If Stradivari would have ever needed a virtuoso to test and analyze the secret properties of his divine violins, the brilliance, sweetness of the most precious instruments ever crafted by human kind, by human hand, I know who that person is. She lives among us now in the 21st century. As is said, she sleeps and breathes every musical vibration her mortal existence and soul can possibly conjure up. She is the one. The correct one, the virtuoso born in heaven. The one he never met.
But her mind was forever living in the past with those chosen few composer artists, surviving in the long past age of classical masters who are the greatest musicians, and will always be the greatest composers of all time. She will never be content because she
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He was staring, he was reminiscing, now he was mostly just pensive. He embarked to leave his stately home. Before leaving he looked in the mirror reviewing his attire, somewhat a ritual for him and everyone else in the town. Then he wondered why anyone ever looked in the mirror since nothing really ever changes if you are still standing up. .Nonetheless he made his compliance and walked the footpath he had walked so many times before. But this time the journey seemed totally different. This time he had a treasure tucked safely beneath his left arm. The family’s finest instrument thus far. He thanked the powers to be to have spared him precipitation on that particular evening, wanting to believe, but knowing it was most likely not the result of divine …show more content…
He waited until the concert ended and then made himself known to the young and perfect maestro. Meeting the young virtuoso caused an irreconcilable experience of mixed emotions which he had never before experienced and he certainly did not understand now. Stradivari spoke in reluctance and hopeful anticipation at once. He said, “Embrace the vision of this solo instrument, young man. I made this violin, yes. This is the finest instrument I could have ever crafted and the finest my family tradition has ever crafted. All that be as it may, without you this object is nothing but a mere stone. Take this and fill the ears of humanity with the celestial sounds of the Godly universe.” With that, Stradivari left the grandiose concert hall feeling so fulfilled that he had at least done something which would lift the spirit of humanity for centuries beyond. For that reason, every remaining day of his life he would ponder the moment he gifted that precious violin to the boy. You see, Stradivari knew that no matter what, the violin which was now the boy’s instrument would create and inspire, and forever empower the sentiments of music destined to change the universe
In his derogatory passage, Igor Stravinsky discusses the common views and reputation of orchestra conductors; he argues that conductors are not musical gods but rather destroyers of musical compositions and the glory that they are meant to receive. Because Stravinsky is a composer himself, he has firsthand experience with the relationship between composer and conductor and has dealt with conductors that have conducted his compositions. Stravinsky’s purpose in writing this passage is to convince the reader of the false perspective they possess of conductors. He wants to correct these pretenses and expose the façade of conducting in order for the reader to disassociate the conductor with being the star of the performance and help them focus
Ever since his father began teaching him as a child to play the violin and clavier, any keyboard instrument such as the harpsichord, Ludwig van Beethoven has been amongst the most renowned and influential composers of music. Despite the harsh punishments and mistreatment Beethoven suffered through while practicing with his father, he still managed to become a “prodigy” at a rather young age, having his first public recital at around seven years old. After his first recital role music played in his continued to grow, and soon after dropping out of school to pursue music “full time” he published his first composition.
Many violinists and cellists use Stradivari instruments in their work. Yo-Yo Ma currently uses the Davidov Stradivarius,Julian Lloyd Webber employs the Barjansky Stradivarius.
Antonio Stradivari, a man known by many as on of the greatest luthiers of all time. The question at hand is why? From as early as the early 1700’s Stradivari was well known in the music world and still is. His instruments are reproduced in order to fool consumers into buying an instrument that has the same design as a Strad. There are also luthiers that try to replicate Stradivari’s beautiful design for their own satisfaction. Antonio Stradivari’s instruments have become socially and technically popular over time due to his superior craftsmanship, and for others, its large price tag. Stradivari’s life, affecting how his instruments were made, changed the perception of his instruments
Antonio Stradivari is quite often referred to as the greatest violin and stringed instrument maker to ever live. Much of this credit is given to Stradivari because people simply know his name. Countless violinists have expressed over the years the great frequency that people always ask them if they own a Stradivari instrument or not. The reality is, although Antonio Stradivari was certainly a master at his work, he was not the only one to create stringed instruments and certainly was not the first to do so. People remember Stradivari because of the quality of the instruments that he made. Much of our basis for stringed instruments to date has been, however, influenced by Antonio Stradivari. The basis for Stradivari’s influence on future generations of musicians and instrument makers was shaped by events that happened before Stradivari was born, the perfectionist way he established his workshop, his death, and the physics and name of his instruments.
This article discusses the world’s need for classical music and why it will always be relevant. The author explores what makes certain things “art” and why certain other things are simply entertainment. He claims that classical music can never die because it is fundamentally different from many other types of popular music. It defines what makes art different from entertainment and answers the age old question of who gets to judge between them. In an age that dooms classical music to inevitable failure, this article offers a refreshing different perspective in a much more hopeful light.
Playing for kings and royalty, Beethoven’s talent was immediately recognized from a young age by his father and other fellow musicians. By his early 20’s, he had composed 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, and a full opera - clearly a stupendous feat by itself, but tragically, a couple years later, he had begun strenuously overworking himself to the point of becoming deaf through idiosyncratic acts like dumping cold water on his head in order to stay awake. However, this did not stop him; "Live alone in your art! Restricted though you be by your defective sense, this is still the only existence for you” (Beethoven). For the rest of his life, Beethoven sacrificed his hearing for his undeniable - and even obsessive - passion for music - ultimately leading to the creation of some of classical music’s greatest compositions of all time. Ergo, with enough dedication and that 1% of talent, anyone - from an everyday student to the legends of the past - can truly be a “genius”.
