Antonio Stradivari
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Antonio Stradivari (1644 – December 18, 1737) was an Italian luthier (maker of violins and other stringed instruments), the most prominent member of that profession. The Latin form of his surname, "Stradivarius" - sometimes shortened to "Strad" - is often used to refer to his instruments.
Biography
Antonio Stradivari was born in the year 1644Some sources give dates 1649 or 1650. but his exact birth place is not documented, apart from the fact that he was born in Italy to Alessandro Stradivari and Anna Moroni. Probably in the years 1667 through 1679 he served as a pupil in Niccolò Amati's workshop.In 1680 Stradivari set up for himself in the Piazza San Domenico, Cremona, and his fame as an instrument-maker was soon established. He began to show his originality, and to make alterations in Amati's model. The arching was improved, the various degrees of thickness in the wood were more exactly determined, the formation of the scroll altered, and the varnish more highly coloured. His instruments are recognized by their inscription in Latin: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date] (Antonio Stradivari, Cremona, made in the year ...). It is generally acknowledged that his finest instruments were manufactured from 1698 to 1725 (peaking around 1715), exceeding in quality those manufactured between 1725 and 1730. After 1730, some of the instruments are signed Sotto la Desciplina d'Antonio Stradivari F. in Cremona [date], and were probably made by his sons, Omobono and Francesco.
Apart from violins, Stradivari also made harps, guitars, violas, and cellos — more than 1,100 instruments in all, by current estimate. About 650 of these instruments survive today.
Antonio Stradivari died in Cremona, Italy on December 18, 1737 and is buried in Cremona.
His instruments are regarded as amongst the finest stringed instruments ever created, are highly prized, and still played by professionals today. Only one other maker, Joseph Guarneri del Gesù, commands the same respect among violinists. (It should be noted, however, that there are fashions in music as in other things, and the accepted supremacy of Stradivari's and del Gesù's instruments is only true today. In the past, instruments by Stradivari's teacher, Nicolo Amati, and an Austrian genius, Jacob Stainer, who might also have studied with Amati, were preferred for their subtle sweetness of tone.)
On May 16, 2006, Christie's auctioned a Stradivarius called "The Hammer" for a record US$3,544,000. It is the most paid at public auction for a violin (or for any other musical instrument). It was purchased by an anonymous telephone bidder. The previous record price paid at a public auction for a Stradivarius was US$2,032,000 for the "Lady Tennant" at Christie's in New York, April 2005 [link]. Private sales are often more accurate examples.
Other famous Stradivarius instruments are the Davidov Strad, a cello currently owned and played by Yo-Yo Ma, and the Duport Strad cello owned by Mstislav Rostropovich. The Soil Strad of 1714 is owned by virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, and many consider it among the finest of all Stradivaris. The “Countess Polignac” is currently played by Gil Shaham.
The usual label for a Stradivarius instrument, whether genuine or false, uses the Latin inscription Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date]. This inscription indicates the maker (Antonio Stradivari), the town (Cremona), and "made in the year," followed by a date that is either printed or handwritten. Copies made after 1891 may also have a country of origin printed in English at the bottom of the label, such as "Made in Czechoslovakia," or simply "Germany." Since thousands of instruments are based on Stradivari's models and bear the same name as his models, many unwary people are tricked into buying fake Stradivarius instruments, though this can be avoided by having an instrument authenticated.
The world's two largest publicly accessible collections of Stradivari instruments belong to the King of Spain, consisting of two violins, two cellos, and a viola, exhibited in the Music Museum at the former Royal Palace (Palacio Real) in Madrid, and the U.S Library of Congress' collection of three violins, a viola, and a cello. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has the largest number of Stradivari in its string section, purchased in 2003 from the collection of Herbert R. Axelrod.
It has also been suggested that aside from his skilled work, climate may also have been a major contributor in the tremendous sound of his instruments. During a time of extreme cold, tree rings become smaller, more tightly spaced, and more dense. It is a possibility that this could be the reason Stradivari was able to create violins with such a distinct sound. The Maunder Minimum was a period from approximately 1645 to 1715 when sunspots suddenly became extraordinarily rare. This directly coincides with the deepest trough of the Little Ice Age. Many climatologists and other scientists believe that one of the primary reasons, if not, the sole primary explanation for the unmatched sound of Stradivari's instruments was this exceptionally uncommon climatologic condition. This is not to take away from Stradivari's fine skills as a luthier, but it is no coincidence that the abrupt availability of such particularly rare timber directly corresponds with the emergence of what some consider to be the most pure sounding wood instruments in the world.
Notes
See also:
- Stradivarius (includes a list of Stradivari’s instruments)
- W E Hill & Sons handled a number of Stradivari's instruments and published a book in 1901, which is now available [online].
External links
This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia.
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