Eugene Doyle profiles the man who created the world-famous violin

 

Although they are more than three hundred years old, Stradivarius violins are still being played and still sound much better than anything else. You might say they are living proof of the old adage ‘the older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune’. They are also known for being extremely famous and ruinously expensive.

On 16th May, 2006, a Stradivarius, which was produced in 1707, was sold for more than three and a half million dollars, the highest price paid at that time for a Stradivarius violin at a public auction. Private sales have exceeded this price.

All Stradivarius violins have a name and the one that received a record price at a public auction is known as the Hammer. A Stradivarius, known as the Molitor and made in 1697 and which was thought to have been originally owned by Napoleon Bonaparte, sold for $3,600,000 in October, 2010.

It is easy to see that Stradivarius violins have more than just sentimental value. Not many are sold, however, because they are mainly owned by musicians, museums or organisations and foundations such as the Stradivari Society. These instruments are rare. It is believed that there are fewer than 700 now in existence and their very scarcity adds considerably to their value.
In the opinion of many experts, these violins have never been bettered. They are renowned for their superlative tonal quality and superior craftsmanship, and owning a Stradivarius has, over the centuries, been an obsessive ambition for many musicians.

The violin, a word that comes from the Middle Latin word ‘vitula’, meaning stringed instrument, has a long history, but it is believed to have emerged in its present form in early 16th century Northern Italy.
The oldest documented violin to have four strings, like the modern instrument, is supposed to have been constructed in 1555.
What is it that makes a Stradivarius violin such a sought after musical instrument? Each one was constructed by Antonio Stradivari, whose work was commissioned by King James II of England and King Charles III of Spain, amongst other noble and notable customers.

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own