What's so special about Stradivarius violins?

Question

What's so special about Stradivarius violins?

Answer 1

Stradivari was an innovator in the shape and size of the violin and cello. His instruments were different from what came before, and his superior craftsmanship makes them different from anything made since. They are, in a word, perfect, in shape as well as form and artistic merit. The varnish is exquisite, made from a lost recipe, and the wood he used to make them was of superior quality. Great violins, like fine wine, improve with age. He had an enormous output in his life, and there are quite a few still out there still being used by concert violinists and cellists. They were expensive when they were made, and have been well cared for, and thus, have retained their value, and have actually improved with age. The water the wood soaked in and any legends about body fluids in the varnish are only theories, but his craftsmanship is without a doubt.

Answer 2

Not that long ago, I saw a show on the History Channel called "The Mini Ice Age". According to the show there was a mini ice age that happened in that time period of Stradivarius' life. The intense cold made the trees grow more dense than usual. This denser wood gave the violins he made a very rich beautiful sound. Violin makers since have not been able to replicate this exact sound. That's what makes the Stradivarius violins so special. Also, there are only a limited amount of Stradivarius violins left in the world.

Answer 3

According to scientific tests before audiences, the best violins made today sound as good as the best violins (including SOME Strads) made in the past.



The public is not aware of this because violin dealers can make more money by creating a mystique around old violins.



Also, only SOME of the 600 Strads in existence sound good. Many of them sound so bad that professional violinists won't play them! Major modifications that affect the sound have been made to almost every Strad. Additionally, the arching on the top of every old violin collapses to some extent because of the pressure of the bridge. The height and width of the arch has a major effect on the sound. It is believed that no Strad sounds like it did when Stradivari made it.



Briefly, what is so special about Strad violins is that dealers, who stand to make large amounts of money from doing so, have created the false belief that old violins are better than new ones.



By the way, the man's name was Antonio Stradivari. When he worked, ca 1600, Latin had an aura of sophistication, so he latinized his name to "Stradivarius" on the labels he put inside the instruments. Today, by convention, "Stradivari" refers to the man and "Stradivarius" refers to the instruments.

Answer 4

Mostly.....age. The way a Stradivarius was made and the materials used are very special. Most experts will agree that a Strad.'s sound gets better with age where a low quality violin may get worse or even warp as decades go by.

Answer 5

I would have to say that Stradivarius violins are special for a couple of reasons. One, the obvious, because they cost an arm and a leg. Secondly, they are by far the oldest violins still in production, at least to my knowledge, if they are any older companies still in production, I am not aware of them. Good question.

Answer 6

The others have said it well, but have missed I think a critical point - marketing.



Think about it. Do you know any other violin brand?



I do not know how the marketing vaulted this to the top of the heap, but there it is.



More important than actual value or quality is ALWAYS perceived value and quality. Stradivariushas this for violins for sure. (Just like diamonds has it for precious stones in the West. In China it is Jade, which further demonstrates the point that it is ALL about marketing.



Marketing in this sense is about staking a claim in the minds of potential consumers. It is about associations. What does one first think about as a company when one hears a specific product?



The sad truth is that if the marketing is good then even better products can be seen as less worthy.



I do not know enough about violins to know if this is true for the S. I do know that this is true for MANY, MANY products. My assumption is therefore that the value is overstated, even though it is very good.

Answer 7

There is really no need for me to expound on the merits of the Stradivarius since notably great answers have already been given. However, I would like to suggest that you look for the the movie RED VIOLIN which chronicles the plight of a red violin from its conception to the present. Its a fascinating take on the Strad legend (including the fluid part)

Answer 8

As well as (and becasue of) the unique qualities of the woods used and the incredible workmanship the Stradivarius violins have created a self perpetuating 'mythology' around themsleves. This combines with their rareity to further increase their percived value and causes people like yourself to ask questions like this. For example: a craftsman could now create an exact replica of a Faberge egg right down to the tinest detail and it would be worth a lot, however the 'real' egg would be worth immesurablly more simply becuase it was a 'Faberge'.

Answer 9

Check out this PBS program on "The Physics of the Stradivarius Violins"



http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1544179



" NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with NPR's Ira Flatow, host of Talk of the Nation Science Friday, about how the construction of the centuries-old Stradivarius violins makes them superior to modern instruments."

