All Historical articles – Page 7
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Premium ❘ FeatureEarly Russian bow: From Russia with love
Gennady Filimonov reveals the origins of a bow made entirely from ivory
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Premium ❘ FeatureMore than 18 arm-aching inches: Jacob Stainer’s tenor viola
The only remaining tenor viola made by the Tyrolean maker Jacob Stainer reveals the maker’s painstaking attention to detail and offers tantalising clues about Italian influence on his style, as Darren Freeman explains
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: c.1709 ‘Scotta’ Stradivari violin
This violin has a handsome one-piece back with the flame ascending from left to right
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe makers’ instrument: the 1735 ‘Plowden’ violin by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
The 1735 ‘Plowden’ violin by Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ has been talked about, pored over, and photographed time and time again, but there is still plenty more to discover about this celebrity of the violin world, as Sam Zygmuntowicz reveals in this article from 2011
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: 1760 Nicolò Gagliano violin
‘It is incredible for me to draw out the richness in the lower strings, and the higher registers soar with remarkable clarity’ - Emily Sun
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FocusRobert Max on playing the 1726 ‘Saveuse’ Stradivari cello
British cellist Robert Max, who has owned and performed on the ‘Saveuse’ for more than 20 years, gives his thoughts on the instrument’s sound and quality
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Premium ❘ Feature1726 ‘Saveuse’ Stradivari cello: Small is beautiful
The 1726 ‘Saveuse’ is one of the smallest cellos Antonio Stradivari ever produced. John Dilworth discovers the unique characteristics of this rare model
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: 1720 Guarneri ‘filius Andreae’ violin
’I fell in love with the typical warm Guarneri sound, and after some restoration it also acquired a shine in the treble register’ - Dene Olding
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe most important violin in the world? - The 1716 ‘Messiah’ Stradivari violin
Stradivari’s 1716 ‘Messiah’ violin has beguiled with its pristine condition for 300 years, despite having remained mute for most of that time. John Dilworth examines the mystique surrounding this enigmatic instrument that still refuses to give up its secrets
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Premium ❘ FeatureCT-Scanning the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari violin
In 2016 the ‘Messiah’ Stradivari was the subject of an extensive CT scanning project. Francesco Piasentini and Gregg Alf examine the resulting data, discovering repair work in the neck, and attempt to determine how it had originally been set
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: c.1610 Maggini viola
This large and beautiful-sounding viola features a one-piece spruce front with unusually wide grain
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Premium ❘ FeatureAn outstanding piece of work: exploring the 1865 ‘Sheremetev’ Vuillaume cello
The sheer quantity of J.B. Vuillaume’s instruments has led to a certain prejudice against them. But as John Dilworth explains, his finest creations, such as this 1865 ‘Sheremetev’ cello, rank almost as high as those of the Cremonese masters
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FocusRaphael Wallfisch on playing the ‘Sheremetev’ Vuillaume cello
‘It’s a very versatile instrument as well as a beautiful thing to look at,’ said the cellist in our June 2013 issue
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: 1859 Vuillaume violin
The violin is a very close copy of a ‘golden period’ Stradivari, possibly the 1715 ‘Alard’,
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Premium ❘ FeatureThe world’s most expensive violin: the 1741 ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
Terry Borman discusses the ribs, purfling and scroll of this unique instrument in our June 2018 issue
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FocusAnne Akiko Meyers on playing the ‘Vieuxtemps’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
The US violinist, who has been loaned in perpetuity what is currently the world’s most expensive instrument, discusses its tone quality and projection
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Premium ❘ FeatureAntonio Stradivari ‘Harrison’ violin 1693: The start of something big
Andrew Dipper shows how the 1693 ‘Harrison’ violin signifies the start of a critical phase in the master luthier’s career
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FocusThe Strad Calendar 2023: 1743 ‘Ngeringa’ Guadagnini cello
The instrument is one of only 39 cellos known to have been made by Guadagnini
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Article‘It was like the earth moved beneath me’ - violinist Leonidas Kavakos on playing the ’Willemotte’ Stradivari
Kavakos describes his first encounter with the 1734 violin, made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old
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Premium ❘ Feature1734 Stradivari violin ‘Willemotte’: Late… but worth the wait
Made when Antonio Stradivari was 90 years old, the 1734 ‘Willemotte’ bears all his hallmarks including a deep, complex tone quality
