All Historical articles – Page 9
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News‘Hellier’ Stradivari violin fails to sell at auction
The inlaid instrument was a highlight of Christie’s ’Exceptional Sale’ on 7 July
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ArticleDeconstructing the Andrea Amati ‘King’ cello
In an article from June 2015, Matthew Zeller examines five centuries of alterations made to the world’s oldest cello, housed at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, and asks what they reveal about the evolution and development of the standard cello form
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GalleryIn Focus: a 1622 Brothers Amati Cello
In this article from the Strad’s June 2014 issue, Christopher Reuning examines an elegant masterpiece of delicacy and strength
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FocusFrom the Archive: Andrea Amati, 1564 ‘Charles IX’ violin from the Ashmolean Museum collection
In this extract from an article from the December 1991 issue of The Strad, Roger Hargrave discusses the ‘Charles IX’ Andrea Amati instruments with particular reference to this 1564 example from the Hill collection at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
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FeatureIn Focus: a 1682 violin by Nicolò Amati
Precision and elegance abound in this grand pattern Amati once owned by the Italian virtuoso Spagnoletti, writes Christopher Reuning
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A c.1680 double bass by Girolamo Amati II
René Zaal details an instrument by the son of the more well-known Nicolò Amati, and the grandson of his namesake Girolamo Amati I
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FocusIn focus: the ‘Sachs’ Stradivari violin of c.1666
John Dilworth takes a close look at one of the very earliest violins attributable to Stradivari
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NewsAustralian Chamber Orchestra acquires ‘ex-Dollfus’ Stradivari violin
The 1732 instrument will be played by ACO principal violin Helena Rathbone
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NewsStradivari’s c.1679 ‘Hellier’ violin to be sold at auction
The inlaid instrument will go under the hammer at Christie’s London on 7 July 2022
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Premium ❘ FeatureBaroque Set-up: In a Land without Rules
With the growth in popularity of historically informed performance, more players are requesting Baroque-style instruments – but the process of converting an instrument is fraught with uncertainty. Sarah Peck presents an overview of the Baroque set-up process, and corrects some common misconceptions along the way
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Premium ❘ ArticleAuction Report: June 2022
Kevin MacDonald finds some unusual offerings, including an interesting quartet of bows, at the capital’s March auctions
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Premium ❘ FeatureAugust Rau: The old-fashioned way
At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialisation, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship. Gennady Filimonov tells the story of his long career and examines several examples of his work
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1911 cello by Guglielmo Secondo Camillo Mandelli
Lionnel Genovart looks at the Italian maker’s instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureJacob Stainer’s birth: A question of dates
For centuries, historians have tried to settle on a definitive birthdate for Tyrolean luthier Jacob Stainer. Heinz Noflatscher explains how we now have an upper limit for his birth year – and why researchers were foxed by the elegant handwriting of the master
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A c.1620–1701 viola by Enrico Catenar
Gabriele Rossi Rognoni looks at the German maker’s oldest-known surviving instrument
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Premium ❘ FeatureSchroetter and Roth: Two of a kind
With the demand for mass-produced German instruments skyrocketing in the 1920s, enterprising makers sent family members to America to represent them. Clifford Hall explores the careers and legacies of Andrew Schroetter and Heinrich Roth
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Premium ❘ FeatureLuigi Cavallini: A maker in the rough
Tuscany in the 19th century was home to numerous luthiers, some of whom were carpenters who turned their hands to instrument making. Florian Leonhard examines the career of Luigi Cavallini, a lesser-known self-taught maker whose work, while unusual in parts, displays a surprisingly high level of craftsmanship
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Premium ❘ FocusMaking Matters: Her dark materials
Why do so many violins from German-speaking countries in the later 18th century have such dark varnish? Michel Lorge advances a theory that makes no assumptions about the luthiers’ abilities
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Premium ❘ FocusIn Focus: A c.1870 viola by Niels Larsen Winther
Jens Stenz looks at the Danish luthier’s instrument
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NewsViolin dealer and expert Norman Rosenberg has died
The London-based dealer was a respected authority on stringed instruments and an occasional contributor to The Strad
