Antonio Stradivari

Hello! My name is Antonio Stradivari. I was born around the year 1644 in a wonderful city called Cremona, located in the country we now call Italy. Even when I was a boy, my city was famous all over the world for one special thing: making the most beautiful stringed instruments. Walking through the streets was like walking through a concert. I would pass by workshops and hear the sweet, soaring sounds of violins. I could peek inside and see craftsmen carefully carving great pieces of wood into elegant shapes. The air smelled of sawdust and varnish. I knew right away that this was a kind of magic I wanted to learn. I was very lucky to become an apprentice to one of the greatest violin makers of all, a man named Nicolò Amati. In his busy workshop, he taught me everything. I learned how to look at a piece of wood and know if it would make a good instrument. He showed me how to gently heat and bend the wood into graceful curves and how to put all the pieces together to make it sing with a beautiful voice.

After many years of learning from my teacher, I felt I was ready to create instruments on my own. In 1666, I finished my very first violin and carefully placed a label with my own name inside of it. I was so proud of that moment. The very next year, in 1667, I married my dear Francesca, and we began to build our family together. Life was full of love and music. As my own children grew up, I was delighted when two of my sons, Francesco and Omobono, decided to join me in my workshop. I taught them all the secrets I had learned from Nicolò Amati and the new ideas I had discovered on my own. Our workshop was always filled with the scent of fresh wood shavings and the special varnish I used. For me, making instruments was more than a job. I didn't just want to make good violins; I was determined to make the very best. Every day, I was always thinking, "How can I make the sound even richer? How can I make the instrument even more beautiful to look at?" It was my life's passion to chase the perfect sound.

The years between 1700 and 1725 were a very special time for me. Looking back, people now call this my 'Golden Period' because it was when I felt I had finally perfected my craft. After so many years of experimenting, I made important changes to my instruments. I changed the shape of my violins, making the body a little longer and carefully altering the curves of the wood. These changes helped create a much more powerful and rich sound that could fill a large room. During this time, I also developed a special varnish. Its exact recipe is still a secret today, even hundreds of years later! This varnish gave my instruments a beautiful, glowing reddish-orange color that seemed to shine. I believe this varnish also helped them produce their unique voice, a sound that was clear and strong. I was very busy during my life. I crafted over 1,100 instruments in all, which is a lot! I didn't only make violins; I also made beautiful cellos, violas, and even some guitars. Each one was my treasure, and I put all of my skill and heart into its creation.

I worked in my shop for almost my entire life, from the time I was a young apprentice until I was an old man, always trying to create the perfect sound. I lived to be 93 years old and passed away on December 18th, 1737. Though my life came to an end, my instruments live on. Today, they are known all over the world as 'Stradivarius' violins, and they are some of the most famous and valuable instruments ever made. The greatest musicians in the world play them in grand concert halls, and people say that they have a sound like no other. It fills me with joy to know that even hundreds of years after I carved the wood and applied the varnish, the music I crafted with my own two hands is still bringing beauty and happiness to people everywhere.