It was greatly supported by violin dealers and experts, directors and curators of various instrument collections, private instrument owners as well as participating. Many of the investigations after stradivari tend to focus on the lost varnish recipe, and regard this to the key to the whole magical mystery. This book traces antonio stradivaris life, that of his children, and more importantly, the. Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari violins revealed violin antonio stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. The discussion about material, construction, and varnish are all very. Anyone who read hills biography of stradivari has heard of a secret family varnish recipe claimed to be copied by one of his descendent giacomo stradivari from a family bible, supposedly dated 1704. Nagyvary, who also makes violins, violas and cellos, believes the chemists were closest to the truth. Automatic identification of varnish wear on historical. New investigation results about the most famous antonio stradivari violin available in a new publication edited by the museo del violino of cremona. Dec 04, 2009 in a finding that is sure to add to one of the longestrunning debates in music, a detailed analysis of the varnish on five instruments made by antonio stradivari reveals that he coated the wood.
Learn violinmaking with dmitry badiarov violino, palavras. Museum oxford 1666 antonio stradivari back ram london 1672 antonio stradivari. In a finding that is sure to add to one of the longestrunning debates in music, a detailed analysis of the varnish on five instruments made by antonio stradivari reveals that he coated the wood. Antonio stradivari was born in cremona, italy, where the violinmaking tradition was already more than 100 years old when he was born. Antonio stradivari biography life, family, children, death. Oct 23, 2011 open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Giacomo did in fact copy the recipe out of one of antonio stradivaris notebooks. Scanning a stradivarius at the smithsonian smithsonian. Antonio stradivari italian violin maker britannica.
And neither had much to do with stradivari himself. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music the. In the field of cultural heritage, uvinduced fluorescence uvifl photography is extensively applied to the study of artworks. Antonio stradivari, violin, cremona, 1714, the soil tarisio.
Oct, 2000 why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury instrument maker, so dramatically better than anything built since. Scientists find secret behind sweet sound of stradivarius. Stradivari was a marvelous craftsman, nagyvary observes, but the magnificent sound of. In his early years stradivari probably worked more on such plucked instruments as harps, guitars, and lutes.
Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari. Chemists have cooked up recipes for the varnish that coats a violins raw maple. Recent publications by stewart pollens bartolomeo cristofori and the invention of the piano this is the first comprehensive study of the life and work of bartolomeo cristofori, the paduanborn harpsichord maker and contemporary of antonio stradivari, who is credited with having invented the pianoforte around the year 1700 while working in the medici court in florence. Under the quaint language is the information that subsequent scholars have used as the basis of their understanding of stradivari s work and stolen for the basis of many of their own articles and books, and almost everything written in the book is still considered accuratean unprecedented event in violin publishing, where theres much more. The research results of brandmair and greiner are presented in this book in the articles the buildup of layers in stradivari s varnish by stefanpeter greiner 41 pages and foundations of classical cremonese violin varnishes by brigitte brandmair 91 pages.
Sold christies new york, sale 1982, 4 april 2008 for one point three million dollars. L ast april, i got into a taxi in cremona, the italian city that is the world center of liuteria violin making. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari ebook written by john marchese. It may be the wood, the glue or the shape but experts have long suspected that the real secret of the cherished stradivarius violins special sound lay in its gleaming varnish. Scientific analysis of his finishing technique on selected. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the art of making violins, no one has ever gone beyond the. Antonio stradivari school of violin making high school. Antonio stradivari, italian violin maker who brought the craft of violinmaking to its highest pitch of perfection. Antonio stradivari lived and worked in cremona, italy from 1644 until during his long life he made more than violins of which something over half are known to be still in existence. Musical instruments of the violin family and the geometry and positioning of cutting out their fshaped sound holes. The local lumberman just happened to supply him with the ideal wood, and the local apothecary with the perfect varnish. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the. His life and work dover books on music and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.
Aug 30, 2015 many of the investigations after stradivari tend to focus on the lost varnish recipe, and regard this to the key to the whole magical mystery. Capolavori di antonio stradivari, charles beare, charles beare, capolavori di antonio stradivari, milan. It spent decades in the possession of an italian family, which means it remains in an excellent state of preservation the varnish is virtually unblemished and its sound quality is excellent. Jul 01, 2000 and neither had much to do with stradivari himself. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the violin maker. His life and work dover books on music kindle edition by hill, w. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music.
