.
J.B.Vuillaume was not only one of the best French violin makers of the 19th century, but also a central figure in violin making in his time.
He followed the tradition of his family and, like his father and grandfather, learned the art of violin making. In 1818 he went to the well-known violin maker François Chanot in Paris, where he began to imitate the work of Lupot.
From 1821 he worked for Joseph-Dominique Lété. In 1824 Vuillaume founded a joint company with Lete called Lété et Vuillaume.

Another 4 years later, in 1828, he set up his own business at 46 Rue des Petits-Champs.
Here he built violins, violas, cellos and double basses based on the models of the great Cremonese masters.
Vuillaume quickly acquired the skill of copying older masters, particularly Stradivarius and Guarneri 'del Gesù' instruments. He partly used old furniture wood to build his copies. Over time, these became so perfect that it was difficult to distinguish them from the original models. For example, it is famous his replica of Niccolò Paganini's legendary Guarnerius violin Cannone from 1838.
In the years that followed, his workshop became one of the leading violin workshops in Europe. Vuillaume also successfully participated in the French industrial exhibitions, receiving silver and gold medals.

Jean Baptiste Vuillaume was not only a prolific violin maker, but also a successful violin dealer and inventor. In his Paris workshop he employed and trained some of the best violin and bow makers of the 19th century.

Furthermore, J.B. Vuillaume also made excellent bows, which are still very popular with violinists today. One of his most famous employees is the German bow maker H. R. Pfretzschner.

Famous violinist playing a Jean -Baptiste Vuillaume

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini

Famous violins playing a G. B. Guadagnini

E-violin

The electric violin or e-violin is electrically amplified. They are also called silent violins. The built-in pickup system enables the player to practice, among other things, without disturbing neighbors, for example. In the meantime, this type of violin is mainly used in pop and rock music.
There are many different models of these violins, which sometimes have little to do with the classic violin model. But that's exactly why she's popular with the younger generation of musicians. Of course, the tone cannot be compared to a violin made of wood, but the playability must be set up just as well as with a classic violin model. The Japanese company Yamaha is a leading manufacturer of electric violins.

Famous violonist playing E-violins