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Cello bridge design: X marks the spot

2024-03-26T09:32:00+00:00

For many years the design of the cello bridge has remained constant – but could it be improved? Sebastian Gonzalez presents the results of a comparison between the standard French bridge and a newly designed model, while Gaian Amorim tracks the development of the bridge

Her Ensemble

Analysis April 2024: Discrimination towards LGBTQ+ musicians

2024-03-22T09:31:00+00:00

A new report highlights the experience of LGBTQ+ musicians in the UK’s orchestral landscape, revealing that discrimination is still all too common in such environments

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Technique: the connections between cello and voice

2024-03-20T11:30:01.757+00:00

Cellist and operatic baritone Matthew Sharp shares tips on how to embody and inhabit your sound

Maud 1919 Bushnell 4 600 dpi

‘She plays like a man’ - From the archive: April 1904

2024-03-20T11:28:19.123+00:00

New York correspondent Thomas C. Dawson reports on a performance by Maud Powell and solves a mystery regarding the violins of virtuoso Ede Reményi (1828–98)

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Double bass set-up: not a giant violin

2024-03-19T09:31:00+00:00

The size and shape of the double bass mean its set-up differs greatly from the other bowed stringed instruments. Bass maker Arnold E. Schnitzer presents a comprehensive guide, designed for both luthiers and practically minded bassists

Untitled design (5)

Cello bridge design: X marks the spot

2024-03-26T09:32:00+00:00

For many years the design of the cello bridge has remained constant – but could it be improved? Sebastian Gonzalez presents the results of a comparison between the standard French bridge and a newly designed model, while Gaian Amorim tracks the development of the bridge

Her Ensemble

Analysis April 2024: Discrimination towards LGBTQ+ musicians

2024-03-22T09:31:00+00:00

A new report highlights the experience of LGBTQ+ musicians in the UK’s orchestral landscape, revealing that discrimination is still all too common in such environments

Anonimo francesce, inizio XIX secolo, Ritratto di violinista (Pierre Rode), olio su tela, cm 92 x 72,5 - HD

Pierre Rode: The Rode less travelled

He is best remembered for his didactic 24 Caprices, but there’s much more to Pierre Rode. For the French virtuoso’s 250th anniversary, Charlotte Gardner reveals a colourful life story and hears from the German violinist Friedemann Eichhorn, who has revived and recorded all of Rode’s 13 violin concertos

T25736_Ebsworth Quartet L to R Elizabeth Hunt Eleanor Warren Eileen Ebsworth Phyllis Ebsworth

All-female string quartets after the First World War

In the second and final part of his survey, Tully Potter reveals the extent of the explosion of all-female quartets that occurred after the First World War in the UK, Europe, the US and the Soviet Union, as well as notable mixed ones

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German bow makers in America: Across the Atlantic

Many, if not most, of the earliest bow makers working in America originally hailed from Germany. Raphael Gold discovers how they helped lay the foundations for the industry

Sphinx+Virtuosi+-+New+World+Center+-+credit+Scott+Jackson

Sphinx Organization: Change for good

For the past quarter-century the Sphinx Organization has worked tirelessly to bring much-needed diversity to the US classical music scene. Bruce Hodges examines its achievements, and hears from its founder and its president about the future

RCM students rehearsing at Wigmore Hall (c) Phil Rowley

'When someone is healthy inside, it sounds that way' - Mental health services in conservatoires

Rita Fernandes hears from administrators, counsellors and teachers from music schools about what defines a successful conservatoire mental health support system

Anonimo francesce, inizio XIX secolo, Ritratto di violinista (Pierre Rode), olio su tela, cm 92 x 72,5 - HD

Pierre Rode: The Rode less travelled

He is best remembered for his didactic 24 Caprices, but there’s much more to Pierre Rode. For the French virtuoso’s 250th anniversary, Charlotte Gardner reveals a colourful life story and hears from the German violinist Friedemann Eichhorn, who has revived and recorded all of Rode’s 13 violin concertos

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Trade Secrets: Making a decorative fleur-de-lys

