Stradivarius violin (photo). What kind of wood were Stradivarius violins made from, how many were there? Stradivarius violin and its history Why Stradivarius violins are the best

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Introduction

When I went to study at music school, my mother and I were looking for a violin that would suit me for a very long time. As a result, we bought an old violin that is older than me. I wondered why old violins are preferable to new ones that are on store shelves.

And recently I heard a story about Stradivarius violins, which sound wonderful, cost a lot of money and can only be purchased by banks or private collectors. These violins are very old, but they sound extraordinary.

Scientists even today cannot unravel the secret of the extraordinary sound of Stradivarius violins, and this mystery remains relevant to this day. Of course, there are many hypotheses, but no one has yet been able to recreate such a violin.

I decided to find out exactly what features of Stradivarius violins make their sound unique. This became the main thing purpose my research.

To study this question in more detail, I set myself the following tasks:

get acquainted with the history of the violin;

study the structure of the violin;

understand: what sound is and how it arises in the violin;

find the distinctive features of Stradivarius violins;

introduce research project on this issue.

Object of study became a stringed-bowed musical instrument - the violin.

Subject of study: The sound produced by a violin.

Research methods:

work with literature,

analysis and synthesis of information,

experiment.

I have become acquainted with big amount history books violin art Grigoriev V.Yu., Ginzburg L.S., as well as books by Raaben L. I got acquainted with the structure of the violin and the peculiarities of sound from a physical point of view in the article by Kalin Goukh. I also studied a number of books describing the experiences and experiments of V.G. Zarapin, A.O. Kavaleva, which explain: what sound is and what properties it has.

Having studied the available literature, I became familiar with the existing hypotheses regarding the creation of amazing Stradivarius violins, and put forward my own hypothesis, which reveals the secret of Stradivarius violins and explains why a similar violin has not yet been created.

Chapter 1. History of the violin.

In ancient times, people began to listen to the sound of the bowstring - this was the first step towards the emergence of stringed musical instruments. In the 8th and 9th centuries Central Asia The first mentions of stringed instruments are found in the Great Treatise on Music. In Europe in the 9th - 10th centuries, mentions appeared in historical documents, chronicles, images on frescoes and miniatures.

This is how two bowed instruments appeared and became known in Europe: the fidel (aka viela) and the rebec (an Arabic instrument brought to Spain in the 8th century with a mandolin body, directly turning into a neck with 3 strings and tuned in fifths).

At the turn of the XIV and XV centuries began new round in the history of the violin. Fidel - became the progenitor of two major European bowed instruments- viols and violins.

Viola became a representative of the “aristocracy”. She borrowed some features of the lute. It had six or seven strings. The strings were tuned in thirds and fourths. It sounded soft and muffled. She was good at home, but in concert halls its sound was quiet - this became the reason for its later displacement by another musical instrument - the violin.

The violin, having adopted some features of the Arab rebeca, became a favorite instrument of wandering musicians. She was contrasted with viols. The prevalence of the violin among the people is evidenced by numerous paintings by artists of that time.

Since the 17th century, the viol begins to give way to the violin, which was a representative folk art, the "mob" tool.

The appearance of the classical type violin is usually associated with Italy. Indeed, wonderful Italian masters, great performers and composers of the past made an invaluable contribution to this process. The heyday of the violin Italian school, which began in late XVI century, lasted more than two centuries and had a huge influence on European musical art.

The world's most famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivari, was born in 1644 in Cremona (a city in Italy). It is known that at the age of 13 he began to play violin. By 1667 he had completed his studies with famous master bowed instruments by Andrea Amati.

Stradivari made his first violin in 1666, but for more than 30 years he searched for his own model. Only in the early 1700s did the master construct his own, still unsurpassed, violin. From that time on, Antonio no longer made fundamental deviations from the developed model, but experimented until the end of his long life. Stradivari died in 1737, but his violins are still highly valued, they practically do not age and do not change their “voice”.

