Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari.
Background
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. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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.
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. 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.
Theories and reproduction attempts
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.
A more modern theory attributes tree growth during a time of unusually low solar activity during the Maunder Minimum "Little Ice Age" from ca. 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]
Yet another possible explanation is that the wood originated and was harvested from the forests of northern Croatia.[5] This maple wood is known for its extreme density due to the slow growth from harsh Croatian winters. 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.
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.[6]
Texas A&M University biochemist Joseph Nagyvary succeeded in making a violin somewhere near the quality of a Stradivari by leaving the wood to soak in brine.[7] Because of the lack of land in Venice, during that period imported wood was often stored in the seawater of the Venetian Lagoon, where a type of decomposition had a slight effect on the wood. Nagyvary managed to acquire wood shavings from a Stradivarius violin, and under a microscope he found the natural filter plates in the pores between the tracheids were gone. He also treated the wood with a preparation of borax in the manner of Stradivari, who used it to prevent infestation.
By late 2003, Nagyvary refined his techniques and produced a violin that was tested in a duel with the Leonardo da Vinci of 1725, an instrument not from Stradivari’s golden period.[8] Both violins were played in each of four selections of music by violinist Dalibor Karvay behind a screen to an audience of 600 attended by 160 trained musicians and 303 regular concert goers. This was the first public comparison of a Stradivari with a contemporary instrument before a large audience where the audience would cast ballots on the performance quality of each violin. The consensus was that Nagyvary's instrument surpassed the Stradivarius in each category by a small margin.
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
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2008) |
Violins
Sobriquet | Year | Provenance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
ex-Back | 1666 | Royal Academy of Music | Currently displayed as part of Royal Academy's York Gate Collection |
Dubois | 1667 | Canimex Foundation | on loan to Alexandre da Costa [9] |
Aranyi | 1667 | Francis Aranyi (collector) | sold at Sotheby's London, 12 November 1986 [10] |
ex-Captain Saville | 1667 | Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume; Captain Saville (1901-1907) |
|
Amatese | 1668 | Though listed in many reference books as one of Stradivari's earliest instruments, the modern consensus is that it is not a Stradivari; it was sold Sotheby's New York 3 February 1982 as "an interesting violin." [11] | |
Oistrakh | 1671 | David Oistrakh | missing: stolen in 1996 [12] |
Sellière | 1672 | Charles IV of Spain; | |
Spanish | 1677 | Finnish Cultural Foundation | on loan to Elina Vähälä [13] |
Hellier | 1679 | Sir Samuel Hellier | Smithsonian Institution |
Paganini-Desaint | 1680 | Nippon Music Foundation [14] | this violin along with the Paganini-Comte Cozio di Salabue violin of 1727, the Paganini-Mendelssohn viola 1731, and Paganini-Ladenburg cello of 1731, comprise a group of instruments referred to as The Paganini Quartet; on loan to Kikuei Ikeda of the Tokyo String Quartet |
Fleming | 1681 | ||
Chanot-Chardon | 1681 | Timothy Baker; Joshua Bell |
Shaped like a guitar |
Bucher | 1683 | ||
