Joseph Contreras (c. 1710 – c. 1780), was a Spanish violin maker. Contreras was born around 1710, in Granada,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(hence his commonly used nickname 'el Granadino'). He probably lived in Italy during his early life, his style being Italian. He worked in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

from about 1745, as

violin maker A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

and repairer to the Spanish Court. This brought him into contact with some of the best violins of his day, including examples by

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are c ...

and

Guarnerius The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati ...

. He is famous for the copies of these instruments which he made, using fine materials and exceptional skill. Only a few of his instruments have survived today, and are highly prized. Famous players of Contreras violins have included

Shlomo Mintz Shlomo Mintz (Hebrew: שלמה מינץ) (born 30 October 1957) is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violinist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music conc ...

Nigel Kennedy Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. His early career was primarily spent performing classical music, and he has since expanded into jazz, klezmer, and other music genres. Early life and background Kenn ...

and members of the

Endellion Quartet The Endellion String Quartet was a British string quartet, named after St Endellion in Cornwall. History The quartet was formed in 1979 with the following original members: * Andrew Watkinson, violin * Louise Williams, violin * Garfield Jackson, v ...

. He died in approximately 1780, leaving a son (also called Joseph) to continue the family business. His violins contain the label 'Matriti per Granadensem Josephum Contreras, anno ....'

References

*''Los Luthiers Españoles'' by Ramón Pinto Comas, 1988. *
The Golden Age of Violin Making in Spain
', 2014. 1710 births 1782 deaths People from Granada Spanish luthiers Bowed string instrument makers 18th-century Spanish businesspeople {{Spain-music-bio-stub