During his life, Antonio Stradivari made about 2,500 instruments, of which 732 survive (including 632 violins, 63 cellos and 19 violas).

The type of violin developed in the 16th–17th centuries has been preserved to the present day. Its body has an oval shape with deep recesses on the sides, forming a “waist”. This body structure is reasonable from the point of view of the sound of the instrument and in terms of ease of play.

The upper and lower planes of the body are called decks. The decks are connected to each other by shells. They have a convex shape, the so-called “arches”. The strength of sound and timbre of the instrument largely depend on the nature of these latter.

The top deck has two resonator holes in the shape Latin letter"f". They are called ephas.

In the middle of the top soundboard there is a stand through which the strings pass, attached to the tailpiece (“underneck”). So that the strings do not lie in the same plane and the violinist can play on one string without touching the adjacent string, the top of the stand is slightly rounded. The tailpiece is a strip of ebony that flares towards the strings.

Its opposite end is narrow; it is connected by a thick string in the form of a loop to a button located on the shell.

Inside the body of the violin, near the stand, between the upper and lower soundboards, there is a round wooden pin called a darling. Darling plays important role: It transmits vibrations from the top deck to the bottom deck, and the slightest change in its location changes the sound quality.

To the left of the neck, there is a chin rest - a device used to hold the instrument at the most convenient support point.

The most important part of the violin is the neck - the “playing field” of the violinist’s left hand. The neck is a long plate made of ebony or plastic. Bottom part it is attached to a rounded and polished bar, the so-called neck, which the performer’s hand covers during playing, and the upper one hangs over the body.

The neck goes into a head with a characteristic curl, the so-called “snail”, and at the place of their connection a small stand for the strings is installed - the top sill.

Two pairs of pegs are inserted into the head on both sides, with the help of which the strings are tuned.

There are four strings stretched above the fretboard of the violin; the lower one (“bass”) is tuned to G of the small octave, the two following it are D and A of the first octave, the upper (“fifth”) is tuned to E of the second octave. The top string is metal, the other three are gut strings, with the D string wrapped in aluminum and the Sol in silver.

By pressing the strings against the fingerboard with his fingers, the violinist changes the pitch of their sound. “Mastering the fretboard” is essentially the problem of learning the instrument. This task is also complicated by the fact that on the neck of the violin, unlike instruments such as mandolin, guitar, etc., there are no frets with the help of which the pitch of sounds is determined. The violinist is forced to play “by touch.” True, over time, certain muscle sensations are developed in his left hand, thanks to which he “knows” exactly where on the fingerboard it is necessary to press the string with his finger in order to get this or that sound. But still, the violinist’s hearing must be wary of “monitoring” the accuracy of his fingers hitting the right place.

The question may arise: wouldn’t it be better to equip the violin neck with frets and thus make playing easier? No, this cannot be done. A fretless neck has many advantages over a fretted neck. The frets would prevent vibration from coloring the sound of the violin, and, as is known, vibration is one of the most powerful and attractive properties of violin music. The ability to use effects such as glissando or portamento would also be lost. Finally, even the intonation itself would noticeably lose if there were frets.

Sound is produced from the instrument with a bow. The main parts of the bow are flexible wooden cane and ribbon-like hair. For the bow, specially treated horsetail hair is usually used. The reed ends on one side with a head and on the other with a block. The block is attached to the cane using a metal screw. With its help, by pulling the block towards the end of the cane, the performer can adjust the degree of tension of the hair.

On the violin you can play double notes and even chords, play polyphonic pieces, but basically the violin remains a single-voice - melodic instrument. The richest music, melodious sound full of various shades is its main advantage.

Chapter 2. What is sound and how does it arise in a violin?

The sounds we hear are actually air movements. Every sound comes from vibrations of something. These vibrations cause the air to vibrate, and the vibrations of the air carry sound to our ears. Vibrations that carry sounds through the air are called sound waves.

