Stradivari's
Last Bow ?
According
to a recent survey, the famous instruments made by the master,
Stradivari have been dethroned by modern violins.
For
many years the famous Stradivarius violin has been considered as an
absolute reference of perfection. The famous violin maker from
Cremona, Italy is known to have created instruments with unequalled
sound and reputation.
Many
researchers and musicians have already tried to unveil the secret of
the instrument. Is it the glue, the strings, the wood ? It is
said that the Stradivariuses are made with wood coming from trees
felled during a winter's night under a setting moon ! All this
mystic aura which surrounds the violin has always fascinated the most
gifted players. All the greatest soloists own a Stradivarius, whose
price can reach four million dollars. But lately, one of the biggest
mysteries of the instrument as been revealed. Indeed many tales have
always been told about the instruments' varnish. Some say it
contains, others affirm it is crustaceans' shells. However recent
studies on Stradivarius in Saclay, France, have shown that the
varnish used was an ordinary oil varnish.
This
is news that tarnishes the holy image of the Stradivarius and it is
just a beginning. French research led by Claudia Fritz has
effectively destroyed the once thought immortal reputation of the
instrument. The experiments took place in a hotel room, to recreate
the dry acoustic of the test rooms, where the violinists played many
instruments before choosing one of them. Twenty-one of the world's
greatest violonists aggreed to participate in the study. They were
asked to play six violins - three modern and three ancient -
including two Stradivariuses. The musicians were blinded with welder
glasses and modern violins were treated so that they appeared old.
The results were quite unexpected : most of the violonists
prefered the modern violins... The study was published and some
purists stirred up a scandal, denouncing experimental conditions. To
deny theses accusations, the experiment was carried out once more,
this time in the concert hall of Vincennes. Ten famous soloists
played twelve violins, six modern and six ancient, including five
Stradivariuses. An audience of connoisseurs also took part in the
experiment as auditors (they were enable to view the instruments) and
they were asked to determine the ancients violins from the modern.
Once more the results were surprising. Six of the violonists
preferred a modern violin and none of the spectators could identify
the Stradivarius.
So
has the Stradivariuses's long reign finally come to an end ?
Not really. A wine is always better in a crystal glass than in a
plastic gobelet. Likwise, playing with a Stradivarius makes a
violonist take flight, because it bears hundreds of years of history
and legendary tales. This is what we call the soul of the violin,
that each violonist tries to experience though its art.
Did
you know ?
It
was t aught that violins were made with wood from churches and
cathedrals. Indeed the older the wood, the better the violin. Some
even tought that the Stradivarius were made with wood extracted from
trees which had known the Maunder Minimum, a severe term of cold in
Italy which gave them a great density.
Gabriel
Vallejo and Alexandre Mignucci
http://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/2014/05/02/03006-20140502ARTFIG00047-le-stradivarius-detrone.php
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