Cipriani Potter | 1683 | ||
Cobbett; ex-Holloway | 1683 | on loan to Sejong brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] | |
ex-Croall | 1684 | WestLB | |
ex-Elphinstone | 1684 | Guarneri House | |
ex-Arma Senkrah | 1685 | ||
ex-Castelbarco | 1685 | ||
Goddard | 1686 | Miss Goddard; Antonio Fortunato[16] | |
Ole Bull | 1687 | Ole Bull (1844); Dr. Herbert Axelrod (1985-1997) |
Donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1997 by Axelrod |
Mercur-Avery | 1687 | on loan to Jonathan Carney, concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2002 | |
Auer | 1689 | on loan to Vadim Gluzman brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] | |
Arditi | 1689 | Dextra musica AS, Norway | on loan to Elise Båtnes, concertmaster, Oslo Philharmonic |
Baumgartner | 1689 | Canada Council for the Arts | on loan to Judy Kang [17] |
Spanish I | 1689 | Patrimonio Nacional, Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain [18] | date range 1687-1689; part of a duo of violins (Spanish I and II) refered to as los Decorados, and los Palatinos; also collectively known as del Cuarteto Real (The Royal Quartet) when included with the Spanish Court viola (1696) and cello (1694). |
Spanish II | 1689 | Patrimonio Nacional, Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain [18] | date range 1687-1689; part of a duo of violins (Spanish I and II) refered to as los Decorados, and los Palatinos; also collectively known as del Cuarteto Real (The Royal Quartet) when included with the Spanish Court viola (1696) and cello (1694). |
Bingham | 1690 | ||
Bennett | 1692 | Winterthur-Versicherungen | on loan to Hanna Weinmeister |
Falmouth | 1692 | on loan to Leonidas Kavakos | |
Gould | 1693 | George Gould Metropolitan Museum of Art |
bequeathed by Gould to the Metropolitan Museum in 1955 [19] |
Harrison | 1693 | Richard Harrison; Henry Hottinger; Kyung-Wha Chung |
In the collection of the National Music Museum, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA. [Harrison Strad] |
Baillot-Pommerau | 1694 | ||
Ruston | 1694 | Royal Academy of Music | on loan to Clio Gould [20] |
Fetzer | 1695 | ||
Cabriac | 1698 | ||
Baron Knoop | 1698 | one of eleven Stradivari violins associated with Baron Johann Knoop | |
Joachim | 1698 | Royal Academy of Music | |
Duc de Camposelice | 1699 | ||
Lady Tennant; Lafont | 1699 | Charles Phillipe Lafont; Marguerite Agaranthe Tennant |
on loan to Xiang Gao brokered by the Stradivari Society;[15] sold at Christie's auction US$2.032 million, April 2005 [21] |
Longuet | 1699 | ||
Countess Polignac | 1699 | on loan to Gil Shaham. | |
Castelbarco | 1699 | ||
Kustendyke | 1699 | Royal Academy of Music | |
Crespi | 1699 | Royal Academy of Music | |
Cristiani | 1700 | ||
The Penny | 1700 | Barbara Penny | |
Dragonetti | 1700 | Nippon Music Foundation | |
Jupiter | 1700 | Giovanni Battista Viotti | |
Taft; ex-Emil Heermann | 1700 | Canada Council for the Arts | on loan to Jessica Linnebach [17] |
Dushkin | 1701 | on loan to Dennis Kim, concertmaster, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra | |
Markees | 1701 | Music Chamber | on loan to Leung Kin-fung |
Irish | 1702 | OKO Bank, Finland | on loan to Réka Szilvay |
Conte de Fontana; ex-Oistrach | 1702 | David Oistrakh (1953-1963); Riccardo Brengola; Pro Canale Foundation | Oistrakh's first violin; on loan to Mariana Sirbu |
Lukens; Edler Voicu | 1702 | A.W. Lukens; Jon Voicu; Romania Culture Ministry | on loan to Alexandru Tomescu through 2012 [22] |
King Maximilian Joseph | 1702 | ||
Lyall | 1702 | ||
Antonio Stradivari | 1703 | Bundesrepublik Deutschland | on exhibit at Musikinstrumentenmuseum, Berlin [23] |
La Rouse Boughton | 1703 | Österreichische Nationalbank [24] | on loan to Boris Kuschnir of the Kopelman Quartet |