The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the. Family of violin makers there are no records of antonio stradivari s birth, but based on the documentation of his age that accompanied his signature on some of the instruments he created late in his life, it is assumed that he was born in 1644. Stradivari was a marvelous craftsman, nagyvary observes, but the magnificent sound of his instruments is a lucky accident. He says it is the varnish, together with the specially treated spruce, that makes cremonese violins great. Genesis of the stradivari books this is genesis of the stradivari books by on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them. This is the definitive work on stradivarius and one of the great musicology books. Thanks to fabers book, i think i know to whom it was going and where it had. Antonio stradivari 1694 maria ex muir mackenzie stradivaris so called long pattern violins first ap peared in 1690 and, with some few exceptions, he continued to make them until the end of the century. In the car with me was the most distinguished of traveling. At the time early 1800s the only thing that was seen as important was stradivaris varnish, so the young giacomo did what he thought was the right thing. The incomparable visual beauty of his instruments and the infinite variety and magnificence of tone of which they are capable have by this time passed into the realm of legend. As in the guarneri book, this book has many nice color photos and blackwhite photos. Stradivarius violins are reknown for their beauty and powerful voices. These at first followed the smaller of amatis models, solidly.
If so, then a violin made by antonio stradivari is the prima donna assoluta. Why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari. The nature of the extraordinary finish of stradivaris instruments. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on. Why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury instrument maker, so dramatically better than anything built since. May 21, 2018 the violins made by the italian masters andrea amati and antonio stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their perfect sound has mystified experts for centuries. Table of contents the life of a masterpiece charles beare a controversial history and a research opportunity renato meucci stradivariss concept carlo chiesa john dilworth. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the art of making violins, no one has ever gone beyond the achievement of antonio stradivari.
From 1698 to 1725 stradivari produced his finest instruments and carried his manufacture to the highest possible finish, the outlines are designed with taste and purity, the wood is rich and carefully selected, the arching falls off in gentle and regular curves, the scroll is carved with great perfection, and the varnish is. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the guardian. In the opinion of many informed listeners, this is the greatest sounding stradivari of them all. Confira tambem os ebooks mais vendidos, lancamentos e livros digitais exclusivos. The violin forms of antonio stradivari 1992 contains lifesize photographs of all of the extant wood forms and patterns used by stradivari in the construction of his violins, violas, and cellos, and includes an analysis of their geometry.
It covers construction methods, woods, varnishes, types of instruments, and special features as well as the life of the composer. The incomparable visual beauty of his instruments and the infinite variety and magnificence of tone of which they are capable have by this. The larger divisions of the book concern the ancestry of stradivari. This book traces antonio stradivari s life, that of his children, and more importantly, the journeys made by 5 violins and 1 cello made by him. Antonio stradivari cecil violin 1724 poster the strad shop. The latinized form of his surname, stradivarius, as well as the colloquial strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments. The violins made by the italian masters andrea amati and antonio stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their.
Most reports and publications tell about an almost alchemistic potion that will transform a cheap, lowquality violin into a milliondollar instrument. The research results of brandmair and greiner are presented in this book in the articles the buildup of layers in stradivaris varnish by stefanpeter greiner 41 pages and foundations of classical cremonese violin varnishes by brigitte brandmair 91 pages. According to this study the secret of antonio stradivaris varnish was uncovered. Family of violin makers there are no records of antonio stradivaris birth, but based on the documentation of his age that accompanied his signature on some of the instruments he created late in his life, it is assumed that he was born in 1644. Antonio stradivari students britannica kids homework help. Stradivari did not keep detailed records of his technique and methods, and. From their estimated minimum total of 52 long vio lins, the hill brothers cite eight fine examples. Stewart pollenss new book, stradivari, gets at that question through a. Several studies performed on the varnishes of violins made by the greater violin maker antonio stradivari indicated the presence of linseed oil. Scientific analysis of his finishing technique on selected instruments this outstanding project was realised by brigitte brandmair and peterstefan greiner. Dec 04, 2009 secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari violins revealed violin antonio stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. We would like to invite you to take advantage of our. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Stradivari was still a pupil of nicolo amati in 1666 when he began to place his own label on violins of his making.