Lutherie – Page 58
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Premium ❘ FeatureForms of mystery
Andrea Zanrè and Philip Ihle conclude their examination of Stradivari’s moulds, with the aid of micro-CT imaging by Rudolf Hopfner, by exploring whether the Cremonese master may have used more than the twelve forms that survive in the Museo del Violino
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Premium ❘ FeatureInside information
Very often neglected, the chamfers of a bow head can give intimate clues as to a maker’s working style and personal characteristics. Anton Lu and Dai-Ting Chung compare and contrast bows from the Baroque era to the present day
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FocusLooking after Paganini’s ‘Il Cannone’ violin
Entrusted with the task of conserving one of the world’s most valuable violins, Bruce Carlson has made it easier to play, while taking it closer to how it would have looked to Paganini. In this article first published in 2004, he explains
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Premium ❘ FeatureMaking Matters: The fine-tuned universe
The harmonic properties of a string’s afterlength have been examined in the past – but what about the ‘before-length’, from the peg to the top nut? André Theunis and Gunnar Gidion find some surprising results in their investigations.
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Premium ❘ FeatureMy Space: Charlélie Dauriat
A glimpse into the workshop of the luthier based in the Château de Gourville, France
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Premium ❘ FeatureTrade Secrets: Making a mould and rib structure for a copy of an old instrument
A method that compensates for the differences in outline of the front and back plates
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Premium ❘ FeatureIn focus: c.1870 viola by Carl Mettus Weis
Jens Stenz examines a c.1870 viola by the Danish maker
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Premium ❘ NewsTop lots from the London sales
A record-breaking Gofriller and possibly the oldest British viola drew Kevin MacDonald’s attention in the March auctions
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ArticleGallery: A violin made out of shredded money
‘The Value of a Violin’ is on exhibition at the Design Museum Ghent during the Queen Elisabeth competition
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NewsHome visit for Cremonese instruments from US National Music Museum
The Museo del Violino prepares to welcome instruments by Stradivari, the Amatis and others from collection housed in Vermillion, South Dakota
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GalleryNew violin design to be demonstrated in Lisbon on 11 April
The ‘Santa Cecilia’ violin is being unveiled at the Symposium of the ICTM Study Group on Musical Instruments
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DebateWhat do the new UK ivory regulations mean for bows?
A new UK requirement to register all ivory-tipped bows will affect music shops, auction houses and the musicians themselves. Peter Somerford examines what the implications are for the industry
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FocusThe Cello Maker: Robin Aitchison
The Academy of Ancient Music has produced this film exploring the craft of cello maker Robin Aitchison, focusing on his copies of instruments by Stradivari, Montagnana and Guadagnini. The film is the first in a series called Breaking Down Baroque to be released by the Academy of Ancient Music and ...
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FocusIn focus: 1675 violin by Francesco Rugeri
In this article from the December 2014 issue, Fausto Cacciatori takes a close look at a fine example of a rather enigmatic maker with links to Nicolò Amati
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NewsNicolò Gagliano violin stolen in Berlin
A violin by Nicolò Gagliano made in Naples in 1769 was stolen without its case in Berlin on 11 March
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FocusIn focus: c.1690 violin by Willem van der Sijde
Hubert De Launay takes a close look at a violin with full arching, unusually placed f-holes and a slender swan necked scroll
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NewsStradivari's forests: ongoing effort to salvage tonewood trees felled by storms
A factory in the Fiemme valley is asking luthiers and the public to buy IOUs so it can quadruple its processing capacity before the wood deteriorates
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VideoMaking fine violins out of fungus-treated wood
In this video we hear from the researcher Francis Schwarze, who, together with a Swiss violin maker has treated wood used for instrument making with Physisporinus vitreus, a white-rot fungus that attacks and destroys certain structures in spruce, in order to build violins that sound as fine as antique masterpieces.
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FocusIs it a real Stradivarius? How to check the authenticity and value of a violin
A reader has inherited an old Italian violin, in this case a Landolfi. In fact, finding a violin in a grandparent’s attic is some people’s first introduction to the stringed-instrument world. What’s the next step regarding authentication?

























