Stephen Fine

Yeah. Wow. I want it. Haha. I can't imagine the reaction from my students if my already intense art collection included a gigantic oil painting of Joachim.

I have determined through careful application of music theory to numerology that Pythagoras, Moses, Jesus, Nostradamus, Tenskwatawa, and Rasputin all recognized the same UNIVERSAL PITCH STANDARD. I cannot yet reveal the number in Hz, but I can tell you it's NOT 432 and it's NOT 440. Bach doesn't make sense until you know the true number.

Now I'm curious what type of Ironwood my Baroque bow is made out of. I'll ask David Forbes next time I see him.

Baroque bows are often made of ironwood. As VdA points out, that could mean any number of trees.

I guess I figured that comparison shopping was a modern luxury that was less available to violinists of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Not only was the audience incapable of perceiving the difference, but the luthiers in Stradivari's workshop (presumably, like today's luthiers) were incapable of themselves putting the violins through their paces in the way that actually demonstrates their superiority. Have you considered that it was random and that he wasn't "reaching towards" anything in particular? I've read enough of the "golden geometry" type threads on here to have formed an opinion that the geometric patterning stuff forms a basis for design but then adjustments are made basically freehand to make things fit. Maybe once a mold was damaged or broken or worn they just cut out new ones that were different by a few millimeters here and there.

Can you elaborate a little bit? My knowledge of Stradivari is limited. Do you consider the "scale" of his changes over time to be especially great over his 70-or-so year career?

There's some misremembering of the article, I think (if my memory serves). It's not that he didn't make much money. My recollection is that he made about $50 for his busking which was normal (at the time in a major metropolitan area). Paraphrasing Michael a bit, I think one of the lessons is that a fair number of snobs are posers. But I do think that article has a valuable lesson about how we experience art and beauty. I don't think the lesson is that we should sneer at people who enjoy the experience of dressing up, visiting a beautiful theater, and hearing a program along with an attentive, appreciative audience. For me, the lesson is that I can probably have a richer life by learning deeper and appreciating more. I know that if I heard Josh Bell in the subway, my ears are such that I wouldn't be able to walk away until I figured out who he was or until I said, "Hello, who are you, you sound amazing." (And then I'd go home and tell my friends, "I saw the best player I ever have seen busking in the subway. It was crazy! Very fun. I did not like his playing.") I know that most peoples' ears are not like mine. And every facet of life is like this... there is deep knowledge to be had about everything. On the topic of OP's question about violin quality. I'll say this... it wouldn't be the violin that I'd be hearing in the subway. If I heard Josh Bell playing on a crappy student instrument, I might say, who is that amazing violinist playing on that terrible violin, but I definitely wouldn't think I'd be able to tell the difference between Bell playing the Gibson-Huberman and whatever other decent violin might be lying around. There's the famous story about Heifetz rejecting the compliment of, "Your violin sounds so beautiful," by picking the violin up, holding it up to his ear, listening carefully, and saying, "Funny, I don't hear anything." PS- on the other hand, I'm quick to attribute my own success as a performer to my spectacular viola (currently in the shop, send positive energy to quickly locate and eliminate a buzz)

I'll probably replace my violin bridge some time over the next few years. It's older than me, from the 1970s!

"More higher frequencies" only tells you so much, I fear. As others have pointed out, it's about what suits your instrument and your technique. Some instruments really respond well to certain bows and without hearing it, it's hard to say whether "more higher frequencies" is necessarily good although my guess is that gives me more timbre to play around with. Are you in the enviable position of being in the market for a Peccatte?

I think the violin bow was a heavy gold-mounted Voirin according to a few people over the years. But the Voirin wasn't his only bow he played. And I bet he had more than the 2 used most.

Really valuable post, Michael. Thanks.

PDQ Bach, definitely one of the great musical humorists of all time. I've played this one:

I can get around on a 17" viola pretty comfortably. If I was a very tall or long-limbed man, I'd be tempted to play something gigantic just because I could.

Did you play either of the "Testores"? I assume they were players for how well they sold.