Violin Shop Tour 4: Stradivari's Secrets / The "Perfect" Form of the Violin: the Mold or "Mould"
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- Опубликовано: 8 авг 2017
- The Inspiration of Stradivarius as a Child is in this video. Also, the "Mold," or "Form," determines a violin's shape and size. And above all else, Stradivari's "secret.".
For a look at the "Tangled" violin made from the mold referenced at the end of this video:
• Tangled Violin / Disne...
CONNECT WITH KEVIN LEE LUTHIER!
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And the websites:
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Credits:
Violin Iconography of Antonio Stradivari by Herbert K. Goodkind
The Violin Masterpieces of Guarneri del Gesu by Peter Biddulph
Antonio Stradivari The Cremona Exhibition of 1987 Charles Beare
Corcoran Gallery of Art
I love how you told the story of Stradivarious' insspiration and how long it took him to realize it,...it brought me to tears.
That engraving is a tremendous find and in great condition. I love very old objects that have been cared for through time. I have a large pendulum clock from the mid 1700s with a beautiful painted face and a working movement that shows the moons phases. I like to think of the rooms it has been, the lives of the people who used it to help chart out their days and the fact that this piece of 18th century high technology was made carefully by hand. It’s more important than ever these days IMHO to have respect for those who create hand made objects. Because Stradivarius created his masterpieces at a great age is another inspiration and lesson for me. Thanks for the video.
Good points! The "secrets" are obvious to those who've given them as much thought and research as Kevin apparently has.
I've watched this gentleman for a few hours. He knows what he's talking about.
Kevin, you are an awesomely amazing human being!!
Thank you again, kind sir, for sharing your knowledge and passion. At 53, I am just beginning to play and repair the violin with hopes to build my own someday. I am encouraged by AS performing his presumably best work late in life. You sir, are an inspiration to me as well.
My dream is to carve violins, violas and cellos until I'm "at least" 96 year old. I figure this should be about right, since Stradivarius got a head start on me. He began at 14, and I didn't start carving my first violin until I was 18.
All three books, "Two Trees," "The Book of Honor," and "Clay Angel" are now listed on ebay so they can now be shipped almost anywhere, including over seas.
You haven't posted anything in a long time. I hope all is well and you will resume posting soon.
Impresive how much we learn with your videos! Apreciate
You inspire me. Why have a I burdened myself with this admiration at this point in life? Perhaps to make the closing years the pinnacle. I will now learn and enjoy the violin!
Your awesome. Thanks for your efforts and sharing your vast knowledge.
There's something magical going on here.
you are a man of true greatness, keep doing what you do, im in awe of you
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion. Your videos are fascinating! I'm looking forward to the next one already.
I'm working on it! It's amazing though, how much time it takes to make these videos, especially now that I'm filming myself making a violin at the same time. Simple tasks that usually only take me a minute or two, now take an hour or two because of; moving everything out of the way, setting up the lights, the cameras and the microphones. Wow! But, just like playing the violin, the things that appear impossible and seem to take us forever in the beginning, do get easier and quicker with practice!
Very good my friend, very good 🌹🌹I thank you so very much for the knowledge you share. I just bought two old Steiners to restore no cracks, just grime and scratches, and one has that narrow waist at the corners really cool looking the belly is so high you can see thru the f holes, so I am looking to get all my, cleaning and varvishing supplies soon, I already have the alcohol . I'm excited, though I have only $500 in both, I will treat them as the most expensive belonging to another, for someday they all become someone else's, or back to the dust of the earth. Thanks again Kevin
You are the most honest violinist and luthier all truthfully wisdom
Excellent series! ❤ 😊
I've thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks.
Excellent video! I agree that instruments do not want to be "locked behind glass" for decades, or even a year. They wanna PLAY, no matter how "valuable" they are.
Whoever thought of putting "purfling" in a violin??? How could you even think of that?
