Lutherie – Page 10
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Premium ❘ ArticleIn focus: a 1937 violin by Paolo De Barbieri
Paolo De Barbieri was born in 1889 in Genoa. In 1902, aged 13, he left a note on the kitchen table which read ‘Back in a minute’: he left home for about six years to work as a cabin boy. He completed his military service in the navy and in ...
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Varnish analysis: shining examples
Identifying the varnish recipes of the early makers has been a long-held dream among researchers. Now, a team at the Arvedi Laboratory of Non-Invasive Diagnostics, headed by Marco Malagodi, has used a new form of micro-CT scanning to delve further into an instrument’s coatings than ever before
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Stradivari’s moulds: Variations on a theme
Twelve violin moulds from Antonio Stradivari’s workshop still survive, but how do they correspond to the master’s oeuvre? In the first of two articles,Philip Ihle and Andrea Zanrè present the results of an exhaustive survey to match forms to finished instruments
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Stradivari’s corners: Music of the spheres
The publication of high-accuracy violin photography has opened up new possibilities for researching Cremonese masterpieces up close and en masse. Philip Ihle examines Antonio Stradivari’s purfling corners across 136 examples and reveals their relationship with the luthier’s forms
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Stefan-Peter Greiner on individuality in violin making
For Stefan-Peter Greiner, instrument making is not about copying; it’s about individuality, experimentation and intuition. In conversation with Pauline Harding, the German luthier discusses his ideas on sound adjustment, ‘Stradivari frequencies’ and creating the ideal working environment
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Auction Report: January 2020
Old Italians and a modern bow proved popular at this autumn’s auctions, as Kevin MacDonald reports
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Buying the right instrument for you
Whatever your needs, whatever your budget, there's an instrument out there for you. Laurinel Owen suggests some ways to find it
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Trade Secrets: a peninsular bench extension
Ideas for a workplace addition that is completely accessible from all three of its sides
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Making Matters: the DNA of design
David Beard argues that the old Cremonese makers had a geometric system of design ‘recipes’ to create the vast number of different instrument patterns we see today
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Seeing red
Madder root has been used since ancient times to provide a deep red pigment – but the process of making it remains mysterious. For the past three years Hugh Withycombe and Guy Harrison have tested different methods to get the recipe just right – and can now reveal their findings
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On the borders of greatness
Giuseppe Sgarbi’s instruments have a unique vibrancy and individuality, while still respecting the traditional Cremonese forms. Lorenzo Frignani examines his career, as well as that of his son Antonio, to suggest why his work deserves more recognition than it has in the past
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From the Archive: a viola of the Gofriller School, Venice c.1700-10
An illustration of a viola of the Gofriller School published in The Strad, February 1962
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Making Matters: a phoenix from the ashes
Luthier Shlomo Moyal explains how he restored a 1685 viola da gamba that had been almost destroyed, in a project that took a whole year of patient reconstruction
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Trade Secrets: Flattening planes
A sadly necessary task for all luthiers, which should have been taken care of by the manufacturer in the first place
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In focus: an 1819 violin by David Stirrat
David Rattray examines an instrument by the Edinburgh maker
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Like Fathers, Like Sons
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Émile Auguste Ouchard, as well as the 40th of his son Bernard – both regarded as among the 20th century’s finest bow makers. Thomas Martin, Andrew McGill, Martin Lawrence and George Martin examine the legacy of the Ouchard dynasty, particularly ...
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From the Archive: the ‘General Kyd’ Stradivarius violin, Cremona, 1714
This illustration of the ‘General Kyd’ Stradivarius was published in The Strad, January 1962. The following text is extracted from the article accompanying the photographs
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From the Archive: an ornamented violin believed to be the work of J.B. Vuillaume
This illustration of a violin by J.B. Vuillaume was published in The Strad, February 1974. The following text is extracted from the article accompanying the photographs
