Violins built by the Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari (1644?–1737) have a special mystique [Ed: Even his birth year is a mystery.] … not only in the classical music world, but also within the culture generally.
Stradivarius (Latin for Stradivari) made around 1,200 instruments during his long life, of which approximately 650 survive. Of those 500 are violins, but he also made violas, cellos mandolins, harps, and guitars. Probably the most famous cello in existence is the "Davidov”, once owned by British cellist Jacqueline du Pré and now owned by the American cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
What you might not know is that every Stradivarius out there in he world has been given a name. You can browse that full list of names, along with the provenance of every violin HERE.
The mystique surrounding Stradivarius violins is partly due to the belief that they produce a uniquely beautiful and resonant sound. Players speak of the violins’ sound as having brilliance, depth and character unlike anything else. Watch Italian-Scottish classical solo violinist Nicola Benedetti give a three minute tour and demonstration of “Gariel” on Facebook HERE.
Though other craftsmen at the time were curious, even desperate, to discover his secrets, Stradivari never disclosed what made them special. He died taking his unique methods of working to the grave.
The exact techniques and materials used by Stradivari to create his instruments remain a subject of debate and fascination among experts. Musicians and scientists are still searching for an explanation of what makes a Stradivarius so special. Early theories tended to focus on the varnish — maybe Stradivari had added some sort of secret ingredient — but chemical analyses in the 2000s revealed nothing unusual about the composition of Stradivari’s varnish. Another line of inquiry focused on the wood itself. Scientists hypothesised that the cooler climate of the Little Ice Age (1300–1850) may have been a factor, since it would have caused the alpine spruce trees used for the belly (the upward-facing surface) of the violin to grow more slowly, leading to denser wood and better sound. More recently, scientists found that some of the wood Stradivarius used for violins was treated with various chemicals, including aluminium, calcium, and copper, which may have altered its acoustic properties.
Another group of scientists and violin makers set out to examine the possibility that the superiority of Stradivarius instruments might be an illusion. Could it be that the Stradivarius mystique had conditioned violin players and listeners to expect great sound from a Stradivarius instrument and that this expectation had influenced their subjective evaluations of an instrument’s sound? In 2014, in a series of experiments, researchers blindfolded expert violin players and allowed them to test old violins — including several by Stradivari — against top-quality new instruments and rate their preferences. The results shocked many of the participants and are guaranteed to be controversial for decades: some of the new instruments won.
Musicians and collectors highly value these instruments, and they can command astronomical prices at auctions. In 2011 an anonymous buyer paid the record sum of US$15.9 million for a violin — named “Lady Blunt” after Lady Anne Blunt, one of its previous owners — which was considered by experts to be the second best-preserved of Stradivari’s creations … the best preserved being “The Messiah” that sits in a climate-controlled case in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.
Naturally, because of their rarity and value, Stradivarius instruments have been targeted by thieves. At least 10 have gone astray during their long lifetime. Some of the top players have instrument "minders" who might carry the instrument or watch and are in overall charge of its safety.
The Stradivarius legacy continues.
Story Idea: Remo Giuffré
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius
britannica.com/story/whats-so-special-about-stradivarius-violins
classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/violin/why-stradivarius-special
pnas.org/doi/abs/
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9917467/Twelve-Stradivarius-violins-worth-146m-combine-record-expensive-music-ever
wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Stradivarius_instruments
theviolinchannel.com/antonio-stradivari-died-day-1737-whos-now-playing
spinditty.com/industry/Stradivarius-Facts-You-Might-Not-Know
thestrad.com/playing-hub/janine-jansen-twelve-chosen-stradivaris
Images
1. Documentation of Roman Totenberg's Stradivarius violin "Ames". The instrument went missing after one of Roman's concerts but was rediscovered more than three decades later. Courtesy of the Totenberg family.
2. Stradivari in his workshop
3. Stradivarius branding inside the violin
4. Maker's label from Stradivari
5. Video: Nicola Benedetti give a three minute tour and demonstration of “Gariel”
6. “Lady Blunt” sold for US$15.9 in 2011 to an anonymous buyer
7. "The Messiah" at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England
8. Front-page newspaper headline describing purchase by Toscha Seidel of "Da Vinci" Stradivarius violin, in The New York Times on 27 April 27 1924
9. The 12 Stradivarius violins gathered from around the world for the recording of an album featuring the Dutch solo violinist Janine Jansen
10. Janine Jansen with one of the Stradivarius violins
11. Video. Trailer for 2021 documentary "Falling for Stradivari" with Janine Jansen
