The Amatis were a family of celebrated violin makers of Cremona in the 16th and 17th centuries. Andrea Amati, who lived about 1540 until 1600, was the founder of the business, which was carried on by his sons Geronimo and Antonio, and by Niccolo the son of Geronimo. Most of the violins made by them are of comparatively small size and flat model, and the tone produced by the fourth or G string is somewhat thin and sharp. Many of Niccolo Amati's violins are, however, of a larger size and have all the fulness and intensity of tone characteristic of those manufactured by Stradivario and Guarnerio. Research Amati
Antonio Stradivari was an Italian maker of violins. He was born at Cremona in 1644 and died in 1737. Apprenticed to Nicholas Amati, he first modelled his violins upon those made by his master, but around 1684 he adopted larger proportions and became more independent in his methods. He seems to have experimented for many years, but around 1700 he settled upon a design he was happy with, a set of proportions that produce a truly fine violin. His violins are the finest ever made, but he also made fine violas and violoncellos, and some of his early instruments were made with poor materials and are not of the same quality as his later instruments. Research Antonio Stradivari
Amati was a violin maker who lived in Cremona around 1600, and who is famous for the quality of the instruments he made, hence the term Amati is applied to a first-class violin. Research Amati
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Abbreviations
Research Amati
