Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music. In the car with me was the most distinguished of traveling. His interpretation of geometry and design for the violin has served as a conceptual model for violin makers for more than 250 years. Scanning a stradivarius at the smithsonian smithsonian. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the guardian.
Learn violinmaking with dmitry badiarov violino, palavras. But we do know that it was created by antonio stradivari in 1720 in italy. 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. At the time early 1800s the only thing that was seen as important was stradivari s varnish, so the young giacomo did what he thought was the right thing. That is the book published in 1902 by the three hill brothers of the london violinmaking firm. The stradivari method of violin making created a standard for subsequent times. 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. The lipinski, the viotti, the messiah which almost never was played, the paganini and the khevenhuller are the violins and their owners are followed and described in this book, and the davidov, the. These at first followed the smaller of amatis models, solidly. The soil stradivarius violin was originally made in 1714 by antonio stradivari. Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari. This is genesis of the stradivari books by on vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the.
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. The main qualities of the stradivarius are tone and response. 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. Scientists are trying to uncover what makes stradivarius violins special but are they wasting their time.
Sold christies new york, sale 1982, 4 april 2008 for one point three million dollars. Antonio stradivari cecil violin 1724 poster the strad shop. Its there that the true story of the red violin becomes a little more complicated. Chemists have cooked up recipes for the varnish that coats a violins raw maple. A stradivarius violin cannot match the tonal quality of any other violin. Antonio stradivari, viola, cremona, 1672, the gustav. Museum oxford 1666 antonio stradivari back ram london 1672 antonio stradivari. Antonio stradivari, his life and work dover books on music the.
Holstein soil violin sinding suite in a minor youtube. 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. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this. The relatively new violin then disappeared for two hundred years. His life and work dover books on music kindle edition by hill, w.
Sample from an instrument by antonio stradivari click photo for detailed view violin varnish is applied with a brush in two or more coats. It is composed of sunthickened oils such as linseed or walnut, oxidized resins and added coloring matter. Collectors have paid many thousands of dollars for one of stradivaris violins. 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. Apr 24, 2005 but stradivaris genius, toby fabers first book and a work of nonfiction, is more enthralling, earthy and illuminating than any fiction could possibly be. These are the 12 most expensive violins of all time.
Antonio stradivari was born in cremona, italy, where the violinmaking tradition was already more than 100 years old when he was born. L ast april, i got into a taxi in cremona, the italian city that is the world center of liuteria violin making. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the. Antonius stradivarius, during the 17th and 18th centuries. 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. The book offers an overview of 300 years of violin history. This is the definitive work on stradivarius and one of the great musicology books. Stradivari s notes on making such a superb instrument were preserved. Antonio stradivari s varnish the varnish of a stradivarius has been assigned by some an almost supernatural importance, and since formulations in those days were always regarded as family secrets, many have imagined that this varnish represented the true secret of a stradivarius.
Hill, 9780486204253, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. 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. 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. The remaining inside work is also remarkably clean, and both ribs and plates reveal traces of the. Stradivari was still a pupil of nicolo amati in 1666 when he began to place his own label on violins of his making. Working in the small northern italian city of cremona, these two craftsmen left an unsurpassable legacy. According to this study the secret of antonio stradivaris varnish was uncovered. Antonio stradivari biography life, family, children. 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. The instrument was exhibited at the south kensington museum in london in 1872, and was illustrated in george harts book the violin, its famous makers and their imitators. Antonio stradivari italian violin maker britannica.
This is an antique violin made by the italian luthier antonio stradivari of cremona in 1699, one year before the beginning of his socalled golden period. If so, then a violin made by antonio stradivari is the prima donna assoluta. Capolavori di antonio stradivari, charles beare, charles beare, capolavori di antonio stradivari, milan. The exhibition book clearly shows this, even if the colours reproduced by the. The larger divisions of the book concern the ancestry of stradivari. Collectors have paid many thousands of dollars for one of stradivari s violins. Leading appraisers of fine musical instruments agree that in the. 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. But stradivari s genius, toby fabers first book and a work of nonfiction, is more enthralling, earthy and illuminating than any fiction could possibly be. We would like to invite you to take advantage of our. In his early years stradivari probably worked more on such plucked instruments as harps, guitars, and lutes.
Antonio stradivari biography life, family, children, death. In the opinion of many informed listeners, this is the greatest sounding stradivari of them all. Antonio stradivari students britannica kids homework. Antonio stradivari was the man who crafted the violins. Thanks to fabers book, i think i know to whom it was going and where it had. After many years of research, i am proud to offer these superior speakers to a small selected circle of classical music fans only. The discussion about material, construction, and varnish are all very. Antonio stradivari, violin, cremona, 1714, the soil tarisio. 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. 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. This book traces antonio stradivaris life, that of his children, and more importantly, the journeys made by 5 violins and 1 cello made by him. Good historic italian varnish is highly translucent and soft, yet friable. Capolavori di antonio stradivari, charles beare, charles beare, capolavori di antonio stradivari. 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.
Antonio stradivari a violin, known as the penny, cremona, circa 1700, labeled antonius stradivarius cremonensis facibat anno, length of back 78 in. 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. As in the guarneri book, this book has many nice color photos and blackwhite photos. Antonio stradivari was born in 1644, and established his shop in cremona, italy, where he remained active until his death in 1737. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading antonio stradivari. 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. A high end photo collection of instruments crafted by the legendary antonio stradivari. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. From their estimated minimum total of 52 long vio lins, the hill brothers cite eight fine examples. Scientific analysis of his finishing technique on selected.
Antonio stradivari, his life and work book depository. Scientists are trying to uncover what makes stradivarius. Giacomo did in fact copy the recipe out of one of antonio stradivari s notebooks. How to identify an original violin label deborah b. Secret behind the composition of the varnish on stradivari violins revealed violin antonio stradivari is the most famous instrument maker of all time. The varnished truth about a stradivarius why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury instrument maker, so dramatically better. It is strange, but true, that only one book really delves into the life and art of this famous italian craftsman. The incomparable visual beauty of his instruments and the infinite variety and magnificence of tone of which they are capable have by this. Thanks for the video on the making of the book, peter. Antonio stradivari s sons francesco 16711743 and omobono 16791742 were also violin makers, who assisted their father, together with carlo bergonzi, who appears to have succeeded to the possession of antonio s stockintrade. 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. Scanning a stradivarius medical 3d imaging makes it possible to study the worlds greatest stringed instruments and uncover the secrets of its makers. Confira tambem os ebooks mais vendidos, lancamentos e livros digitais exclusivos.
It was considered one of his finest violins ever made. Why are violins made by antonio stradivari, the 18thcentury. The web page is down and wayne beckett wrote me that the publication would be out this month. The latinized form of his surname, stradivarius, as well as the colloquial strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments.
Stewart pollenss new book, stradivari, gets at that question through a meticulously detailed examination of the legendary antonio stradivari s methodsfrom what kind. Antonio stradivari, italian violin maker who brought the craft of violinmaking to its highest pitch of perfection. Antonio stradivari, his life and work by william h. 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. It covers construction methods, woods, varnishes, types of instruments, and special features as well as the life of the composer. Exploring the historical circumstances in northern italy, namely the city of cremona, where the violin originated, it takes the reader from andrea amatis workshop to those of the most famous cremonese violin makers such as antonio stradivari, guarneri del gesu and carlo bergonzi.
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