Some Misconceptions about the Baroque Violin

Abstract

Much has been written about the baroque violin, yet many misconceptions remain most notably that up to around 1750 their necks were universally shorter and not angled back as they are today, that the string angle over the bridge was considerably flatter, and that strings were of narrower gauge and under lower tension. 1 other fittings preserved in the Museo Stradivariano in Cremona provide a wealth of data that refine our understanding of how violins, violas, and cellos were constructed between 1666of activity). String tension measurements made in 1734 by Giuseppe Tartini provide additional insight into the string diameters used at this time. The Neck-shaped fingerboard became increasingly thick as one shifted from the nut to the heel of the neck, which required the player to change the shape of his or her hand while moving up and down the neck. The modern angled-back neck along with a thinner, solid ebony fingerboard, provide a nearly parallel glide path for the left hand. This type of neck and fingerboard was developed around the third quarter of the eighteenth century, and violins made in earlier times (including those of Stradivari and his contemporaries) were modernized to accommodate evolving performance technique and new repertoire, which require quicker shifts and playing in higher positions. Stadivariano, none of his violin neck patterns survive, and the few original violin necks that are still mounted on his instruments have all been reshaped and extended at the heel so that they could be mortised into the top block. In their 1902 biography of Antonio Stradivari, the Hills state that they knew of seven Stradivari instruments that retained their original necks, though they name only five: the 1715 2 The 1690 1

The Influence of Violin Tailpiece Material on Acoustic Properties of a Violin

“…Today, these pieces are made from the wood of dense hardwoods such as ebony, rosewood, and boxwood (Bucur, 2016). However, in the 17th century, due to the difficult availability of exotic materials, violin accessories were made from more common woods, such as sycamore (Pollens, 2009). Tailpieces made of this material were often decorated with numerous ornaments, sometimes with intricate marquetry or intarsia.…”

Tree-ring dating of musical instruments

“…The authenticity of the 1716 "Messiah" Stradivari violin has long been disputed. In 1999, Pollens (12) reported an apparent contradiction between an inscribed letter in the pegbox and the mold from which it was made. By measuring the ring widths on a photograph of the violin's front, he dated the youngest ring to 1738, a year after Stradivari's death (12).…”

“…In 1999, Pollens (12) reported an apparent contradiction between an inscribed letter in the pegbox and the mold from which it was made. By measuring the ring widths on a photograph of the violin's front, he dated the youngest ring to 1738, a year after Stradivari's death (12). The 1738 date was later retracted without a clear explanation, further confounding the controversy.…”