Of course, it is impossible to see sound as it travels through the air, but you can see the vibrations that are sound. To do this, take a glass and a balloon.

Let's cut it off and remove the neck of the balloon.

Then take a glass and stretch the ball over it, like tight skin over a drum.

Let's put the glass on the table and put a few grains of sugar on it.

And then at a distance of 10 cm we say loudly: “Mmmmmmmmmm!” The grains of sand will begin to move. It turns out that the sound wave that has arisen reaches the stretched ball and causes it to vibrate - this can be seen by the way the grains of sugar bounce.

When pinched, this structure will make virtually no sound. This means that in order for the string to sound, it needs to be strengthened.

If we shout into it, we will set a certain direction for the propagation of sound, directing all the energy in one direction. Thus, the sound of the voice will be amplified and will be clearly heard at a greater distance.

It turns out that the string is like a trigger for “awakening the body.”

Let's do one more experiment. Let's take a box.

Let's cut a hole in it.

We will stretch several elastic bands on the box so that they pass through the hole.

Place pencils under the rubber bands on each side of the box to lift the rubber bands just above the hole in the lid.

Let's start pulling the elastic strings and hear musical sounds.

The rubber bands act like strings on a violin. When you pluck them, they begin to vibrate and this causes the air around the strings to vibrate, and we perceive these vibrations as sounds. The more we pinch, the stronger the vibrations. Stronger vibrations produce stronger sound waves, which sound louder. The box helps make the sound louder, since the sound entering the box is reflected from its walls and comes out amplified.

It turns out that the sound of a violin arises at the moment of friction of the bow moving along one or more strings. Strings stretched by pegs themselves make almost no sound. But for it to occur, the energy from the vibrating string must be transferred to the body of the instrument. The main part of the sound is produced by the soundboards of the violin, working like a horn.

Chapter 3 The secret of Stradivarius violins

The main difference between Stradivarius violins is their sound, that is, the sound they produce. We found out experimentally how sound arises. Let us now consider the sound characteristics to understand distinctive features Stradivarius violins.

The sound can be high and low, quiet and loud. Sound can also be characterized by its timbre, which allows us to distinguish the sound of a violin from a viola or cello.

Scientists, when describing sound, operate more precise definitions. Thus, the pitch of a sound is determined by the number of air vibrations per second. The more vibrations, the higher the sound; the less, the lower the sound. The number of air vibrations per second is called vibration frequency. This is how a musician will call a note - A of the first octave, and a scientist, if he does not know musical notation, will say that this is a sound with a frequency of 440 hertz, that is, 440 vibrations per second. But in both cases - for both the musician and the scientist - each sound has its own exact place in the musical space.

In addition to frequency, there is such a thing as vibration amplitude. The volume of sound depends precisely on the amplitude of vibrations. The greater the amplitude of the vibrations, the louder the sound. To get a louder violin sound, you need to press the bow harder on the string. But the volume of the sound, as it turned out from experience, will also depend on the case.

Any instrument has its own “voice”. Just as any musician can instantly distinguish Domingo's voice from Pavarotti's voice performing the same operatic aria, so can an experienced violinist find individual differences the sound of Stradivarius or Guarneri violins. Timbre is responsible for the color of sound - this is a feature of sound, thanks to which a person can distinguish sounds of the same volume and height, but produced by different instruments, for example, a violin and a bassoon.

It turns out that the pitch of the sound is affected by the size of the instrument - the larger it is, the lower the sound. The volume of sound is affected by the force with which we press on the bow while playing and the structure of the instrument.

The material from which the violin body is made is wood. The top is made of spruce and the back is made of maple. And the entire violin is varnished. These characteristics affect timbre, that is, individual characteristics.

There are several theories about why Stradivarius violins sound different. The first such hypothesis is to use wood that was formed in special climatic conditions, which is not found anywhere else on the planet. But why then are the violins of other masters who lived in Italy and were engaged in making violins not so beautiful?

