From the ARCHIVE

The Hills’ book Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work is now seen as a seminal landmark in Stradivari scholarship. The Strad ’s reviewer didn’t view it quite that way.

The book appeals more particularly to the “connoisseur’’ and the collector of violins. To the actual maker of fiddles – more deeply interested in the scientific principles of the instrument – certain portions of the book will hardly appear entirely satisfactory. We have perhaps a clue to this in the Introductory Notice, where the character of the book is outlined in the quotation, “Everything of something, and something of everything.”

The authors say: “Nothing more ridiculous can be supposed than that the species both of maple and pine which the Cremonese so ably utilized, no longer exists.’’ Of course the species still exist, but what about the extraordinary variation in the physical properties of different specimens of wood of any given species?

Again: “We unhesitatingly assert that modern violin makers have a choice of material equal in every respect to that which existed at the time as Stradivari.” There is every reason to believe that this is so: but what the modern violin-maker cannot as yet say is, that the wood he is using is equal in every respect to that which was used by Stradivari.

“And we enjoy to-day all the advantages of a commercial age when traders are willing to deliver at our doors wood from every part of the world even sawn to given dimensions and ready for use.’’ Space precludes a further discussion of this subject here, but we live in an age when the selection of pine (or fir) for the belly of the violin should not be left to the proprietors of saw mills.

The book is not one that seems likely to run very rapidly into a second edition: but, in the event of its doing so, we may perhaps hope that the authors will see their way to a re-construction of Chapters VI and VII.

The remarks in Chapter VIII, where it is said of the bass-bar “Broadly speaking, its function consists in retarding the vibrations of the one side of the belly,’’ should also be corrected; the effect of the bass-bar being of course the very opposite of what is stated. This bar, being rigidly connected, increases the moment of inertia of the belly – in other words, it stiffens it, quite out of proportion to the increase of weight; and consequently, in accordance with a well-known principle of mechanics, accelerates the vibrations of the belly. This can be – in fact, has been – demonstrated experimentally. It is perhaps worth mentioning the more or less plausible story that a copy of Stradivari’s recipe for making varnish still exists; the original, it is said, having been written on the cover of a Bible which has been destroyed.

The book is admirably illustrated; and if the paper on which it is printed is not quite as one could wish it to be, we must perhaps blame the exigencies of the modern methods of illustration.

STEFAN THORNDAHL

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

Daniel Pioro

The innovative Scottish violinist discusses Biber’s Mystery Sonatas and his collaborations with composer Jonny Greenwood

Repetitive practice

How to make the most of your daily practice time, with the help of illustrations, anecdotes, examples and exercises

Early Russian bows

New evidence shows that the first examples may pre-date Nikolai Kittel by almost a century

Entering a competition

Entrants, winners and judges all give their thoughts on how best to prepare and practise, and what to expect on the day

Cremonese archings

A detailed method for copying the curves of the old Italians, using catenary curves and precise midline measurements

PLUS

In Focus

René Zaal on a c.1900 double bass by luthier Cesare Candi

Postcard from Barcelona

Report from a quartet festival run by the Cuarteto Casals