All Historical articles – Page 7
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2022: Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi double bass c.1770
Landolfi’s choice of wood ranges from plain maple scrolls to highly flamed backs
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Pietro Guarneri of Venice violin 1725
Known as the ‘Reine Elisabeth’, this is the most expensive instrument bought by the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation
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In Focus: Team Player
Sam Zygmuntowicz examines the large proportions of this 1796 Mantegazza viola, which give it a powerful sound that makes it ideal for string quartets. From December 2003
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In Focus: From Strad to Slava
The ’Duport’ cello is a fine example of Stradivari’s ‘Form B Piccola’. Samuel Zygmuntowicz examines Rostropovich’s own instrument, in this article from October 1997
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Giuseppe Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ cello 1715 ‘ex Navarra’
The Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ must be the most impressive Cremonese cello in terms of maker’s marks
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Bay Area bow makers: Bows on the bay
With a large and growing music community, the San Francisco Bay Area became a hotbed of violin and bow making talent in the early 20th century. Raphael Gold tells the stories of the most prominent bow makers of the day
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In Focus: A 1926 violin by John Friedrich
Bruce Babbitt details an instrument by the German-American maker
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From the Archive: November 1911
Regular columnist Towry Piper bewails the notorious practice among dealers of switching labels in instruments to make them more attractive to buyers
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume viola 1867
This viola is regarded as an exceptionally pure and unique specimen among Vuillaume’s work
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Santo Serafin violin 1750
Santo Serafin’s refined style can be particularly seen on the scroll
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Anne-Sophie Mutter on fine and contemporary instruments
The Strad’s April 2020 issue cover star discusses performing on her own Strads and on newer violins
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Hendrik Jacobs cello 1696
One of the very few cellos made by Hendrik Jacobs himself, and the only Dutch instrument in the Calendar
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The Strad Calendar 2022: Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin c.1736
With a handsome, deeply reflective and broadly flamed maple back, this is the crown jewel in the Dutch Musical Instruments Foundation’s collection
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In Focus: An 1847 violin by Agustí Altimira
Jordi Pinto details an instrument by the Catalan violin maker
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Between the Baroque and modern age: Vuillaume’s ‘Messiah’ Strad
Stefan-Peter Greiner examines Vuillaume’s unorthodox method of fastening and extending the neck in his copy of the ‘Messiah’ Strad. From November 1996
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Gut strings: A strong stomach for strings
As gut becomes increasingly popular among players, Jenny Nex uncovers documents revealing the pioneers of the string making trade of 18th-century London, and the secrets behind the messy job of processing intestines. From February 2011
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Auction Report: September 2021
The June auctions in the UK capital brought together a number of interesting bows and instruments, with signs that the market is on the up and up, writes Kevin MacDonald
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In Focus: A 1911 violin by Anatoly Leman
Yuri Pochekin details an instrument by one of the most important figures in Russian violin making history
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Review
Book review: Feine und bedeutende Streichinstrumente
Benjamin Hebbert reviews an anthology of instruments by German violin dealer Rudolf Eckstein, witht text in German and English
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Markneukirchen: The rise and fall of Germany’s first violin factory
A small German town was the setting for an early experiment in violin mass-production. But outside economic forces threatened it from the very start. Arian Sheets traces its history, in this article from the April 2011 issue of The Strad
