Essay about The Glorious Stradivari Revolution - 1006 Words

The Glorious Stradivari Revolution Antonio Stradivari, a man known by many as on of the greatest luthiers of all time. The question at hand is why? From as early as the early 1700’s Stradivari was well known in the music world and still is. His instruments are reproduced in order to fool consumers into buying an instrument that has the same design as a Strad. There are also luthiers that try to replicate Stradivari’s beautiful design for their own satisfaction. Antonio Stradivari’s instruments have become socially and technically popular over time due to his superior craftsmanship, and for others, its large price tag. Stradivari’s life, affecting how his instruments were made, changed the perception of his instruments†¦show more content†¦How fine for instance is the semi-circular termination at the lower peg box? He was the inceptor of the slanting soundholes which influence the formation and free emission of sonorous tone. The Amati soun dholes are ‘set straight’ and to a certain extent cause a loss of tone†¦(Henley ch. 1, 15) Even as an apprentice he had begun changing the standard of the Amati violin, whose bar was set very high. Stradivari’s life as a luthier can be split into four different periods. The Amati, Experimental, Golden, and Decline. The Amati period, 1666-1699, was a period of time when he was under the apprenticeship of Nicolo Amati. Although the period is called the Amati period, his instruments then did not resemble much of Nicolo’s work. Stradivari was just in the beginning of his life as a luthier. The biggest changes of his instruments during this time period were the width and materials used. The next period was the Experimental period, which lasted from 1690 to 1700. During this period he experimented with both the varnish, and the length. Stradivari’s varnish had changed many times. It was thought that his varnish was what made his instruments sound they way they do. The climax of Stradivari’s work was known as the Golden period, which lasted from 1700 to around 1720. â€Å"All materials are carefully selected. Scrolls less deeply cut and beautiful ly carved, fine