A scientific study to be presented during Mondomusica (Cremona, October 1 to 3, 2010) will set revolutionary changes in the study of the masterpieces of the most famous violin maker in history.
The treasures contained in the extraordinary Stradivari Museum in Cremona will be made available to researchers and violin makers of all over the world thanks to digital dimensioned drawings realized with attention to every detail.
Cremona, May 13, 2010 – It is a world’s unique collection made up of about 700 pieces: wooden shapes, paper patterns and tools belonged to the great Master Antonio Stradivari, the violin maker who produced, in his Cremonese workshop, some among the most famous instruments ever played. This is the Stradivari Museum presenting a unique collection admired every year by thousands of violin makers, researchers and amateurs coming from all over the world.
The collection was the subject of a thorough study by Simone Fernando Sacconi who reported in his book “I Segreti di Stradivari” ( “The Secrets of Stradivari”), published in 1972, the list of memorabilia and working tools of the Great Cremonese Master. The book is still considered a valuable reference guide for all instrument makers and an indispensable text to discover the secrets of Stradivari’s instruments.
To this fundamental source of information we can now add a revolutionary study of Stradivari’s masterpieces conducted by IPIALL (International Institute of Violin-making) through the course IFTS for superior technicians of baroque violin-making. Through the study were realized dimensioned drawings of 96 pieces of the Stradivari Museum. Flavio Smerieri, teacher at the IPIALL and creator of the project explains “ we analized pieces of 24 violins, 6 contralto violas, 8 tenor violas, 44 violas da gamba of different sizes, 12 cellos and 2 bows. Models and drawings were studied and reproduced using the digital technology starting from scanned and original pictures provided by the Museum. By processing the files with a CAD program we realized new dimensioned drawings of contours, ink marks and incisions“.
Federico Lowenberger, luthier and teacher at the IFTS course, points out “ the importance of the project lies is in the fact that the drawings will be made available by the Museum, the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona (commissioner of the project) and the IPIALL to instrument makers and researchers of all over the world”.
This study is a real revolution. Actually, the drawings of the pieces of the Stradivari Museum provide fundamental and valuable information on measures and shapes and reveal the great accuracy behind the creation of every single instrument and accessory in order to make easier their future reproduction. The study will also offer food for thought and will be very helpful to all instrument makers interested in developing their historical knowledge of instrument making techniques.
It will be presented on Friday, October 1, during the conference “Violin-making according to Stradivari” (organizers: IPIALL in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona and the Civic Museum of Cremona) to be held within Mondomusica, the world’s most important exhibition for handcrafted musical instruments (Cremona, October 1 to 3, 2010).