The Cannone Guarnerius is a famous violin made by Italian luthier Giuseppe Antonio Guarnieri. The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... A luthier is someone who builds or repairs stringed instruments, ranging from guitars to violins. ... Guarneri (sometimes Guarnieri) is the family name of a group of highly acclaimed violin makers (luthiers) from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered to be alongside the Amati and Stradivari families. ...

It is also known as the Canon, Il Cannone, or the Cannone del Gesu. Guarneri labelled his instruments Guarneri del Gesù and many of the best and most famous examples are named after musicians or collectors who have at one time owned them. The name "Cannone" was given to this instrument by the Italian virtuoso Paganini. Niccolò Paganini Niccolò Paganini, (Genoa, October 27, 1782 - Nice, May 27, 1840) was a violinist and composer. ...

Paganini lost a highly valuable Amati violin as a result of his penchant for voracious gambling. He was able to take possession of a neglected Guarneri violin, a gift from an amateur violinist and businessman. Paganini played on this instrument for the rest of his life, fondly calling it “my cannon violin,” referring to the explosive sound that he was able to make it produce. He bequeathed it to the city of Genoa, Italy upon his death, and it is now considered a national treasure. For the Mazda luxury car marque, Amati, see the main Mazda article Amati is the name of a family of Italian violin_makers, who flourished at Cremona from about 1550 to 1740. ... Alternate uses, see Genoa (disambiguation). ...

When it needed repairs, it was sent to the greatest luthier of the day, Jean Baptiste Vuillaume in Paris. Not only did Vuillaume repair the Guarnerius, but he also made an exact replica. The copy was so precise in every detail of construction and appearance, that not even Paganini could distinguish one from the other. It was not until Paganini noticed subtle differences in tone that he could identify the original. Paganini passed the copy on to his only student Camillo Sivori. Jean Baptiste Vuillaume (1798-1875) was one of the greatest geniuses in the history of violin making, and the most important of the Vuillaume family of luthiers (listed below). ... (This is an article about Sivori the violinist and composer, and not Omar Sivori the Argentinian footballer. ...

The Cannone and its twin, the Vuillaume copy, are displayed side by side in the Museum of Genoa. They are kept in a good state of repair, and on occasion, Il Cannone is loaned out to musicians for performance. Violin virtuoso Shlomo Mintz performed a special Il Cannone concert on Pagaini’s violin with the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra during the 1990s. In 1999, Eugene Fodor played on the Cannone at a special concert in San Francisco, California. It was the furthest the violin had ever been from Italy. Conditions of its travel included a multimillion-dollar insurance policy and an armed escort of Italian police officers. Shlomo Mintz is an Israeli violin virtuoso and conductor. ... Eugene Fodor is an American violin virtuoso. ...