Lord Newlands | 1702 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Toru Yasunaga |
Allegretti | 1703 | ||
Alsager | 1703 | ||
Lady Harmsworth | 1703 | Paul Bartel | on loan to Kristof Barati brokered by the Stradivari Society[25] |
Emiliani | 1703 | Anne-Sophie Mutter | |
Betts | 1704 | U.S. Library of Congress | |
Sleeping Beauty | 1704 | L-Bank Baden-Wurttemberg | On loan to Isabelle Faust. One of the few Stradivari violins to have retained original neck. |
ex-Marsick; ex-Oistrach | 1705 | David Oistrach | acquired in trade by Oistrach for the 1702 Conte di Fontana |
ex-Brüstlein | 1707 | Österreichische Nationalbank [24] | |
La Cathédrale | 1707 | ||
Hammer | 1707 | Christian Hammer (collector) | Sold at Christie's New York on 16 May 2006 for a record US$3,544,000 (€2,765,080) after five minutes of bidding [1][2] |
Burstein; Bagshawe | 1708 | ||
Huggins | 1708 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Sergey Khachatryan [26] |
Ruby | 1708 | on loan to Chen Xi brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] | |
Strauss | 1708 | on loan to Chee-Yun brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] | |
Berlin Hochschule | 1709 | ||
Hammerle; ex-Adler | 1709 | Österreichische Nationalbank [24] | on loan to Werner Hink |
Ernst | 1709 | on loan to Zsigmondy Dénes through 2003 | |
Engleman | 1709 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Lisa Batiashvili |
Viotti; ex-Bruce | 1709 | Royal Academy of Music | purchased in 2005 for GB£3.5 million |
Marie Hall | 1709 | Giovanni Battista Viotti; The Chi-Mei Collection |
named after violinist, Marie Hall |
ex-Kempner | 1709 | on loan to Soovin Kim | |
Camposelice | 1710 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Kyoko Takezawa |
Lord Dunn-Raven | 1710 | Anne-Sophie Mutter | |
ex-Roederer | 1710 | on loan to David Grimal. | |
ex-Vieuxtemps | 1710 | on loan to Samuel Magad, concertmaster, Chicago Symphony Orchestra | |
Earl of Plymouth; Kreisler | 1711 | Los Angeles Philharmonic [27] | found in store room on the estate of the Earl of Plymouth along with The Messiah and Alard violins in 1925; purchased by Fritz Kreisler in 1928 and subsequently sold by him in 1946 [28] |
Liegnitz | 1711 | ||
Le Brun | 1712 | Niccolò Paganini; Charles LeBrun; Otto Senn; | Sold at Sotheby's auction November 13, 2001 |
Karpilowsky | 1712 | Harry Solloway | missing: stolen in 1953 from Solloway's residence in Los Angeles |
Schreiber | 1713 | ||
Antonio Stradivari | 1713 | ||
Boissier | 1713 | ||
Gibson; ex-Huberman | 1713 | Bronisław Huberman; Joshua Bell |
stolen twice from Huberman |
Lady Ley | 1713 | Stradivarius family | now bought by Jue Yao - Chinese violinist |
Wirt | 1713 | ||
Dolphin; Delfino | 1714 | Jascha Heifetz; Nippon Music Foundation |
on loan to Akiko Suwanai |
Soil | 1714 | Amédée Soil; Yehudi Menuhin; Itzhak Perlman | |
ex-Berou; ex-Thibaud | 1714 | ||
Le Maurien | 1714 | missing: stolen 2002 [12] | |
Leonora Jackson | 1714 | ||
Sinsheimer; General Kyd; Perlman | 1714 | Itzhak Perlman David L. Fulton |
|
Smith-Quersin | 1714 | Österreichische Nationalbank [24] | on loan to Rainer Honeck |
Alard-Baron Knoop | 1715 | ||
Baron Knoop; ex-Bevan | 1715 | ||
ex-Bazzini | 1715 | ||
Cremonese; ex-Harold Joachim | 1715 | Municipality of Cremona | |
Joachim | 1715 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Sayaka Shoji |
Lipinski | 1715 | In private hands since 1962 | |
ex-Marsick | 1715 | on loan to James Ehnes | |
Titian | 1715 | Jacob Lynam | |
Cessole | 1716 | ||
Berthier | 1716 | ||
Booth | 1716 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Shunsuke Sato; formerly loaned to Arabella Steinbacher; formerly loaned to Julia Fischer |
Colossus | 1716 | missing: stolen 1998 [12] | |
Duranti | 1716 | Mariko Senju [29] | |
Monasterio | 1716 | Cyrus Forough | |
