So what is the secret of the brilliant Stradivarius violins? Great violin makers. Antonio Stradivari

Lua error in Module:CategoryForProfession on line 52: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).

Antonio the Great Stradivari(Italian: Antonio Stradivari, or Stradivarius lat. Antonius Stradivarius; (1644 ) , Cremona - December 18, Cremona) - famous master of string instruments, student of Nicolo Amati. About 720 instruments of his work have survived.

Biography

It is believed that Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644, although exact date his birth is 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 1679 he served as a free apprentice to Nicolo Amati, that is, he did menial work.

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.

Music

• 2015 - “The Stradivarius Violin”, Basta.

Cinema

• - “Night Visit”, the first film adaptation of the Weiner brothers’ novel “A Visit to the Minotaur” about the theft of a Stradivarius violin
• - “Visit to the Minotaur”, Antonio Stradivari- Sergey Shakurov
• - The 15th film about the adventures of the British agent James Bond - “Sparks from the Eyes”, the Stradivarius cello, “Lady Rose” is mentioned many times in the plot, it also saves Bond from a bullet.
• - biographical film “Stradivarius”, Antonio Stradivari- Anthony Quinn, young Antonio- Lorenzo Quinn.
• - “Red Violin”.
• In episode 36 of “Detective School Q,” the film’s characters unravel the mystery of the Stradivarius violin.
• In episode 44 of the television series "White Collar" the heroes are looking for the stolen Antonio Stradivarius violin.
• In episode 2 of the 1st season of the series National Security Agent, the heroes are also looking for the stolen Antonio Stradivarius violin.
• - In the first film, episodes 1-3 of the series “Investigator Tikhonov,” based on the Weiner brothers’ novel “A Visit to the Minotaur,” the heroes are looking for the stolen violin of Antonio Stradivari.

see also

• Nicolo Amati (1596-1684) - Italy
• Andrea Guarneri (1626-1698) - Italy
• Nicolas Lupo (1758-1824) - France

Write a review of the article "Stradivarius, Antonio"

Notes

Links

An excerpt characterizing Stradivarius, Antonio

But the night passed and nothing changed. His essence spoke to her, but she stood there, deadened, hearing nothing, only endlessly calling on the Fathers... She still did not give up.
Finally, when it was getting light outside, a bright golden glow suddenly appeared in the room - as if a thousand suns were shining in it at the same time! And in this glow, a tall, taller than usual, human figure appeared at the very entrance... Magdalena immediately understood that it was the one whom she had so vehemently and stubbornly called on all night had come...
“Get up, Joyful One!” the newcomer said in a deep voice. – This is no longer your world. You lived out your life in it. I'll show you yours new way. Get up, Radomir!..
“Thank you, Father...” Magdalena, who stood next to him, quietly whispered. - Thank you for listening to me!
The elder peered long and carefully at the fragile woman standing in front of him. Then he suddenly smiled brightly and said very affectionately:
- It’s hard for you, sad one!.. It’s scary... Forgive me, daughter, I’ll take your Radomir. It is not his destiny to be here anymore. His fate will be different now. You yourself wished for it...
Magdalena just nodded at him, showing that she understood. She could not speak; her strength was almost leaving her. It was necessary to somehow withstand these last, most difficult moments for her... And then she would still have enough time to grieve for what was lost. The main thing was that HE lived. And everything else was not so important.
A surprised exclamation was heard - Radomir stood, looking around, not understanding what was happening. He did not yet know that he already had a different destiny, NOT EARTHLY... And he did not understand why he still lived, although he definitely remembered that the executioners had done their job superbly...

“Farewell, my Joy...” Magdalena whispered quietly. - Farewell, my dear. I will fulfill your will. Just live... And I will always be with you.
The golden light flashed brightly again, but now for some reason it was already outside. Following him, Radomir slowly walked out the door...
Everything around was so familiar!.. But even feeling absolutely alive again, Radomir for some reason knew that this was no longer his world... And only one thing in this old world still remained real for him - it was his wife. .. His beloved Magdalene....
“I’ll come back to you... I’ll definitely come back to you...” Radomir whispered to himself very quietly. A whiteman hung over his head with a huge “umbrella”...
Bathed in the rays of golden radiance, Radomir slowly but confidently moved after the sparkling Old Man. Just before leaving, he suddenly turned around to last time to see her... To take her amazing image with me. Magdalena felt a dizzying warmth. It seemed that in this last look Radomir was sending her all the love accumulated over their many years!.. Sent it to her so that she would also remember him.
She closed her eyes, wanting to endure... Wanting to appear calm to him. And when I opened it, it was all over...
Radomir left...
The earth lost him, turning out to be unworthy of him.
He stepped into his new, still unfamiliar life, leaving Maria Debt and children... Leaving her soul wounded and lonely, but still just as loving and just as resilient.
Taking a deep breath, Magdalena stood up. She simply didn’t have time to grieve yet. She knew the Knights of the Temple would soon come for Radomir to betray him deceased body Holy Fire, seeing him off with this pure Soul to Eternity.

