The Story of Amati and His Violins

First, let me spice up your interest by asking you this little question.

Do you know A. Amati created the first ever violin with four strings, and had his design being modelled by violin makers worldwide hundreds of years ago till today?

Yes! I think you want to know more about his mysteries, and that's why you landed on this page.

Andrea Amati was the world's earliest maker of the modern violin. His design had earned popularity among many musicians in Cremona during the 16th century.

However, as years gone by, his success was overshadowed by his grandson, Nicolo's more accomplished disciples, Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri.

Let's read on...

His Story

Andrea Amati created his first four-string violin in around 1555, and as his fame grew in the streets of Cremona, the French King, Charles IXordered him to construct 24 violins for him in 1560.

The violins he made mostly bear the coat of arms of Charles IX of France. Today, the longest surviving violin from this set is known as the 'Charles IX', made in Cremona, 1560. He died in 1578, and passed on his skills to his sons, Antonio and Girolamo.

'The King' ViolinCello by Andrea Amati, Cremona, after 1538

Amati Violins Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art New york

The first two are the family's violins, the rest are Stradivarius, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The two brothers who succeeded their father's violin making skills, went on to improve the designs of the violin, particularly the perfection of the f-holes. They had also created the modern alto format of viola, compared to the old tenor violas.

Girolamo's son, Nicolo, was the most distinguishedviolin maker of the family. He bettered the violin designs and models that were adopted by his elders, by creating instruments which could produce a moredynamic and powerful tone.

He also preferred a wider violin model than before, and many of his violins were highly sought after. And of all his students, the most famous were Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri.

Nicolo then passed on his skills to his son, Girolamo, and he was the last violin maker of the family.

Girolamo had strived to improve on the models of his father's instruments, but his skills were inferior compared to those of Antonio Stradivari and AndreaGuaneri, both of whom were the greatest violin makers then. Read their secrets of violin making. You will know why they were the better violin makers.

The Latin forms of the first names, Andreas, Antonius, Hieronymus, and Nicolaus, were generally used on the violin labels, and the family name was sometimes latinized as Amatus.

It is claimed that Andrea Amati himself did not make numerous musical instruments. He only created 24 violins, 6 violas, and 8 cellos for Charles IX of France to be used at the court of Versailles, and a few of which survive.