Has anyone ever made a violin without purfling? If so, how much difference does purfling make?
Another amazing video. Thanks!
love your Videos, your wording are just so Powerful and so much feeling!
I do love violins and music so much, and as long as you can put up with me getting a little "carried away" sometimes, thank you.
I am a violinist, your videos inspired me to buy two trees which I read , it made me want to commission you really badly for a violin, sadly. after looking at the prices I realized I am no where near that level yet, Anyway love your videos, keep it up!
I am thrilled that my books, violins and videos are appreciated. Never stop dreaming!
You certainly are an inspiration to us all
Awesome! Thank you!!
18 minutes and 30 seconds of State of the Violin Nation Address.
I LYK IT.
Sir,Can you please tell us some good violin books,which i can practise?
What about the violin's endocast. The top and back interior topology is of high importance too.
Kevin, how did u dig those secret
You sir are very entertaining to listen to!
Thanks! My finger that I nearly cut off is almost healed, so I should be able to begin playing serious, again and make things real "entertaining."
I've often watch many videos of famous violins that are bought and sold at auctions and are just kept behind glass and never played. Amati, Stradivari, and Guarneri would surely think that modern men have become fools or crazy!
As long is preserved its waiting for the right owner to come. Time will tell
Is it true that Stradivarius used very old wood from demolished barns that were already 300 years old when he crafted his violins or is this an old wives tale?
Sir, I always enjoy listening to you talk about the great masters. How do we know that he burned 80 imperfect violins? I never heard that before.
Can you give us your insight on Le Messie? Was it made by Stradivari or Vuillaume ( or someone else) in your opinion? It is said that the top was carved from the same tree as a Rogieri of 1710 I believe. Do you find any suspicions with the Tarisio- Vuillaume connection? IF Le Messie was a real Strad as it left the masters hands, wouldn't it be more valuable than the Cannon, just because of it being a "new" Strad?
I'm always in awe when I see your Violins. You are truly amazing!
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!!
I believe that the original source about Stradivari burning instruments was from Arisi the monk , a friend of Stradivari's, and one of the very few contemporary sources concerning the master, though I have never been unable find a copy of the original document concerning this. Like so many profound and "interesting" things concerning Stradivari, this has simply been handed down verbally for generations. Have some of the stories and number of instruments been embellished over the years? Possibly.
Being so controversial myself (I am generally considered an outcast from most other violin makers because I only make original instruments, and not copies) I try to stay away from controversy, but I will simply mention this in passing, based upon some of the records here at The Romantic School of Music, I tend to side with Stewart Pollens.
The value of violins is a fickle mistress and I believe Paganini's Il Cannone will remain the most valuable musical instrument in the world; at lease until the Messiah as described by Tarisio and Salabue shows up. Then we would have to see.
totally enjoyable
I cannot play for beans on the violin, although I have a couple of more than decent instruments. But I certainly enjoy your videos...
Very interesting. I had No idea there are holes in it.
I'm not a young violinst thats actually strugling hard... this Stradivari's real secret is very humbling...
What a mad lad XD
I will become this guy, in my own way.
Hang on, was Antonio Stradivari left handed or is that artistic license on the part of the engraver?
Perhaps the boy in the image is not Stradivari himself but someone else?
I wish I knew.
So is the boiled dragon's blood the boiled sap from the Dragon's Blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari) from the island of Socotra? They are greatly endangered right now due to the political instability of Yemen.
Wonderful vid ( glad I found it)-:) ! In 1981 I would spend hours with Herbert Goodkind ( the painting at 7:45 was commissioned by him and was hanging in his living room ) in Larchmont NY . Just an artist rendition of what he might have looked like ( no one will ever know unfortunately). Mr. Goodkind was a true gentleman and the violin world misses him dearly.
