Message about Antonio Stradivarius. Great violin makers

Three centuries have passed since the death of the great Italian string maker Antonio Stradivari, and the secret of making his instruments has not been revealed. The sound of the violins he made, like the singing of an angel, lifts the listener to heaven.

Youth of Stradivarius

As a child, Antonio tried to express with his voice what was hidden in his heart, but the boy did not do it very well, and people simply mocked him. The strange child constantly carried a small penknife with him, with which he carved various wooden figures. The boy's parents wished him a career as a cabinet maker. At the age of eleven, Stradivari learned that in their hometown Cremona is a famous city that was considered the best place to live in all of Italy. Antonio loved music, so the choice of profession was obvious. The boy became Amati's student.

Carier start

In 1655, Stradivari was just one of the master's many students. At first, his duties included delivering messages to the milkman, butcher and wood suppliers. The teacher, of course, shared his secrets with the children, but the most important ones, thanks to which the violin had a unique sound, he told only to his eldest son, because it was, in fact, a family craft. The first serious task for young Stradivarius was the manufacture of strings, which he made from the veins of lambs; the best were obtained from 7-8 month old animals. The next secret was the quality and type of wood. The most suitable tree For the manufacture of the upper part of the violin, spruce trees grown in the Swiss Alps were considered, the lower part was made of maple. He created his first Stradivarius violin at the age of 22. Antonio carefully honed his skills with each new instrument, but he was still working in someone else's workshop.

Short-lived happiness

Stradivari opened his business only at the age of 40, but Stradivari's violin was still a semblance of his teacher's instruments. At the same age, he married Francesca Ferrabochi, and she gave him five children. But the master’s happiness was short-lived, because the plague came to their city. His wife and all five children fell ill and died. Even the Stradivarius violin no longer pleased him; out of despair, he almost never played or made instruments.

Back to life

After the epidemic, one of his students knocked on Antonio Stradivari's house with sad news. The boy's parents died, and he could not study with the master due to lack of funds. Antonio took pity on the young man and took him into his house, later adopting him. Once again Stradivari felt the taste of life, he wanted to create something extraordinary. Antonio decided to create unique violins that were different from others in sound. The master's dreams came true only at the age of sixty. The Stradivarius violin had a flying, unearthly sound that no one can reproduce to this day.

Mystery and unearthly beauty the sound of the master’s violins gave rise to all sorts of gossip, it was said that the old man sold his soul to the devil, and he creates instruments from debris Noah's Ark. Although the reason lay in something completely different: incredible hard work and love for one’s creations.

Cost of an unusual instrument

The Stradivarius violin, which was priced at 166 Cremonese lire (about $700) during the master's lifetime, is now worth about $5 million. If you look from the point of view of value for art, then the works of the master are priceless.

How many Stradivarius violins are left on the planet?

Antonio was an incredible workaholic, a genius creating instruments until his death at 93 years old. Stradivarius created before 25 violin instruments in year. Modern the best masters no more than 3-4 pieces are made by hand. The maestro made about 2,500 violins, violas, and cellos in total, but only 630-650 instruments have survived to this day, most of which are violins.

It can be noted that people who have achieved perfection in any activity almost always have students. After all, knowledge exists in order to disseminate it. Someone passes it on to their relatives, from generation to generation. Some pass it on to equally talented craftsmen, while others simply pass it on to all those who show interest. But there are also those who try to hide the secrets of their skills until their last breath. Anna Baklaga about the mysteries of Antonio Stradivari.

Before you understand your true purpose, Great master went through many professions. He tried painting, making wooden decorations for furniture, and sculpting statues. Antonio Stradivari diligently studied the ornamentation of doors and wall paintings of cathedrals until he realized that he was attracted to music.

Stradivarius did not become famous due to insufficient mobility of his hands

Despite diligent practice of playing the violin famous musician he failed to become. Stradivari's hands were not mobile enough to produce a particularly pure melody. However, he had excellent hearing and a burning desire to improve sound. Seeing this, Nicolo Amati (Stradivari's teacher) decided to initiate his ward into the very process of creating a violin. After all, the sound of a musical instrument directly depends on the quality of the build.

