Stradivarius vioins

Instruments by Antonio Stradivari

The 1693 Harrison Stradivari violin
(Considered by many to be the finest "long pattern" Stradivari ever made.)
For more "conventional" views of the Harrison visit:

The National Music Museum website
(The Shrine to Music)
where the Harrison is presently located.

I took these additional photographs for varnish colors, reflections of contours, etc..


Notice the "pinched" contour on the lower F-hole wing	The back surface is very "rippled" across the flames	One of the most beautiful examples of Stradivari's varnish (in my opinion) is the Harrison's left C-bout	The varnish here is as "deep," "clear," and "colorful" as it gets.

In later years, Antonio's sons helped carve many of his scrolls. This one though, in my opinion, is "all Antonio."	Stradivari tended toward round heels on the bottom of his scrolls.	Notice how shallow Antonio dug the side fluting compared with most other makers (even his own sons)	Notice the small radius at the sides of the back fluting ("normal" photographs without reflections never show this)

The 1727 "Cassavatti" Viola


There are less than twenty Stradivari violas still in existence.	The 1727 Cassavatti is one of the finest in overall condition	If you look closely, you can still see remains of ink on the chamfer of the eye	An extremely wide pegbox makes changing strings easier but also hinders playing in the half position	Scroll, bass side

Not a typical shape f-hole for Stradivari. (His sons also helped carve many of his later instruments.)	This instrument was made when Antonio was 83 and showing the signs of old age. Also notice the cracks caused by the poorly fitting purfling	A rare cello style scroll for this late of viola, but Stradivari was not beyond "breaking the rules" for a special customer	Another view showing the depth and contours of the scroll heel	The dichroic properties of Stradivari's varnish. Left is in diffused light, right is in direct light. (All master varnishes, new or old, will do this.)

The 1701 "Servais" Cello
is presently housed at "The Smithsonian" and considered by many to be the finest cello ever made, though the point may be argued (especially by average sized players) because of its "larger than standard" size which makes it more difficult to play.


The "Servais" is a very large and impressive instrument	A truly rare specimen with deep, widely flamed maple	Even the finest cellos have "wolf notes," yet with a master instrument it is always "worth it."	Though over 300 years old, a typical and very "clean" example of the Master's work.	One of the finest examples of Stradivari's wood and varnish

The "Servais" is a very large and impressive instrument

A truly rare specimen with deep, widely flamed maple

Even the finest cellos have "wolf notes," yet with a master instrument it is always "worth it."

Though over 300 years old, a typical and very "clean" example of the Master's work.

One of the finest examples of Stradivari's wood and varnish

The 1709 "Greffuhle"
(One of the finest inlaid Stradivaris.)
Pardon the quality of these photographs. After playing the instrument for two days, I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures until it was almost time to go.

It really was a dream to play, but when I first picked up the Greffuhle, the sound was a complete disappointment. But who can blame it; it had a gut E-string, a steel A string, a Dominant D and a G-string that was old and unrecognizable.
But after I adjusted the soundpost to where it should be and replaced all the strings, it instantly came to life and became the dream that it truly is.

You can't judge any instrument's true value unless it is set up properly.


Stradivari made very few inlaid instruments and always charged "dearly" for them even though some of their voices were compromised by the thicker wood necessary for the inlay work	The "Greffuhle" is a "Golden Period" example and is the best sounding inlaid instrument I have ever heard or played upon How the light hits a master instrument is everything. Right = the Greffuhle in subdued light.	All of Stradivari's inlay designs are his own (original) and many of his templates still survive in private collections and at the Stradivari museum in Cremona, Italy.	An angle that no ordinary pictures ever show.	The ribs are elaborately inlaid and were made slightly thicker than his normal instruments

Closeup of the ivory diamonds and circles. Compare with the "Rawlings" guitar below	Stradivari chose less flamed wood for his inlaid scrolls so the patterns would stand out more	This violin has a full neck graft and a simple fingerboard but the originals were believed to have been quite elaborate	Stradivari used a mixture of inlaying techniques on this instrument because he was always experimenting for a better way	I believe he discovered it on the back of this scroll and it is the same technique that I use on my own instruments because it requires no compromise in sound quality

1700 "Rawlings" Guitar
(Again, one of Stradivari's finest)


Guitars, like violins, violas and cellos are made of spruce (for the belly) and maple (for the ribs, scroll and back).	The inlay of ivory diamonds and circles are almost identical to those used on Stradivari's inlaid violins (See Greffuhle above)	Though not considered to be one of the finest guitar makers who ever lived, Stradivari used the finest materials and did very well	A closeup of the varnish (one of his finest examples)	Another closeup.

Etc.


The "Ward" Stradivarius violin of 1700	The "Betts" Stradivarius violin of 1704	The "Betts" scroll	Another closeup	The "Betts" back arching

During Stradivari's "Golden" Period, his craftsmanship was superb (compare this 1704 with the 1727 "Cassavatti" viola)	The "Axlerod" cello of 1688	1690 "Library of Congress" Viola	Stradivari was always experimenting, and this viola of 1694 shows that decorations should not be merely painted on a master instrument.	A master instrument needs to get better with age, therefore all decorations must be "in" the wood in order for them to last for the entire life of the instrument.

The 1699 "Castlebarco" violin	The back of the inlaid "Ole Bull" violin of 1687 (Better looking than the Greffuhle yet it has been re-graduated and is not as deep and rich sounding)	A closeup of Stradivari's diamonds and circles from the Ole bull violin of 1687 (It is a beautiful instrument)	The pride of the city of Cremona. The "Cremonese" of 1715	Also see the webpage "Stradivari's Tools"

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