Montagnana was born in
Lendinara, Italy in 1686. His father, Paolo, was a shoemaker. He made stringed musical instruments (
violins,
violas,
cellos and
double basses) in Venice. He was apprenticed in Matteo Sella's workshop (probably also associated with
Matteo Goffriller) and after that he opened his own shop, active from 1712, located in Calle degli Stagneri, with insignia "Alla Cremona". Typically 1 cm shorter than a "forma B" cello made by
Stradivarius, and 2 cm wider between the C bouts, the signature sound of a Montagnana cello is "uncomplicated" to play (according to
Jacqueline du Pré's description of the Montagnana cello played by
Martin Lovett of the
Amadeus Quartet ). One can hit the bow hard on a Montagnana cello while playing, and the sound will continue to come out and become more interesting. As a contrast, for a
Stradivarius cello, in general, you have to coax it out (based on a famous description of
Jacqueline du Pré's
Davidov Stradivarius reputedly made by
Yo-Yo Ma: "Jackie's unbridled dark qualities went against the Davydov. You have to coax the instrument. The more you attack it, the less it returns"). Montagnana met a Venetian woman living in the Calle degli Stagneri/Santo Bartolomeo district, Caterina Berti, whom he married. The couple lived in Venice and had six daughters. Following the birth of their last child, Caterina began suffering from progressive paralysis, which eventually led to her death in 1748. It seems that this final blow was too much for Montagnana, who until then had been seeking refuge in his workshop and spending a much longer time than usual on the meticulous details of his instruments. His health began to decline rapidly, for unspecified causes and, by February 1750, he was bedridden. His death certificate states that he died after being confined to his bed for one month with "
hypochondria". He died in Venice, Italy in 1750. His workshop was then inherited by Giorgio Serafin, the nephew of
Sanctus Seraphin. == Legacy ==