The first, of course, to appear was John... His face was calm and joyful. But Magdalena read sincere sympathy in her deep gray eyes.
– I am very grateful to you, Maria... I know how hard it was for you to let him go. Forgive us all, honey...
“No... you don’t know, Father... And no one knows this...” Magdalena quietly whispered, choking on tears. – But thank you for your participation... Please tell Mother Mary that HE is gone... That HE is alive... I will come to her as soon as the pain subsides a little. Tell everyone that HE LIVES...
Magdalena couldn't stand it anymore. She didn't have anymore human strength. Falling straight to the ground, she burst into tears loudly, like a child...

Paolo, Giuseppe, Omobono, Francesco.

Allesandro Stradivari

Anna Moroney

Unsurpassed Italian master bowed instruments, student of the famous Niccolo Amati.

Antonio Stradivari's entire life was devoted to improving the creation of bowed instruments, which glorified his name throughout the world. The famous violin maker created a new type of violin, distinguished by a powerful sound and richness of timbre.

Until 1684, Stradivari preferred small violins, and then moved on to making larger instruments. His elongated violin is 360 mm long, which is 9.5 mm longer than the violin of his teacher, Niccolo Amati. In search of the ideal shape, the talented craftsman reduced the length of the instrument to 355.5 mm, while simultaneously making it a little wider and with more curved arches. This is how a violin was created, which is still considered a classic.

Not a single violin maker in the entire history of the creation of bowed instruments was able to achieve such perfection of form and beauty of sound as Antonio Stradivari. Each violin he created had its own name and its own unique voice. Unfortunately, only 600 genuine instruments have survived to this day, while there are hundreds of thousands of fake ones.

Antonio Stradivari was born in 1644 in the north of Italy in the city of Cremona, located on the banks of the Po River, but after the plague epidemic began in Italy, the city gradually became empty, residents began to leave their homes, fleeing the deadly disease. Among the refugees were little Antonio's father and mother. They found refuge in the outskirts of Cremona and remained there forever. The boy spent his childhood in this town. His father came from an impoverished aristocratic family. The main traits of his character were immense pride and unsociability, which frightened local residents. The elder Stradivarius tormented his son with stories about the history of his family and excessive stinginess. It is not surprising that as soon as Antonio grew up, he decided to leave home.

Young Stradivari changed many professions. At first he dreamed of becoming a sculptor. His statues were elegant, but their faces were expressionless. Having abandoned this craft, the young man earned his living by carving wood. He learned to make beautiful wooden decorations for furniture, but suddenly abandoned this activity, becoming interested in drawing. Antonio very diligently studied wall paintings in temples and paintings by great artists. Then he was attracted to music, and the young man decided to become a violinist: now he was learning to play the violin, but his fingers lacked lightness and fluency, and his sound was muffled and harsh. They said about Stradivarius: “the ear of a musician, the hand of a carver.” The young man left this craft too, although he could not completely forget it. Stradivari spent hours studying his violin, admiring its shape and sound.

Antonio was always trying to find something he liked that would combine the creativity of an artist, the skill of a woodcarver and music. He understood that he could not become a master in any of the acquired professions separately.

The search for his place in life brought the young man to the workshop of Niccolo Amati. Now it is difficult to say whether this choice was accidental or whether Antonio deliberately chose the craft of a violin maker, but he found a job to his liking. From the age of 18, Stradivarius was a student of this famous violin maker. The years spent in his workshop not only helped the young man master the basics of craftsmanship, but also determined his future fate.

For the first year, Antonio was a free student: he performed only the most unskilled work, minor repairs, cleaned the workshop and delivered orders. He would have continued to work like this if not for chance. One day Niccolo Amati saw Antonio carving frets from a defective piece of wood. After that case old master changed his attitude towards the student: from that time on, Antonio studied the work of the great Amati for days on end. In his workshop, he learned how to choose the right wood for violins and cellos, learned some secrets of processing blanks and understood the law of correspondence individual parts instruments to each other. This rule became fundamental in his work. And most importantly, he understood how important the varnish with which the instrument was coated was.

Having created his first violin, Stradivarius excitedly showed it to his teacher. Amati treated the result of his student’s work condescendingly, and this gave the young master strength and inspiration in his work. With extraordinary persistence, he tried to ensure that his violin sounded no worse than Amati’s instruments. But, having achieved what he wanted, Antonio decided that his violins should sound differently. To achieve this goal he had to spend years. “Stradivarius under Amati,” they said about the novice master. And Antonio dreamed that his violins would sound like the voices of women and children.

In 1680, Stradivari left Amati's workshop and began to work independently. The teacher gave him a small amount of money, which was enough to buy a house and materials for making violins and cellos. In the same year, Antonio married Francesca Ferabosci. The Casa del Pescatore house was very small and cheap. The novice master devoted almost the entire room to a workshop, leaving a small room in the attic for living.