The second hypothesis is to soak the wood in seawater to protect it from wood-boring beetles.

The third hypothesis lies in the special varnish that Stradivarius used to cover the violin, but, unfortunately, the recipe for this varnish has not been restored to this day.

It seems to me that several factors played a role in the creation of the violin, including the disappearing wood that Stradivarius soaked in sea water and the varnish made using special recipe and of course the skillful hands of the master, who gave the instrument the required form.

Conclusion

I became acquainted with the history and structure of the violin. After conducting an experiment, I understood what sound is, how it is born, what influences its formation and how it can be strengthened. I learned how sound occurs in a violin. I got acquainted with the characteristics of sound.

In addition, I learned about several hypotheses about the unique sound of Stradivarius violins. And he put forward his hypothesis of the origin of a unique sound in Stradivarius violins.

All scientists today study only one aspect, for example, the shape of an instrument or try to recreate the recipe for the varnish that was used to cover the instrument. At the same time, no one considers the reason for the emergence of such an amazing sound in the combination of several factors, and perhaps that is why so far no one has been able to unravel the secret of the great master.

As a result of the work done, I came to the conclusion that several factors played a role in the creation of amazing violins: the disappeared wood that Stradivari soaked in sea water and varnish made according to a special recipe and, of course, the skillful hands of the master, who gave the instrument the desired shape. All these factors together contributed to the emergence of the property of emergence, that is, the presence of special properties in violins that are not inherent in its individual components.

List of sources and literature used

Grigoriev V.Yu., Ginzburg L.S. History of violin art in three issues - issue 1 - "Music", 1990

Zarapin V.G. Fun science experiments for kids and adults. Experiences on vacation / V.G. Zarapin. - M.: Eksmo, 2015. - 104 p.: ill. - (Experiments for children and adults).

Colin Gough - Science and Stradivari http://www.gmstrings.ru/articles/skripka-i-smychkovye-instrumenty/nauka-i-strdivari/

https://ria.ru/spravka/20080404/102985348.html - The secret of Antonio Stradivari's violins. Reference.

Scientific experiments for children / Transl. from English A.O. Kovaleva. - M.: Eksmo, 2015. - 96 p.

Raabena L. “Violin” (excerpt from the book) (http://blagaya.ru/skripka/raaben/)

On December 18, 1737, Antonio Stradivari, a master who left behind an immortal legacy, died in his native Cremona at the age of 93. About 650 musical instruments delight the ears of sophisticated fans of classical sound even today. For almost three centuries, musical instrument manufacturers have been haunted by the question: why does the sound of Stradivarius violins sound like a sonorous and delicate sound? female voice?

Strings from veins

In 1655, Antonio was just one of many students of the best violin maker in Italy, Nicolo Amati.

Being at that time just an errand boy for the famous master, Stradivari sincerely did not understand why the butcher, in response to the signor’s note, sent him intestines.

Amati revealed the first of the secrets of instrument making to his student: the strings are made from the entrails of lambs. The technology of that time was to soak them in an alkaline soap-based solution, dry them and then curl them. It was believed that not all cores were suitable for strings. Most best material- these are the veins of 7-8 month old lambs raised in Central and Southern Italy. Amati taught his students that the quality of strings depends on pasture, time of slaughter, water and many other factors.

Tyrolean tree

At the age of 60, when most people are already retiring, Antonio developed a violin model that brought him immortal fame.

His violins sang so uniquely that some seriously argued that the wood from which the instruments were made were the remains of Noah's Ark.

Scientists suggest that Stradivari used high-altitude spruce trees that grew in unusually cold weather. This wood had an increased density, which gave a distinctive sound to the instruments made from it.

Stradivari, undoubtedly, chose wood only for his instruments highest quality: well dried, aged. Special spruce was used to make the soundboard, and maple was used for the bottom. In addition, he cut the lumps not into boards, but into sectors: the result was “orange slices.” The researchers came to this conclusion based on the location of the annual layers.

