Hoffman plays some of the rarest instruments in the collection, including a violin called the betts, crafted in 1704 by antonio stradivari. The latinized form of his surname, stradivarius, as well as the colloquial strad are terms often used to refer to his instruments. Scientists find secret behind sweet sound of stradivarius. To save the sound of a stradivarius, a whole city must keep quiet. Im also pleased to have been able to contribute with some thoughts in the final edition of the book. The secret behind a stradivarius imperfection the famous secret behind some of the most expensive violins in the world created by master craftsmen like antonio stradivari. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari ebook. Writing in the 1751 book, geminiani described the secret of violin performance as giving the instrument a tone that shall in a manner rival the. The sound of stradivari patrick kreit cremona tools.
A study of stradivari and guarneri violins found minerals chemically infused in the wood, a possible answer to why the instruments have a reputation for a superior sound. It consists in entirely finishing the free top and back plates before gluing them onto the rib garland, irrespective of the form used inside or outside mold. But it was his method of making violins that others would try to replicate for centuries. It seamlessly blends the mystique of violin making with the genius of stradivarius and modern maker sam zgmuntowicz. It is said that the resonant frequencies and frequency spacings of an assembled violin can be tuned to desired values by using his method step by step so as to raise its tone quality to its maximum potentiality. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the. Patrick kreit, a french violin maker, has published a book, titled the sound of stradivari. The secret behind a stradivarius imperfection telegraph. A collection of instruments crafted by the legendary antonio stradivari fully researched, compiled, and photographed in such a high quality has never been published before three hundred wellcertified instruments have been meticulously and expertly photographed by some of the worlds best photographers. A stradivarius violin, viola or cello represents the pinnacle of sound engineering, and nobody has been able to replicate their unique tones. The brilliance of a stradivari violin might rest within.
The sweet sound of a stradivarius music commentator miles hoffman, a nationally renowned violist, and nprs steve inskeep visit the library. Explore releases from the stradivari classics label. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. The varnished truth about a stradivarius books the guardian.
Nagyvarys historical research yielded a crucial clue. The sound of stradivari patrick kreit peter grankulla. In the car with me was the most distinguished of traveling. Stradivari records string quartet, george ricci, leopold mittman, samuel barber, hugo wolf stradivari records presents barber wolf barber. Very useful information even if you dont have the book yet. It gives a blowbyblow account of the making of a violin, but also one can learn about the characters of sam zygmuntowicz of brooklyn, ny the luthier, eugene drucker of the emerson quartet, the intended recipient, and of antonio stradivari of cremona, the best known luthier. The varnished truth about a stradivarius the guardian. The violins made by the italian masters andrea amati and antonio stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their. An italian town fell silent so the sounds of a stradivarius could. Even if you are not a violinist or collector the violin maker is a fascinating book. Based in seoul, colin marshall writes and broadcasts on cities, language, and culture. Scientists find secret behind sweet sound of stradivarius violins. To help digitize and preserve the sound of stradivarius violins, a. The sound of stradivari patrick kreit peter grankulla soloist.
The method of violin plate construction detailed in this book, the sound of stradivari is the one used by most contemporary violin makers. Discover whats missing in your discography and shop for stradivari classics releases. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari at. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari by john marchese and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Newly published book the sound of stradivari the pegbox. Cremona is the town where master luthier antonio stradivari crafted his storied instruments three centuries ago. L ast april, i got into a taxi in cremona, the italian city that is the world center of liuteria violin making.
The violin maker and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Stradivari also produced other stringed instruments. Stradivari was a marvellous craftsman, nagyvary observes, but the magnificent sound of his instruments is a lucky accident. It is said that the resonant frequencies and frequency. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari. Thats why stradivarius violins are so expensive youtube. Yet nothing duplicated the transcendently beautiful sounds of the violins made by stradivari, and his cremonese contemporaries nicolo amati. A search for the secrets of craftsmanship, sound, and stradivari p.