All Historical articles – Page 10
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Lutherie in Mexico: Adapting to Change
The history of stringed instrument making in Mexico is one of adaptability and innovation. Pablo Alfaro and Jaime G. González show how European arts and crafts were rapidly adopted by the indigenous people, and how the 20th century saw more creativity than ever
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Video
Ray Chen compares a $69 factory-made violin with a $10m Stradivari
’Even on the open strings you can tell the difference. The Strad has this resonance, clarity and warmth’ Violinist Ray Chen compares a $69 factory-made violin with the 1735 ’Samazeuilh’ Stradivari violin worth around $10m. Watch: Ray Chen: What do you do when your E-string breaks in a concert?Read: Players ...
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Stradivari violin ‘Benecke’: Unconventional Beauty
The 1694 ‘Benecke’ violin is a masterpiece of Stradivari’s ‘Long Pattern’. Andrea Zanrè and Rudolf Hopfner take a look at this exquisite example, detailing its provenance and revealing what CT scans can tell us about its construction
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Vihuela de Arco: Unlocking the secrets of the past
A popular instrument of the Middle Ages, the vihuela de arco is only known today from contemporary references and pictures. Javier Martínez explains its significance in the history of bowed instruments, and debunks some of the myths surrounding it
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Focus
A genuine Amati or a clever fake?
Could the cello shown here be one of the eight ‘bass violins’ ordered by Catherine de’ Medici for the court of Charles IX of France? Luthier Filip Kuijken explores the known history of the instrument and considers whether it could be an original Andrea Amati – or a clever fake ...
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Auction report: June 2020
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, sales continued at the London auction houses in March. Kevin MacDonald gives a tour of the highlights
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In Focus: A c.1930 violin by Annibalotto Fagnola
Philip Brown examines an instrument by the Turin violin maker
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Napoleonic Bows: French Connections
Several violin, viola and cello bows still survive from the Imperial Court Orchestra of Napoleon III. Gennady Filimonov examines their history, and provides evidence that the so-called ‘Napoleonic-type bows’ originated with the first Emperor rather than the third
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An Amati Mystery
Could the cello shown here be one of the eight ‘bass violins’ ordered by Catherine de’ Medici for the court of Charles IX of France? Luthier Filip Kuijken explores the known history of the instrument and considers whether it could be an original Andrea Amati – or a clever fake
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Focus
We are living in a golden age of violin making - but where do we go from here?
Philip Kass takes stock of the violin making industry, and identifies highlights and challenges - aside from the current threat posed by Covid-19
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Article
Tabea Zimmermann on playing Beethoven’s viola
The German violist speaks to Amanda Holloway about recording on the historic instrument in The Strad’s May 2020 issue
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In Focus: A 1704 cello by Barak Norman
Colin Adamson and Benjamin Hebbert examine an instrument by the English maker
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Video
An interview with luthier Renato Scrollavezza
The violin maker, who died in 2019, was one of the leading figures of Italian violin making in the 20th century
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In Focus: An 1804 Viola by Joseph Fischer
Roland Baumgartner examines an instrument by the German maker
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Article
In Focus: a 1786 cello by Jacques Pierre Michelot
John Dilworth examines a hastily built but robust 1786 French cello, with photos by Richard Valencia, in an article from September 2005
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Article
In Focus: a 1693 cello by Giovanni Grancino
Ed Keohane examines an instrument by the Milanese maker, with photos by Richard Valencia, in an article from January 2007
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Article
In Focus: an 1817 cello by Giacomo Rivolta
Christopher Reuning examines an insturment by the Novara-born maker, with photos by Matthew Tolzmann, in an article from February 2007
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Lutherie in the Vogtland: Stars of the East
The Vogtland in eastern Germany produced some of the country’s least known and most fascinating instrument makers.Rudolf Hopfner and Monika Lustig use CT scans to lift the lid on their unusual construction methods, and show why they should be more widely studied
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