All Historical articles – Page 8
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Focus
Photo gallery: 300 years young – Stradivari’s decorated ‘Rode’ violin
The 1722 instrument will be performed in concert at Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum on 20 October, to mark its 300th anniversary
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1729 Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ cello
One of only two cellos in the world that also bears the handiwork of Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1714 Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ violin
Formerly owned by Isolde Menges, this instrument might also bear the hand of Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
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The Viennese double bass: The long pattern
In the 18th and 19th centuries, double basses made in Vienna had distinctive shapes and characteristics that gave them tremendous sound quality.
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The Strad Calendar 2023: 1728/29 Antonio Stradivari violin
The first ever Stradivari instrument to be played within an Australian orchestra
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In Focus: A c.1815 double bass by Thomas Dodd
Stefan Krattenmacher details an instrument by the English maker
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Making Matters: Artistic licence and the ‘true violin’
Is our understanding of violin history too heavily influenced by the old Italians?
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Carlo Bergonzi 1735 ‘Baron Knoop’ violin: The Heir Apparent
Andrea Zanrè shows how his ‘Baron Knoop’ violin of 1735 displays an unmistakable personality despite the influence of Stradivari and his contemporaries
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How the violin trade has changed since the Queen’s accession
In this article from 2012, Philip Kass examines how everything from manufacturing to trade in the Far East have all changed during the Queen’s reign
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News
‘With this, I’ve fulfilled a lifelong dream’: violinist David Garrett on his 1736 Guarneri ’del Gesù’
Having bought the violin at auction in June, the German superstar has now also created the Guarneri ’del Gesù’ Club
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International lutherie schools: All round learning
Peter Somerford speaks to teachers from seven violin making schools to find out the options for young aspiring luthiers
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Newark School of Violin Making: Fifty years young
The Strad looks back on 50 years of the UK’s best-known institution for lutherie and the many well-known names who have passed through its doors as students
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The hidden treasures of Pietro Guarneri of Mantua
Pietro Guarneri of Mantua was an undisputed master luthier, even though very few examples of his work remain. Andrea Zanrè examines three ‘violettas’ that until now have been overlooked
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Blogs
Newark School of Violin Making: The early days
The UK’s Newark School of Violin Making celebrates its 50th anniversary in September 2022. Luthier Adam Whone, one of its very first students, recalls the learning environment he discovered, aged 16, and the three years of tuition at the school
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‘Interventions led to an almost total removal or retouching of the original materials’ - Comparing three 1734 Guarneris
Giacomo Fiocco explains the technical methods used to analyse a trio of 1734 Guarneris
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Revealing Sartory's secrets: A look at one of the 20th century's finest bow makers
Often called the finest bow maker of the 20th century, Eugène Sartory was a fastidious artisan whose work shows efficiency and reliability. Richard Morency examines a bow from Sartory’s middle period to reveal his working methods
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Review
Book review: The Luthier’s Manual by J.C. Maugin
Andrew Dipper delves into a new translation of the 19th-century treatise by John Saucier, W. Brad Holley and Kate Rickenbacker
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In Focus: An 1875 viola by Domenico Degani
Ernst Fuchs details an instrument by the accomplished maker, now best-known as the father of Eugenio Degani
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News
Scottish violin maker Brian Rattray dies aged 83
The luthier ran a successful workshop in Colinton, on the outskirts of Edinburgh
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François-Nicolas Voirin: The Second Tourte
The bows of François-Nicolas Voirin had more influence than those of any other bow maker after F.X. Tourte. In the first of two articles, Matt Wehling explores Voirin’s life and career, and examines why his bows were so successful with players