Stradivari
Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloquial ''Strad'' are terms often used to refer to his instruments. It is estimated that Stradivari produced 1,116 instruments, of which 960 were violins. Around 650 instruments survive, including 450 to 512 violins. His instruments are considered some of the finest ever made, and are extremely valuable collector's items. Biography Family and early life Antonio Stradivari's birthdate, presumably between 1644 and 1649, has been debated amongst historians due to the numerous inconsistencies in the evidence of the latter. The 1668 and 1678 censuses report him actually growing younger, a fact explained by the probable loss of statistics from 1647 to 1649, when renewed belligerency between France's Modenese and Spain's Milanese proxies led to ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the string instruments, such as violins, violas, cellos, and guitars, crafted by members of the Stradivari family, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), in Cremona, Italy, during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These instruments are known for their craftsmanship, tonal quality, and lasting legacy, and are considered some of the finest ever made. Stradivari's violins, in particular, are coveted by musicians and collectors, with many selling for millions of dollars. Antonio Stradivari made over 1,100 instruments, with approximately 650 surviving today. The exact methods Stradivari used to produce the instruments' famed sound remain unknown, with theories ranging from the unique quality of the wood used during the Little Ice Age to the varnishes and chemical treatments applied. Despite extensive scientific research, including modern acoustic analysis and CT scans, no one has been able to conclusively replicate or fully expl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nicola Amati
Nicola Amati, Nicolò Amati or Nicolao Amati (, ; 3 September 1596 – 12 April 1684) was an Italian master luthier from Cremona, Italy. Amati is one of the most well-known luthiers from the Casa Amati (House of Amati). He was the teacher of illustrious Cremonese School luthiers such as Andrea Guarneri and Giovanni Battista Rogeri. While no clear documentation exists for their being apprentices in his shop, Amati may also have apprenticed Antonio Stradivari, Francesco Rugeri, and Jacob Stainer, as their work is heavily influenced by Amati. Early life Nicola Amati was the fifth son of Girolamo Amati (''Hieronymus I'', 1561; 1630) from his second wife, and the grandson of Andrea Amati. He was one of 12 children of Girolamo. Amati's mother, Laura de Lazzarini, also known as Laura de Medici de Lazzarini, was the daughter of Giovanni Francesco Guazzoni. They were distantly related to the Florentine Medici family. The 1629–31 Italian plague affected northern and central Ital ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Francesco Rugeri
Francesco Rugeri ( – 28 October 1698), also known as Ruger, Rugier, Rugeri, Ruggeri, Ruggieri, Ruggerius, was the first of an important family of luthiers, the Casa Rugeri in Cremona, Italy. His instruments are masterfully constructed. His violins are inspired by Nicolò Amati's "Grand Amati" pattern. Francesco was the first to develop a smaller cello design, which has become the standard for modern cello dimensions. Today, Rugeri's instruments are nearly as renowned as Nicolò Amati's instruments. The Rugeri family is not to be confused with the Rogeri family of Brescia who were also noted luthiers following the tradition of Amati. Apprenticeship He was perhaps the earliest apprentice of Nicolò Amati, another important luthier in Cremona, Italy, although other sources call this association into question as there is no census record showing his presence in the Amati household. The lack of census records showing the Rugeri name may be explained by the possibility of Francesc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lady Blunt Stradivarius
The Lady Blunt is a Stradivarius violin made in 1721 by the renowned Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. It is named after one of its first known owners, Lady Anne Blunt, the British co-founder of the Crabbet Arabian Stud. Ownership The first owner of record was Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, an award-winning luthier, who found the violin in Spain in the 1860s. He sold the instrument to Lady Anne Blunt, the daughter of Ada Lovelace and granddaughter of Lord Byron. In the 1890s, W.E. Hill & Sons bought the violin from her and sold it to an important collector. It was sold at a Sotheby's auction in 1971 for the then-record amount of £84,000 (US$200,000) by Robert Lowe, who owned the violin for nearly 30 years. It was sold again at Sotheby's in London on 14 November 1985 for a record price of £820,000 to a private collector. In 2008 it was sold to the Nippon Music Foundation for over US$10 million in a private transaction. In the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cello
The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, scientific pitch notation, C2, G2, D3 and A3. The viola's four strings are each an octave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef; the tenor clef and treble clef are used for higher-range passages. Played by a ''List of cellists, cellist'' or ''violoncellist'', it enjoys a large solo repertoire Cello sonata, with and List of solo cello pieces, without accompaniment, as well as numerous cello concerto, concerti. As a solo instrument, the cello uses its whole range, from bass to soprano, and in chamber music, such as string quartets and the orchestra's string section, it often plays the bass part, where it may be reinforced an octave lower by the double basses. Figured bass music ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Soil Stradivarius
