Antonio Stradivari, by Edgar Bundy, 1893: a romanticized image of a craftsman-hero

A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs Antonio Stradivari (1644 &ndash December 18 1737 was an Italian Luthier, a crafter of Stringed instruments such as Violins cellos Antonio Stradivari (1644 &ndash December 18 1737 was an Italian Luthier, a crafter of Stringed instruments such as Violins cellos The instruments are famous for the quality of their sound, which has defied attempts to explain or reproduce. The name "Stradivarius" has also become a superlative applied to designate excellence. To be called "the Stradivari" of any field is to be deemed the finest there is.

Background

The Spanish II (1687-1689) in the Stradivarius collection of the Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain

Born in Italy in 1644, Antonio Stradivari is considered to have been a disciple of Nicolo Amati, of the Amati family of luthiers of Cremona. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Nicolò Amati ( 3 December 1596 - April 12 1684) was an Italian Luthier from Cremona, a member of the Amati Amati is the name of a family of Italian Violin makers who flourished at Cremona from about 1549 to 1740 Cremonese redirects here For the football team see US Cremonese Cremona is a City in northern Italy, situated In 1660, Antonio set up shop on his own in Cremona, though his early violins are generally considered inferior to those of his "golden age", between 1698 and 1720. While his techniques have long been fertile soil for debate, still not fully understood by modern craftsmen and scientists, it is known for certain that the wood used included spruce for the harmonic top, willow for the internal parts and maple for the back, strip and neck. Spruce refers to Trees of the genus Picea, a genus of about 35 species of Coniferous Evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae Willows, sallows and osiers form the Genus Salix, around 400 species of Deciduous Trees and Shrubs found primarily Acer ( maple) is a Genus of Trees or Shrubs They are variously classified in a family of their own the Aceraceae, or This wood was treated with several types of minerals, including potassium borate (borax), sodium and potassium silicate, and vernice bianca, a varnish composed of Arabic gum, honey and egg white. Borax (from Persian burah) also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important Boron Vernice bianca is a type of sealer Varnish used in Violin making

A Stradivarius made in the 1680s, or during Stradivari's Brescian period from 1690-1700, could be worth several hundred thousand dollars or more on auction, at today's prices. Depending on condition, instruments made during Stradivari's "golden period" from 1700 to 1720 can be worth several million dollars. Though relatively rarely sold, the highest publicised price paid was at public auction for The Hammer, made in 1707, selling for US$3,544,000 on May 16, 2006. The Hammer Stradivarius is an Antique Violin made by Italian Luthier Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737 of Cremona. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Private sales of Stradivari instruments have exceeded this price. ^[1][2]

It is not uncommon for violins to be labeled or branded "Stradivarius", as the name has been used since by other manufacturers. However, it is generally believed that there are fewer than 700 genuine instruments extant, very few of which are unaccounted for.

The fame of Stradivari instruments is not a modern phenomenon and they appear in numerous works of fiction. The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is described as having owned a Stradivarius, with detail given to how he purchased the instrument for fifty-five English shillings in the story, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 The shilling is a unit of Currency used in current and former Commonwealth countries and was continued to be used in countries that left the commonwealth "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A famous, if perhaps apocryphal story about the Duport Stradivarius claims the instrument's visible dent was made by the boots of Emperor Napoléon I of France, who tried his hand at playing it. The Duport Stradivarius is a Violoncello made in 1711 by Italian Luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821 was a French military and political leader who had a significant impact on the History of Europe.

One aspect of Stradivari's approach is illustrated in the BBC TV series Lovejoy, in the episode "Second Fiddle", which notes that, while one would expect the 'f'-holes on the top of a violin to be symmetrical, Stradivari often made his slightly offset. Lovejoy is a series of Picaresque novels by John Grant (under the Pen name Jonathan Gash about the adventures of Lovejoy a British The show credits this to him being less of a perfectionist than tradition holds, but, if true, it more likely demonstrates an aural perfectionism preferred over the visual aesthetic.

