The place and exact date of birth of the notorious Italian violinist-master Antonio Stradivari is not precisely established. The estimated years of his life - from 1644 to 1737. 1666, Cremona is a mark on one of the master's violins, which gives reason to say that this year he lived in Cremona and was a student of Nicolo Amati.
More than 1000 violins, cellos and violas created a great master, devoting his life to the manufacture and improvement of instruments, forever glorified his name. About 600 of them reached our time. Experts note his constant desire to endow his instruments with powerful sound and richness of timbre.
Entrepreneurial dealers, knowing about the high price of master violins, with enviable regularity offer to buy fakes from them. All stradivari methyl violins are the same. His brand is the initials of A. B. and a maltese cross placed in a double circle. The authenticity of the violins can be confirmed only by a very experienced expert.
Some facts from the biography of Stradivarius
The heart of the genius Antonio Stradivari stopped on December 18, 1737. Supposedly, he could live from 89 to 94 years, creating about 1,100 violins, cellos, double basses and violas. Once he even made a harp. Why is unknown the exact year of birth of the master? The fact is that in Europe, the XVII century plague reigned. The danger of infection forced Antonio's parents to take refuge in the family village. This saved the family.
It is also unknown why, at the age of 18, Stradivari turned to Nicolo Amati, the violin master. Perhaps the heart prompted? Amati immediately saw him as a brilliant student and took him to his apprentice. Antonio began his working life as a laborer. Then he was entrusted with the work of filigree wood processing, work with varnish and glue. So the student gradually learned the secrets of mastery.
What is the secret of Stradivarius violins?
It is known that Stradivarius in great quantity knew the subtleties of the "behavior" of the woody parts of the violin, he had discovered the recipes for cooking special varnish and the secrets of the correct installation of the strings. Long before the work was completed, the master already knew with his heart whether the violin could sing beautifully or not.
Many high-level masters could not surpass Stradivari, they did not learn to feel the tree with their hearts in the way he felt. Scientists are trying to understand what caused the pure unique sonority of the suffering violins.
Professor Joseph Nagivari (USA) claims that for the preservation of wood, maple, used by famous violin masters of the 18th century, was chemically treated. This influenced the strength and warmth of the instruments. He asked himself a question: could the treatment against fungi and insects cause the purity and brightness of the sound of unique Cremonian instruments? Using nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy, he analyzed wood samples from five instruments.
Nagivari argues that if the impact of the chemical process is proved, it will be possible to change the modern technology of making violins. The violins will sound for a million dollars. And restorers will provide the best preservation of old tools.
The varnish that covered the Stradivari tools was once analyzed. It was revealed that its composition contains nanoscale structures. It turns out that three centuries ago the creators of violins relied on nanotechnology.
3 years ago we had an interesting experiment. They compared the sound of a Stradivarius violin and a violin made by Professor Nagivari. 600 trainees, including 160 musicians, assessed the tone and strength of sound on a 10-point scale. As a result, the Nagivari violin received higher marks. However, violin makers and musicians do not recognize that the magic of the sound of their instruments is due to chemistry. Antiquarians, in turn, wanting to preserve the high cost, are interested in preserving the aura of mystery of ancient violins.
Leave Your Comment