All about Stradivari violins

Antonio Stradivari was a great master who devoted his whole life to making his own musical instruments. The creations of the talented Italian are still highly valued by violinists and collectors, and enjoy worldwide popularity.

During his life, Stradivari made more than a thousand musical instruments. The master was engaged in the creation of cellos, violas, guitars, but it was his signature violins that brought him fame. They differ from musical instruments made by other masters in many significant details.

• The form. Stradivari violins are larger than classical instruments. In addition, they are more elongated.
• Marking. All violins have a stamp inside. The Italian marked his creations in the same way. He used a stamp consisting of his initials and a Maltese cross enclosed in a double circle. The presence of this stamp is one of the signs that the violin is an original and not a fake.
• Number of strings. Antonio Stradivari was a pupil of Niccolo Amati, the grandson of the famous Italian master who first began to create four-stringed violins. During his lifetime, he only improved the Amati technique, but did not change it.

For many years, scientists from different countries of the world have been trying to understand what is the secret of the sound of Stradivarius musical instruments. During this time, several basic theories have emerged. The most common version is that lacquer processing greatly affects the sound of violins. There is a legend that the Italian added dust from the floor of his workshop and the wings of insects to it.Another legend tells that he used the resin of trees that grew in the Tyrolean forests. Now it is impossible to repeat the original "recipe", since they were completely cut out. There is also a version telling that the violins are distinguished by such an extraordinary sound because for their creation Stradivari did not use ordinary wood, but the fragments of Noah's ark.

More serious are the words of scientists from a Taiwanese university, who carried out a chemical analysis of samples of the material from which two Stradivari violins are made. They came to the conclusion that musical instruments were made from wood that had been soaked for a long time in a high-quality mineral preservative. This technology was not popular with other masters who lived at the same time as Stradivari. It is also not used in the manufacture of modern musical instruments. Therefore, it is likely that this is indeed one of the factors influencing the sound of a violin.

During his life, Antonio Stradivari experimented a lot with wood. At first he did it under the guidance of his teacher, Niccolo Amati, and then on his own. It should be noted that no matter what kind of wood the master used, he always dried it well.

Experts say that the main material with which the master preferred to work is the wood of alpine spruces and maples, which grew in cold areas. It was distinguished by its special density. Therefore, the sound of the violins that were made from it turned out to be completely unique.

Francesco Gemiani, the famous Italian violinist and music theorist, said that the ideal violin should sound more beautiful than the voice of a professional singer. Modern scholars believe that the secret of Stradivarius violins lies precisely in the fact that they sound like pure female voices.

Today, about 550 Stradivari violins have survived in the world. Each of them is a real work of art. Especially valuable are the musical instruments that the Italian master created during the golden period of his work - from 1700 to 1720.

This is the most expensive Stradivari violin. Its cost is estimated at $ 10 million. This musical instrument was made in 1721. The master named his creation in honor of Byron's granddaughter, Lady Ann Blunt, who owned the violin. Since the musical instrument was practically not played, it has survived to this day in perfect condition.

The violin, which Stradivari himself especially loved during his lifetime, is also considered very valuable. The instrument was originally created as a collectible and was not intended to be played. That is why it has also been kept in excellent condition. The violin looks like it was created by a great master only yesterday.

After the death of Stradivari, the instrument belonged to his family for some time. Later collectors began to "hunt" him. Because the instrument was very valuable, it was named "Messiah." In 1904, the violin got into one of the museums in Great Britain. This was done under certain conditions. The musical instrument should have been stored in ideal conditions and not passed into the wrong hands. In addition, it was forbidden to play on it, as this would significantly shorten the years of the life of the "Messiah".

This instrument is also known as the "Red Violin" and is truly legendary. Until the 30s of the last century, the instrument belonged to the Mendelssohn family. Later it was considered lost for a long time. They started talking about him again only in 2003, when Elizabeth Pitcairn, its new owner, herself admitted that her grandfather bought a violin for her at a famous auction. Numerous legends are associated with this instrument. One of them, for example, says that the violin has a soul; another - that blood was mixed into the varnish with which it was covered.

The violin was named after the famous Swedish jeweler Christian Hammer, who owned it for a long time. In 2006, it was auctioned for over $ 3 million.

At the beginning of the previous century, the violin belonged to a talented violinist named Koshansky. He received it as a gift from Nicholas II. During the revolution, the violinist was abroad, where he gave concerts. Therefore, he managed to preserve a unique musical instrument. True, a few years later he sold it anyway. The violin, named after the great musician, is now known as the most frequently stolen instrument by Stradivari.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the violins, which, unlike the Koshansky instrument, were located on the territory of the country during the revolution and were nationalized. Some of these musical instruments are now part of the large State collection. It is kept in the Glinka Museum of Musical Culture.

Many of the instruments that make up this collection have an interesting history.

• Amatize. The violin, created in 1686, belonged to Tretyakov. After his death, it became part of the property of the Moscow Conservatory, and then moved to the Glinka Museum, where it has been exhibiting for many years.
• Violin by Alexander I. This model appeared in 1706. After his death, the instrument was moved to the Hermitage, and then stolen from there. When the violin was found, experts discovered that the thieves had partially damaged the varnish layer on it.
• Musical instrument of Prince Yusupov. Stradivari made it just a year before his death. It was kept in the Yusupov family until 1918. After the revolution, the prince decided to leave the country. He immured the violin in one of the basements of his palace. But she was still found and transferred to the State Collection.
• Violin of Prince Shakhovsky. After the death of its owner, it was transferred to Tretyakov, who bequeathed it to Rumyantsev in the museum. In the 1920s, the instrument became part of the State Collection.

A large number of instruments belong to the King of Spain. All of them are on display at a special exhibition at his palace in Madrid. Also some violins are exhibited in the USA and Italy. But not all of Stradivari's musical instruments are kept in museums and private collections. You can listen to how they sound at the Violin Museum in Cremona. There - in the concert hall of the Auditorium Giovanni Arvedi - musical events are regularly organized. Talented musicians play on them on collectible instruments.

Violins are also used for their intended purpose in Japan. An impressive collection of the maestro's instruments is kept in Tokyo. The violins included in it are regularly used by virtuosos from different parts of the world.