Furniture varnish

They said that Stradivari learned the secret of the varnish in one of the pharmacies and improved the recipe by adding “insect wings and dust from the floor of his own workshop.”

Another legend says that the Cremonese master prepared his mixtures from the resins of trees that grew in those days in the Tyrolean forests, and were later completely cut down.

In fact, everything is quite prosaic: scientists have found that the varnish that Stradivari used to cover his famous violins was no different from what furniture makers used in that era.

Moreover, many instruments were generally “repainted” during restoration in the 19th century. There was even a risky experiment: the varnish was washed off from one of the violins with caustic mixtures. The instrument became dull and peeling, but did not sound any worse.

Ideal shape

Stradivarius had a special way of hollowing out the soundboards, a unique pattern of holes, and a characteristic outline of the outer lines. Historians claim that among the violins known today, no two are exactly the same in relief and sound.

In an attempt to repeat the success of Stradivari, the masters went to extreme measures: they opened up an old violin and made ten new ones from it, up to the smallest detail reproducing the form. Thus, in the USSR in the 1930-1950s, Scientific research Stradivarius violins in order to establish the production of similar instruments on automatic lines. The most successful experimental instruments turned out to be quite comparable in sound to Stradivarius instruments.

The most successful imitations, experts believe, are credited to Simon Fernando Sacconi. This Italian master of bowed instruments, who worked in the first half of the 20th century, used the model of Antonio Stradivari when creating instruments and achieved excellent results.

Talent of a scientist and carver

Stradivari had the intuition of a scientist, the deft hands of a cabinetmaker, the keen eye of an artist, and the keen ear of a musician. And all this, multiplied a thousandfold by inexhaustible hard work, he put into his creations. Perhaps the secret of the sound of his instruments is hidden in the master’s talent?

The master did not try to imitate anyone; he strove to achieve beauty and power of sound at any cost. His work became the work of a researcher. His violins are acoustic experiments, some more successful than others. Sometimes the subtlest changes in the properties of wood forced him to adjust the configuration of the decks, their thickness, and convexity. The master's ear told him how to do this.

And, of course, one should not discount the value of the “brand”: it is believed that about 20 percent of his musical instruments brought Stradivarius fame. The rest, less outstanding, were perceived as works of art only because their author was “that same Cremonese genius.”

She pushed the instrument into the author's hands, despite resistance. “I won’t take it, I’m afraid I’ll hurt it,” he resisted. But the violinist was inexorable and simply allowed the violin to fall from her open hands. The author had no choice but to pick up the invaluable tool. The admiration for the lightness and strength of the Stradivarius violin is difficult to convey in words. Moreover, this was the first violin he picked up. Thin sheets of wood are folded into a very strong and complex violin structure that appears very fragile. In fact, the rounded shapes of the Stradivarius violin are in balanced tension with the strings of the instrument, presenting a light and rigid structure.

What is most memorable is the signature inseparable from the instrument: Stradivarius. It can be seen on the inside of the back wall if you look through the figured cutout.

Antonio Stradivari was an Italian master string instruments, who lived from 1644 to 1737. He is considered the world's greatest master craftsman who created violins of unsurpassed quality. In addition to violins, Stradivarius made violas, mandolins, guitars and harps. Each of the surviving instruments has given name and, mainly, sounds in the hands of the most famous performers. Some of them are happy owners of Stradivarius instruments. Stradivarius violins are valued at several million dollars each and are owned by very wealthy people. The one that the author held in his hands can be heard as part of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra thanks to the kind permission of its owner. Stradivarius made at least a thousand instruments. Approximately 650 of them have survived, including about 500 violins. The so-called “golden age” of Stradivarius dates back to the period 1700-1720s.

Stradivari (better known to the world as Stradivarius) is a student of Nicolaus Amati, one of a family of masters whose instruments are also among the best in the world. But violins by Amati, Da Salo, Guarneri, and Bergonzi did not approach the level of popularity of Stradivarius violins. To this day, researchers are trying to uncover the secret of Stradivarius violins through various tests and analyses. What is the key to the amazing properties of the Stradivarius violin? Varnish, molds, glue, wood? Maybe a way to dry wood or process it?

