Stradivari, Antonio

Stradivari, strad uh VAIR ee, Antonio (1644?-1737), was one of the leading instrument makers in music history. He used Stradivarius, the Latin form of his name, on the labels of his instruments. Stradivari was probably born in Cremona, Italy. He studied there with Nicolo Amati, a noted instrument maker, and served for a time as Amati's assistant. During his long career, Stradivari made about 1,100 instruments. Of these, about 635 violins, 17 violas, and 60 cellos still exist. More »