The great master of string art Antonio Stradivari has not been with us for almost three centuries. The secret of the greatest master has never been solved. Only his violins sing like angels. Modern science and the latest technologies have failed to achieve what was just a craft for the Cremona genius …
What is the secret of Antonio Stradivari, did he even exist, and why did the master not pass on the secret to the successors of his kind?
From some piece of wood …
As a child, Antonio Stradivari just went crazy at the sound of music. But when he tried to express by singing what sounded in his heart, it turned out so badly that everyone around him laughed. The boy had another passion: he constantly carried with him a small pocket knife, with which he sharpened numerous pieces of wood that came to hand.
Antonio's parents predicted a career as a cabinetmaker, for which his hometown of Cremona in northern Italy was famous. But one day an 11-year-old boy heard that Nicolo Amati, the best violin maker in all of Italy, also lives in their city!
The news could not but inspire the little boy: after all, no less than the sounds of a human voice, Antonio adored listening to the violin … And he became a student of the great master.
Years later, this Italian boy will become famous as the manufacturer of the most expensive violins in the world. His products, which were sold in the 17th century for 166 Cremona lire (about 700 modern dollars), in 300 years will go under the hammer for 4-5 million dollars each!
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However, then, in 1655, Antonio was just one of the many students of Signor Amati, who worked for a master for free in exchange for knowledge. Stradivari began his career as … an errand boy. He rushed like the wind through sunny Cremona, delivering Amati's numerous notes to suppliers of wood, a butcher or a milkman.
On the way to the studio, Antonio wondered: why does his master need such old, seemingly worthless pieces of wood? And why does the butcher, in response to the signor's note, often instead of appetizing sausages smelling of garlic wraps up nasty blood-red intestines? Of course, the teacher shared most of his knowledge with the students, who always listened to him with open mouths in amazement.
Most - but not all … Some tricks, thanks to which the violin suddenly acquired its unique, unlike anyone else's voice, Amati taught only the eldest son. This was the tradition of the old masters: the most important secrets were to remain in the family.
The first serious business that Stradivari began to entrust was the manufacture of strings. In the house of master Amati they were made from … the entrails of lambs. Antonio diligently soaked the intestines in some strange-smelling water (then the boy learned that this solution was alkaline, created on the basis of soap), dried them and then rolled them up. So Stradivari began to slowly learn the first secrets of mastery.
For example, it turned out that not all veins are suitable for reincarnation into noble strings. The best material, Antonio learned, was the veins of 7-8 month old lambs raised in Central and Southern Italy. It turned out that the quality of strings depends on the area of the pasture, and on the time of slaughter, on the properties of water and also on a host of factors …
The boy's head was spinning, and this was just the beginning! Then it was the turn of the tree. Then Stradivari understood why Signor Amati sometimes preferred nondescript-looking pieces of wood: it doesn't matter how the tree looks, the main thing is how it sounds!
Nicolo Amati has already shown the boy several times how a tree can sing. He lightly touched a piece of wood with his fingernail, and it suddenly gave off a barely audible ringing!
All varieties of wood, Amati told the already grown Stradivari, and even parts of one trunk differ in sound from each other. Therefore, the upper part of the soundboard (the surface of the violin) must be made of spruce, and the lower part of maple. And the most "softly singing" ate - those that grew up in the Swiss Alps. It was these trees that all Cremona masters preferred to use.
As a teacher, no more
The boy turned into a teenager, and then became a grown man … However, during all this time, there was not a day when he did not hone his skills. Friends were only amazed at such patience and laughed: they say, Stradivari will die in someone else's workshop, forever remaining another unknown apprentice of the great Nicolo Amati …
However, Stradivari himself remained calm: the count of his violins, the first of which he created at 22, had already gone to dozens. And even though everyone was branded "Made by Nicolo Amati in Cremona", Antonio felt that his skill was growing and he would finally be able to receive the honorary title of master himself.
True, by the time he opened his own workshop, Stradivari was 40. At the same time, Antonio married Francesca Ferrabocchi, the daughter of a wealthy shopkeeper. He became a respected violin maker. Although Antonio never surpassed his teacher, orders for his small, yellow-lacquered violins (exactly the same as those of Nicolo Amati) came from all over Italy.
