Passionate men who love their careers are rare but important. Those that I'm speaking of become so consumed by their work that they forever change how the world views their craft. In the world of violin craftsmen, also known as luthiers, the Stradivari family were those whose efforts were most valued and whose pieces were analyzed in attempts to reproduce their quality. The term Stradivarius has become a way of saying something is excellent because of this.
This excellence was more attributed to the work of Antonio Stradivari, born 1644 in Italy, than any other family members. While his sons inherited some of his skills and techniques, his violins were the pieces everyone valued most.
Why these violins were so great or how exactly they were made aren't entirely known. There have been a lot of theories surrounding this and several scientific experiments done in recent years. A few theories focus on what the violins were made of. There was a "little iceage" in Europe around this time that made trees grow with higher density wood. The higher density in violins was said to give it a superior quality. An alternate theory states that wood from maple trees in northern Croatia were used. This also relates to higher density wood.
When it comes to the processes of making these violins, certain chemicals were found in the composition that gave it a higher quality sound. These chemicals were presumed to be oxidizing agents. Stradivari may not have known the musical benefits of these chemicals and merely used them to protect the wood from being eaten by worms. The exact chemicals used are not yet known. There have been limited samples given for the purposes of this analysis and that's why more is not known.
In Antonio Stradivari's 93 years on this earth he produced around 1,200 violins. Only about 600 remain today. Each violin may be worth up to $5 million, but estimates vary. The most one is recorded to sell for was in October of 2010; the price was $3.6 million. This particular one, the Molitor, created 1697, was rumored to have been owned by Napoleon Bonaparte. Stradivarius violins created between 1700 and 1720, known has his "golden period" may sell for more, depending on the condition.
Is the sound quality really that good? As time went on their quality became controversial. Blind tests have been done in which listeners were requested to guess which violin was the Stradivarius, by sound, out of a lineup. In one test there were four violins, the Stradivarius included, all from various makers and time periods. None of the listeners correctly identified more than two of the four. Two of the listeners even thought the 20th century violin was the Stradivarius.
In 2009 another test was done that had a Stradivarius violin worth about $2 million dollars and several more modern Ronheimer violins. Most listeners misidentified the Stradivarius.
So does this mean that the quality of the widely-loved Stradivarius violins is a fluke or that Antonio Stradivari didn't create excellent violins? Personally, I wouldn't press it to that degree, though claims may have been exaggerated. The rumors of incredible quality may have been started by Stradivari's personal connections combined with his location. While most instruments endure time very well, it is possible that some of the original quality was lost as a whole due to handling and other factors. Until more studies are done, it is up to the best guess of the listener.
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