Provigny | 1716 | ||
Messiah-Salabue | 1716 | Ashmolean Museum Oxford | on exhibit at the Oxford Ashmolean Museum |
ex-Windsor-Weinstein; Fite | 1716 | Canada Council for the Arts | on loan to Jean-Sébastien Roy [17] |
Baron Wittgenstein | 1716 | on loan to Mincio Mincev | |
Gariel | 1717 | ||
ex-Wieniawski | 1717 | ||
Kochanski | 1717 | Pierre Amoyal | reported stolen in 1987; recovered in 1991 [30] |
Sasserno | 1717 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Viviane Hagner |
Viotti; ex-Rosé | 1718 | Giovanni Battista Viotti; Österreichische Nationalbank [24] |
on loan to Volkhard Steude |
Firebird; ex-Saint Exupéry | 1718 | Salvatore Accardo | Its name is taken from the colouration of the varnish and its brilliant sound. |
Marquis de Riviere | 1718 | Daniel Majeske | played by Majeske while concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1969-1993 |
San Lorenzo | 1718 | Georg Talbot | on loan to David Garrett; incorrectly reported as damaged on 27 December 2007.[31][32] |
Lauterbach | 1719 | Johann Christoph Lauterbach; J.B. Vuillaume; Charles Philippe Lafont [33] | |
Madrileño | 1720 | ||
von Beckerath | 1720 | Michael Antonello | |
Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis | 1721 | recovered in southern Germany in 2006 | |
Lady Blunt | 1721 | Paolo Stradivari | named after Lady Anne Blunt, daughter of Ada Lovelace, granddaughter of Lord Byron. |
Jean-Marie Leclair | 1721 | Jean-Marie Leclair; | on loan to Guido Rimonda [34] |
Red Mendelssohn | 1721 | Mendelssohn Family; Elizabeth Pitcairn |
inspiration for the 1998 film, The Red Violin |
Artot | 1722 | ||
Jupiter; ex-Goding | 1722 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Daishin Kashimoto; formerly Midori Goto |
Laub-Petschnikoff | 1722 | ||
Jules Falk | 1722 | Viktoria Mullova | |
Elman | 1722 | Chi Mei Museum | |
Cádiz | 1722 | Joseph Fuchs | on loan to Jennifer Frautschi; named after the city of Cádiz, Spain. |
Kiesewetter | 1723 | Clement and Karen Arrison[35] | on loan to Philippe Quint brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] Quint left the $4 million violin in a N.Y. cab on April 21 2008, but he was reunited with it a day later. |
Earl Spencer | 1723 | on loan to Nicola Benedetti [36] | |
Le Sarastre | 1724 | Real Conservatorio Superior de Música, Madrid | bequeathed to the Conservatory by Pablo de Sarasate; on loan to Chen Xi |
Brancaccio | 1725 | Destroyed in an allied air raid on Berlin. | Owned by Carl Flesch, until 1928 where it was sold to Franz von Mendelssohn, banker and amateur violinist.[37] |
Chaconne | 1725 | Österreichische Nationalbank [24] | on loan to Rainer Küchel |
Leonardo da Vinci | 1725 | Da Vinci family [38] | |
Wilhelmj | 1725 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Baiba Skride; one of several Stradivari violins with the sobriquet "Wilhelmj" |
Greville; Kreisler; Adams | 1726 | Fritz Kreisler | |
Barrere | 1727 | on loan to Janine Jansen brokered by the Stradivari Society [15] | |
Davidoff-Morini | 1727 | missing: stolen in 1995; currently one of the FBI's Top Ten Art Crimes [39] | |
ex-General Dupont | 1727 | on loan to Jennifer Koh | |
Holroyd | 1727 | ||
Kreutzer | 1727 | Maxim Vengerov | one of four Stradivari violins with the sobriquet Kreutzer (1701, 1720, 1731) |
Hart; ex-Francescatti | 1727 | Salvatore Accardo | |
Paganini-Comte Cozio di Salabue | 1727 | Nippon Music Foundation | this violin along with the Paganini-Desaint violin of 1680, the Paganini-Mendelssohn viola of 1731, and the Paganini-Ladenburg cello of 1736, comprise a group of instruments referred to as The Paganini Quartet; on loan to Martin Beaver of the Tokyo String Quartet |
Halphen | 1727 | Angelika Prokopp Private Foundation | on loan to Eckhard Seifert |
Vesuvius | 1727 | Antonio Brosa Remo Lauricella Town of Cremona |