And in the workshop of Stradivari, the first students have already appeared, ready, like himself once, to catch every word of the teacher. The goddess of love Venus also blessed the union of Antonio and Francesca: one by one, five black-haired children, healthy and lively, were born.
Stradivari had already begun to dream of a calm old age, when a nightmare came to Cremona - the plague. In that year, the epidemic claimed thousands of lives, sparing neither the poor, nor the rich, nor women, nor children. The old woman with the scythe did not pass by the Stradivari family either: his beloved wife Francesca and all 5 five children died from a terrible illness.
Stradivari plunged into the abyss of despair. His hands dropped, he could not even look at the violins, which he treated as his own children. Sometimes he took one of them in his hands, held it out with a bow, listened for a long time to the piercingly sad sound and put it back, exhausted.
Golden period
Antonio Stradivari was saved from despair by one of his students. After the epidemic, the boy was not in the workshop for a long time, and when he appeared, he wept bitterly and said that he could no longer be a student of the great Signor Stradivari: his parents had died and now he himself must earn his own food …
Stradivari took pity on the boy and took him into his house, and a few years later he adopted him altogether. Having become a father again, Antonio suddenly felt a new taste for life. With redoubled zeal, he began to study the violin, feeling an acute desire to create something extraordinary, and not copies, even excellent ones, of his teacher's violins.
These dreams were destined to come true not soon: only at the age of 60, when most people are already leaving for a well-deserved rest, Antonio developed a new model of the violin, which brought him immortal fame. From that time on, Stradivari began his "golden period": he created the best instruments in concert quality and received the nickname "super-Stradivari". The flying unearthly sound of his creations has not yet been reproduced …
The violins he created sounded so extraordinary that it immediately gave rise to many rumors: it was said that the old man sold his soul to the devil! After all, an ordinary person, even if he has golden hands, cannot make a piece of wood make sounds like the singing of angels. Some people have seriously argued that the wood from which some of the most famous violins are made is the wreckage of Noah's ark.
Modern scientists simply state a fact: the master managed to give his violins, violas and cellos a richest timbre, a higher tone than that of the same Amati, and also to amplify the sound.
Along with the fame that spread far beyond the borders of Italy, Antonio found a new love. He married - happily again - to the widow of Maria Zambelli. Maria gave birth to five children, two of whom - Francesco and Omobone - also became violin makers, but they could not not only surpass, but also repeat their father.
Not much information has been preserved about the life of the great master, because at first he was of little interest to chroniclers - Stradivari did not stand out among other Cremona masters. And he was also a closed man.
Only later, when he became famous as “super-Stradivari”, his life began to grow into legends. But we know for sure: the genius was an incredible workaholic. He made tools until his death in 93.
It is believed that Antonio Stradivari created about 1100 instruments in total, including violins. The maestro was strikingly productive, producing 25 violins a year.
For comparison: a modern, actively working violin maker by hand produces only 3-4 instruments annually. But only 630 or 650 instruments of the great master have survived to this day, the exact number is unknown. Most of them are violins.
Miracle parameters
Modern violins are created using the most advanced technologies and achievements of physics - but the sound is still not the same! For three hundred years there has been a debate about the mysterious "secret of Stradivari", and each time scientists put forward more and more fantastic versions.
According to one theory, Stradivari's know-how is that he possessed a certain magic secret of varnish for violins, which gave his products a special sound. It was said that the master learned this secret in one of the pharmacies and improved the recipe by adding insect wings and dust from the floor of his own workshop to the varnish.
Another legend says that the Cremona master prepared his mixtures from the resins of trees that grew in those days in the Tyrolean forests and were soon cleaned out. However, scientists found out that the varnish used by Stradivari was no different from that used by furniture makers in that era.
Many violins were generally re-varnished during restoration in the 19th century. There was even a madman who decided on a sacrilegious experiment - to completely wash off the varnish from one of the Stradivari violins. And what? The violin didn't sound any worse.
Some scholars speculate that Stradivarius used alpine fir trees that grew in unusually cold weather. The wood had an increased density, which, according to the researchers, gave a distinctive sound to its instruments. Others believe that Stradivari's secret is in the form of an instrument.
