What is a Stradivarius violin?
Stradivarius is the trade name of all violins made by the great Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), considered by many to be the finest violin-maker the world has ever seen. The name Stradivarius has entered the lexicon as an expression of impeccable quality (e.g. “The BMW is the Stradivarius of cars”), and “Stradivari” has become a colloquialism for anyone who excels in his/her field.
The reasons behind the excellence of Stradivarius violins are still not fully understood. The materials used included spruce for the top, maple for the back and sides, and willow for the interior parts, but this in itself does not distinguish them from other instruments. The explanation may lie in the mathematics of Stradivari’s carefully designed and re-designed internal parts, in the chemicals he applied to the wood, or in the natural density of the wood he chose.
A “Golden-Period” Stradivarius violin (that is, one made between 1700 and 1720) was sold at auction in 2006 for over $3 million, and even the less perfect instruments made prior to 1700 may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. No doubt this is partly due to scarity: Stradivari made approximately 1100 instruments (including guitars, harps, and cellos as well as violins), and only about 650 now survive. Furthermore, many of the post-1720 instruments were probably made by Stradivari’s two sons, Omobono and Francesco, rather than by the great man himself. Numerous imitations and forgeries notwithstanding, a genuine Stradivarius is considered by many modern players and experts to be the finest instrument in existence.
The superiority of the Stradivarius mark has not been objectively established. Historically, players preferred instruments by such makers as Nicolo Amati and Jacob Stainer, and recent blind tests, such as the one conducted by BBC 3 Radio in 1977, have shown that even the most sophisticated listeners cannot necessarily distinguish the tone of a Stradivarius from that of other high-quality violins. But in spite of the controversy, the Stradivarius continues to inspire awe and admiration all over the globe.