|
A. J. Fletcher; Red Cross Knight | 1728 | A. J. Fletcher Foundation | on loan to Nicholas Kitchen of the Borromeo String Quartet; the instrument was made by Omobono Stradivarius [40] |
Artot-Alard | 1728 | ||
Dragonetti; Milanollo | 1728 | Giovanni Battista Viotti | on loan to Corey Cerovsek |
Perkins | 1728 | Los Angeles Philharmonic | named after Frederick Perkins, formerly owned by Luigi Boccherini[41] |
Benny | 1729 | Jack Benny; Los Angeles Philharmonic |
bequeathed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic by Jack Benny |
Solomon, ex-Lambert | 1729 | Murray Lambert; Seymour Solomon |
sold at Christie's, New York for US$2,728,000 (€2,040,000) |
Innes | 1729 | on loan to Eugen Sarbu; previously loaned to Wieniawski | |
Guarneri | 1729 | Canada Council for the Arts | on loan to Yi-Ja Suzanne Hou in 2003 [17][42] |
Lady Jeanne | 1731 | Donald Kahn Foundation | on loan to Benjamin Schmid |
Royal Spanish | 1730 | ||
Heifetz-Piel | 1731 | Rudolph Piel; Jascha Heifetz |
|
Duke of Alcantara | 1732 | An obscure Spanish nobleman described as an aide-de-camp of King Don Carlos; UCLA | Genevieve Vedder donated the instrument to the University of California at Los Angeles' (UCLA) music department in the 1960s. In 1967, the instrument was on loan to David Margetts who left the Stradivarius on the roof of his car and drove off or claimed it was stolen from his vehicle. For 27 years the violin was considered missing until it was recovered from an amateur violinist. A settlement was made and the Stradivarius was returned to UCLA in 1995.[43][44][45] |
Herkules | 1732 | Eugène Ysaÿe | missing: stolen in 1908 [12] |
Red Diamond | 1732 | ||
Tom Taylor | 1732 | previously loaned to Joshua Bell | |
Des Rosiers | 1733 | Angèle Dubeau | |
Huberman; Kreisler | 1733 | Bronisław Huberman; Fritz Kreisler |
|
Khevenhüller | 1733 | Yehudi Menuhin | |
Rode | 1733 | ||
Ames | 1734 | missing: stolen in the 1960s [12] | |
Baron Feilitzsch; Heermann | 1734 | Baron Feilitzsch; Hugo Heerman Gidon Kremer |
|
Habeneck | 1734 | Royal Academy of Music | |
Herkules; Ysaye; ex-Szeryng; King David | 1734 | Eugène Ysaÿe; Charles Münch; Henryk Szeryng; State of Israel |
|
Lord Amherst of Hackney | 1734 | Fritz Kreisler | |
Lamoreux | 1735 | missing: stolen [12] | |
Muntz | 1736 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Arabella Steinbacher |
Comte d'Amaille | 1737 | ||
Lord Norton | 1737 | ||
Chant du Cygne; Swan Song | 1737 | Ivry Gitlis |
Violas
There are thirteen known extant Stradivari violas.[46]
Sobriquet | Year | Provenance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Tuscan-Medici | 1690 | Cosimo III de' Medici | Commissioned by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. Currently on loan to the U.S. Library of Congress |
Archinto | 1696 | Royal Academy of Music [4] | |
Spanish Court | 1696 | Patrimonio Nacional, Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain [18] | collectively known as del Cuarteto Real (The Royal Quartet) when included with the violin duo, los Decorados (Spanish I and II, 1687-1689), and the Spanish Court cello of 1694. |
Kux; Castelbarco | 1714 | Royal Academy of Music | Converted from viol to viola by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume [47] |
The Russian | 1715 | Russian State Collection | |
Cassavetti | 1727 | U.S. Library of Congress | |
Paganini-Mendelssohn | 1731 | Nippon Music Foundation | this viola along with the Paganini-Desaint violin of 1680, the Paganini-Comte Cozio di Salabue violin of 1727, and the Paganini-Ladenburg cello of 1731, comprise a group of instruments referred to as The Paganini Quartet; on loan to Kazuhide Isomura of the Tokyo String Quartet |
Cellos
Antonio Stradivari built between 70 and 80 cellos in his lifetime, of which 63 are extant.
