Pietro Guarneri of Venice
(b. 14th April,1695 ; d. 7th April, 1762)
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(Baptised: Pietro Guarneri) [ Instrument list ]
Married Angiola Maria Ferrari, 5th April 1728 (10 Children)
Synopsis of contents of Chapter VIII of The Violin Makers of the Guarneri family, Their Life and Work
  • Son of Giuseppe filius Andreae. Born April 1695, died April 1762. Last of the Guarneri violin-makers. Lived in Cremona with his father until 1718. Leaves the family home. Working in Cremona in 1721. His Cremonese work. Its originality. The master's arrival in Venice, 1722-24. His marriage in 1728.
  • Venice a centre of musical activity. Monteverdi in residence there. His musical genius. The Opera House. String instrument players in the orchestra.
  • President de Brosses. His description of the schools of music. The girl players.
  • Vivaldi. Increased use of violins fosters instrument-making.
  • The Venetian makers of the period. Gofriller, Tononi, Gobetti, Montagnana, Serafin. Their works.
  • The environment of Pietro Guarneri.
  • His early works. Violins and violoncellos. Analysis of his work. More instruments produced after 1730. Their character, inspired by his uncle of Mantua. Period of 1740.
  • Material used by the master. His varnish. High merit of his violoncellos. Their different proportions.
  • The demand for instruments. The churches and theatres.
  • The master and his brother Giuseppe del Gesu. Their fraternizing. Withal, their independence of each other.
  • Pietro's home life. His children. None taught violin-making.
  • The master's death. Death of his wife in 1777.
  • The passing of violin-making in Venice. the decline throughout Italy. Reasons for it.
  • The Gallileo-Micanzio correspondence
© W.E. Hill & Sons, London, 1965
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