We spent hours talking about the "Messiah" and as you know, there is some doubts as to whether the instrument was made by the masters hand. The main reason being Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
Let me ask you dear sir, I heard last year that an almost perfect Strad was going to auction and was expecting to sell for in the area of 45 millions USD. What was the highest price ever paid for a Del Gesu? Also in your opinion would a Del Gesu ever command 50 or 60 million USD? Do you attribute there value being higher than a Strad because of their rarity or do you consider them to be better? Is the mold at the end of the vid a copy of a Strad mold or an actual mold of the master, and do you own any of Stradivari's tools?
You seem to have a fantastic collection and you have a wonderful personality to match. I thank you for sharing this amazing vid.
I'm jealous. I wish I could have met Herbert Goodkind. I purchased my own copy of his book, The Iconography of Stradivari, right after his passing. Yes. $50-60++ million for Paganini's Canon. In my opinion, if you line up the 10 greatest violins in existence based solely upon sound, craftsmanship, and artistic merit, 7 of them would be Del Gesus. The mold shown is a genuine mold made and used by Antonio Stradivari, and while the collection here is vast and fascinating; none of Stradivari's tools yet. Most of them are in the museum in Cremona, and though I do have items previously housed in other museums, last I asked, Cremona wasn't selling.
Kevin he would have loved you. He liked anyone that loved violins and I'm sure he would have appreciated your knowledge without question ( and maybe learn some facts he never knew). He certainly would have loved your fantastic collection!
I did buy the Iconography as well and was so entwined in conversation that I forgot to ask him to sign it! That book was listed as sold out. So how I contacted him? He would have an advertisement in the Sunday NY Times every week . Not for the book but as an appraiser. I believe there were only 250 copies made. I did ask him why he didn't do it in color and he said because the price would have been prohibitive and he thought that the $275 for the book was high enough. He was very proud of it and even the quality of the paper that hold I think 550 pictures? (Did you get it new with the copy of the painting in the tube and the sleeve)?
We continued many phone conversations and we even made plans to visit the Metropolitan Museum to see the 4 Strads and an inlaid Nicolo Amati that were there at that time. Sadly we lost him shortly after. He was a wonderful guy.This is getting long I would like to ask another thing of you so I'll start another post.
Wouldn't much of the value of "The Canon" be attributed to Paganini owning it? In your opinion what would it be worth without that pedigree?
Although Del Gesu violins have more carrying power than most Strads, wasn't Stradivari more well know for perfect workmanship? According to Hills, Del Gesu wasn't as keen as Stradivari with perfection. Quickly made, some roughly cut f holes and so on. They even went as far as to say that he seemed to make a violin when he needed money and preferred performing (owing to their rarity).
An interesting fact;
The last conversation I had with Herb, I said who would ever be able to afford a Strad?
He said very few. But if you want to invest in some violins that will only appreciate in years look at:
Dominico Montagnana
Rocca ) I think there were 2 brothers)
( He loved Jacob Stainer) and I think he was friends with the modern day maker Bellini. He was certainly correct there. Both Dominco and Rocca have gone through the roof with many others.
I also noticed that you had a beautiful violin with gorgeous flamed maples sides with an anchor branded into it. Who is the maker?
I truly appreciate your Vids and your time. You Sir are a wonderful teacher!
Wow! Thank you. (And there's a lot more to come!)
Looking forward!! Thanks again..........!
Kevin. That painting was commissioned by Herbert Goodkind. I saw the actual painting when I was at his house in Larchmont NY. BUT no one knows what he really looked like. All we know from a letter is that he was tall and lean. How do you know that the young Antonio actually saw that print?
I am jealous about visiting with Herbert and seeing the original painting on his wall, I love the image, believe it is not too far off the mark, and only have a copy that I purchased from his wife, through a friend of mine, shortly after Herbert's death.
I was "verbally" told about this engraving and many other "pretty amazing" things about Stradivarius at The Romantic School of Music when I was young, though I was not allowed to see the engraving while I was there. The fact that it inspired Stradivari was attributed to Don Desiderio Arisi's private papers/diary, which I was led to believe were owned by the school = not part of his biographical manuscript in Italy.