Soon, Antonio Stradivari found out how thick the soundboards should be. Learned how to choose the right tree. I understood what role the varnish that covers it plays in the sound of a violin, and what the purpose of the spring inside the instrument is. At twenty-two he made his first violin.

Stradivari wanted to hear children's and women's voices in his violin

After he managed to create a violin that sounded no worse than his teacher’s, he began to work on his own. Stradivarius had a dream to build the most ideal instrument. He was simply obsessed with this idea. In the future violin, the master wanted to hear the sounds of children's and women's voices.

Before achieving the desired result, Antonio Stradivari went through thousands of options. The most important thing was to find the right type of wood. Each tree resonates differently, and he looked to differentiate them by their acoustic properties. Great importance It also mattered in what month the trunk was cut down. For example, if it was spring or summer, then there was a chance that the tree would ruin everything, since it would have a lot of sap. It was rare to come across a truly good tree. Often, the master carefully used one barrel for several years.

The sound of the future violin directly depended on the composition of the varnish with which the instrument was coated. And not only from the varnish, but also from the primer that needs to be used to cover the wood so that the varnish is not absorbed into it. The master weighed the parts of the violin trying to find the best proportion between the lower and upper soundboard. It was long and painstaking work. Many tried and tested options long years calculations went into making a violin unsurpassed in sound qualities. And only at the age of fifty-six did he manage to construct it. It was elongated in shape and had kinks and irregularities inside the body, due to which the sound was enriched due to the appearance large quantity high overtones.

Stradivari created the perfect instrument at the age of 56

However, in addition to the excellent sound, his instruments were famous unusual appearance. He skillfully decorated them with all sorts of designs. All violins were different: short, long, narrow, wide. Later he began making other stringed instruments - cello, harp and guitar. Thanks to his work, he achieved fame and honor. Kings and nobles ordered him instruments that were considered the best in Europe. During his life, Antonio Stradivari made about 2,500 instruments. Of these, 732 originals have survived.

For example, the famous cello called “Bass of Spain” or the most magnificent creation masters - the “Messiah” violin and the “Münz” violin, from the inscription on which (1736. D’anni 92) it was calculated that the master was born in 1644.

However, despite the beauty that he created as a person, he is remembered as silent and gloomy. To his contemporaries he seemed aloof and stingy. Perhaps he was like this because of constant hard work, or maybe they were just jealous of him.

Antonio Stradivari died at ninety-three years old. But until the end of his long life, he continued to make instruments. His creations are admired and appreciated to this day. Unfortunately, the master did not see worthy successors the knowledge he acquired. Literally, he took it with him to the grave.

Stradivarius made about 2,500 instruments, 732 originals survive

The most interesting thing is that the violins he made practically do not age and do not change their sound. It is known that the master soaked the wood in sea water and exposed it to complex chemical compounds of plant origin. However, to determine chemical composition The primer and varnish applied to his instruments still fail to this day. Using the example of Stradivari's work, scientists conducted many studies and attempts to make a similar violin. Until now, no one has been able to achieve this perfect sound, like the original creations of the master.

Many Stradivarius instruments are in rich private collections. There are about two dozen violins by the master in Russia: several violins are in the State Collection musical instruments, one in the Glinka Museum and several more in private ownership.

Plan:

Introduction

• 1 Biography
• 2 Stradivarius instruments
  • 2.1 Famous instruments
• 3 At the movies

Introduction

Stradivari tries one of his instruments, 19th century.

Antonio Stradivari or Stradivarius(Italian Antonio Stradivari; 1644 - December 18, 1737) - famous master string instruments, student of Amati. About 650 instruments of his work have survived.

1. Biography

It is believed that Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644, although he exact date birth not registered. He was born in Cremona. His parents were Alessandro Stradivari (Italian: Alessandro Stradivari) and Anna Moroni (Italian: Anna Moroni). It is believed that from 1667 to 1679 he served as a free student under Nicolo Amati, that is, he did menial work.