Antonio worked all day in his workshop. Every new tool, coming out of his hands was better than the previous ones. The voices of Stradivarius violins could already be distinguished among thousands of others. Their free, melodious, enchanting sound was like the voice of a beautiful girl. And Antonio’s childhood love for colors and graceful lines was forever embodied in his violins and cellos. The master loved to decorate his instruments by painting barrels, necks or corners with small cupids with ripe fruits and lily flowers. Sometimes he inserted pieces of mother-of-pearl, ebony or ivory.

Unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain - no one bought Stradivarius instruments, except for rare visiting musicians. Reputable customers preferred Amati violins, willingly shelling out 100 pistoles for the name of the master alone. And for the poor, the creations of Stra-divari were too expensive.

A year later, Antonio gave birth to his first child, Paolo, and a year later, his second son, Giuseppe. Despite all his efforts, the family languished in poverty. Only a few years later, luck suddenly came to him.

Unlike other masters, Stradivari attached great importance to the external design of his instruments, turning them into works of art. In 1700 he made one of his most magnificent violins. Cetera was performed with great love, Antonio put all his skill into it. The curl that completed the instrument depicted Diana's head, entwined in heavy braids, and a necklace was worn around her neck. A little lower he carved two small figures - a Satyr and a Nymph. The satyr hung his goat's legs with a hook, which served to carry an instrument. Both figures were executed with rare grace. No less delicately made to order was a narrow pocket violin - sordino. The curl, carved from ebony, had the shape of a Negro head.

For twenty-five years - from 1700 to 1725 - the master became as famous as his teacher had once been. The recognition was not an accident. Behind this were years of persistent and painstaking work from early morning until late evening. During the day, Stradivari stood at his workbench, and in the evening, in his workshop, hidden from prying eyes, he worked on varnishes and made calculations for future instruments. These years can rightfully be called the master’s golden period.

At this time he was able to create his own best violins: in 1704 - Bette, in 1709 - Viotti, in 1715 - Appard, and a year later - Mission. Each of them proudly bore the mark of Antonio Stradivari: the Maltese cross and the initials A.S. in a double circle. The famous master marked his violins, marking each with the year of creation of the instrument. His wooden seal consisted of three movable numbers - 166. For many years, Stradivarius added digit after digit to this number, erasing the second six and adding the next two digits by hand. With the advent of the 18th century. the aged master left only one.

By the age of forty, Antonio Stradivari had achieved everything he dreamed of. He was fabulously rich. In Cremona there was even a saying: “Rich as Stradivarius.” But the life of the famous violin maker was not happy. His wife Francesca died. He actually lost two adult sons: Paolo went into business and, in search of luck, went on a long journey to America. Giuseppe, the most talented of the sons, became a monk after he was miraculously cured of cholera. On December 31, 1694, at the age of 50, Antonio Stradivari married for the second time - to 17-year-old Maria Zambeli, who also bore him two sons.

The older Stradivarius became, the more tormented he was by the thought that he had no one to pass on his knowledge and accumulated experience. Although he had students, and younger sons Omobono and Francesco worked with him, Antonio understood that they would never achieve his skill. He also had his favorite students: Carlo Bergonzi and Lorenzo Guadagnini. But passing on his knowledge to his students was the same as stealing from his children.

And one more thought haunted him. The famous master had a rival - Giuseppe Guarneri, nicknamed Del Gesu.

Undoubtedly, Stradivari was the first master in his field. And his rival Guarneri was able to surpass him only in the strength of the sound of the instrument. Antonio came to the conclusion that, despite the enormous life experience, his skill never reached perfection - the melodious, gentle tone of his violins can be enriched with new colors -

kami, greater sound power. Stradivari was reassured by the fact that eminent customers would not buy Guarneri violins, because they did not need instruments made by a drunkard and brawler.

In the last months before his death, Antonio Stradivari made the most important decision in his life - he decided not to reveal the secrets of his craft to anyone.

The famous violin maker died on December 18, 1737. His funeral was very magnificent. The funeral procession filled the entire street. He was buried in the church of a Dominican friar. On his grave there is an inscription: “The noble Antonius Stradivarius died in the 94th year of a glorious and pious life.”

After the death of their father, his sons tried to discover the secrets of the varnish and the formula for making violins and cellos, but they never succeeded. Just before his death, Stradivarius burned all the most important papers.

Many generations of scientists are trying to unravel the secret of the amazing sound of Stradivarius violins. Some of them managed to lift the veil of secrecy. Scientists at Columbia University in the USA came to the conclusion that the unique sound of his violins is associated with reduced solar activity in the 18th century. This entailed a slowdown in the growth of trees, as a result of which their wood became more dense and had amazing acoustic properties. The period of reduced solar activity, called the Maunder minimum, lasted from 1645 to 1717 and coincided with the so-called small ice age, when the average annual temperature in Europe dropped by 1-2° C.

Other researchers attribute the extraordinary sound of Stradivarius instruments to a secret recipe for processing wood from the alpine forests of Italy. Music master from Transylvania Claudio Pall became interested in this hypothesis. For 50 years he struggled with the mystery of this unique sound. While conducting experiments on rusticated wood, he came across the notes of one of the scientists who studied the wood used by Antonio Stradivari. Among the chemical analysis data, he discovered the presence of a rare type of wood fungus that develops in mountain rivers with a special water composition.

