Three centuries have passed since the death of the greatItalian string cases by master Antonio Stradivari, and the secret of making his instruments has not been revealed. The sound of the violins made by him, like the singing of an angel, lifts the listener to heaven.
Youth of Stradivarius
As a child, Antonio tried to express in his voicewhat was hidden in his heart, however, the boy didn’t look very good, and people just made fun of him. A strange child constantly carried with him a small penknife, with which he carved various wooden figures. The boy's parents wished him a cabinet-maker career. At the age of eleven, Stradivari learned that the famous Nicolo Amati lives in their home town of Cremona, who was considered the best master of violin works in all of Italy. Antonio loved music, so the choice of profession was obvious. The boy became an apprentice of Amati.
Carier start
In 1655, Stradivari was only one ofnumerous students of the master. At first, his duties included delivering messages to the milkman, butcher, and tree suppliers. The teacher, of course, shared his secrets with the children, but the most important, thanks to which the violin had a unique sound, told only the eldest son, because it was, in fact, a family craft. The first serious business for the young Stradivari was the manufacture of strings, which he made from the veins of lambs, the best were obtained from 7-8 monthly animals. The next secret was the quality and sort of wood. Spruce trees grown in the Swiss Alps were considered the most suitable tree for making the upper part of a violin, the lower part was made of maple. The first Stradivarius violin was created by him at the age of 22. Antonio carefully honed his skills with each new instrument, but still worked in someone else's workshop.
A short happiness
Stradivarius opened his case only in 40 years, butStradivarius' violin was still a kind of instrument of his teacher. At the same age, he married Francesca Ferrabochi, she presented him with five children. But the master's happiness was short-lived, because the plague had come to their city. His wife and all five children fell ill and died. Even the Stradivarius' violin no longer pleased, because of despair, he almost did not play and did not manufacture instruments.
Back to life
After the epidemic in the house of Antonio Stradivarione of his disciples knocked with sad news. The boy's parents died, but he could not learn from the master due to lack of funds. Antonio regretted the young man and took him to his house, later adopting him. Once again, Stradivarius felt the taste of life, he wanted to create something extraordinary. Antonio decided to create a unique, unlike the sound of the violin. Dreams of the master came true only at the age of sixty. The Stradivarius violin had a flying, unearthly sound, which until now no one can reproduce.
Legends
The mystery and unearthly beauty of the sound of violinsthe masters produced all kinds of gossip, they said that the old man had sold his soul to the devil, and he was creating tools from the wreckage of Noah's ark. Although the reason was completely different: incredible hard work and love for their creations.
Unusual tool cost
Violin Stradivarius, the price of which in times of lifethe master was 166 Cremonian lire (about $ 700), now costs about $ 5 million. If you look from the point of view of value for art, then the works of the master are invaluable.
How many Stradivarius violins are left on the planet
Антонио был невероятным трудоголиком, гений worked the tools until his death in '93. Stradivari created up to 25 violin instruments per year. Modern best craftsmen make by hand no more than 3-4 pieces. The maestro made about 2500 violins, violas, cellos, but only 630-650 instruments have survived to our time, most of which are violins.