The reputation of the Stradivarius is such that its name is frequently invoked as a standard of excellence in other unrelated fields (such as ships and cars); for example, the Bath Iron Works' unofficial motto is "A Bath boat is the Stradivarius of destroyers!" In 1924, The Vincent Bach Corporation began releasing a line of trumpets which would later become known as Stradivarius Trumpets, in an attempt to capitalise on the Stradivari name. Bath Iron Works (BIW is a Shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath Maine. In naval terminology a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance Warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, Convoy The Vincent Bach Corporation was an American manufacturer of brass musical instruments. The Vincent Bach Corporation was an American manufacturer of brass musical instruments.

Theories and reproduction attempts

The Antonio Stradivari violin of 1703 on exhibit at the Musikinstrumentenmuseum, Berlin.

These instruments are, of course, famous for the quality of their sound, and there have been many attempts to explain and reproduce this quality, largely without success. Over the centuries, numerous theories have been presented, and debunked, including an assertion that the wood was salvaged from old cathedrals. Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, has proved this false. Dendrochronology (from Greek grc δένδρον dendron, "tree" grc χρόνος khronos, "time" and grc -λογία

A more modern theory attributes tree growth during a time of unusually low solar activity during the Maunder Minimum "Little Ice Age" from ca. The Maunder Minimum is the name given to the period roughly from 1645 to 1715, when Sunspots became exceedingly rare as noted by solar observers of The Little Ice Age (LIA was a period of cooling occurring after a warmer era known as the Medieval Warm Period or Medieval Climate Optimum 1645 to 1750. During this period, temperatures throughout Europe were much cooler causing stunting and slower tree growth with unusually dense wood. ^[3] Further evidence for this "Little Ice Age theory" comes from a simple examination of the dense growth rings in the wood used in Stradivari's instruments. ^[4] Two researchers, Henri Grissino-Mayer, a University of Tennessee tree ring scientist and Lloyd Burckle, a Columbia University climatologist, published their conclusions supporting the theory on increased wood density in the journal Dendrochronologia. ^[5]

Yet another possible explanation is that the wood originated and was harvested from the forests of northern Croatia. Croatia (Hrvatska ˈxȓvatska officially the Republic of Croatia ( Republika Hrvatska) is a southern Central European country at the crossroads between ^[6] This maple wood is known for its extreme density due to the slow growth from harsh Croatian winters. Acer ( maple) is a Genus of Trees or Shrubs They are variously classified in a family of their own the Aceraceae, or Croatian wood was a commodity traded by Venetian merchants of this era and is still used for crafting musical instruments by local luthiers to this day.

Some research points to wood preservatives being used in that day as contributing to the resonant qualities. ^[7][8]

While the sound of Stradivari's instruments still has not been fully explained by modern research tools, devices such as the scanning laser vibrometer are aiding researchers in testing the theory that the careful shaping of belly and back plate, in order to "tune" their resonant frequencies, may be an important factor. ^[9]

Glues and varnishes used by Stradivari have been analyzed extensively, and have also been attributed for the sound and quality of his instruments. There remains no consensus on the single most probable factor, and most likely, it is some combination of all, and something not yet recognized.

Stradivari instruments

Violins

Violas

There are thirteen known extant Stradivari violas. Ivry Gitlis (עברי גיטליס (born August 22, 1922) is an Israeli Violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. The viola is a bowed String instrument. It is the middle voice of the Violin family, ^[50]

Celli

Antonio Stradivari built between 70 and 80 cellos in his lifetime, of which 63 are extant. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress The Paganini Quartet is the name given to a collection of four instruments made by Luthier Antonio Stradivari.