Claudio Pall knew that Stradivari worked only with wood that was rafted from the Tyrolean Alps. The researcher came to the conclusion that chemical composition river water is of paramount importance for the formation of a special fungal culture. He believed that the sound closest to the Stradivarius effect was obtained from an instrument whose material was soaked in the Bystrica River, located near the Tyrolean Alps. It was also called Zolotaya Bystritsa in another way: gold was mined there in those years.

To help researchers violin secrets The chemists came to Stradivari. Joseph Nagyvary, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M University and an excellent violinist, devoted 25 years of his life to studying the composition of the varnish that coated violins and the wood from which they were made. The American scientist assumed that the wood was previously soaked in sea water or some kind of brine. Sea water contributed to the fact that the material for the violin was impregnated with salts of calcium, magnesium and other metals, which improved the acoustic properties of the soundboard. Nagyvari put forward the hypothesis that Stradivari used myrrh to fill the pores of pine and maple blanks. Its composition is now almost impossible to restore, since it was constantly changing. No wonder the legend attributes to Stradivarius the words that he main secret you have to look in the Bible.

In order to find out what substances were used in the Middle Ages to preserve wood, Nagyvari managed to open some pages of the history of chemistry. Medieval alchemists already knew how to carry out an operation to isolate the finest fractions, which in modern chemistry is called classification, i.e. they selected the upper drain containing the finest particles dissolved in water.

In one of the medieval documents, Nagyvary found an entry: “The pharmacist prepared the varnish for anyone who wanted it, and Grand Antonio Stradivari went to him himself to fill the empty bottle so that his friend would not pour it into the bottle from the bottom of the pot.”

For 20 years, Nagyvary sought the opportunity to perform a spectroscopic analysis of the varnish covering the best Stradivarius violins. He purchased the desired sample and carried out a thorough analysis. As it turned out, the varnish contained at least 20 different minerals, the main ones being calcite, quartz, feldspar and gypsum. Corundum, garnet, rutile and argentide were contained in smaller quantities. Some scientists disagreed with his opinion, explaining that the varnish cannot contain any fillers. And the presence of impurities was explained by ordinary room dust, which inevitably fell on the varnish. Although it is difficult to imagine a workshop with semi-precious stones crushed into powder scattered on the floor. The persistent scientist made several violins using the Stradivarius method. Experienced master, invited to work, kept wooden blanks in sea water and grape juice.

Nagyvari presented his violins at a conference of the American chemical society in March 1998. The young violinist alternately played the new instrument and the violin of the Italian master Stradivari. After the concert, she noticed that the new violin sounded almost the same as the old one, but it was more difficult to play...

The mystery of Antonio Stradivari's violins is still not solved. But this does not prevent true music lovers from enjoying their magical sound.

One of the most reputable companies involved in the sale of musical instruments has put up for auction a Guarneri violin made in 1741. The instrument is notable not only for its record price, but also for its history: great 20th-century performers Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zuckerman played this violin. Such auctions happen infrequently and always attract public attention, which the instrument as such is usually undeservedly deprived of. After all, people who turn to classical music first of all choose what to listen to, sometimes by whose performance, but they extremely rarely pay attention to what instrument the musician plays.

This violin, named after the famous Belgian violinist and composer XIX century by Henri Vietun, was made by a Cremonese master three years before his death. Before Vietun, who played it in the last 11 years of his life, the violin was owned by the French master Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, who bought it from a certain Doctor Benziger from Switzerland in 1858. After Vieutang, the violin belonged to the Belgian Eugene Ysaye, then, already in the 20th century, the Englishman Philip Newman played it. I bought the tool for him cousin, businessman and founder of one of the Oxford colleges Isaac Wolfson. After Newman's death in 1966, the violin was acquired by philanthropist and music connoisseur Ian Stutsker, who still owns it today.

It is easy to be surprised at the price of this particular Guarneri violin, because such is the stereotype for any educated person The standard violin is Anthony Stradivari's instrument. It would be foolish to argue that this master was one of the best artisans in Cremona, but experts compare his best violins to vanilla ice cream, while the instruments of Guarneri del Gesù are, in culinary terms, closest to good dark chocolate. And the life of Guarneri, who died at 46, was half as long as that of Stradivari, and only about 140 of his violins survive in the world - several times less than the instruments of his more famous competitor.

The dessert comparison quite accurately reflects the difference between the violins of these two famous Italians. If Stradivari is, first of all, a lively, light, articulate sound and capable of the slightest changes in tone, then Guarneri instruments sound, in comparison, deeper and heavier. Maybe that’s why one of the Guarneri violins (perhaps the most famous) was the favorite instrument of Niccolo Paganini, who lived a far from rosy life until his death. Paganini, who, by the way, owned several Stradivarius violins, also played important role in popularizing the name of Guarneri, who was practically forgotten after his death.

