Along with the instruments of Stradivari and del Gesù, the violins of Giovanni Battista Guadagnini have long been favored by professional musicians for their responsiveness, tonal quality, and projection. Originally published in 1949 in a very limited edition, this study remains the most comprehensive account of G. B. Guadagnini's work and the legacy carried on by his descendants.

Author Ernest N. Doring conducted painstaking research into eighteenth-century documentation of Guadagnini's itinerant life. He traces the craftsman's progress from Piacenza, Milan, Cremona, and Parma to Turin, where Guadagnini created his most prized stringed instruments. A catalog of the family's masterpieces is organized by city and provides a detailed provenance for each instrument. A new Introduction by Stewart Pollens, a leading authority on musical instruments, offers historical perspectives. Widely available for the first time in an affordable edition, this rare and authoritative work provides violinists, musicologists, and music history enthusiasts with a fascinating resource.