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Historical
Premium ❘ Feature
Baroque Set-up: In a Land without Rules
With the growth in popularity of historically informed performance, more players are requesting Baroque-style instruments – but the process of converting an instrument is fraught with uncertainty. Sarah Peck presents an overview of the Baroque set-up process, and corrects some common misconceptions along the way
Premium ❘ Article
Auction Report: June 2022
Kevin MacDonald finds some unusual offerings, including an interesting quartet of bows, at the capital’s March auctions
Premium ❘ Feature
August Rau: The old-fashioned way
At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialisation, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship. Gennady Filimonov tells the story of his long career and examines several examples of his work
Latest Magazine
June
‘When we're on stage we would die for our music’
The Pavel Haas Quartet gives a lively account of their first two decades together, and their upcoming Brahms recording, in conversation with Tom Stewart.
‘The first time I performed on stage, I hit a chord fortissimo and an embarrassingly large plume of rosin was lit up by the stage lights’
Celliest Billy Tobenkin’s passion for cello playing began at the ripe old age of 25. The late starter discusses the pitfalls and triumphs of his learning experience.
‘Of all the instruments I've owned, the "Baron Knoop" is the most happy-sounding’
Christian Lloyd talks to American collector David Fulton about his legendary array of old Italian instruments, including some of the finest Stradivaris in existence.
‘We are certainly looking to play the Gregson quartets again, having put so much work into them’
The four members of the Navarra Quartet talk to Tim Homfray about their latest recording of works by veteran British composer Edward Gregson.
‘We are very passionate people. We are confident, but without ever feeling entitled’
Jacqueline Vanasse reports on String Playing in Serbia where the approach to teaching and playing has a distinct ethos where individuality goes hand in hand with mutual respect.
In recent years, examining instruments under different kinds of light has become standard practice. Leonhard Rank shows what secrets can be revealed using fluorescence
Premium ❘ FeatureIn Focus: A 1911 cello by Guglielmo Secondo Camillo Mandelli
Lionnel Genovart looks at the Italian maker’s instrument
- Premium ❘ Feature
Jacob Stainer’s birth: A question of dates
For centuries, historians have tried to settle on a definitive birthdate for Tyrolean luthier Jacob Stainer. Heinz Noflatscher explains how we now have an upper limit for his birth year – and why researchers were foxed by the elegant handwriting of the master
- Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A c.1620–1701 viola by Enrico Catenar
Gabriele Rossi Rognoni looks at the German maker’s oldest-known surviving instrument
- Premium ❘ Feature
Schroetter and Roth: Two of a kind
With the demand for mass-produced German instruments skyrocketing in the 1920s, enterprising makers sent family members to America to represent them. Clifford Hall explores the careers and legacies of Andrew Schroetter and Heinrich Roth
- Premium ❘ Feature
Luigi Cavallini: A maker in the rough
Tuscany in the 19th century was home to numerous luthiers, some of whom were carpenters who turned their hands to instrument making. Florian Leonhard examines the career of Luigi Cavallini, a lesser-known self-taught maker whose work, while unusual in parts, displays a surprisingly high level of craftsmanship
- Premium ❘ Focus
Making Matters: Her dark materials
Why do so many violins from German-speaking countries in the later 18th century have such dark varnish? Michel Lorge advances a theory that makes no assumptions about the luthiers’ abilities
- Premium ❘ Focus
In Focus: A c.1870 viola by Niels Larsen Winther
Jens Stenz looks at the Danish luthier’s instrument
- News
Violin dealer and expert Norman Rosenberg has died
The London-based dealer was a respected authority on stringed instruments and an occasional contributor to The Strad
- News
Foundation launched to renovate Antonio Stradivari’s house
Founded by violinist Fabrizio von Arx, the Casa Stradivari Foundation aims to reopen the house and workshop by November 2022
- Focus
In Focus: A vihuela de arco
Pablo Soriano explores this mysterious vihuela de arco found in Spain
- Premium ❘ Feature
Making Matters: The price is right
Could a skilled violinist born around 1700 have afforded a new Stradivari violin? Wenjie Cai and Hwan-Ching Tai examine the economics of Baroque music making, and find that the answer is yes
- News
Violin maker Jacek Wesołowski has died
Luthier Andrew Fairfax pays tribute to his friend and colleague, who died in October 2021 aged 43
- Premium ❘ Article
Auction Report: January 2022
The autumn sales saw a newcomer take the stage, in the form of Tarisio’s Berlin sale room. Kevin MacDonald reports on some of the highlights in London and Germany
- Premium ❘ Feature
In Focus: A c.1815 double bass by Thomas Dodd
Stefan Krattenmacher details an instrument by the English maker
- Premium ❘ Feature
Making Matters: Seeing in a different light
Andreas Hudelmayer and Andreas Hampel conclude their two-part investigation into the use of UV light by examining its use in varnish drying – and offer tips on using it effectively
- News
Luthier Marten Cornelissen has died
The Dutch-born craftsman made more than 600 instruments during his lifetime
- News
New registry for fine instruments launched
The Si-Yo Fine Instrument Registry will store and update information on the musical treasures of the past
- Focus
The double basses of Domenico Busan
Busan was an assistant to Matteo Gofriller, the first maker of what is unambiguously a double bass. Here, Thomas Martin, George Martin and Martin Lawrence compare the styles of the two makers
- Focus
The Strad Calendar 2022: Antonio Stradivari violin c.1716 ‘Paul Godwin’
One notable feature of the Stradivari is the angled grain when looking at the side of the scroll
- Premium ❘ Feature
Historical lutherie methods: Salts of wisdom
Remy Gug examines the treatment of wood described in several manuals of the 16th to 18th centuries, in this article from July 1987
- Premium ❘ Feature
Double Bassist magazine: Matteo Gofriller c.1708 bass
Barrie Kolstein marvels at a magnificent 18th-century instrument by Matteo Gofriller, in this feature from the Autumn 2001 issue of our now-discontinued sister publication, Double Bassist
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A subscription to The Strad brings you:
- Monthly issue in print and as a digital edition
- Three special supplements and The Strad Directory
- Archive of digital issues from January 2010
- Unlimited access to all premium subscriber online content
- Two detailed instrument posters a year
- Interviews with star string players
- Masterclasses with commentary
- Sheet music annotated by international concert artist
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