They say that the whole point is that none of the masters put as much work and soul into their work as Stradivari. A halo of mystery adds an extra charm to the creations of the master.
But pragmatic scientists do not believe in lyric illusions and have long dreamed of dividing the magic of enchanting violin sounds into physical parameters. In any case, there is definitely no shortage of enthusiasts. We can only wait for the moment when physicists will reach the wisdom of the lyricists. Or vice versa…
Steal the sufferers
Stradivari's instruments are akin to good wine: the older they are, the better they are.
Throughout his life - and Stradivari lived 93 years - the master made about 2500 instruments. About 600 violins, 60 cellos and a couple of dozen violas have survived to this day. The cost of each instrument varies from 500 thousand to five million euros, although in the general account the masterpieces are priceless.
All violins have a name, are registered and protected like the apple of an eye. But this does not prevent robbers from stealing them with enviable regularity. The most mysterious story is connected with a violin called "Koshansky".
Before the revolution, a virtuoso violinist by the name of Koshansky shone in Russia. Critics compared him to Paganini himself - his playing was so impeccable and talented. This was also recognized abroad: the whole of Europe applauded the performer.
Once after a concert gendarmes and an important general came to Koshansky's fitting. In a tone that did not tolerate objections, the general invited Koshansky to come after him. I had to obey.
The crew arrived at the winter palace, and Koshansky was escorted to the large hall, where members of the royal family were seated. Nicholas II himself asked the musician to play for his household. Koshansky took a violin and a bow from the case and struck the strings. When he finished, there was silence for a minute, then the whole imperial family got up and began to applaud the artist standing up.
Nicholas II handed the maestro a strange case with the words: “This is a violin by Antonio Stradivari. You deserve to play on it. Koshansky dreamed about it
The king coldly remarked, “This is not a gift. We give you a violin for a while, so that you can glorify the Russian violin school all over the world. Koshansky was embarrassed, but it was a sin to refuse such an offer.
The revolution found the violinist abroad. He decided not to return to his homeland, and after the death of the royal family, he considered the Stradivarius violin his property. However, the instrument did not belong to him, but to Russia. Fate severely took revenge on Koshansky: he died in poverty and oblivion, and even the money received for the violin did not save him.
The violin, called "Koshanskiy", passed from hand to hand many times. She was kidnapped five times. The loudest theft occurred when the violin was owned by a musician named Pierre Amoyal. He valued his treasure so much that he ordered an armored case for her. But this did not stop the robbers.
When, after concerts, Amoyal returned from Italy to Switzerland, his Porsche was stolen along with a priceless relic. The police managed to find out only that the hijacker was a drug addict and repeat offender Mario Gutti.
The police decided to detain him, but they were late: when the door was broken open, Mario was lying on the floor dead with his throat cut from ear to ear. It was hard not to recognize the handwriting: this is how the Neapolitan mafia deals with unnecessary people.
Since then, nothing has been heard about "Koshansky". Perhaps the violin has already changed more than one owner. It is possible that now it may be in the collection of some Russian collector - after all, in recent years in Russia there have appeared many fabulously rich people who are able to give any money for a Stradivarius violin.
In 2005, a 1736 Stradivarius violin worth about $ 4 million was stolen in Argentina. The stolen violin was accidentally discovered at a local antique store.
Last year, in Vienna, a safe was opened from the famous Austrian violinist Christian Altenburger and a Stradivari violin worth 2.5 million euros was stolen. A month later, the police found the kidnappers who were trying to sell such a rare product, being new to the antique market.
Also, a month was needed by the American police, who returned the missing Stradivarius cello worth $ 3.5 million to the owners. Investigators immediately alerted the Music Society of the theft to make the cello a dangerous purchase. And an unknown philanthropist offered $ 50,000 to whoever would return the instrument to its rightful owner. The intruders have been found.
In addition to high-profile thefts, there are no less high-profile finds. In 2004, a $ 3.5 million Stradivari cello was stolen from the workshop of Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra lead violinist Peter Stumpf.
Three weeks after the theft, the instrument was discovered quite unexpectedly. Late in the evening, a nurse, returning from a patient, noticed a violin case in the trash can. Curiosity got the better of disgust, and the woman pulled the case out of the container. It contained a cello.