Sobriquet | Year | Provenance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
ex-Du Pre; ex-Harrell | 1673 | Jacqueline du Pré Lynn Harrell |
|
General Kyd; ex-Leo Stern | 1684 | Los Angeles Philharmonic | the instrument was stolen in 2004 and later recovered.[48][49][50] |
Barjansky | 1690 | Julian Lloyd Webber [51] | |
ex-Gendron; ex-Lord Speyer | 1693 | Kunststiftung NRW | on loan to Maria Kliegel; previously loaned to Maurice Gendron (1958-1990) |
Spanish Court | 1694 | Patrimonio Nacional, Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain [18] | collectively known as del Cuarteto Real (The Royal Quartet) when included with the violin duo, los Decorados (Spanish I and II 1687-1689), and the Spanish Court viola of 1696. |
Bonjour | 1696 | Abel Bonjour Canada Council for the Arts |
on loan to Soo Bae [17] |
Lord Aylesford | 1696 | Nippon Music Foundation | on loan to Danjulo Ishizaka; previously loaned to Janos Starker (1950-1965) |
Castelbarco | 1697 | ||
Servais | 1701 | National Museum of American History | on loan to Anner Bylsma; |
Paganini-Countess of Stanlein | 1707 | Bernard Greenhouse | |
Markevitch; Delphino | 1709 | Royal Academy of Music | |
Gore Booth; Baron Rothschild | 1710 | Rocco Filippini | |
Duport | 1711 | Mstislav Rostropovich (1974-2007) | |
Mara | 1711 | Heinrich Schiff | |
Davydov | 1712 | Karl Davydov Jacqueline du Pré |
on loan to Yo-Yo Ma. |
Batta | 1714 | Alexander Batta Gregor Piatigorsky |
|
Becker | 1719 | ||
Piatti | 1720 | Carlos Prieto | |
Cristiani | 1720 | ||
Baudiot | 1725 | Gregor Piatigorsky | |
Chevillard | 1725 | Museu da Música (Lisbon) | |
Marquis de Corberon; ex-Loeb | 1726 | Royal Academy of Music | |
De Munck; ex-Feuermann | 1730 | Emmanuel Feuermann Aldo Parisot Nippon Music Foundation |
on loan to Steven Isserlis [52][46] |
Pawle | 1730 | Chi Mei Museum | |
Braga | 1731 | played by Myung-Wha Chung [53] | |
Paganini-Ladenburg | 1736 | Nippon Music Foundation | this cello along with the Paganini-Desaint violin of 1686, the Paganini-Comte Cozio di Salabue violin of 1727, and the Paganini-Mendelssohn viola of 1731, comprise a group of instruments referred to as The Paganini Quartet; on loan to Clive Greensmith of the Tokyo String Quartet |
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.[54] These guitars have ten (doubled) strings, which was typical of the era.
Sobriquet | Year | Provenance | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Hill | 1688 | Ashmolean Museum at Oxford University[55] | |
Rawlins | 1700 | National Music Museum South Dakota [56] |
Harps
The only Stradivarius harp to survive today is the arpetta (little harp), owned by San Pietro a Maiella Music Conservatory in Naples, Italy.[57][58]
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.[59] The other, dated ca. 1706, is owned by private collector Charles Beare of London.[60]
References
- ^ a b "Stradivarius tops auction record". BBC News. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-07.
- ^ a b Associated Press (16 May 2006). "Successful $3,544,000 bid of "Hammer"". MSNBC. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
- ^ Associated Press (8 December 2003). "Cool weather may be Stradivarius' secret". CNN. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ a b John Pickrell (7 Jan 2004). "Did "Little Ice Age" Create Stradivarius Violins' Famous Tone?". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ W. H. Hill, Arthur F. Hill (1963). "Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work". Dover Publications. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ Andrew W. Brown (2004). "Documentation of Double Bass Plate Modes Using the Scanning Laser Vibrometer". University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ Robert Uhlig (31 March 2001). "Stradivari 'Owes it All to Worms'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ Kathleen Phillips (22 Sept 2003). "Violin Duel a Draw for Antique Stradivarius, New Instrument". AGNews. Texas A&M University. Archived from the original on 2003-10-03. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
{{cite news}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Stradivarius". AlexandreDacosta.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1666-70 (Aranyi)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1664 (Amatese)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ a b c d e f "Stolen Musical Instruments". Saz Productions, Inc. May 2006. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ "Elina Vähälä". Jonathan Wentworth Associates. 9 June 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "Instruments Owned by NMF". Nippon Music Foundation. Dec 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Recipients and Instrument Collection". The Stradivari Society. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1686 (Goddard)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ a b c d e Director of Endowments and Prizes. "Musical Instrument Bank". The Canada Council for the Arts. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ a b c d "Violins, violas, cellos & double basses owned by Royal Palace in Madrid". Cozio. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Daily Artwork Arcdhive". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Jan 2004. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ "Clio Gould AGSM, Hon RAM". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ Agence France-Presse (23 April 2005). "Stradivari violin fetches record auction price". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
- ^ R.R. (24 November 2007). "Legendary Stradivarius finds Romania owner at last". HotNews. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1703". Cozio.com. 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e f "Wertvolle alte Streichinstrumente". Oesterreichische Nationalbank. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
- ^ "Kristof Barati". Kristof Barati. Archived from the original on 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Sergey Khachatryan:". Askonas Holt. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1711 (Earl of Plymouth; Kreisler)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ Time writers (22 April 1946). "Unplayed Strads". Time. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ "Mariko Senju Profile". Mariko Senju. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ Amoyal, Pierre (2004). Pour l'amour d'un Stradivarius. Paris: Laffont. ISBN 2221094735.