In 1680 Stradivari settled in St. Square. Dominica, Cremona, where he gained fame as a great master. He diligently improved Amati's work, achieving melodiousness and flexibility of voices in his instruments; changed their shape to a more curved one; was engaged in decorating instruments. It is generally accepted that his finest instruments were made from 1698 to 1725 (and the best in 1715), including those exceeding in quality the instruments subsequently made from 1725 to 1730.

In addition to violins, Stradivarius also made guitars, violas, cellos, and at least one harp—a total of more than 1,100 instruments, according to current estimates.

Antonio Stradivari died in Cremona, Italy on December 18, 1737 and was buried in the Basilica of San Domenico, Cremona. Stradivari's students were his sons, Francesco and Omobono. It is believed, however, that he did not pass on his rich experience as a master to anyone, including his sons.

Stradivarius violin from the collection of the Royal Palace of Madrid.

2. Stradivarius instruments

The most outstanding instruments were made between 1698 and 1725. All violins from this period are distinguished by remarkable finishing on the outside and excellent characteristics"inside". Stradivarius violins from this period are highly prized.

His instruments are distinguished by a characteristic inscription in Latin: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno(Antonio Stradivarius of Cremona made it in the year [such and such]). After 1730 some of his instruments are signed Sotto la Desciplina d'Antonio Stradivari F. in Cremona and were most likely made by his sons Francesco and Omobono.

The cellos that came out of his hands are distinguished by their remarkable qualities: their tone is melodious, and the instruments themselves are of outstanding beauty. The voices of the violins are similar to the ringing and gentle voice of a woman. For comparison, the voices of Amati violins were melodious, but were much duller. And the voices of the violins of Giuseppe Guarneri (also a contemporary of Stradivari) were distinguished by their density and fullness.

2.1. Famous instruments

• Cello by Duport
• Davydov's cello
• Cello Servais

3. At the movies

• 1987 - “Visit to the Minotaur”, Antonio Stradivari- Sergey Shakurov

Biography

Antonio Stradivari is believed to have been born in 1644, although his exact date of birth is not recorded. He was born in Cremona. His parents were Alessandro Stradivari (Italian: Alessandro Stradivari) and Anna Moroni (Italian: Anna Moroni). It is believed that from 1657 to 1667 he served as an unpaid apprentice to Nicolo Amati, that is, he did menial work. Stradivari married on July 1, 1667 and settled in a fisherman's house (Casa del pescatore), where he opened his own workshop. From this time on, namely from 1667, Antonio does not call himself Amati's student on the labels.

In 1681, Stradivari bought a house located next to the Dominican monastery in Cremona. The house had three floors, each of them had three windows overlooking the square, as well as a basement and mezzanine; in addition, on the roof there was a square extension, characteristic of Cremona, open on both sides - on the south and west and was called by the Cremonese "seccador" "(drying room), it was where the master dried the violins after painting and often worked there in good weather. Stradivari spent the rest of his life in this house.

This house survived untouched until 1880, but then was bought by the owner of a neighboring restaurant and connected to the restaurant, and in the workshop of Stradivarius, the owner of the restaurant located a billiard room.

From the memories of contemporaries the master was tall, thin, always wore a white cap on his head; woolen in winter and paper in summer, as well as a white leather apron when working. Thanks to his work and frugality, the master amassed such a decent fortune that a saying appeared in Cremona: “Rich as Stradivarius.”

On May 20, 1698, Stradivari's wife died, the funeral was lavish, and the master spent a large sum of 182 lire for that time. The following year, 1699, on August 24, Stradivari married a second time. From his first and second marriage, the master had 11 children, and only two, Francesco and Omobono, were engaged in their father’s art, but were able to insignificantly approach their father’s level of skill.

Stradivari had only three students, his two sons - Francesco and Omobono - and Carlo Bergonzi.

Antonio Stradivari died at the age of 93 and was buried on December 10, 1737, in the cemetery of the Dominican monastery (the date of death of December 10, 1737 is indicated on page 96. line 1 and 2 in the book by E. Vitacek “Essays on the History of Manufacturing bowed instruments"edited by B. Dobrokhotov, 1952).