In one of his letters to Yehudi, Menuhin admitted that he preferred the Vieutang, which he managed to play, to his own Stradivarius violin of 1714. In addition, the maestro owned another Guarneri instrument - the Lord Wilton violin of 1742. The preference of a performer of Menuhin's caliber is an important indication of the true value of a violin, which is not expressed in monetary units at all. Because any outstanding instrument, like an outstanding musical composition, in the hands of the performer is not so much the means that transforms signs into sounds, but, on the contrary, the music itself, for which the performer is only a means. And the nature of the instrument often determines how the performance will turn out.

Of course, in scientific circles there has never been much trust in what cannot be explained, including the presence of meta-content in several pieces of wood glued together and veins stretched over them. Stradivari, Guarneri, Vuillaume, da Salo, an instrument of the 20th century, the 21st century - everything is one, if you approach the issue from a scientific point of view. Since the violin repertoire has become rich enough for the violin to be one of the main solo instruments, sophisticated tests have been carried out to determine whether there is any difference between the instruments. Moreover, these tests, in which musicologists, experts and virtuosos participate, usually end with the fact that even the best specialists they confuse where is the Stradivarius, where is the Guarneri, and where is just a good factory violin.

To justify the uniqueness of a particular instrument, scientists try to explain it with one or another objective argument. The sound of ancient violins, for example, was attributed to the very high density of the wood from which they were made. There are also theories according to which the special sound of violins of the 17th - 18th centuries is given by a special composition of glue, trees from a certain geographical region, clever varnishing, and so on. Scientists prefer to attribute the merits of an instrument to the exceptional skill of its creator as a last resort.

Over the years, more and more new means have become available to prove scientific assumptions: X-rays, dendrochronology, biochemical analysis, laser vibrometers and much more. However, even if the scientists are right and a good violin really does not differ from a good violin, there is another aspect, an aesthetic one. For some reason, he played the violin.

Any excellent instrument produced by one or another master or even a factory has a history of creation; behind it there is always a reputation, and therefore the character of a person or company. Moreover, many well-known manufacturers began to make musical instruments when they had not yet acquired their modern appearance, and they formed them with their own hands. This is the only reason why Bluthner pianos will differ from each other, just as, for example, Greg Smallman's guitars will differ from Jose Ramirez's guitars.

Of course, if you wish, it is not difficult to call this myth-making for another, non-scientific reason: the income of the owner of a rare instrument directly depends on the establishment of such differences. (As the well-known accuser of the world would rightly note here classical music Norman Lebrecht) In human terms, however, this also means denying the differences between instruments with different characters, created by people with different characters. Different people will also have to play on them.

Therefore, it will be a great pity if Guarneri’s Viotan, which risks becoming the most expensive musical instrument in the world, is bought not by some music-loving philanthropist, but by a Japanese museum. And for museum visitors, the value of this violin will be reduced to an audio recording in headphones, the $18 million that was once paid for it, and two paragraphs of text on a plaque describing the exhibit.

Comment from the forum http://www.classicalforum.ru/index.php?topic=3329.0

After all, the violins of the great masters were distinguished by some general properties, which arose under the hands of a particular master, as well as the individuality of the “voice”: it is not for nothing that the masters themselves gave individual names to the most outstanding instruments!

When the master has previously developed strategic considerations regarding general musical and mechanical parameters created tool, it all started with the selection of material and its preparation for creating the parts of the violin and then, after turning and fitting all the components to each other, it ended with the fine tuning of the assembled instrument through changing small mechanical and geometric parameters with accompanying sound control, after which the instrument was coated with a special varnish, the secret of which was also a special secret.

A few words about Stradivari...

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 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. 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.

Stradivarius made about 2,500 instruments

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 his 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 is 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, but later great importance they began to use 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 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 when the master created violins, wooden blanks were often affected by woodworm, and Stradivari resorted to borax to protect the unique musical instruments. 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.

