Whether the violin was born in Cremona or not is difficult to say. But one thing is for certain: Cremona was (and is even nowadays) important in the evolution of this instrument. The founder of the Cremonese School was Andrea Amati (1505-1577); he made one of the first instruments on the pattern of the classical violin, and also cellos of quite large dimensions. A beautiful example is a cello known as "The King" (1572), which he made for King Charles IX of France, together with 24 other instruments. "The King" is today known as the first cello in history, made on the pattern of the "modern" cello. Andrea Amati had two sons: Girolamo I and Antonio, who made instruments mostly in accordance with the rules set by their father and signed their instruments: "Antonius & Jeronimus Fr.Amati Cremonen. Andreæ fil. F.16..".

In the 17th century, the leading workshop in Cremona was the one of the Amati Brothers. When Girolamo I died in 1630, his son Nicolo (1596-1684) took over the business and worked very hard, evolving his instruments on the so-called "big pattern", with higher ribs and flatter archings. These changes resulted in a kind of "baroque" sound, suiting perfectly the music of that period. Furthermore, his instruments were made with great care and esthetical sense. Another reason why the workshop of Nicolo Amati was important was the fact that many of the later violinmakers in Cremona learned the craft from him, such as Francesco Ruggeri, Andrea Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari and others. The families Guarneri and Stradivari represent the culmination of the Cremonese School.

The most famous of the Guarneris is Giuseppe II Guarneri del Gesú who learned the craft from his father Giuseppe filius Andreæ. In some ways he combined the ideas of the Brescian and Cremonese violinmakers, creating his own style. His workmanship is quite rough, indicating that he was working rather quickly, but his instruments always reveal the characteristics of a great personality. Until the 19th century his violins were not sought after like the Stradivaris, but in the last fifty years they have earned appreciation from leading soloists all over the world. Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644, and learned the profession in the workshop of Amati. Even after his training with Nicolo Amati, he still used the patterns of his master, but in the period 1690-1700 he made instruments on his own pattern known as the "Long Strad". It seems that the philosophy of Stradivari was not to change what he had learned from his master until he found something that functioned better. Maybe that is why he is considered to be the greatest violinmaker of all times.

In 1700 his "Golden Period" began, and during the next 25 years he made instruments of outstanding quality, regarding sound as well as workmanship. Stradivari is also known for having introduced the pattern of the "modern" cello; the "B pattern, small" (forma B, piccola), the first example we know today is a cello dated 1699. Compared to the cellos made by Stradivari and other Cremonese violinmakers before 1700, it is of smaller dimensions and therefore easier to play. The evolution of the instruments is always related to the music of the time and the way in which the instruments were being played upon. Before 1700 the cello was used as a principal bass, but afterwards it gained an important role as a solo instrument. Consequently the cello had to be easy to play, and to reach this goal Stradivari created this cello of smaller dimensions. Two of Stradivari's sons continued the tradition of violinmaking; Omobono and Francesco. They gave their father a hand in the workshop until his death in 1737, but they never reached his professional level. After that violin making came to an end. Or so it seemed.

After nearly 200 years, the violinmaking in Cremona had its renascence. The number of violinmakers increased. Today this town is one of the most important centres in the world for the building of new violins, violas, cellos and basses. Stradivari was inspired by these surroundings. As for myself, I wanted to come to Cremona to experience the same atmosphere. Every morning, walking out of my front door, I would see a marble plate on the house right in front of me, with the following inscription:

IN QUESTA CASA ABITÒ
DAL 1667 AL 1680
IL LIUTAIO ANTONIO STRADIVARI
CON LA PRIMA MOGLIE
FRANCESCA FERRABOSCHI