The ''Soil Stradivarius'' (pronounced ) of 1714 is an antique violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona (1644–1737). It is one of 700 known extant Stradivari instruments. The instrument was made during Stradivari's "golden period" and is named after the Belgian industrialist Amédée Soil. The current owner of the violin is violinist Itzhak Perlman. Ownership ''The Soil'' was acquired by Yehudi Menuhin in 1950, who played on it for several decades. It was sold in 1986 to its current owner, Itzhak Perlman, who played this instrument while recording the ''Cinema Serenade'' with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1997.. The extended provenance of this violin includes the French luthier and collector Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and the Viennese collector Oscar Bondy, who also owned the '' Hellier Stradivarius'' of 1679. Characteristics A product of Stradivari’s golden period, it is considered one of his finest. One of two Stradivari violins named after Belgian ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Messiah Stradivarius
The ''Messiah - Salabue Stradivarius'' of 1716 is a violin made by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. It is considered to be the only Stradivarius in existence in ''as "new"'' state. The neck has been lengthened and at minimum the bass bar, bridge, tailpiece, and pegs have been replaced. It is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England. The violin, known as the ''Messiah'' ( in French), remained in Stradivari's workshop until his death in 1737. It was then sold by his son Paolo to Count Ignazio Alessandro Cozio di Salabue, Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and for a time, the violin bore the name ''Salabue''. The instrument was then purchased by Luigi Tarisio in 1827. Upon Tarisio’s death in 1854, the French luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of Paris purchased The ''Messiah'' along with Tarisio's entire collection. "One day Tarisio was discoursing with Vuillaume on the merits of this unknown and marvelous instrument, when the violinist Jean-Delphin ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino piccolo and the pochette (musical instrument), pochette, but these are virtually unused. Most violins have a hollow wooden body, and commonly have four strings (music), strings (sometimes five-string violin, five), usually tuned in perfect fifths with notes G3, D4, A4, E5, and are most commonly played by drawing a bow (music), bow across the strings. The violin can also be played by plucking the strings with the fingers (pizzicato) and, in specialized cases, by striking the strings with the wooden side of the bow (col legno). Violins are important instruments in a wide variety of musical genres. They are most prominent in the Western classical music, Western classical tradition, both in ensembles (from chamber music to orchestras) and as solo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Alard–Baron Knoop Stradivarius
The ''Alard–Baron Knoop Stradivarius'' of 1715 is an antique violin made by luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona (1644–1737). It was made during Stradivari's golden period and is regarded as the "finest of the fine," and ''nec plus ultra'' by the W.E. Hill & Sons. ''The Alard'' has the original neck with the initials "PS" found in the mortise of the head believed to be those of son, Paolo Stradivari. The Hill brothers conclude this violin is one of the instruments that came into Paolo's possession upon the death of his brother Francesco in 1742. The ''Alard Stradivarius'' receives its name from French violinist Jean-Delphin Alard, its most famed owner. Upon the publication of the Hill brothers' work on Stradivari in 1902, ''The Alard'' was in the possession of Baron Knoop (1846–1918). The instrument sold at auction in 1981 to a collector in Singapore for US$1.2 million. In the 19th century leading French violin maker Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume made a close copy of the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cremonese Dialect
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city and province governments. The city of Cremona is especially noted for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned luthiers, such as Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, Francesco Rugeri, Vincenzo Rugeri, and several members of the Amati family. History Ancient Celtic origin Cremona is first mentioned in history as a settlement of the Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul), Cenomani, a Gauls, Gallic (Celtic) tribe that arrived in the Po River, Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona most likely dates back to earlier settlers and puzzled the ancients, who gave many fanciful interpretations. Roman military outpost In 218 BC the Ancient Rome, Romans established on that spot their first military outpos ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cremona Centro
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city and province governments. The city of Cremona is especially noted for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned luthiers, such as Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, Francesco Rugeri, Vincenzo Rugeri, and several members of the Amati family. History Ancient Celtic origin Cremona is first mentioned in history as a settlement of the Cenomani, a Gallic (Celtic) tribe that arrived in the Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona most likely dates back to earlier settlers and puzzled the ancients, who gave many fanciful interpretations. Roman military outpost In 218 BC the Romans established on that spot their first military outpost (a ) north of the Po river, and kept the old name. Cremona and ne ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cremona
Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city and province governments. The city of Cremona is especially noted for its musical history and traditions, including some of the earliest and most renowned luthiers, such as Giuseppe Guarneri, Antonio Stradivari, Francesco Rugeri, Vincenzo Rugeri, and several members of the Amati family. History Ancient Celtic origin Cremona is first mentioned in history as a settlement of the Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul), Cenomani, a Gauls, Gallic (Celtic) tribe that arrived in the Po River, Po valley around 400 BC. However, the name Cremona most likely dates back to earlier settlers and puzzled the ancients, who gave many fanciful interpretations. Roman military outpost In 218 BC the Ancient Rome, Romans established on that spot their first military outpos ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |