Editor’s letter

ANGELA LYONS

Since Antonio Stradivari’s death over 280 years ago, scholars and luthiers have been poring over his magnificent creations. That new discoveries continue to be made is nothing short of remarkable. This month’s cover story on page 30 – the second of two articles written jointly by luthiers Andrea Zanre and Philip Ihle – provides a wealth of important insights into the development of the master’s craft. By applying a new dating approach termed ‘morphochronology’ to the twelve Stradivari violin moulds in Cremona’s Museo del Violino, it is possible for the first time to place in chronological order these important templates, and to speculate on some that have been lost – thereby demonstrating the methodical consistency of Stradivari’s approach to altering the violin form.

Just as the famous luthier honed and refined his craft throughout his career, so too have the three string professors featured in Judith Kogan’s article on experimental teaching methods (page 38) developed their approaches to instrumental technique. Kogan speaks to New England Conservatory violin tutor Donald Weilerstein about his highly imaginative approach to harnessing ‘energy flow’, to Juilliard cello professor Natasha Brofsky about her student-led technical classes, and to McGill University double bass teacher Ali Kian Yazdanfar about his scale practice system for improving intonation. The methods of all three highlight the very great value of creative teaching in shaping a new generation of players.

Mentor and teacher Otakar Ševik was certainly an important in.uence on the successful careers of early 20th-century female violinists Marie Hall, Daisy Kennedy and Erica Morini – at a time when women in the public eye were viewed with some suspicion. Rosalind Ventris delves into the relationship between tutor and student on page 46, and reveals Ševik to be not only an ingenious teacher, but a progressive and sensitive advocate for women’s rights.

Charlotte Smith editor Email me at thestrad@thestrad.com or tweet @TheStradMag

Contributors

PHILIP DUKES

(Masterclass, page 68) is a violist, conductor and teacher. He has performed concertos with most of the major UK orchestras, and has appeared as a soloist at the BBC Proms on four occasions. He has recorded CDs for Deutsche Grammophon, Chandos, Naxos, BIS, Hyperion and Nimbus Records

JUDITH KOGAN

(Teaching concepts, page 38), studied viola as a child, and is a harpist and public radio journalist based in Boston, MA, US. The author of Nothing But the Best: The Struggle for Perfection at the Juilliard School (Random House), Kogan was educated at Harvard, Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Music (London).

ANDRÉ THEUNIS

(Making Matters, page 66) graduated from the Mittenwald Violin Making School in 1975 and then worked at W.E Hill & Sons. He opened his workshop in Brussels in 1980 and has been a member of EILA since that time.

CHRISTOPHER THORP

(Trade Secrets, page 60) received his training in violin making at the London Guildhall University, under the guidance of Shem Mackey, graduating in 2000. From his workshop in New York City, NY, US, he now makes and restores violins, violas and cellos.

ROSALIND VENTRIS

(Sevcik’s female pupils, page 46) is a concert violist specialising in solo and chamber music performance. She is a member of flute, viola and harp ensemble Trio Anima. She teaches at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, and is an Edison Fellow at the British Library, London.

ANDREA ZANRÈ

(Stradivari’s moulds, page 30) is a violin maker based in Parma, Italy, where he runs a workshop with his partner, Elisa Scrollavezza. He makes instruments inspired by the traditions of Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy, and is also an active restorer, researcher and publisher.