In 1869, the Dominican monastery on the territory where Stradivari was buried was abolished, the remains of all the deceased were dug up and buried in one common grave, outside the city. Thus, the ashes of the great master disappeared without a trace.

Stradivarius made the first violin produced under his own name in 1666 and until 1683 strictly adhered to the Amati style, but from 1688 the master began to experiment and the closer to 1690 his instruments became larger. The violins of this period received the conventional name “amatize”. A sharp departure from the Amati school was revealed only in 1691. and its own type of violin was born. These are the so-called elongated violins (allonge) in which the maple is already exclusively radial cut and the timbre of the sound from soprano changes to mezzo-soprano, but in 1698 he again returned for a short time to the Amati model and only around 1704 at the age of 60 Stradivarius finally constructed his own model of a violin, which no one has yet been able to surpass in perfection. This period lasted from 1704 to 1725, about 21 years. In this interval, two periods are distinguished….from 1704 to 1717. when the spruce on the instruments has a silky shine, regular layering and dense, and the lower soundboards are most often made of one piece. Beginning in 1717, the master began to use the Haselfichte spruce variety for his decks.

In addition to violins, Stradivari also made guitars, violas, cellos and even made one harp - according to various catalogs, the number of his works reaches 1150 units, but given that a significant number of his instruments disappeared under the influence of various disasters, the number of his instruments could reach 500 units .

Stradivarius instruments

• List of instruments created by Antonio Stradivari

The most outstanding instruments were made between 1704 and 1725. Stradivarius violins from this period are highly prized.

To date, about 650 instruments made by Stradivarius have been preserved, including about 450 violins.

His instruments are distinguished by a characteristic inscription in Latin: Antonius Stradivarius Cremonenfis Faciebat Anno 1732, the same inscription appears on the label of a violin from 1697.

On the labels of 1736, the master marked “d ’ anni 92" on the labels of 1737 marked "d ’ anni 93” that is, your age.

5. The museum also has a violin from 1708. There is no label on it, but the label “Brought from Rome by Koretsky to me since 1796 by Prince Shakhovskoy” is pasted on. It was sold to Tretyakov, who bequeathed it to the Rumyantsev Museum, from there it went to the Moscow Conservatory and in 1921 was moved to the State Collection.

6. There is also a violin from 1711 in the collection, which is the best preserved.

7. There is also a medium sized violin with a fake top. The violin was bought by Tretyakov abroad and after his death moved to the Moscow Conservatory, and then in 1921 to the State Collection.

8. The State Collection also has a viola with a label dated 1715 by Stradivarius. It belonged to Count Matvey Yuryevich Venlgorsky and was played for some time by the Belgian violinist (violist?) Henri Vietun (1820-1881).

9. Next in the collection is a cello from 1725. The cello was bought in Paris from Rambaud by the St. Petersburg artist Vorobyov and brought to Russia around 1845.

10. and 11. The State Collection also has two Stradivarius violins, presumably from the period after 1725. The labels have been cleaned and the dates have been replaced.

One of these violins was restored in 1806 by St. Petersburg masters, brothers Franz and Moritz Steininger. It belonged to Prince Trubetskoy, which then came to K. Tretyakov and from him to the Conservatory and then in 1921 to the State Collection.

12. The State Collection also contains a violin from 1736, made by the master a year before his death, at the age of 92. That year Stradivarius made only 4 violins. Prince Yusupov bought this violin in Italy and it was kept in his family until 1918. The last scion of the Sumarokov-Elston family fled to Paris, but walled up the violin in one of the basements of his palace on the Moika, where it was found and transferred to the State Collection. (the list is presented by E. Vitachek in the book “Essays on the history of making bowed instruments”, 1952, edited by B. Dobrokhotov, pp. 213-222).

