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Historical
Focus
The Strad Calendar 2023: 1728/29 Antonio Stradivari violin
The first ever Stradivari instrument to be played within an Australian orchestra
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The Viennese double bass: The long pattern
In the 18th and 19th centuries, double basses made in Vienna had distinctive shapes and characteristics that gave them tremendous sound quality.
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Making Matters: Artistic licence and the ‘true violin’
Is our understanding of violin history too heavily influenced by the old Italians?
Latest Magazine
Inside October's magazine
Dutch double bassist Rick Stotijn tells Pauline Harding his views on everything from his new masterclass series to the role of technology in string playing.
Alex Kanzian examines the distinguishing features of the Viennese Double Bass in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Aaron McGregor gives a potted history of Scottish Fiddle Dance Music.
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine shares with Harry White her project to record Florence Price’s Violin Concerto no.2 in this month's Session Report.
Some of today’s leading soloists tell Charlotte Gardner how musicians can develop their own sound to stand out at a time when so much playing seems to sound the same.
Premium ❘ FeatureCarlo Bergonzi 1735 ‘Baron Knoop’ violin: The Heir Apparent
Andrea Zanrè shows how his ‘Baron Knoop’ violin of 1735 displays an unmistakable personality despite the influence of Stradivari and his contemporaries
- Focus
How the violin trade has changed since the Queen’s accession
In this article from 2012, Philip Kass examines how everything from manufacturing to trade in the Far East have all changed during the Queen’s reign
- News
‘With this, I’ve fulfilled a lifelong dream’: violinist David Garrett on his 1736 Guarneri ’del Gesù’
Having bought the violin at auction in June, the German superstar has now also created the Guarneri ’del Gesù’ Club
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In Focus: the 1696 Stradivari ‘Archinto’ viola
John Dilworth praises the archetypal beauty of Stradivari’s ‘Archinto’ viola, a magical example of form and aesthetic
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International lutherie schools: All round learning
Peter Somerford speaks to teachers from seven violin making schools to find out the options for young aspiring luthiers
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Newark School of Violin Making: Fifty years young
The Strad looks back on 50 years of the UK’s best-known institution for lutherie and the many well-known names who have passed through its doors as students
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The hidden treasures of Pietro Guarneri of Mantua
Pietro Guarneri of Mantua was an undisputed master luthier, even though very few examples of his work remain. Andrea Zanrè examines three ‘violettas’ that until now have been overlooked
- Blogs
Newark School of Violin Making: The early days
The UK’s Newark School of Violin Making celebrates its 50th anniversary in September 2022. Luthier Adam Whone, one of its very first students, recalls the learning environment he discovered, aged 16, and the three years of tuition at the school
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‘Interventions led to an almost total removal or retouching of the original materials’ - Comparing three 1734 Guarneris
Giacomo Fiocco explains the technical methods used to analyse a trio of 1734 Guarneris
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Revealing Sartory's secrets: A look at one of the 20th century's finest bow makers
Often called the finest bow maker of the 20th century, Eugène Sartory was a fastidious artisan whose work shows efficiency and reliability. Richard Morency examines a bow from Sartory’s middle period to reveal his working methods
- Review
Book review: The Luthier’s Manual by J.C. Maugin
Andrew Dipper delves into a new translation of the 19th-century treatise by John Saucier, W. Brad Holley and Kate Rickenbacker
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In Focus: An 1875 viola by Domenico Degani
Ernst Fuchs details an instrument by the accomplished maker, now best-known as the father of Eugenio Degani
- News
Scottish violin maker Brian Rattray dies aged 83
The luthier ran a successful workshop in Colinton, on the outskirts of Edinburgh
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François-Nicolas Voirin: The Second Tourte
The bows of François-Nicolas Voirin had more influence than those of any other bow maker after F.X. Tourte. In the first of two articles, Matt Wehling explores Voirin’s life and career, and examines why his bows were so successful with players
- News
‘Hellier’ Stradivari violin fails to sell at auction
The inlaid instrument was a highlight of Christie’s ’Exceptional Sale’ on 7 July
- Article
Deconstructing the Andrea Amati ‘King’ cello
In an article from June 2015, Matthew Zeller examines five centuries of alterations made to the world’s oldest cello, housed at the National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, and asks what they reveal about the evolution and development of the standard cello form
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A Massive Achievement: the ‘Romanov’ Nicolò Amati viola
Made in 1677, the ‘Romanov’ Nicolò Amati viola is one of the maker’s late masterpieces. Alberto Giordano and Rudolf Hopfner investigate its turbulent history and examine how it fits into the Amati family’s oeuvre
- Gallery
In Focus: a 1622 Brothers Amati Cello
In this article from the Strad’s June 2014 issue, Christopher Reuning examines an elegant masterpiece of delicacy and strength
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From the Archive: Andrea Amati, 1564 ‘Charles IX’ violin from the Ashmolean Museum collection
In this extract from an article from the December 1991 issue of The Strad, Roger Hargrave discusses the ‘Charles IX’ Andrea Amati instruments with particular reference to this 1564 example from the Hill collection at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford
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In Focus: a 1682 violin by Nicolò Amati
Precision and elegance abound in this grand pattern Amati once owned by the Italian virtuoso Spagnoletti, writes Christopher Reuning
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In Focus: A c.1680 double bass by Girolamo Amati II
René Zaal details an instrument by the son of the more well-known Nicolò Amati, and the grandson of his namesake Girolamo Amati I
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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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