All Premium ❘ Feature articles – Page 8
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Premium ❘ FeatureChad Hoopes: State of independence
Chad Hoopes launched his career with a spectacular win aged 13 in the Junior division of the Menuhin Competition in 2008, but in subsequent years, the forward-looking, innately positive US violinist has deliberately taken less obvious paths to musical success, as he tells Toby Deller
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Black America: A race for change
Still now, in the 21st century, black people are inadequately represented within classical music. Pauline Harding talks to string players in America about lingering social oppression and what the wider community can do to bring about progress
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Making copies: Sounds like a match?
If someone makes an exact copy of a Stradivari, will it sound like a Stradivari? Sam Zygmuntowicz attempts to answer the question by making duplicates of the ‘Titian’ and ‘Willemotte’ Strads, as well as the ‘Plowden’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’
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Bay Area bow makers: Bows on the bay
With a large and growing music community, the San Francisco Bay Area became a hotbed of violin and bow making talent in the early 20th century. Raphael Gold tells the stories of the most prominent bow makers of the day
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Scottish folk baroque fusion: When worlds collide
In the Baroque and early Classical eras a succession of Scottish and Italian composers took an interest in fusing Scots fiddle and song melodies with Italian art music structures. Kevin MacDonald investigates the trend
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Session Report: A question of balance
Italian violinist Fabio Biondi’s new album of Bach Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin marks a unique opportunity to challenge established interpretations and beliefs surrounding these seminal works, writes Rita Fernandes
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In Focus: A 1926 violin by John Friedrich
Bruce Babbitt details an instrument by the German-American maker
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Trade Secrets: Making a custom cutter for a Parisian-eye ring
A necessary piece of equipment to tackle an uncommon problem in bow repair
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My Space: Giancarlo Arcieri
The Miami-based luthier was based in New York until three years ago
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Making Matters: Fifth harmonies
If 5ths are driving you nuts, it may be to do with your violin nut. Itzel Ávila explains how luthiers can help by customising the piece at the top of the fingerboard to the player’s hand
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Technique: Working on open strings
Exercises to help you build up a strong, reliable right hand, with a consistently beautiful sound
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Masterclass: Richard O’Neill on Brahms’ String Quartet no.3 op.67
The Takács Quartet violist looks at the first and third movements of this well-loved B flat major work, where his instrument is thrown into a rare spotlight
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From the Archive: November 1911
Regular columnist Towry Piper bewails the notorious practice among dealers of switching labels in instruments to make them more attractive to buyers
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Stradivari varnish: Scarlet fever
How did Antonio Stradivari achieve the special deep red varnish colour that makes his later instruments so attractive? Joe Robson believes he has discovered both the composition and method for making it – and cracked one of the most enduring mysteries of the master maker. From the September 2018 issue
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Long read: Remembering Jacqueline du Pré
Friends, fellow musicians and ex-pupils pay tribute to superstar cellist Jacqueline de Pré in February 1988, four months after she succumbed to multiple sclerosis
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Cremonese varnish: Shining example
A close look into the history and chemistry of varnish making can shed new light on the mysteries of classic Cremonese varnish, as Joe Robson explains, in this lutherie feature from November 2007
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A fresh look at Sacconi’s varnish research
Simone Sacconi’s ideas about Stradivari’s varnish relied as much on hypothesis as hard evidence, and led to recipes that were largely impractical. But as Koen Padding explains in this feature from July 2011, Sacconi’s concept stacks up well against the latest scientific analysis
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Great Cellists: Jacqueline du Pré
Although her professional career lasted just twelve years, the British musician became a legend in her own lifetime. Julian Haylock assesses her style and recorded legacy in this feature from June 2016
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Recipe for success: Stradivari’s varnish
The search for Stradivari’s varnish formula has continued since the 18th century, but there have been few scientific analyses of the varnish itself. Stewart Pollens reveals the results of his recent study of the varnish on five of Stradivari’s instruments, in this feature from May 2009
