All Historical articles – Page 11
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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
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NewsFoundation launched to renovate Antonio Stradivari’s house
Founded by violinist Fabrizio von Arx, the Casa Stradivari Foundation aims to reopen the house and workshop by November 2022
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FocusIn Focus: A vihuela de arco
Pablo Soriano explores this mysterious vihuela de arco found in Spain
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: The price is right
Could a skilled violinist born around 1700 have afforded a new Stradivari violin? Wenjie Cai and Hwan-Ching Tai examine the economics of Baroque music making, and find that the answer is yes
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NewsViolin maker Jacek Wesołowski has died
Luthier Andrew Fairfax pays tribute to his friend and colleague, who died in October 2021 aged 43
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Premium ❘ ArticleAuction Report: January 2022
The autumn sales saw a newcomer take the stage, in the form of Tarisio’s Berlin sale room. Kevin MacDonald reports on some of the highlights in London and Germany
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: Seeing in a different light
Andreas Hudelmayer and Andreas Hampel conclude their two-part investigation into the use of UV light by examining its use in varnish drying – and offer tips on using it effectively
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NewsLuthier Marten Cornelissen has died
The Dutch-born craftsman made more than 600 instruments during his lifetime
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NewsNew registry for fine instruments launched
The Si-Yo Fine Instrument Registry will store and update information on the musical treasures of the past
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FocusThe double basses of Domenico Busan
Busan was an assistant to Matteo Gofriller, the first maker of what is unambiguously a double bass. Here, Thomas Martin, George Martin and Martin Lawrence compare the styles of the two makers
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2022: Antonio Stradivari violin c.1716 ‘Paul Godwin’
One notable feature of the Stradivari is the angled grain when looking at the side of the scroll
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Premium ❘ FeatureHistorical lutherie methods: Salts of wisdom
Remy Gug examines the treatment of wood described in several manuals of the 16th to 18th centuries, in this article from July 1987
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Premium ❘ FeatureDouble Bassist magazine: Matteo Gofriller c.1708 bass
Barrie Kolstein marvels at a magnificent 18th-century instrument by Matteo Gofriller, in this feature from the Autumn 2001 issue of our now-discontinued sister publication, Double Bassist