Answer 10

timber, horses intestines, horse conceal glue, and a touch metal for the tremendous tuner. the further ideal the violin, the further ideal the timber. an outstanding sort of engineering is going into it also. large Violins use Ebony, Rosewood, Sitka Spruce (for the right) with tremendous, close, instantly grains, and some permanbuco for the bow. Oh, for the bow you upload a hank of Mongolian Horse hair. the reason you want Mongolian is that the fewer warm the elements, the further cilia (teeny tiny hairs) improve off of the important shaft. you need an outstanding sort of cilia for a sturdy bow. undergo in innovations that with a superb violin, you'll replace that hair everywhere from each and every 2 weeks to each and each and every 3 months. you're going to need a superb varnish to seal it with, and some magnificent wax or lemon oil to end it off, and then you've a superb device. SOunds common right? bypass see a sturdy luthier at artwork and ask lots of questions. If she or he would not scare you off, you may merely be the subsequent Stradivarious.

Answer 11

Because quality has been a factor throughout the manufacturing of any product, Stradivarius is just a name that people have come to know and trust for quality.

Answer 12

I had the good fortune of attending a virtuoso concert in oklahoma of all places. The violin was a strat.-320 years old. It was a wonderful experience. At this event, I over heard a music major say that it was rumored the violins were finished with "personal fluids" of a sexual nature mixed in the varnish. Thought you might get a laugh from this, I promise the overheard conversation was serious. I almost asked if he believed in the tooth fairy.

Answer 13

These instruments are famous for the quality of their sound and there have been many attempts to reproduce the sound quality. Recent studies indicate that Antonio Stradivari may have used wood from an old cathedral for its construction which might be a reason for its sound quality.



It is believed that there are fewer than 700 genuine Strads left in existence, very few of which are unaccounted for.

Answer 14

Other than the excellent craftmanship the wood used was from trees that had been under water for a great long time. You may find elsewhere accounts of trees found in the Great Lakes several years ago that have some truly outstanding qualities because of their water logged habitat. The Strats in question were thought to have been from wood soaked in saltwater for a very long time. This was from the information iI found in Scientific American (mag) many years ago.

Hope it helps your quest.

Dean

Answer 15

Besides the exquisite quality of work and the tone that this creates, they are special because so few are around anymore. This luthier has never been surpassed and may never be, so that is one reason among many that these violins are so special.

Answer 16

These violins are all hand made, even down to the strings! They all hold a certain standard of quality to the product name, kinda like a Lambourgini

Answer 17

Its the way its made the type of wood. It makes the violin sound better than regular violins.

Answer 18

I read that these violins take 100 years to properly cure, and since very few people live for a century, they are being made for another generation...

Answer 19

Finish Warnish

Answer 20

The wood used to build original stradivarious violins is somehow different, the grain is tighter or something, and it makes the instrument more resonant and have a richer sound.

Answer 21

It's just the way it's built. There is another violin pattern from Germany that is better for smaller hands.

Answer 22

the stradivarius is made from very old wood. thus giving it a far richer and superior sound.

Answer 23

The paint. The application. Plus the workmanship.

Answer 24

Stradivari's violins are extremely rare and fetch extraordinary prices when they come up for sale

Answer 25

Each one is a priceless work of art. Each individually hand crafted, and the craftmanship is a true work of art.

Answer 26

the wood is more dense, because of the climate in italy at the time, and there are very few in the world.. i think only a few hundred.

Answer 27

it's the fact that someone that takes the time and the effort to play an instrument and play it well that makes it attractive.

Answer 28

they were (and very few) all hand made to absolute perfection by the gentleman it is named after...that is why they are very special and quite expensive

Answer 29

They are or were made of drift wood, that is what gives them there own sound

Answer 30

They have an awesome marketing department.

Answer 31

the way they are made and the materials used.

Answer 32

i have a stradivarious trumpet trust me they are really good

Answer 33

i don't really know but we deffinetly look alike each other weird huh

Answer 34

They are awesome, really old, and sound great.

Answer 35

i would not now becuase other people like them but i don`t.

Answer 36

each one is of its own. no two are alike