I was really chuffed to see a couple of Stradivarius instruments last Wednesday, never having seen one before. They were actually in a room I didn't know was there, on the way out from looking at Michelangelo's "David". To my inexpert eyes the violin was indistinguishable from any other old violin, apart from the label. The viola, however, was probably the most beautiful stringed instrument I have seen. I know the fingerboard is irrelevant to sound quality, but it was beautiful! It wasn't black, but of a lighter coloured beautifully grained wood, with an inner piece of equally beautiful but different wood inlaid seamlessly into it, and the medici crest embossed near the top of the fingerboard. The wood seemed much more fiery than on the violin and the whole thing just looked wonderful. There was also an Amati Cello. Next door there was a room with some music stands, where I think people occasionally get to "have a go" on the instruments.

Has anyone else seen some famous instruments? Has anyone had a go on one?

I have heard that Stradivarius violins vary in quality. How much do they vary? Do they go all the way from "ropey old violin" to "priceless wonder" and everything in between? What makes them so special? To become really wonderful, do they have to be played on for a number of years by a fantastic violinist? Is the way they are played on the final magic ingredient?

Were violins being made in those days by other luthiers comparable to what one might describe as "good german quality" today, and if so do such "medium quality" violins from that era exist today?

If it's not obvious from the above this is intended to be a pretty wide topic - all thoughts welcome!

I'd say that with the Strads. It's the varnish that he puts on them that givs them their magic, but for that toi be properly used you also need a expert violinist. Of course the Strads do vary in quality, he was making them for the consumer market so had to make all different qualities for different consumers (however, I have it from a decent source that it was England that bought at least 50% of the violins made in Italy at this time!)

Saw Mozart's violins in Salzburg, I was the only one in the museum who went around the back to look at the backs of them.

And if ever you get the chance to have a go on a Strad, however short, do it. They hold such memories they're ALIVE

Jane

...and both Jane and I would know.

Who could forget "The KREUTZER Trio" last August

Those pictures give me inspiration every time I feel too tired to get my violin out and play.

Zoda,
The Royal Academy of Music has a collection of violins, viola and celli made by famous Italian makers. Some of them are on display in their newly opened building, York Gate. It's right next to the main Academy building and is open to the public free of charge from 12.30 - 6 pm Monday to Friday and on Saturday and Sunday from 2 till 5.30.

Well worth a visit if you're in London at any time.

Yup, I have one of those pictures as my screensaver. Sure gives you a boost

There's also the Ashmolean (sp??) museum in Oxford where the Messiah resides. Beautiful Strad in mint condition as it has never (or hardly ever) been played. Shame that though. They always sound better for being played regularly (as I said they remember the notes, I swear it!)

Jane

thanks for the tips guys!

have you both played on a stradivarius? how did you wangle that? what was it like?

It really is such a shame that some Strads can never be played. It may as well be an imitation if it's only there to look at - after all, one can imitate the look far more readily than the sound. Regarding the decorated fingerboards, I really like the look of the decorated ones found on some Baroque (or Baroque-style) violins, such as:

very striking, that one!

interesting that Gliga, who likes to decorate some of his top violins, doesn't do anything with the fingerboards - he's got various ornate scrolls and purflings, and things like a beautiful picture of a ballerina pyrographed on the back of one violin, but to me those things look a bit gimmicky. Somehow the ornate fingerboard manages to enhance the rest of the violin rather than detract from it.

I remember being told by a very good violinist that it was acceptable to use your eyes to help you locate notes on the fingerboard. I had previously thought that "looking" was somewhat unmusical, and you should somehow be able to sense where all the notes were without looking. He said in fact he had a pretty good idea just by looking at the fingerboard as to where any note fell on it, and although that may be subject to fine tuning, it was nevertheless a very helpful thing. Taking it a stage further, and thinking of those ornate fingerboards, I wonder if there are any professional violinists who have ever used markings on their fingerboards - even if only to indicate for instance where the octaves are.

1) Yup
2) Friends in high places
3) And it was MAGIC

Jane

Unfortunately I always need to keep my eyes firmly fixed on the music, so don't have the luxury of looking at the fingerboard. I know sometimes coloured dots are used when people are learning, but you really have to do it by ear, and to some degree feel.

Violins can go out of tune mid piece and you need to be able to compensate when playing to keep good intonation. You can't therefore rely on the note being exactly at the same point on the fingerboard. You have to listen, and I guess all professionals do.

For example, I once remember being at a recital when a violinist playing Bach on gut strings was seeming to be doing all sorts of contortions around the fingerboard. When he finished he apologised for the poor performance (not that we particularly noticed a bad performance, but we did notice him bent double at times doing fingerboard gymnastics!), and announced that the violin had gone flat by a whole semitone.

Not only had he had to compensate for the notes being in different places on the fingerboard but the relationship between the notes on the strings when double (and triple and even quadruple in this piece, it was the toccatta and fugue ) stopping were all changed. PLUS any open strings he would have used in chords had had to be stopped!

Anyway he was so gutted at the performance, he put the baroque fiddle down, picked up his regular fiddle (with no gut strings) and played the Sarabande as an extra

Jane

Remember it like it was only yesterday . It shares top position on my "Achieved Ambitions" list, along with flying on Concorde .

Jane,
You made a bit of an unintentional pun there; 'gutted' about gut strings!!

I love Eudoxa and Oliv strings (both are silver or aluminium wound gut strings), they have a fabulous sound, but they can be a real pain in the rear in a hot and dry concert hall. Especially if it's a longish work with nowhere to re-tune.

So I did!!!

Jane