Science and Stradivarius

Colin Gough

______________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Antonio Stradivarius or Stradivarius (1644 - December 18, 1737) - famous master of string instruments, student of Nicolo Amati. About 650 instruments of his work have survived.
Having tried many professions, he experienced failure everywhere. He wanted to become a sculptor, like Michelangelo; the lines of his statues were elegant, but their faces were not expressive. He abandoned this craft, earned his living by carving wood, making wooden decorations for rich furniture, and became addicted to drawing; with the greatest suffering he studied the ornamentation of doors and wall paintings of cathedrals and the drawings of great masters. Then he was attracted to music and decided to become a musician. He studied violin hard; but the fingers lacked fluency and lightness, and the sound of the violin was dull and harsh. They said about him: " Musician's ear, carver's hands". And he gave up the craft of a musician. But he did not forget it.
Biography
Antonio Stradivari was born around 1644 in a small settlement near Cremona in the family of Alexandro Stradivari and Anna Moroni. His parents were from Cremona. But at this time, a terrible plague was raging in the southern part of Italy, which reached their city. People fled wherever they could. So the Stradivarius family settled near Cremona, and they never returned there again. The future great master spent his childhood there. For a long time, young Antonio could not decide what to do. He tried to be a sculptor, painter, woodcarver, and violinist. But in order to seriously engage in music, he lacked the mobility of his fingers, despite the fact that his ear for music was perfect. Violins interested him, and at the age of 18 Antonio became a free student of the well-known violin maker Nicolo Amati in Italy. At the first stage of his stay with Amati, Stradivari performed only the most menial work and was, as they say, at the beck and call of a recognized master. But one day Nicolo Amati saw Antonio carving f-holes on a useless piece of wood. And from that moment on, Antonio began to comprehend Amati’s skill, to learn how to choose wood, how to make maple or spruce sing, how thick the soundboards should be, what the purpose of the spring inside the instrument is, and what role the varnish covering it has in the sound of the violin. With persistence, Stradivarius achieved perfection in the sound of the violin. And when he heard that his violin sang the same way as Master Nicolo’s, he was overcome by the desire to make it different. Stradivari wanted to hear the sounds of women's and children's voices in it. But for a long time He failed to implement his idea. In 1680, Stradivarius began working independently.
In addition to the perfection of sound, his instruments were distinguished unusual design, as they would say today. All the violins were different, some he made narrower, others wider, some were shorter, some longer. Stradivarius decorated his instruments with pieces of mother-of-pearl, ebony, ivory, and images of flowers or cupids. They had a special sound; contemporaries compared the sound of his violins with the voice of a girl in a Cremona square. All this was said about own style his works, and therefore distinguished them favorably from many others. By the age of forty, Stradivarius was very rich and famous. The Italians said: “Rich as Stradivarius.”
It was difficult to call his personal life happy. He was widowed early and lost two adult sons, whom he hoped to make the support of his own old age, to reveal to them the secret of his skill and to pass on everything that he had achieved throughout his life. long life. However, he still has four more sons. Francesco and Omobono, although they worked with him, did not have his instincts, much less his talent. They just tried to copy him. The third son, Paolo, did not understand his craft at all, he was carried away by trade, and he was extremely far from art. The fourth son, Giuseppe, became a monk. Stradivarius was 76 years old. He lived to a ripe old age and achieved great respect and wealth. But thinking about his family, Antonio became increasingly gloomy. The violins understood and obeyed him much more than their own sons, and he knew how to feel them, which could not be said about his children. Stradivarius left them all his acquired property, they will acquire nice houses; but there was no one to leave the secret of his mastery to Stradivarius. For only a true master can pass on his experience and part of his talent; he did not feel even a grain of such abilities in his sons. He did not want to share with them the subtle ways of composing varnishes, recording the unevenness of the decks. Believing that all the nuances that he meticulously collected and learned over 70 years can only help, teach him to be a master and feel the tree as if it were alive, never. Calm does not leave Stradivarius. He will make tools until last days life, getting up early, sitting for hours in the laboratory and at the workbench. Despite the fact that every month it becomes more and more difficult for him to finish the violin he started. He stopped thinking about everything that had previously prevented him from sleeping peacefully. The master finally decided that he would take his secrets with him to the grave. It is better to let them remain undiscovered forever than to pass on knowledge to those who have neither talent, nor love, nor courage. He already gave a lot to his family, they are rich, they still have his noble name and his good reputation. Over his long life, he made just over a thousand instruments, which were sold all over the world. In addition to violins, Stradivari made violas, guitars, cellos, and even made a harp. He was satisfied with the outcome of his journey, and therefore left calmly.
On December 18, 1737, Stradivari's heart stopped. Dressed in black robes with hoods, belted with ropes, and wearing rough wooden sandals, the monks of the Dominican order walked behind the hearse, in whose church the master bought a crypt for the burial of himself and his family during his lifetime. The sons walked solemnly and importantly behind the coffin, followed by the disciples. None of them ever learned the secret of the great master Antonio Stradivari.
The Mystery of Antonio Stradivari
The violin is in the hands of a wonderful musician, responding to his inspiration with a clear, deep voice. How Living being, she told us about grief and joy, about tragedy and happiness, and everyone understood it in their own way, it found its own response in everyone’s soul. Light golden, elegant, it sparkled with all its facets, and only a few knew that in fact its age was measured in centuries and that it was given to the musician from the State Collection only for this tour. This violin had no price: like any masterpiece, it was priceless. After two and a half centuries, it has retained all the nuances of its extraordinary sound. She brought to us the “soul of Stradivarius”... He was not loved for his stinginess and aloofness. They envied him - his wealth and fame. When he remarried at 55, a year after his wife's death, he was maligned. Not all of his eleven children survived, but when one of them died, they did not rush to him with words of consolation and sympathy. And they were also afraid of him, because he was terrible in his obsession: no one had ever seen him do nothing, not once in all nine decades of his life. Along with the first rays of the gentle Italian sun, he appeared on the roof of his three-story house in St. Domenic Square and hung up his tools; at sunset he went out to take them off. The students have long gone home, the sons helping with their work have gone to bed, and in the window of the workshop on the first floor there is a light shining, and every now and then the tall, thin figure of the great master flashes.
For almost two centuries, the Cremona school of violin makers accumulated experience in creating instruments that the European stage had never seen before. How many generations of masters had to change, passing on the secrets of their craft to each other, so that he, Stradivarius, could finally appear, who could not only absorb their knowledge, but also bring the common work to perfection!
80 years of intense, never-ending work. When my hands got tired, my brain continued to work. Antonio dreamed that he had to make a violin unsurpassed in its sound qualities, and he made it, although it took his whole life. At the age of 13, he glued his first instrument with the brilliant Nicolo Amati, but another 10 long years passed until, having opened his own workshop, he allowed himself not to be called a student on violin etiquette, and another 20 years, when he first made an instrument different from those what his teacher did.