After inheriting, and also purchasing all the items that I could (boxes and boxes from around the world), and then finally discovering this pretty "unbelievable" engraving, who knows? I may yet find Arisi's journal, or at least a copy of it. But, until I do, this like so many other things at the school is a verbal tradition.
Yet, even I have been skeptical at times because of the school's policies of secrecy, mystery, and "magic," but I keep finding physical proof of some pretty unbelievable items, one after the other, and I will hopefully be able to start moving this project forward again.
Thanks for asking!
@@kevinleeluthier He was a good man. He was a lot like you. Always helping people like me with all the questions that are unanswered/mysterious or like the Hills would say "matters of conjecture". For instance who made the varnish? Being that the Cremonese makers of that time all had it, was it made by an apothecary ( and so on). And Le Messie was always a problem to me but again, I'm no expert. Herbert had to go crazy to get that photo shoot ( Ashmolean Museum). And again the Luigi Tarisio connection makes me doubt it's authenticity even more. Herbert was 50/50 on Le Messie (he kind of shrugged).
BUT I get what your saying about Arisi. He's basically the only real "go to" person on the subject that was associated with Antonio.
Do you think Arisi's journal still exists? When was it last seen?
You probably have the greatest collection of memorabilia in the World. Fantastic items!
I was with Herbert G. in 1981. We were suppose to go to the Metropolitan Museum to see 3 Strads that were there permanently that he considered "so-so" examples and also an engraved Nicolo which I believe is also owned by them. We never made it and he died not long after. When he gave me the book, he included a copy of that painting rolled up in a tube. You had to be very young at that time because I'm a lot older than you. He would have definitely mentioned your name without question. He was long gone when Jacques Francois recognized your work in 1999 which was quite an accomplishment. Jacques was the man to see if you needed to know who really made your instrument. His evaluations were as good as gold.
Kevin, your works never cease to amaze me! I never knew you had that operation and were out of commission for so long. Please make up for time lost. The Rapunzel is beautiful! The Mermaid unreal!! (and) The Clay Angel is one of the greatest violins in existence...
Always awed by your vids, Thanks again.
@@cjc4765 Even though I never saw Arisi's "other" writings in person when I was young, I believed they existed at the school, and still hope that they do exist somewhere, or at least a faithful copy of them, since so many things were quoted from them were verbatim, (as well as from Arisi's biographical manuscript still in Italy, which would have been a copy), and everything so far has proven credible and accurate over the years.
Though, I tend not to share too much from my memory, unless I can find some hard evidence to back it up, such as the engraving that was described to me and matched so perfectly.
As a side note: I also share yours and Stuart Pollens skepticism about the Messiah, and have not made an effort to see it in person, based upon the photographs I have of it, coupled with the much earlier, very credible descriptions of the instrument that do not match the one in the Ashmolean Museum. Who knows, maybe I'll still go see it sometime and at least decide for myself if it was at least made by the Master, which is usually not difficult in person.
@@kevinleeluthier It would be a dream come true to find Arisi's original writings ( if they're still in existence). That would be a treasure trove. The Hills books throw me off a little. They seem to favor Strads works over Del Jesu although they don't say that. The Guarneri Family book seemed thinner, less interesting, quickly done. It just didn't match the Strad book. I think it was the Hills that said, Del Gesu only made violins when he needed the money ( they said it was conjecture if I remember correctly) and he was a performer ( also a guess). They stated that on some instruments his work was hastily done and the F-holes quickly carved with errors in height etc etc. I haven't read it for 30 years so that was the drift. YET I see more and more concert violinists preferring Del Gesu ( if they can find one)
When you talk about Il Cannone, I believe what your saying. The few that played it agree with your assessment except one that stated "It was dry as an almond" ( I forgot who it was). I read so much on the subject that I forgot who wrote what!!
