Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù” (1698-1744)

Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”

Giuseppe Guarneri ranks as one of the greatest violin makers of all time, next to his famed contemporary, Antonio Stradivari. Although Guarneri and Stradivari share a lofty place in music history, the marked differences between the appearance and sound of Guarneri’s instruments and those of Stradivari make comparison almost impossible. Some simply prefer Stradivari, while others (notably Paganini) prefer Guarneri.

Guarneri trained with his father, Giuseppe Guarneri filius Andreæ, and assisted him from about 1714 until 1722. In that year, Guarneri left his father’s house to get married and seems to have forsaken violin making for a few years. His earliest independent instruments date from the late 1720s, but it was not until 1731 that he began to insert the label with the monogram IHS (“Iesus Hominem Salvator,” or “Jesus Saviour of Man”), which gave rise to his nickname, “del Gesù.” Guarneri seems to have been strongly influenced by the Brescian school, and his work combines the best of Cremonese tradition with the stretched C-bouts and exaggerated f-holes of Maggini and da Salò. Tonally, Guarneri’s instruments produce a sweet tone akin to a Stradivari, but they have a seemingly unlimited depth and darkness of sound, irrespective of bow pressure.

Guarneri’s personal style was fully developed by the mid-1730s. He produced some ravishingly beautiful instruments during this period, including the “King Joseph” of 1737. However, it is Guarneri’s later instruments that fully express his personality and his entire family’s deeply ingrained individuality. 

Violins from the 1740s showcase Guarneri’s unbridled creativity and sheer daring of design and construction, most notably the “Cannon” of 1743. Paganini famously played this violin during his virtuoso concerts, contributing to the rapid spread of del Gesù’s fame in the mid-19th century and cementing his place in music history.