Andrea Guarneri

For three generations, the Guarneri dynasty had a major impact on violinmaking in Northern Italy. Cremona was home to three violinmakers from this family, Mantua to one, and Venice to another. The founder of the dynasty, Andrea Guarneri, was born in a hamlet near Cremona. His name first appears in 1641, when he was apprenticed to Nicolò Amati. Amati taught many students, but Guarneri was one of the few who lived in the household for a long time. In 1652, Guarneri married Anna Maria Orcelli, whose uncle and guardian was a musician. She obtained a house located close to Amati’s residence as her dowry. This house, which came to be known as Casa Guarneri, was to be the family home and workshop for several generations. Two of Guarneri’s seven children were trained not just as musicians, but also as luthiers. In keeping with tradition, the oldest son, Pietro, was supposed to inherit the workshop. But much to his father’s chagrin, he moved to Mantua in 1684, where he opened a workshop of his own. His younger brother, Giuseppe, remained in their father’s workshop, however, and exerted a noticeable influence on Andrea’s lutherie from the 1680s. To distinguish between the makers, Giuseppe was referred to as “filius Andreæ” (Andrea’s son).

All of Andrea Guarneri’s instruments reflect the style of his teacher, Nicolò Amati. The proportions of his instruments, the shape and position of the soundholes, the graduation of the arch and the design of the scroll are all renditions of his teacher’s designs. Two different types of labels suggest that other violinmakers worked for Guarneri besides his son: He labeled his own instruments “Andreas Guarnerius fecit Cremone sub titulo Sanctæ Teresiæ” (built by Andrea Guarneri in Cremona under the patronage of Saint Teresa; “sub titulo” actually refers to the sign hanging outside the shop), whereas others were labeled “Sub disciplina Andreæ Guarnerij in eius Officina sub titulo S. Teresiæ” (under the supervision of Andrea Guarneri in his workshop under the patronage of Saint Teresa).