What did he change then? Yes, he made the model longer, but a little narrower. The sound timbre became lower. And then he began to weigh the parts of the violin. It seemed to him that he was about to find in this flat instrument the best proportion between the upper soundboard and the lower one. Then the idea appeared that the sound depended on the thickness of the decks. Dozens of prototypes were made, and it turned out that the thinner the deck, the lower the tone. But can the thickness be the same throughout? What should it be like then? Long years calculations, experiments: somewhere, in some place a little thicker, somewhere a little thinner, just a fraction of a millimeter - and a different sound. Was it really necessary to live 93 years to finally establish a system by which the thickness of the decks in different places is determined, the change from the center to the edges? Hundreds and thousands of options and, finally, the conclusion - the top part should be made of spruce, and not from Saxon, which has a lot of resin, but from Tyrolean or Italian. And for interior decoration, alder and linden will be suitable. How good maple works! He has one beautiful drawing cut: the tool must be elegant. Italian maple has a special shine, the surface of its cuts is silky, but you only need to take the trunk that was cut down in January, otherwise there will be a lot of juice in it - this will ruin everything.
Antonio is convinced that his violins should last for centuries. Stradivarius learned to choose wood accurately. But he rarely came across a good tree; he sometimes used one trunk for a whole decade, carefully selecting piece by piece. It’s better to glue it, take a chance with the design - as long as it sounds. And only he knew which tree to choose: young, old, or even with wormholes. When did he create his final model? In 1704? Decades of work and research before a problem with many unknowns was solved. Yes, he found the main unknown when he was already 60 years old: he proved that its “voice” depends on the composition of the varnish with which the instrument is 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. And who can suggest their composition - scientists, alchemists? How much do they know about this? About one and a half thousand The instruments came from the workshop of the great Antonio Stradivari, and he made every single one of them with his own hands. And how much did he then reject in the process of endless searches?! This is what took 80 years, spent like one day, alone with the singing tree. He achieved fame and glory. He is commissioned for instruments - and not only violins, but also violas and viols - by kings and nobles. His creations are the best of all that was created in Europe; it was they who confirmed the superiority of the “Italian timbre” inherent only to them...
So what is the master dissatisfied with, what makes him suffer?
For centuries, the skill of making musical instruments has been passed down by inheritance: from grandfather to father, from father to son, grandson. In Northern Italy, in Brescia, there was a dynasty of violin makers, originating from Gasparo Bertolotti. Here in Cremona, a dynasty has existed for 200 years, founded by Andrea Amati, whose grandson Nicola, who lived 88 years, taught Stradivarius this craft. Nikola's son, violin maker Girolami Amati, is still alive; he is only five years younger than Stradivari. Even Andrea Guarneri, with whom Antonio studied with Amati, became the founder of a dynasty of masters, and his grandson Giuseppe, nicknamed del Gesu, seems to eclipse the glory of Stradivari himself. And only Signor Antonio himself does not leave behind heirs to his talent. Both of his sons, Francesco and Omobono, did not go further than apprentices. Why did he work so hard, to whom will he leave the secrets of his mastery? To whom will he reveal the great meaning of deck thickness tables, the system of measuring points - its points, the composition of the primer and varnish, the methods of their preparation? Take them with you to the grave? He spent 80 years trying to achieve perfection in his craft. Can anyone else do this? So, is he destined to remain unsurpassed for centuries?
Almost two and a half centuries have passed since the death of the great master Antonio Stradivari. His careless sons outlived their father by only 5-6 years. Until his last days, 93-year-old Stradivarius worked on violins. Blanks of instruments have been preserved, on the label of which, next to the traditional Maltese cross, is the name of the creator and the date - 1737, the year of his death. There are about 800 instruments in the world now, which are known for sure to have been made by the hand of the great Stradivarius. Among them are the famous cello called “Bass of Spain” and tiny “pochettes” - violins for dance teachers, the Master’s most magnificent creation - the “Messiah” violin and the “Münz” violin, from the inscription on which it was determined that the master was born in 1644. But the secrets of creativity, which suddenly disappeared with his death, have not yet been solved. Everything that can be measured has been measured, everything that can be copied has been copied, but no one can make a violin made according to these measurements “sing” the way it did with the great Stradivarius. To this day, it is not possible to determine the chemical composition of the primer and varnish applied to his instruments. That is why the legend about the “soul of Stradivari”, imprisoned in his violins and talking to his descendants, is passed down from generation to generation.
The secret of Antonio Stradivari's violins
Scientists around the world are trying to unravel the mystery of Stradivarius violins. Even during his lifetime, the masters said that he sold his soul to the devil - but they also said that several violins were made from the wreckage of Noah's Ark. 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 of a large number of 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. In addition to bowed ones, he also made one harp and two guitars. It is generally accepted that his best instruments 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 the State Collection of Musical Instruments, one in the Glinka Museum 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 the 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 shape of the instrument; later they began to attach great importance to the material, which is constant for Stradivarius violins: spruce for the top, maple for the bottom. They even believed that it was all about the varnishes; The elastic varnish covering Stradivarius violins 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 when the master created violins, wooden blanks were often affected by woodworm, and Stradivari resorted to borax to protect the unique musical instruments. 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.