With the Hills, I think they favored Strads because there were 600 or so around so they made more money buying, selling and assessing Strads over the very few Del Gesus, thus a "cash cow" maybe?
I do remember you saying awhile ago with the Messiah, that we're still waiting for him to arrive. That's how I feel about Le Messie as well. Didn't the Hills donate that to the Ashmolean and why would they authenticate it? Makes me wonder what really went on in this case.
BUT you can answer this. The Hills told us how difficult it is to bend the sides with fine flamed maple. When I see the Clay Angel ( unreal), the Mermaid and Rapunzel I say " How did he bend those sides"??.How did you and how difficult was it? Thanks for the lesson master Kevin!
@@cjc4765 Other than a few exceptions, most books, dealers, and performers before Jacques Francais believed the rumors that Joseph Guarnerius spent "a lot" of time in jail, and that his violins, especially his later ones, were the product of necessity, lack of care and supplies, and possibly a diseased mind. If it weren't for Pugnani and Paganini who knows how many of his instruments would have survived? Yet, the more Guarneri's you see and play in person, the more you realize that Mr. Francais was correct, "Guarnerius is the Van Gogh of violin makers. A true genius." Especially since, there are a couple early Guarneris that make Stradivari look like "he" was the student. The Hills wanted Guarneri to conform, as did Stradivari, and it was obvious that neither ever forgave him.
The best book on Gurarneri so far is:
Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu by Peter Biddulph, (in two volumes and expensive.)
I heard the "dry as an almond" comment in person, as well as many others, in 1994 during the Guarneri commemoration in New York, though I also, can't remember who they were. Especially since all they had to do was use another bow and "play into it." A lot of people there seemed to blind themselves to the fact that the instrument only stood out above the rest and was absolutely fabulous in the hands of Elmar Oliveira. He is the only one who used the correct bow, and played the violin the way it must be played.
As far as bending ribs with extremely deep flames: the secret is using bending straps = thin preheated straps of metal with handles on each end that are pulled very tightly; they can keep the wood from cracking. But even then, an apprentice will break "a lot" of valuable rib material before mastering this technique. I'll show my bending straps in one of my future videos.
Thanks for asking!
Time...
I would like to meet with you even more..Work with you.
Oh, to have more time!
Sir,Can you please tell us some good violin books,which i can practise?
You imposter...
ahaha
07:36
08:50
Don't take this seriously, but his videos give me a creepy cult leader feel. lol
Only a god could make such things....
I'm still honestly confused if this guys is totally serious or totally screwing with me.
He’s serious and he’s one of the best luthiers in the World today. What’s confusing?
@@cjc4765 You don't see the over dramatized, sensationalism in every video this guy has? If it's not purposely done, he's extremely out of touch.
robert Tait He’s about educating people. He’s very artistic. He’s doesn’t make anything by doing this. Plus he’s the only living luthier they ever received and evaluation from Jacques Francais and that’s huge. Personally I enjoy his vids immensely. He dramatizes to get his point across. 👍
@@cjc4765 Oh...it's entertaining all right. He deserves his own comedy show.
@@Bag-Of-Toys To each their own. To me the subject is fascinating and he's a wealth of knowledge.. You should look up his site and his instruments.
Thank you, maestro, for yet another stimulating and inspiring video. I have a good friend who is a master luthier, and he is also a violinist, originally from Ukraine. In our conversations, he revealed to me some of these secrets, and of those that I was already aware of, you are spot on...of those that I wasn't, I'm sure he will agree, or if he isn't aware of the ancient amber, or other things, he will be very grateful to hear of these things. I will be ordering your books in the near future, and, as I am myself a violinist of some skill, I wanted to share with you my SoundCloud page, which has recordings of many genres...with the hopes and intention that I, one day, may be commissioning you to create with me my dream violin. Thank you! www.soundcloud.com/mark-Woodyatt/playlists
Thank you!