Attempts to replicate the unique properties of Stradivarius violins, following the canonical method of their manufacture, were unsuccessful. The voice of Stradivarius violins is considered unsurpassed. At least that's what pop culture thinks. Today we will try to find out whether the reputation of Stradivarius violins corresponds to popular belief. At least in terms of unique sound qualities.

The great sound of a violin is not as subjective as, say, the taste of wine. Taste is a matter of individual preference. When the same question arises regarding a violin, certain parameters can be measured. Sound quality can be described by the tonal capabilities of the instrument. And this may well be proof that violins used to be “better.” The climate argument is cited more often than others.

Closer to the end of the so-called Small Ice Age, around 1550-1850s, there was a time of very low solar activity (Maunder Minimum), approximately between 1645 and 1715. The winter in Europe was already quite cold; whether the Maunder Minimum made this worse is still debated. Whether this is true or not, the growth period of the wood that Antonio Stradivari used coincides perfectly with the “golden age” of his instruments. Which also applies to many famous Italian masters of that time. In cold climates, trees grew more slowly, annual rings were narrower, and the wood was denser. If you try to use wood similar to Stradivarius violins today, it will have less density and the violin will sound different. According to this theory, Francis Schwarze, representing the Swiss Federal Materials Laboratory, announced in 2012 that he had the technology to produce wood with the properties of the Little Ice Age. In 2009, Schwartz demonstrated, for comparison, to an audience of amateurs and experts the sound of a 1711 Stradivarius violin and a modern violin made from specially treated wood. According to his statement, both experts and listeners perceived the sound of a modern violin as the sound of one of Stradivari's violins.

Now is the time to think a little: What makes Stradivarius violins so special? But before that, we must ask: Are Stradivarius violins really special? A lot of effort and time was spent on understanding the secret of Stradivarius violins. Why not really ask whether there is a qualitative difference that is being talked about so much?

When you have a tool worth millions of dollars, there is not always the opportunity to compare with others of a similar level. But this is exactly what a team of researchers managed to do in 2010 at the Eighth International Competition Fiddlers in Indianapolis. The owners of six violins of exceptional value were persuaded to allow the largest and most controlled testing of the instruments. Six violins, including three ancient classical instruments: a Guarneri, circa 1740, and a pair of Stradivarius, circa 1700-1715 (the exact dates of manufacture were not disclosed for the purity of the experiment). Their total cost was about 10 million dollars. The other three violins were modern instruments of the highest quality, and one of them was assembled a few days before the competition. Three modern violins were valued at a total of $100,000.

The violinist took turns participating in the testing. They were separated from the judges and from the competition. All of them were experienced violinists and their own instruments, none of which were tested, are valued at between $1,800 and $10 million. The only thing the participants knew: We will play in turns on different instruments, among which there is at least one Stradivarius violin. The experiment was indeed twice impersonal; neither the violinists nor the researchers knew which violin sounded in this moment. To completely exclude possible identification of the instrument, testing took place in a darkened hotel lobby, and all participants wore sunglasses. Each violin was sprinkled with perfume to mask its own scent, and the violinists used their own bows.

Everything was safely left to chance. Each of the researchers did not know the origin of the violin that he is now passing on to the violinist. Each of the musicians, who took part in turn, had several tasks. Everyone had to try 10 pairs of instruments, playing for 1 minute and naming the best one in the pair. In the next stage, the musician had access to all six instruments for 20 minutes each. After this, they had to name the best and worst according to five parameters, and also name the instrument that they would like to keep for themselves.

