Editor’s letterFor most string quartets, chamber playing is a full-time

SOUNDPOSTLetters, emails, online comments

THE IDEAL fitFreelance violists Edmund Riddle and Kathi Von Colson join The Strad‘s editor Charlotte Smith and contributing editor Pauline Harding to test a range of shoulder rests - and discover enormous differences in weight, balance and comfort

NEW LIFE FROM OLD STRINGSThe structure and shape of strings make them difficult and costly to recycle. But that hasn’t stopped some manufacturers from tackling the challenge, and even extracting metal from old strings to use in new ones, writes Tom Stewart

TEAM BUILDINGFor luthiers, finely sourced white instruments may well be the perfect accessory - offering the double opportunity for varnishing practice and to sell less expensive models to students and those with shallower pockets. But, writes Peter Somerford, the issues of provenance and labelling are of utmost importance when marketing such instruments to the public

NATURE’S WAYLeatherwood Bespoke Rosin founder Andrew Baker describes the process of hand making his products, which can be tailored to meet the requirements of individual players

CREATING AND SHARPENING KNIVES FOR VIOLIN MAKINGA traditional method honed over the centuries by the luthiers of Mirecourt, France

SITTING PRETTYMusicians take great time and care to find the best instrument accessories, but rarely give the same consideration to the ideal chair. Anyone who cares about their posture, comfort and health would do well to pay more attention, writes Harry White

TEMPTING ENTICEMENTSString manufacturers were as keen to promote their wares in the earliest years of The Strad as they are today - but their methods of persuasion varied considerably. All these advertisements come from the magazine’s first three decades, as evidenced by the enthusiasm for 'acribelles' (silk strings)

SEEING DOUBLEA pantograph milling machine may not be an accessory on every luthier’s workbench, but for the past three decades Andreas Kägi has found it preferable to CNC alternatives. Here he gives three examples of how the process works in creating patches for repair

Secondary researchMusicians are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental cost of cutting down ebony and maple, even as stocks of top-quality wood are dwindling. What are the alternatives?

AUCTIONS Soldiering onDespite the Covid-19 pandemic, sales continued at the London auction houses in March. Kevin MacDonald gives a tour of the highlights

NEW PRODUCTSDIGITAL MAPPING SYSTEM

Life lessons Nathan MeltzerThe up-and-coming US violinist on his early years in

Forecasting the futureThe 13th Winter International Arts Festival in February presented no fewer than seven world premieres, a Beethoven sonata marathon and a double bass extravaganza, writes Peter Quantrill, who met artistic director Yuri Bashmet

THE REAL BEETHOVENThe members of the Tetzlaff Quartet, who recently released their first Beethoven disc, talk to Tom Stewart about what’s really behind the composer’s late quartets, why they’ve taken a quarter of a century to record any Beethoven, and the challenge of keeping up appearances

AMATI… OR NOT AMATI?Could the cello shown here be one of the eight ’bass violins‘ ordered by Catherine de‘ Medici for the court of Charles IX of France? Luthier Filip Kuijken explores the known history of the instrument and considers whether it could be an original Andrea Amati - or a clever fake

NATURAL BALANCEWhen playing a concerto, the string soloist is rarely fully in charge - and working with opinionated conductors means that sometimes disagreements will occur. Charlotte Gardner speaks to three top performers and a conductor to find out how to strike the right balance

BELOVED MOTHER…During a two-year concert tour of America, violinist Pablo Sarasate corresponded with his adoptive mother Amelie de Lassabathie in Paris. His surviving letters have been translated for the first time into English by Nicholas Sackman and Bastien Terraz, who present a digest of their contents

FRENCH CONNECTIONSSeveral violin, viola and cello bows still survive from the Imperial Court Orchestra of Napoleon III. Gennady Filimonov examines their history, and on page 53 provides evidence that the so-called ‘Napoleonic-type bows’ originated with the first Emperor rather than the third

SUBSCRIBERS GET MOREPRINT + ONLINE SUBSCRIBERS ENJOY

ANNIBALOTTO FAGNOLAA close look at the work of great and unusual makers

Lengthening a violin neckAn alternative to performing a neck graft, without the need for making a replacement

SETH KIMMELA peek into lutherie workshops around the world

Pearls of wisdomOne of the most mysterious parts of bow making is the production of mother-of-pearl slides and eyes John Matthews provides a guide to the process, and explains why ormer is the best shell to use

FRANCK VIOLIN SONATA (CELLO VERSION)Henri Demarquette looks at the conflicts of French atmosphere and German Romanticism in the first and second movements

Scales for violistsA system specifically for the viola, which has not been adapted from violin alternatives

ReviewsYour monthly critical round-up of performances, recordings and publications

From the ARCHIVEAn anonymous reader remonstrates with The Strad for characterising Marie Hall as the first female violinist of the modern era

IN THE NEXT ISSUE‘Benecke’ Stradivari violin

STEVEN ISSERLISBeethoven’s Cello Sonata no.4 was the gateway the British cellist needed to understand the myriad delights and complexities of the composer’s work