The lady did not even guess how lucky she was, and at first suggested to her friend to make a stand for CDs out of the case.
Still, the biggest surprise went to the 68-year-old Hungarian Imre Horvat. It turned out that the improvement of a chicken coop can be a very profitable business. Putting things in order in the attic of his own barn, the man came across a tool. I immediately decided to take the violin to the appraiser.
In a miraculously preserved subject, experts recognized the creation of Antonio Stradivari. Imre Horvat at one point became a fabulously rich man. He decided to sell the find and put the money in the bank. He intends to live comfortably on them until the end of his days.
Imre, most likely, owes the wealth that unexpectedly fell on him to his father. Leaving for the war, he apparently hid the treasure in a safe place, but did not return from the war.
Dearest lady
The Japanese non-profit organization Nippon Foundation has auctioned the world's most expensive violin by Antonio Stradivari, Lady Blunt. This violin is valued at at least $ 10 million - that is how much it was purchased in 2008.
The violin is the most important exhibit in the Nippon Foundation's collection of musical instruments, considered one of the finest in the world. All proceeds from the sale of the instrument will be used to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
The Lady Blunt violin was made by Stradivari in 1721. It is believed that this is one of the two violins of the Italian master, which has survived to this day in almost perfect condition (the second - "Messiah" - is kept in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford). It is named "Lady Blunt" after the poet Byron's granddaughter Ann Blunt, who once owned it.
This violin has practically not been played in the almost 300 years that have passed since its production. Mainly due to this, the violin, which was mostly in museums, has been perfectly preserved.
According to open sources, the Lady Blunt violin is not only the most expensive Stradivarius instrument, but in general the most expensive violin in the world ever sold at auction.
The Stradivarius violin, made in 1721, was auctioned for £ 9.8 million ($ 15.9 million), The Times wrote on June 21, 2011. The amount became a record for lots in this category.
In the summer of 2010, Guarneri del Gesu's Viotan violin, valued at $ 18 million, was put up for sale, but no buyer has yet been found.
And further…
A team of researchers from the University of Paris published a shocking statement in the January issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the violins of the great masters of the "Golden Cremona" - Stradivari, Guarneri and Amati - are not as good as people think they are.
They made this conclusion on the basis of a "double-blind" experiment to assess the quality of various violins.
Twenty experienced violinists acted as experts. They were asked to evaluate the sound of various violins, among which were several high quality modern instruments, as well as some of the masterpieces of Stradivari and Guarneri.
The "double blindness" of the experiment boiled down to the fact that during the listening, neither the experimenters nor the experts knew which violin the piece was being played on and, of course, did not see the violin itself.
As a result, it turned out that the highest assessment of experts was given to the modern violin, and the lowest - to the Stradivarius violin. Most experts were also unable to determine the age of the instruments they listened to.
According to the experimenters, the overestimated musical value of famous old violins is explained by an unconscious admiration for the brand, historical value and monetary value of these musical instruments.
According to them, the experiment was prompted by a recent study concerning the assessment of the quality of wines. In that study using magnetic resonance imaging, it was found that pleasure centers respond more actively to the "bouquet" of wine, the higher its declared value.
Like any statements that contradict "common sense", this conclusion was perceived by the scientific world very ambiguously. There were those who applauded the result and called the work "very convincing", but there were also implacable skeptics.
Among them is Joseph Navigari, who has recently become a rather famous Hungarian, who has lived in the United States for a long time and claims that he has revealed the secret of Stradivari's creations and is now capable of making violins of "Cremona" quality.
Navigari claims that of the six hundred violins left over from Stradivari, he examined about a hundred, and found that their quality varies from unsurpassed to very low - this, says Navigari, primarily depends on how often and how well the restoration of the instruments was carried out. …
Navigari suspects that the comparison of the best modern violins in this experiment was carried out with far from the best examples of Cremona violins. “Only twenty percent of their best violins have brought the legendary reputation of the Stradivari and Guarneri masters,” says Navigari.
In other words, categorically disagreeing with the conclusion of the Parisian scientists, he is 80% in agreement with them.