MONTAGNANA, DOMENICO

born c. 1687, Lendinara died March 7, 1750, Venice Italian instrument maker noted for his violins and especially for his cellos. In Venice from about 1699, Montagnana is believed to have been the pupil and assistant of Matteo Goffriller and to have opened his own instrument-making shop about 1711. After some years he began to establish a reputation for superior instruments, and he was prolific after about 1720. He may have been commissioned by four conservatories to supply their stringed instruments. Many of the instruments he created are extant, and his cellos remain highly valued by contemporary musicians.