Vivaldi composed a multitude of works, comprising over 350 solo concertos with over 230 of those concertos for violin alone (Talbot). He worked at the Pieta, an orphanage and school for girls (Hanning & Burkholder 265). Vivaldi’s concertos imbued qualities of fresh melodies, clarity of form, and color between the solo and orchestra (Hanning & Burkholder 264). His Concerto in A Minor, Op. 3, No. 6. demonstrates the virtuosity of the violin. The idea of the concerto is still upheld today, showcasing the soloist’s ability.
Stradivari was actually well in touch with the results of other impressive instruments that had been constructed before his. He was able to gain experience by comparing the many instruments built by the early Brescian and Cremonese makers by deducing from them the aspects that made them unfavorable and applying these aspects to his own creative works. Every generation has contributed something to the construction of musical instruments, and Stradivari combined these centuries of contributions to create something astounding that opened up a new chapter in history. While it is a known fact that Stradivari got a lot of inspiration from previous violinmakers (Visconti, who is a well-known violinist, is said to have given advice to this “master” of violin construction), people insist that he was a natural born genius, so much so that he has been claimed to be a “superhuman”. Based on scientific principles, many different works have been written based on the unsurpassed tonal qualities found in his instruments. However, there has also been a daily study of Stradivari’s works that were compared to those of the craftsmen who came before him. When put to the test it was found that the density of the bellies and backs of Stradivari’s instruments were made based on the principles of Gasparo, in addition to the result of a gradual progression, which Maggini and Amatis had in common with him. Those who have examined his work have noted that Stradivari adjusted the thickness of his instruments, but there is no indication that he used any principles as a guide other than what has been derived from the practices of his forerunners. Stradivari left the backs and bellies of his instruments a little thinner (or stouter), with their backs displaying a larger variation than their
The first violin was created by Andrea Amati in Cremona, Italy during the Renaissance Period (1400-1600). The development of the violin was influenced by precursor string instruments of the 15th and 16th centuries. “The Violin Family, which has formed the basis of our orchestra for the past three and a half centuries, emerged almost complete during the later Renaissance.” (Nelson 1) The violin “survived” though early instruments did not.
Traditional purposes of various events and situations, including an orchestra concert, become overshadowed by what society deems as eye-catching. As a composer, Igor Stravinsky takes it upon himself to discuss the issue at hand. Igor Stravinsky expresses his contempt toward the source that receives the public’s attention and respect, the orchestra conductors, through his abundant use of similes that create a despicable image of the conductors, his sarcastic diction which displays Stravinsky’s bitterness, and his metaphors that symbolize a greater meaning behind them. The mention of politics initiates a negative or rather, a tense mood, which works to Stravinsky’s advantage in portraying his disdain as he criticizes that “conducting, like politics, rarely attracts original minds, and the field is more for the making of careers and the exploitation of personalities - another resemblance to politics -
Now after she is free, “She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome” (Chopin 1). She is thinking about future moment and happy moment in her life. “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence
This is it. The moment I have been waiting for what feels like forever. I played the last note with the most strength and intensity that I could and shut my eyes as I lifted my bow in the air. I held my breath and kept my eyes closed but my ears open in order to wait for the audience’s reaction. Silence. I opened my eyes with anticipation, only to be disappointed. “Oh… it was my imagination,” I said out loud to the empty classroom. I set my violin down on a chair to the right of me and sighed. For once I thought that my spotlight moment had finally come to life, but it was just a dream.
Many of Antonio Stradivari’s greatest instruments were made around his 70th birthday, which he celebrated in 1714. One of the greatest Stradivarius violins is the Titian which he made in 1715. It was named the Titian because its clear orange-red color resembled the work of the famous Venetian painter. The Titian has long been counted among Stradivari’s finest golden-period violins. It represents a blend of the design, techniques, styles, and accumulated experience at the time of its making. The earliest known owner was a French nobleman, the Comte D’Every. In 1922 it was acquired by celebrated violinist Efram Zimbalist who played it briefly. It is currently in the hands of soloist Cho-Liang Lin, who has performed with it since 2002.
My first impression was that I was listening to a rock star. I had a notable physical reaction to the music; I felt a rush of adrenaline and my heart rate increased. The music was fast-paced and intense—undoubtedly physically and mentally demanding on Garrett. I am a pianist myself, and I felt a sense of empathy. I was exhausted on his behalf by simply hearing his talented performance. The music would slow down in some parts, only to pick back up with even more intensity and speed. The music aroused a familiar sense of pressure, such as the pressure to complete a difficult yet important task in a short period of time. The pressure and difficulty build to near unbearable proportions until the work is finally finished, and dissipates into the euphoria of accomplishment. If that scenario had a theme song, it could be Paganini’s “Caprice No. 24”. The music was passionate, chaotic, and ultimately satisfying. I felt that I had witnessed true mastery of the art of the violin in both Paganini’s written work and Garrett’s performance.