Guitars

There are two complete extant guitars by Stradivari, and a few fragments of others, including the neck of a third guitar which is owned by the Conservatoire de Musique in Paris. Gregor Piatigorsky (Ukrainian Григорий Павлович Пятигорский Grigoriy Pavlovich Pyatigorskiy; April 17, 1903 &ndash August Carlos Prieto is a Mexican cellist and writer He plays a Stradivarius cello named "The Piatti" after Carlo Alfredo Piatti, affectionatelly The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a well known conservatoire and one of the leading music institutions in the world The De Munck Feuermann Gardiner Stradivarius of 1730 is an Antique Cello crafted by Italian Emanuel Feuermann ( November 22, 1902, Kolomyia, Austro-Hungarian Empire &ndash May 25, 1942, New York City Aldo Simoes Parisot (born September 30, 1920) is a Brazilian born American Cellist and Cello teacher was formerly Steven Isserlis (born 19 December 1958, London) is one of the most renowned living Cellists. Myung-wha Chung is a distinguished Korean Cellist. Biography Myung-wha Chung was born March 19, 1944 in Seoul The Paganini Quartet is the name given to a collection of four instruments made by Luthier Antonio Stradivari. The Conservatoire de Paris is an institution of higher education that has played an important role in the development of Music in France and Western Europe Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ^[58] These guitars have ten (doubled) strings, which was typical of the era.

Harps

The only Stradivarius harp to survive today is the arpetta (little harp), owned by San Pietro a Maiella Music Conservatory in Naples, Italy. The Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology) on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the The National Music Museum America's Shrine to Music & Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments (NMM is a Musical instrument Museum in Vermillion The Music Conservatories of Naples The current music conservatory in Naples is San Pietro a Maiella (alternately spelled as "Majella" ^[61][62]

Mandolins

There are two known extant Stradivari mandolins. The Cutler-Challen Choral Mandolino of 1680, is currently in the collection of the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. The National Music Museum America's Shrine to Music & Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments (NMM is a Musical instrument Museum in Vermillion The University of South Dakota, the state’s oldest university was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882 Vermillion is a city in and the County seat of Clay County, in the southeastern corner of the U ^[63] The other, dated ca. 1706, is owned by private collector Charles Beare of London. ^[64]

References

Further reading

• Hill, William Henry; Hill, Arthur F. ; Hill, Alfred Ebsworth (1902). Antonio Stradivari, His Life and Work (1644-1737). London: W. E. Hill & Sons. OCLC 8179349. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
• Faber, Toby (2004). Stradivari’s Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection. New York: Random House. ISBN 0375508481.  
• Vannes, Rene [1951] (1985). Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers (vol. 3). Bruxelles: Les Amis de la musique. OCLC 53749830. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  
• William, Henley (1969). Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers. Brighton; England: Amati. ISBN 0901424005.  
• Walter Hamma, Meister Italienischer Geigenbaukunst, Wilhelmshaven 1993, ISBN 3-7959-0537-0

• Millant, Roger (1972). Walter Hamma ( 22 September 1916 - 11 August 1988) was a German Violin maker. J. B. Vuillaume: Sa Vie et son Oeuvre (in French). London: W. E. Hill. OCLC 865746. The OCLC Online Computer Library Center is according to its website a "nonprofit membership computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purpose  

External links

• A FourDoc (short on-line documentary) about a group of violin makers making a violin in the original spec of the maurin Stradivarius in just five days
• What makes a Stradivarius so Great?
• Secrets of the Stradivarius, Scientific American, 10 June 2002 Using science
• Cozio.com Online database of instruments by Antonio Stradivari.
• Cheniston K. Roland, Discography (incomplete) of Stradivarius recordings
• Mark Levine, "Medici of the Meadowlands", The New York Times 3 August 2003 Herbert R. Axelrod's Stravarius collection. Herbert Richard Axelrod (b June 7, 1927 in Bayonne New Jersey) is a Tropical fish expert publisher of pet books and entrepreneur
• Why do Stradivarius's violins sound sublime?
• Chladni patterns for visualizing violin plate resonance patterns
• Stradivari Violin Forms A detailed study of Stradivari's molds and drawings kept in the Cremona Museum. .
• How Stradivari and Guarneri got their music discusses the chemical techniques used to figure out what makes these instruments' unique sound. From the February 1, 2007 issue of Analytical Chemistry
• Gough, Colin (April 2000). Science and the Stradivarius. Physics Web. Institute of Physics Publishing. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain
• Grovier, Kelly. "Biography of Antonio Stradivari", The Observer, 22 August 2004. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain  
• Hanscom, Michael (9 December 2003). Stradivarius’ Secret. Eclecticism. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1648 - Eighty Years' War: The Treaty of Münster is signed ending the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain