Back Stories: A data-driven look at wood choice
Jason PriceEvery time I take a trans-continental day-flight, I try to write a Carteggio. The lack of distraction is sublime and wonderfully productive. Today, I’ve written some observations I made from data we extracted from the Cozio archive about a year ago about makers' tendencies and preferences regarding wood choice. I know it’s nerdy but I find this sort of exercise fascinating: expertise in the 21st century is truly a 360 degree adventure, the more ways we can study makers and instruments, the more we know. The following is a lot of data. I hope this makes sense, the air is thin up here.
Continuing the legacy; The ‘Schneeberger’ Stradivari
Jason PriceFor nearly all of its known history, the 1731 ‘Schneeberger’ Stradivari has been in the hands of exceptional musicians. Most recently, it was in the possession of the celebrated Swiss violinist Hansheinz Schneeberger who owned the instrument for more than sixty years. Earlier this year, Tarisio Private Sales sold the ‘Schneeberger’ to an anonymous patron for the long-term use of Arnaud Sussmann.
Youth and experience: One of Stradivari’s earliest violins, revisited in his Golden Period
Jason PriceThe ‘Salabue, Matsuda’ is one of the very first violins that Stradivari ever made. It is handsome, remarkably well preserved and rich in history. But the most exciting part of its story is that it has a unique and special secret: the front of the ‘Salabue’ was purposely re-made by Stradivari himself, more than fifty years later, in c. 1716, at the height of his Golden Period.
An important violin bow made by Vuillaume’s best bowmaker for Prince Caraman de Chimay
Jason PriceToday is the 226th anniversary of the birth of Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the most famous French violin maker of all time. In celebration, today’s Carteggio examines a very special violin bow that was made by Vuillaume’s best bow maker at the time, Pierre Simon, for the Belgian diplomat, businessman and music lover, Prince Caraman de Chimay. This decorated and highly important violin bow was recently sold by Tarisio Private Sale to the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, Frank Huang.