Luthier Evan Davenport illustrates a method to add a striking decoration to the back of a Baroque instrument

MSMatildeRedPeakTransported

Technique: the connections between cello and voice

Cellist and operatic baritone Matthew Sharp shares tips on how to embody and inhabit your sound

1

Trade Secrets: Repairing a cello button

Petko Petkov shares a restoration method for creating a new button on the back plate

Masterclass: Ravel Violin Sonata no.2, second movement ‘Blues’

Violinist Curtis Stewart looks at how to get the most from the different styles Ravel used, and how questions that arise from their juxtaposition are arguably more important than answers

Masterclass: Brahms Violin Sonata no.2 first movement

Taking inspiration from the composer’s Lieder, violinist Daniel Kurganov highlights the importance of emulating vocal lines in the second of Brahms’s violin sonatas

Anonimo francesce, inizio XIX secolo, Ritratto di violinista (Pierre Rode), olio su tela, cm 92 x 72,5 - HD

Pierre Rode: The Rode less travelled

He is best remembered for his didactic 24 Caprices, but there’s much more to Pierre Rode. For the French virtuoso’s 250th anniversary, Charlotte Gardner reveals a colourful life story and hears from the German violinist Friedemann Eichhorn, who has revived and recorded all of Rode’s 13 violin concertos

T25736_Ebsworth Quartet L to R Elizabeth Hunt Eleanor Warren Eileen Ebsworth Phyllis Ebsworth

All-female string quartets after the First World War

In the second and final part of his survey, Tully Potter reveals the extent of the explosion of all-female quartets that occurred after the First World War in the UK, Europe, the US and the Soviet Union, as well as notable mixed ones

m

German bow makers in America: Across the Atlantic

Many, if not most, of the earliest bow makers working in America originally hailed from Germany. Raphael Gold discovers how they helped lay the foundations for the industry

Sphinx+Virtuosi+-+New+World+Center+-+credit+Scott+Jackson

Sphinx Organization: Change for good

For the past quarter-century the Sphinx Organization has worked tirelessly to bring much-needed diversity to the US classical music scene. Bruce Hodges examines its achievements, and hears from its founder and its president about the future

RCM students rehearsing at Wigmore Hall (c) Phil Rowley

'When someone is healthy inside, it sounds that way' - Mental health services in conservatoires

Rita Fernandes hears from administrators, counsellors and teachers from music schools about what defines a successful conservatoire mental health support system

Jacques_Thibaud_01

Grace, charm and effortless elegance: remembering violinist Jacques Thibaud

To mark the 70th anniversary of the death of French violinist Jacques Thibaud, Tully Potter looks back at the life of one of the 20th century’s most influential musicians

Lutherie

  • Untitled design (6)

    Violin maker Otto Schünemann: A Romantic visionary

    Although Otto Schünemann’s violins were praised by everyone from Vuillaume to Sarasate, his name is barely recognised today. Clifford Hall tells the story of this idealistic luthier who strove to bring the glories of the Cremonese masters to 19th-century Germany

  • Front full

    In Focus: A c.1800 violin by Joseph Panormo

    Andrew Fairfax on the UK-based Italian maker’s turn-of-the-century instrument

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    The Strad Calendar 2024: The Fulton collection

    The Strad Calendar 2024 pays tribute to one of the 20th century’s finest stringed instrument collections, put together in just a couple of decades by American violin collector David L. Fulton. Christian Lloyd examines the treasures

Great Instruments

Dave & Lord Wilton

The Fulton collection: Magnificent obsession

For decades, top soloists would visit the home of David Fulton to sample the treasures of his legendary collection. Now dispersed, the instruments have been brought together again in book form. The collector shares some of the highlights with Christian Lloyd

Great Instruments

Dave & Lord Wilton

The Fulton collection: Magnificent obsession

For decades, top soloists would visit the home of David Fulton to sample the treasures of his legendary collection. Now dispersed, the instruments have been brought together again in book form. The collector shares some of the highlights with Christian Lloyd

Reviews

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