Also known is the collection of Stradivarius instruments belonging to the King of Spain. Exhibited at the Museum of Musical Instruments of the Royal Palace of Madrid:

• Violin ("Boissier" (1713), which belonged to Boissier, a Swiss violinist at the court of the Spanish king Charles III, later to Pablo Sarasate. Since 1908 it has been kept in the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.)
• Also owned by the Spanish Crown is the Spanish Quartet (Cuarteto Palatino). It originally existed as a quintet, but the tenor was subsequently lost during the French Revolution. It was intended as a gift to the Spanish king Philip V, who was in Cremona in 1702, but the instruments did not leave the workshop during the life of Antonio Stradivari. The quartet consists of inlaid instruments "Spanish I" (1709), "Spanish II" (1709), contralto "Spanish Court" (1696) and cello "Spanish Court" (1694) and is now kept in Royal Palace Madrid.

In the Museum of Musical Instruments of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia there is a so-called Tuscan violin, also part of the Medici quintet.

Violins and cellos by name with a short history:

• "Delfino" (1714) - "Dolphin". Belonged to Jascha Heifetz. Owned by Nippon Music Foundation since 2000.
• The inlaid Stradivarius violin “Le Lever du Soleil” (“Sunrise”) (1677) - “Sunrise”, has been in the Museum of Historical Curiosities in Vienna since 2004.
• "Marquis de Corberon, Loeb" (1726). It belonged to the French ambassador at the court of Catherine II, Marquis de Corberon. Currently belongs to the Royal Academy of Music in London.
• "Viotti" (1709). It belonged to the Italian violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824). Since 2005 he has been at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
• "Provigny" (1716). Located in the Paris Music Museum (Cité de la Musique, Musée de la Musique).
• "Davidoff" (1708). It belonged to the Russian cellist Karl Davydov (1838-1889). Located in the Paris Music Museum (Cité de la Musique, Musée de la Musique).
• "Messiah" (1716) - "Messiah". Since 1939 it has been kept in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
• "Mendelssohn" (1709). Stolen from Deutsche Bank during the occupation of Berlin.
• "Sleeping Beauty" (1704) - "Sleeping Beauty." Since 1995 it has been owned by Landeskreditbank Baden Württemburg and is owned by violinist Isabelle Faust.
• "Betts" (1704). In 1830-1852 it belonged to Arthur Betts. Since 1936 it has been kept in the Library of Congress.
• "Earl of Plymouth, Kreisler" (1711). Belonged to the Earl of Plymouth Austrian violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962). Since 1965 it has been in the possession of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
• "Le Brun" (1712). Belonged to Nicolo Paganini, Charles le Brun (Paris). Sold at auction in 2008.
• "Eldina Bligh" (1712). Until 1912 it belonged to Eldina Bly. Owned by Virgil C. Brink since 1945.
• "Pingrille" (1713). Since 1979 it has belonged to violinist Gabriel Banat, concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic.
• "Lipinski" (1715). It belonged to Giuseppe Tartini, the Polish violinist Karol Joseph Lipinski (1790-1861). Sold in 2007.
• "David Hochstein, Nowell, Joachim" (1715). It belonged to the Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim (1831-1907). Since 1997, it has been owned by William Palmer.
• "Emperor" (1715) - "Emperor". It belonged to the Hungarian violinist Jan Kubelik (1880-1940).
• "Titian" (1715) - "Titian". It got its name because of the transparent red-orange varnish, reminiscent of the paints of Titian Vecellio. In the possession of Irwin Miller.
• "Baron Knoop" (1715). Belonged to Baron Johann Knoop (1846-1918). Since 1992, owned by David L. Fulton.
• "Milstein" (1716). Belonged to an American violinist Ukrainian origin Nathan Milstein (1903-1992). Since 2006 it has been owned by Jerry Cole.
• "Cessole" (1716). It belonged to a close friend of Nicolo Paganini, Count Cessola from Florence.
• "Marquis de Riviere" (1718). In the 19th century it belonged to the Marquis de Riviere. Sold in 1993.
• "Lady Blunt" "Lady Blunt" (1721). Belonged to the granddaughter of the poet Lord Byron, Lady Anne Blunt from 1864 to 1895 (age 31). This violin was also owned by the famous Parisian master Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, collectors - Richard Bennett, Baron Knoop, Sam Bloomfield, as well as the Nippon Music Foundation. Sold in June 2012 at auction at the Tarisio auction house for a price of $15,890,000.
• "King Maximilian, Unico" (1709). It belonged to the Bavarian king Maximilian Joseph in 1806-1826. Was in the Axel Springer Foundation since 1966, stolen.
• "Leonora Jackson" (1714). From 1904 to 1919 it belonged to violinist Leonora Jackson McKim. Since 1984, owned by Dr. William & Professor Judy Sloan.
• "Cremonese" (1715) - "Cremonese". Since 1961 it belongs to the city of Cremona.
• "Colossus" (1716) - "Colossus". It belonged to Viotti, violinist Luigi Alberto Bianchi, and was stolen in 1998.
• "Nachez" (1716). It belonged to violinist Tivador Nashez. Sold in 2003.
• "Eck" (1717). It belonged to the German violinist Franz Eck (1774-1804). Sold in 1992.
• "Hausmann" (1724). It belonged to cellist Georg Hausmann (1814-1861). Sold at auction for $4,500,000.