- ^ Thomas Wagner (14 February 2008). "Violinist: Fall Fractures $1M Fiddle". The Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ Andy McSmith (13 February 2008). "Virtuoso's trip destroys priceless Stradivarius". Independent. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1719 (Lauterbach)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
- ^ "Guido Rimonda Biography". Guido Rimonda. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
- ^ "Violinist Plays For Taxi Driver". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
- ^ "Meet The Orchestra Players: Nicola Benedetti". Philharmonia Orchestra. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1725 (Brancaccio)". Cozio. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ^ "The Instruments and to Whom Did They Belong, and When?". Fritz Reuter & Sons. 14 July 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- ^ "Theft Notices & Recoveries". FBI Art Theft Program. Retrieved 2007-04-07.
- ^ "Nicholas Kitchen Biography". Borromeo String Quartet. 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1728 (Perkins)". Cozio.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
- ^ Director of Endowments and Prizes. "Musical Instrument Bank". Canada Council for the Arts. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ Daniel Pearl. "Stradivarius Violin, Lost Years Ago, Resurfaces but New Owner Plays Coy (1994-10-17)". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ Carla Shapreau. "Lost and Found. And Lost Again? (2006-02-12)". LA Times. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ "Violin by Antonio Stradivari, 1732c (Duke of Alcantara)". Cozio. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
- ^ a b "Extant Stradivari works". The Smithsonian Magazine. December 2002. Archived from the original on 2006-03-07. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ David Rattray (2004). "Viola by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, 1714, 'Ex Kux'". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ^ "Rare cello escapes CD rack fate". BBC News. 15 May 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ Kevin Roderick (18 May 2004). "Cello returned with damage". LA Observed. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- ^ "Cello by Antonio Stradivari, 1684 (General Kyd; ex-Leo Stern)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ Julian Lloyd Webber (18 July 2004). (Interview). Interviewed by Tim Janof http://www.cello.org/Newsletter/Articles/webber/webber.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
{{cite interview}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help); Unknown parameter|program=
ignored (help) - ^ "Cello by Antonio Stradivari, 1730c (Feuermann; De Munck, Gardiner)". Cozio.com. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ Cummings, David (2000). International Who's Who in Music. Ely: Melrose. p. 116. ISBN 0948875534.
{{cite book}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=
(help) - ^ "Get ready for videos of the classics". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-25.
- ^ Tim Page (16 Feb 1986). "Music Notes: Get Ready for Videos of the Classics". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
- ^ "Stradivari Guitar on Exhibit at the National Music Museum". University of South Dakota, National Music Museum. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
- ^ de la Mare, Calina (6 November 2004). "Review of: "Stradivarius: Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius", by Toby Faber (2004) Macmillan". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ Buonadonna, Maria Principia (1998). "Tradition, Art and Folklore: the Luthiers of Naples" (.PDF). Rivista di Politica Economica. LXXXVIII (VII–IX): 197. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ National Music Museum (19 September 2006). "The Cutler-Challen Choral Mandolino by Stradivari, 1680". University of South Dakota. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- ^ Tyler, James (1989). The Early Mandolin. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198163029. Retrieved 2008-02-15.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help)
Further reading
- Hill, William Henry (1902). Antonio Stradivari, His Life and Work (1644-1737). London: W.E. Hill & Sons. OCLC 8179349.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - Faber, Toby (2004). Stradivari’s Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection. New York: Random House. ISBN 0375508481.
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.
- 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 2008-01-30.
- Grovier, Kelly (22 August 2004). "Biography of Antonio Stradivari". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
- Hanscom, Michael (9 December 2003). "Stradivarius' Secret". Eclecticism. Retrieved 2008-01-30.