Stradivarius.org

Stradivarius

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:15:55 +0000

A Stradivarius is the name for a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, in particular, by Antonio Stradivari.

Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 in Italy. He apprenticed with Nicolo Amati, a famous violin maker in Cremona.

Antonio was ready to set up business for himself in 1680, although the first several violins he made are believed to be of an inferior quality to those he built between 1698 and 1720.

See also

Stradivarius Secrets

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:15:33 +0000

Many of the Stradivarius manufacturing secrets are a subject of research for modern science. It is known that he used spruce for the top, willow wood for the internal parts and maple for the neck, strip and back. The wood was apparently treated with several different minerals, including Borax, sodium and potassium silicate and a varnish made from Arabic gum, honey and egg white called bianca.

A Stradivarius made in the 1680s or the period between 1690 and 1700 is worth about several hundred thousand dollars. One made during Stradivari’s Golden Era from 1700 to 1720 could be worth several million dollars. The highest priced Stradivarius came up for auction and was sold for $3.5 million dollars but others have been sold privately for much more.

Information on the Stradivarius

admin — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:15:05 +0000

The fame of the Stradivarius is not a modern phenomenon.
During the time the Sherlock Holmes stories were written, it was said that Sherlock Holmes owned one of the instruments. Stradivari didn’t just make violins. In fact, the Spanish Government owns the only complete set of Stradivarius instruments, which consists of two violins, two cellos and a viola. There are currently seven hundred genuine Stradivarius instruments and very few are unaccounted for.

The reputation of the Stradivarius is such that its name is often invoked when referring to a high standard of excellence.

There have been many failed attempts over the years to attempt to explain and reproduce the quality of the sound. One idea was that there was something to do with tree rings of the wood but this has been found to be false. Another theory was that very old wood was used—wood from the little ice age—making the wood denser than regular wood. Others believe that the quality of the instrument was due to special wood glue that was used to make the instruments.

Researchers have used a scanning laser vibrometer to test the theory that careful shaping of the belly and the back plate in order to tune their resonant frequencies may play an important role.