Reference: These four Stradivarius instruments were purchased by Mrs. Huguette Clark (daughter of copper magnate, senator, and banker from Montana, William A. Clark. She died in 2011 in New York at the age of 104). The first violin "Comte Cozio di Salabue" was made by Stradivarius in 1727 and was played by Paganini after he acquired it from Count Cozio de Salabue in 1817. The second violin "Desaint" was made by Stradivarius in 1680 in the "amatize" style.

The viola, "Mendelssohn", was made in 1731, Stradivari at 86 years old. This is one of the few surviving Strad alts (others are more short name Stradivarius instruments). Cello - "Ladenburg" 1736. It belonged to the Mendelssohn family before becoming the property of Paganini. These instruments are currently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation.

Other Stradivarius are also used by modern musicians. Cello "Davidoff" (1708), currently played by Yo-Yo Ma. The cello “Duport” (1711) belonged to the French cellist Jean Pierre Duport (1741-1818), but was in the possession of Mstislav Rostropovich from 1974 to 2007. Comtesse de Polignac violin (1699), used by Gil Shaham. Violin "Sinsheimer, Perlman" (1714). belonged to violinists Bernard Sinsheimer, Itzhak Perlman, Uto Ugi. Sold at auction in 2005. Violin "Soil" (1714). It belonged to Amedee Soil, the Belgian consul in Moscow in the period 1874-1911. Since 1986, in the possession of violinist Itzhak Perlman.

see also

Links

• 148 instruments of Antonio Stradivari are collected in a 4-volume album

The exact date and place of birth of Stradivarius have not been established. One of his violins bears the mark “1666, Cremona,” and this is the first evidence of the master’s presence in the city where he later lived and where he died on December 18, 1837. The same mark confirms that Stradivari studied with Nicolo Amati.

The exact date and place of birth of Stradivarius have not been established. One of his violins bears the mark “1666, Cremona”, and this is the first evidence of the master’s presence in the city where he later lived and where he died on December 18, 1837. The same mark confirms that Stradivari studied with Nicolo Amati.

Almost the entire life of the master was devoted to improving his art and making magnificent instruments that covered his name with unfading glory. The evolution of Stradivarius shows a gradual liberation from the influence of the teacher and the desire to create a new type of violin, distinguished by timbre richness and powerful sound. Until 1684, Stradivarius built small violins, but then moved on to making larger instruments. A typical Stradivarius "elongated violin" is 363 mm long (9.5 mm larger than the Amatiev violin). Then the master reduced the length of the instrument to 355.5 mm, at the same time making it somewhat wider and with more curved arches - this is how a model of unsurpassed symmetry and beauty was born. TO late period also owns the best Stradivarius cellos.

During his entire life, the master created more than a thousand violins, violas and cellos; approximately 600 have survived to this day. Among the famous Stradivarius violins are “Betts” (1704, now kept in the US Library of Congress), “Viotti” (1709), “Alard” (1715) and “Messiah” (1716).

Stradivari's mark is well known: the Maltese cross and the initials A.S. in a double circle. There are a lot of fake Stradivarius, and only an experienced expert can confirm the authenticity of the instrument.