Antonio Stradivari
Among other
musical instruments the violin came to us unaltered. Its persistence and symbolic functions
endorsed, in addition to its primary purpose, eventually made this fragile
assembly of cellulose an anchor of our civilization. An icon that’s importance extends far beyond the sum of its functions.
Since its invention at Cremona in 1535, the violin has
changed little while the music has evolved drastically. While other instruments have gone through one revolution after another over the centuries the violin has stayed true to form,
with very little changing. Analyzed by scientists with ever more sophisticated
machines to reveal their hidden secrets, the violin retains many of its
mysteries. To this day nobody can tell us the laws that have presided over its creation or the principles which govern its proportions. This knowledge which
has been passed down oraly from one master to the next was only shared by the
cremonese luthiers of 18th century, thus leaving us with many
unanswered questions.
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Antonio Stradivari died in 1737 at the canonical age of 93. After his passing he left behind his children, instruments, tools, drawings and several wills some of
which have only recently been discovered. We have no drawings or paintings that show what the great man may have looked like. The only firsthand
knowledge we have of his character is from Gaetano Pugnani a composer and
violinist. Visiting Stradivari before
his passing he describes a craftsman screwed to his bench, wearing a beige
leather apron with a wool cap on his head.
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Montpellier can be proud of
the association it has with the name Stradivarius. There are many concerts held
in the city with top class musicians playing on one of the master’s instruments
as well as the presence of 10 accomplished luthiers that produce modern
instruments inspired by the master.
Peter Biddulph, Nicolas
Gilles, Wolfram Neureither, Yann Poulain and myself have proposed the idea to
the Festival de Radio France and the Fabre Museum of an event celebrating the
art of the famous violin maker.
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