In 1680, Stradivari left Amati's workshop and began to work independently. The teacher gave him a small amount of money, which was enough to buy a house and materials for making violins and cellos. In the same year, Antonio married Francesca Ferabosci. The Casa del Pescatore house was very small and cheap. The novice master devoted almost the entire room to a workshop, leaving a small room in the attic for living. Antonio worked all day in his workshop. Each new instrument coming out of his hands was better than the previous ones. The voices of Stradivarius violins could already be distinguished among thousands of others. Their free, melodious, enchanting sound was like a voice beautiful girl . And Antonio’s childhood love for colors and graceful lines was forever embodied in his violins and cellos. The master loved to decorate his instruments by painting barrels, necks or corners with small cupids with ripe fruits and lily flowers. Sometimes he inserted pieces of mother-of-pearl, ebony or ivory. Unfortunately, all his efforts were in vain - no one bought Stradivarius instruments, except for rare visiting musicians. Reputable customers preferred Amati violins, willingly shelling out 100 pistoles for the name of the master alone. And for the poor, Stradivari's creations were too expensive. A year later, Antonio's first child, Paolo, was born, and a year later, his second son, Giuseppe. Despite all his efforts, the family languished in poverty. Only a few years later, luck suddenly came to him. Unlike other masters, Stradivari attached great importance to the external design of his instruments, turning them into works of art. In 1700 he made one of his most magnificent violins. The cetera was made with great love, Antonio put all his skill into it. The curl that completed the instrument depicted Diana's head, entwined in heavy braids, and a necklace was worn around her neck. A little lower he carved two small figures - a Satyr and a Nymph. The satyr hung his goat's legs with a hook, which served to carry an instrument. Both figures were executed with rare grace. A narrow pocket violin - sordino - was made to order no less delicately. The curl, carved from ebony, had the shape of a Negro head. In twenty-five years - from 1700 to 1725 - the master became as famous as his teacher had once been. The recognition was not an accident. Behind this were years of persistent and painstaking work from early morning until late evening. During the day, Stradivari stood at a workbench, and in the evening, in his workshop, hidden from prying eyes, he worked on varnishes and made calculations for future instruments. These years can rightfully be called the master’s golden period. At this time, he was able to create his best violins: in 1704 - Bette, in 1709 - Viotti, in 1715 - Alard, and a year later - Mission. Each of them proudly displayed the mark of Antonio Stradivari: the Maltese cross and the initials A.S. in a double circle. The famous master marked his violins, marking each one with the year the instrument was created. His wooden seal consisted of three movable numbers - 166. For many years, Stradivari added digit after digit to this number, erasing the second six and adding the next two digits by hand. With the advent of the 18th century. the aged master left only one. By the age of forty, Antonio Stradivari had achieved everything he dreamed of. He was fabulously rich. In Cremona there was even a saying: “Rich as Stradivarius.” But the life of the famous violin maker was not happy. His wife Francesca died. He actually lost two adult sons: Paolo went into business and, in search of luck, went on a long journey to America. Giuseppe, the most talented of the sons, became a monk after he was miraculously cured of cholera. On December 31, 1694, at the age of 50, Antonio Stradivari married for the second time - to 17-year-old Maria Zambeli, who also bore him two sons. The older Stradivarius became, the more tormented he was by the thought that he had no one to pass on his knowledge and accumulated experience. Although he had students, and his younger sons Omobono and Francesco worked with him, Antonio understood that they would never achieve his mastery. He also had his favorite students: Carlo Bergonzi and Lorenzo Guadagnini. But passing on his knowledge to his students was like stealing from his children. And one more thought haunted him. The famous master had a rival - Giuseppe Guarneri, nicknamed Del Gesu. Undoubtedly, Stradivari was the first master in his field. And his rival Guarneri was able to surpass him only in the strength of the sound of the instrument. Antonio came to the conclusion that, despite his enormous life experience, his skill had never reached perfection - the melodious, gentle tone of his violins could be enriched with new colors and greater sound power. Stradivari was reassured by the fact that eminent customers would not buy Guarneri violins, because they did not need instruments made by a drunkard and a brawler. In the last months before his death, Antonio Stradivari made the most important decision in his life - he decided not to reveal the secrets of his craft to anyone.