What were the results? They turned out to be truly unexpected. Five of the six violins received approximately the same preference. Who turned out to be the obvious outsider, to whom almost no one gave preference? It was the 1700 Stradivari, with the most colorful history. Each of the pairs that did not include this Stradivari shared preferences 50/50. But when she was paired up, she didn't get preference 80% of the time. None of the participants knew this, each received a pair of a new and rare violin. All three modern violins ended up being on par with the old ones.

In the second round of testing (name the best and worst according to the list of parameters), the results were also unexpected. The four violins showed approximately the same result. The Stradivarius of 1700 did not receive any preference again. In addition, there is a clear favorite and this is by no means a rare Italian classic. One of the modern violins has surpassed the results of all competitors. Of the three antique violins, Guarneri surpassed both Stradivarius violins.

Seventeen of the 21 participants tried to guess whether the violin was modern or rare. Seven could not determine it at all. Seven answered incorrectly. And only three gave the correct answer. In this study, only 14% of professional violinists who owned instruments worth up to $10 million were able to distinguish a modern one from a 300-year-old instrument.

One study cannot provide a definitive conclusion. There were others, but not so thoroughly conducted. What does all this mean? Whatever glue, wood, or technology Antonio Stradivari used, his violins were probably no better than others that had been made for centuries.

What is Stradivari's secret? The fact is that there is no secret. The instrument is of the highest quality and is quite comparable to other instruments of this level. The claim of special, unexplained qualities is not supported by test data. If such exclusivity of Stradivarius violins still exists, this indicates a small number of tests good quality. There is no doubt that the name Stradivari is the most famous of all masters and his instruments will occupy the top lines of auctions for a very long time. A small part Quality comes into the price. The rest is reputation historical value and prestige that no amount of testing or spectral analysis can detect.

Translation by Vladimir Maksimenko 2014

The world's most famous violin maker, Antonio Stradivari, was born in 1644 in Cremona. It is known that already at the age of thirteen he began to study violin making. By 1667, he had completed his apprenticeship with the famous bowed instrument maker Andrea Amati.

Stradivari made his first violin in 1666, but for more than 30 years he searched for his own model. Only in the early 1700s did the master construct his own, still unsurpassed, violin. 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. From that time on, Antonio no longer made fundamental deviations from the developed model, but experimented until the end of his long life. Stradivari died in 1737, but his violins are still highly valued; they practically do not age and do not change their “voice.”

During his life, Antonio Stradivari made about 2,500 instruments, of which 732 are undoubtedly authentic (including 632 violins, 63 cellos and 19 violas). In addition to bows, he also made one harp and two guitars.

It is generally accepted that the most best tools were made from 1698 to 1725 (and the best in 1715). They are especially rare and therefore highly prized by both musicians and collectors.

Many Stradivarius instruments are in rich private collections. There are about two dozen Stradivarius violins in Russia: several violins are in State collection musical instruments, one in the Glinka Museum (where it was given by the widow of David Oistrakh, who in turn received it as a gift from Queen of England Elizabeth) and several more - in private ownership.

Scientists and musicians around the world are trying to unravel the mystery of how Stradivarius violins were created. Even during his lifetime, the masters said that he sold his soul to the devil, they even said that the wood from which several of the most famous violins were made were the fragments of Noah's Ark. There is an opinion that Stradivarius violins are so good because a real instrument begins to sound truly good only after two or three hundred years.

Many scientists have conducted hundreds of studies on violins using latest technologies, but they have not yet been able to unravel the secret of Stradivarius violins. It is known that the master soaked the wood in sea water and exposed it to complex chemical compounds of plant origin.

At one time it was believed that Stradivari's secret was in the form of the instrument, later great importance they began to use a material that is constant for Stradivarius violins: spruce for the top soundboard, maple for the bottom soundboard. They even believed that it was all about the varnishes; The elastic varnish covering Stradivarius violins (due to its soft consistency, small dents and scratches on the surface are quickly healed) allows the soundboards to resonate and “breathe.” This gives the timbre a characteristic “big” sound.

