Andrea Guarneri
Cremona 1623 - 1698
Several great violin makers apprenticed directly with Nicolò Amati, and among those Andrea Guarneri holds the highest reputation as the proponent of the Amati tradition. He trained with Amati in two distinct periods from 1641 to 1654, with a four-year gap starting in 1646, and adopted his model so masterfully that some of Guarneri's works are indistinguishable from his teacher's. In general Guarneri's work is somewhat freer and less exacting than Amati's, but nonetheless of superb quality. His contralto violas in particular, of which about eight survive, are regarded as some of the best in existence.
Andrea was the most prolific maker in the great Guarneri dynasty he set in motion. He was often assisted by his sons Giuseppe 'filius Andrea' and Pietro of Mantua, especially in his later years, where Giuseppe's influence in particular is evident from about 1690 onward. Both sons became celebrated makers in their own right and took bold and creative steps outside their father's style, helping to foster the towering Guarneri legacy.
