Stradivari made more than a thousand instruments, but only about six hundred are known to exist.
Even after more than 250 years, his violins and cellos remain the best in the world, but exactly what the quality is that makes them so is a mystery. All the instruments that Stradivari made have names, and those that are written about in the book are: Messiah, Viotti, Khevenhuller, Paganini, Lipinski and Davidov. They are not the most celebrated instruments, but they frame the mystery of Stradivari's genius.
Violins were not invented. They evolved from very primitive instruments made for dance music. Andrea Amati is credited for experimenting and designing the basic frame and process for assembly. He made the first violin in 1564. Stradivari's earliest know violin was made in 1666. Stradivari's birth date is not known, but knowing the dates of his violins, its believed that his birth date is 1644, which means he started making violins at the age of 22.
Who taught him how to make stringed instruments is unknown. He had been working as wood carver and in-layer, decorating instruments with beautiful artistry. He may have decorated Amati's instruments and decided to try making some of his own.
The oldest violin in the world, made by Andrea Amati in 1564 as a set for Charles IX of France, along with another for the same set in 1566, is housed in Oxford's Ashmolean Museum in Britain.1 But the highlight of the collection is shown in a special cabinet by itself. It hangs suspended in its case, visible from all angles. Pristine and flawless as it was when the last touches of varnish were applied by Stradivari's hand in 1716. Its the most famous violin in the world called Messiah2
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_violin
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_Stradivarius
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