According to legend, Cremonese craftsmen prepared their mixtures from the resins of some trees that grew in those days in the Tyrolean forests and were soon completely cut down. The exact composition of those varnishes has not been established to this day - even the most sophisticated chemical analysis was powerless here.

In 2001, biochemist Joseph Nigiware of the University of Texas announced that he had unraveled the secret of Stradivarius. The scientist came to the conclusion that the special sound of the bowed strings was the result of the master’s efforts to protect them from the woodworm. Nigiwara found out that during the creation of violins by a master craftsman, wooden blanks were often affected by woodworm, and Stradivarius, in order to protect the unique musical instruments, resorted to the storm. This substance seemed to solder the molecules of the wood, changing the overall sound of the violin. When Stradivari died, the victory over the woodworm in Northern Italy had already been won, and subsequently the borax was no longer used to protect the tree. Thus, according to Nigiwara, the master took the secret with him to the grave.

Place and exact date The birth of the well-known Italian violinist-master Antonio Stradivari has not been precisely established. The estimated years of his life are from 1644 to 1737. 1666, Cremona - this is a mark on one of the master’s violins, which gives reason to say that in this year he lived in Cremona and was a student of Nicolo Amati.

Created more than 1000 violins, cellos and violas Great master, devoting his life to the manufacture and improvement of instruments that will forever glorify his name. About 600 of them have survived to this day. Experts note his constant desire to endow his instruments with powerful sound and rich timbre.

Enterprising businessmen, knowing about the high price of the master’s violins, offer to buy fakes from them with enviable regularity. All Stradivari labeled the same. His brand is the initials A.B. and a Maltese cross placed in a double circle. The authenticity of the violins can only be confirmed by a very experienced expert.

Some facts from the biography of Stradivari

The heart of the genius Antonio Stradivari stopped on December 18, 1737. It is estimated that he could have lived from 89 to 94 years, creating about 1,100 violins, cellos, double basses and violas. Once he even made a harp. Why is the exact year of birth of the master unknown? The point is that in Europe XVII plague reigned for centuries. The danger of infection forced Antonio's parents to take refuge in their family village. This saved the family.

It is also unknown why, at the age of 18, Stradivari turned to Nicolo Amati, a violin maker. Perhaps your heart told you? Amati immediately saw him as a brilliant student and took him as his apprentice. Working life Antonio started as a laborer. Then he was entrusted with the work of filigree wood processing, working with varnish and glue. This is how the student gradually learned the secrets of mastery.

What is the secret of Stradivarius violins?

It is known that Stradivarius a huge number knew the subtleties of the “behavior” of the wooden parts of the violin, recipes for cooking a special varnish and the secrets of proper installation were revealed to him. Long before the work was completed, the master already understood in his heart whether the violin could sing beautifully or not.

Many masters high level they were never able to surpass Stradivarius, they did not learn to feel the tree in their hearts the way he felt it. Scientists are trying to understand what causes the pure, unique sonority of Stradivarius violins.

Professor Joseph Nagivari (USA) claims that to preserve the wood, maple, used by famous violin makers XVIII century, subjected to chemical treatment. This influenced the strength and warmth of the instruments' sound. He wondered: could treatment against fungi and insects be responsible for such purity and brightness of the sound of the unique Cremonese instruments? Using nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy, he analyzed wood samples from five instruments.

Nagivari states that if the effects of the chemical process are proven, it will be possible to change modern technology making violins. The violins will sound like a million dollars. And restorers will ensure better preservation ancient instruments.

The varnish that covered Stradivarius instruments 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 conducted an interesting experiment. The sound of a Stradivarius violin and a violin made by Professor Nagivari were compared. 600 listeners, including 160 musicians, assessed the tone and strength of sound on a 10-point scale. As a result, Nagivari's violin received higher scores. However, violin makers and musicians do not recognize that the magic of their instruments' sound comes from chemistry. Antique dealers, in turn, wanting to preserve their high value, are interested in preserving the aura of mystery of antique violins.