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The Violin: Its Origin and Mystique of the Stradivarius
The violin as we know it today, evolved from very early stringed instruments sometime in the 15th century. These instruments sometimes only had two strings, but like the violin, were also played with a bow. Two famous “schools” of violin making began in the 16th century. The Cremonese school was started by a famous maker of that period, Andrea Amati. About that same time, there was another famous maker, Gasparo da Salo, who was of the Brescian school. During this time period, all violin production was done in Italy. Later, in the 17th century, very good violins began to be made in Germany also.
The most famous violin makers of all time were Stradivari and Guarnieri. Both of these Italian master violin makers produced violins in the early 18th century. These violins are highly prized and sought after. The best professional violinists of today play one of their instruments. There was also a very good German violin maker of this time period named Jacobus Stainer. However, he did not achieve the same level of notoriety as the Italian makers.
The sound quality of the Stradavarius and Guarnierius violins are considered the best in the world. Although there were very good quality violins produced after the 18th century, and very good quality violins are produced today, they do not have the same rich phonic characteristics as the violins these early masters produced. There has been a lot of investigation and speculation into why this is. Some believe it was the quality of wood used at that time, or the fact that the wood was transported by floating the logs down a river, or perhaps the skill of the craftsmen, or maybe it is caused by the aging of the wood and the varnish through the centuries that produces their unique sound.
There are others however, that believe it has more to do with the wood “filler” that was used prior to the varnishing, and perhaps also the varnish itself. It is possible today to duplicate a Stradivarius or Guarnierius violin in every way, using the same type of very old wood, and using the same dimensions, techniques and tools. However, prior to varnishing, a newly made violin was coated in a liquid to fill the microscopic gaps in the wood, so that the varnish would not soak into the wood but have a perfectly even finish. It is this “filler” that violin makers and restorers cannot duplicate. Today’s violin makers do not know what was used by the early masters, and so, cannot duplicate it. There are craftsmen that dedicate a great deal of time experimenting with various formulations in an effort to find the “secret”, but is has eluded them so far. Also, the varnish of today is a fast-drying variety. The old varnishes would take months to dry. Perhaps a combination of all these things makes it impossible to exactly duplicate the sound of the early masters’ violins, even though they can be physically duplicated.
While duplicating the sound of a Stradivarius is not possible, fortunately, learning to play like a master violinist is possible. Though it takes dedication and concentrated practice, the techniques used by today’s master violinists can be learned by the serious student, who may one day also become a master violinist able to teach others
About the Author
Charles Dixon is an amateur musician and full-time music afficionado.
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Sound sample of 3/4 size German Stradivarius Violin, Kreisler Schon Rosmarin Eboyinc
