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Stewart Pollens
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Book
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Publisher | Cambridge | ||
ISBN | 978-052187304 | ||
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Reviewer
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Vicky
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Synopsis
For over 200 years, Antonio Stradivari has been universally regarded as the greatest violin maker who ever lived, yet it is not widely known that he made virtually every kind of bowed- and plucked-string instrument popular in the Baroque period, including lutes, viols, mandolins, guitars, and harps. Stradivari provides a fascinating biography of this legendary maker, based on newly discovered material in church and civic archives, alongside technical descriptions and analyses of many of the maker's workshop materials preserved in the Museo Stradivariano in Cremona, particularly as they relate to extant and lost instruments, baroque stringing and instrument adjustment, and early performance practice. There are separate chapters for each type of instrument, allowing the reader to easily locate information. The book contains tables of measurements of Stradivari's forms and patterns, over 100 black and white photographs and drawings, and colour photographs of 16 of Stradivari's most important violins, violas, and cellos.
Review
Today is Tuesday December 7th in in my morning paper is a story that caught my attention - violinist Min-Jin Kym's £1.2 million pound Stradivari violin. Although it is over 400 years old I was shocked at it's price and wanted to know more about the maker and what made his violins worth more than anyone elses.
In 'Stradivari' by Stewart Pollens he takes us on a journey into the life of the musical instrument maker Antonio Stradivari - the politics of the era and an indepth look at how these very special violins and other stringed instruments were made.
Was it the wood that made these instrument so perfect or was it the varnish! Rumour had it that Stradivari used rotten fish in as well as saffron, shellac, mastic and dragon's blood in it - but we don't know for sure! It was as they say - a trade secret!
There is a wealth of information on how Stradivari made his instruments, with many photos of templates and formers, work tools as well as tables for the height and size of the violin, as well as the thickness of the wood used for the front and back. There are also some fascinating photos of his best violins and violas - all in all fascinating stuff.
This is not just a facts and figures book - but a protrait of how Stradivari worked, and what with, as well as who supported him - I actually found the book quite atmospheric and evocative of a by gone era.
A book that I highly recommend for all people interested in what makes the Stradivari the perfect violin, as well as those interested in the history of the times - and what of today, we can only hope that Min-Jin Kym's Stradivarius violin is found sooner rather than later so that she can carry on making beautisful music on a beautiful instrument made by an extraordinary man.
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