All Historical articles – Page 18
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FocusWe 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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ArticleTabea 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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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1704 cello by Barak Norman
Colin Adamson and Benjamin Hebbert examine an instrument by the English maker
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VideoAn 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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Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: An 1804 Viola by Joseph Fischer
Roland Baumgartner examines an instrument by the German maker
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ArticleIn 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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ArticleIn 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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ArticleIn 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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Premium ❘ FeatureLutherie 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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Premium ❘ FeaturePöpel and Kurzendörffer: The Mists of Time Demystified
Just three Vogtland instruments exist from before 1700. All violas, they were made by two of the founders of the region’s first violin making guild.Klaus Martius explores what we know about the mysterious Johann Adam Pöpel and Johann Adam Kurzendörffer
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VideoBach on a 1659 Andrea Guarneri
In this video the violinist Federico Guglielmo plays Bach on a 1659 Andrea Guarneri.
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VideoA Far Cry performs Tchaikovsky’s Serenade on Cremonese instruments
Musicians from Boston chamber orchestra A Far Cry perform the first movement from Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings from memory on Cremonese instruments selected from the vault of Reuning & Son
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VideoWhittall Stradivarius Collection
Musicians talk about and demonstrate instruments donated to the Library of Congress by Gertrude Clarke Whittall in 1935. With Robert Mann, Alexis Galperine, Miles Hoffman, Rene Morel, Young Uck Kim, Daniel Phillips, and Samuel Zygmuntowicz.
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VideoYehudi Menuhin School student on a violin once played in Auschwitz
In this video, 18-year-old Kingsley Lin, who is currently studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School, performs on a violin once played by Rosa Levinsky in the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra. Levinsky spent the last five months of the war in Bergen-Belsen, and on being released in 1945, was transferred to a ...
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NewsViolin played by woman in Auschwitz given new life by Yehudi Menuhin School pupils
18-year-old Kingsley Lin and 17-year-old Ezo Dem Sarici now play the instrument, once belonging to a member of the Auschwitz Women’s Orchestra
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Video1987 documentary on Stradivari featuring Pinchas Zukerman
Pinchas Zukerman presents this 1987 documentary about Stradivari, also featuring Yo-Yo Ma Anne-Sophie Mutter and Charles Beare.
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Premium ❘ FeatureRenzo Bacchetta, a legend in the making
Renzo Bacchetta’s wide-ranging influence on Cremona’s violin making culture and the promotion of Stradivari cannot be overstated, but as Luca Bastiani reveals, there is a darker side to the story, centring around Italy’s National Fascist Party
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FocusExploring the secrets of Stradivari's workshop
The workshop where Stradivari made the instruments of his golden period was demolished in 1938. Andrew Dipper uncovers the clues that give an insight into the great master's working environment
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe gain in Spain: German makers in Naples
In the 16th century, many European cities saw an influx of makers from Germany – and the cultural milieu and civic policies of Spanish-held Naples proved particularly attractive. Luigi Sisto explains how the expatriate community laid the groundwork for the city’s lutherie tradition
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Premium ❘ FeatureVuillaume's Early Years: The Making of a Master
Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume was the most successful French luthier of his time, but the first years of his career are still shrouded in mystery. Jonathan Marolle examines some of his earliest instruments to uncover the evolution of his technique and style



























