Stradivari's Secret

[Carl Stross]

An inflexible mind is not the problem.  The problem is when they set up a podium and PA system in the corner and lecture constantly.  That can get rather irritating.

 

It's not even a lecture. It's dumb repetition of " The starting volume (extrados) must be tuned taking consideration of the moisture content in the wood" and that a Strad will make.

I'd put up with the lecture if some supporting materials would be presented but ABSOLUTELY NONE ever have.

[Carl Stross]

Podiums (podiae?) and PA systems are only tiresome when they're addressing theories we don't accept... Which would pretty much be every theory discussed in this topic.

 

Podi. My latin is getting rusty - not sure.

[Addie]

Carlo, I see you're online. If you don't have Sister Francesca Stradivari's letters yet, no dessert!

Yes, we who seek the del Gesù Code are unrelenting!

[TimRobinson]

Podi. My latin is getting rusty - not sure.

'tis Greek, pl. is podia

Tim

[Carl Stross]

'tis Greek, pl. is podia

Tim

 

What's the singular ?

 

No matter : Google solved it. Greek is podion. Latin is podium. Plural is podii.

Edited March 14, 2014 by carl stross

[CarloBartolini]

Carlo, I see you're online. If you don't have Sister Francesca Stradivari's letters yet, no dessert!

Yes, we who seek the del Gesù Code are unrelenting!

 

5:22 am here, no time to waste, get the crema al mascarpone prepared we are doing good Addie, here's the report: At great risk to myself I managed to lose Bruno through this passage (memorize the name so you never risk yourself through it):

 

Next, I found the cross, it was a bit tricky as it was not a real life cross but a painted one and "sotto" meant behind in this case.

 

There was a coded map which led me to a secret room:

 

A secret door in the floor opened up after pressing the right tiles in correct sequence, I had to enter fast so the very tight tunnel would not flood, it lead me here:

 

Now I've hired a team of the very best expert skilled scientists money can pay, equipped with the highest technology, we should find it soon, keep the thread going, it has been a good decoy.

 

post scriptum - I was the one to hit page 30, as the prophecy foretold.

[Violadamore]

What's the singular ?

 

No matter : Google solved it. Greek is podion. Latin is podium. Plural is podii.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/podium

 

Wow, folks, thirty pages!  Some of it even makes sense!   Kudos to Roger for initiating  this brilliant thread

[Bruce Carlson]

Thanks, I invented that. 

Try Guarneri 'del Cesso'. 

 

I won't translate cesso from Italian but here's a link: http://en.bab.la/dictionary/italian-english/cesso

[Peter K-G]

Not necessary it's already hanged out in the Internet = The point in this outstanding post  

 

Let's keep this thread alive forever and help the older and wise makers and reveal the secret. (which I also did for Roger, he appreciated it very much, post #492).

 

In a previous topic David told me I'm not going get it (Violin making) because I only have couple of hours from time to time in my workshop.

 

This might seem very unrespectful but it is not, It's the Internet, I respect people in general, especially the older generation that have a life long experience. I will share another secret here (no need to print, Google finds it for you later in milliseconds)

 

Sorry Older guys (Roger, David, Patrick (smarter because he did not publish on Internet)...) 

 

My best tool in the workshop is the Ipad (dust proof) - I'm not a skillful craftsman, I'm an Internet artist (among other things)

 

I suck all the knowledge from you as I do the work, scroll carving, tuning, Rogers edgework, ... posting, asking,  searching at the same time I do the work.

 

My problem is that the world spinns even faster I'm over 40 and beginning to slip already, get beaten all the time by my children. Now they found my site and bully me and point out the things that I miss.

 

 

"The secret" is out there I will deliver it in small pieces.

 

No 1.  arching ....

Hint

- look att f-holes from the side and from the top, then compare it to the channels (Roger you have already revealed this secret in your publications maybe you know it or not), This increases understanding of Cremonese arching...

 

To be continued... off to office

 

 

Here is Another piece, you can thank me later... off to work

 

http://www.maestronet.com/forum/index.php?/topic/330259-robert-zuger-violin-design/#entry622701

[Stephen Faulk]

Podii?

 

Is that plural for iPod? 

 

Wow you have more than one? Good golly, lazers galore 007. 

[Addie]

Brilliant work, Carlo! Double crema al mascarpone for you. Just one thing, the expert hiding his face probably works for them. That's OK, though. Let him earn his twenty pieces of silver.

Any moment now, we could have some real Stradivari secrets to announce...

Volta... Boggles the mind. I shudder to think... that reminds me of our local Cemetery Road, which has a Dead End sign. No joking!

[Addie]

Carlo, you’re a genius!  Only, your genius always displays himself by accident.  Oh well...

 

Look at the floor!  Yes, the mosaic floor.  Latin for F-location, a graduated wedge, and a graphic depiction of the back of a lute.  Could it be any more obvious?

 

The tunnel was a drain.  Go back, and drain the room.  The secrets are clearly there.  The signs are so obvious, how could ANYONE, let alone a dog, dispute them?  WE ARE SO C-L-O-S-E!  

 

 

[Addie]

P.S. does the window line up with the winter solstice?  As you know, ley lines avoid Italy, so that option is out.

 

[note to readers... there are some lessons to be learned here--mostly about how much faith you should put in theories lacking a generally agreed-upon foundation]

[Stephen Faulk]

Carlo, you’re a genius!  Only, your genius always displays himself by accident.  Oh well...

 

Look at the floor!  Yes, the mosaic floor.  Latin for F-location, a graduated wedge, and a graphic depiction of the back of a lute.  Could it be any more obvious?

 

The tunnel was a drain.  Go back, and drain the room.  The secrets are clearly there.  The signs are so obvious, how could ANYONE, let alone a dog, dispute them?  WE ARE SO C-L-O-S-E!  

 

 

Dear fellow.

 

At the risk of coming to fisticuffs with you over a small disturbance, do not overlook the missing tiles as they form a grand pattern. Someone has removed them on purpose and replaced them with cementacious veneers in an effort to obscure, but not totally remove the pattern. It is clearly a clue for if this geomantic evidence disguiser had wanted to hide the pattern they would have replaced the tiles with suitable replacements and effectively changed the order in which they introdeuce clues. 

 

It's quite basic you see. 

[Addie]

Nice try, whoever you are!  

 

Better go back to the General... or is it the Marag, and Tormod Mòr that you’re working for?... and tell them we’re not as dumb as we look.  Nearly, but not absolutely.  

 

(Carlo, get Big Tony to trace this guy down... he’s on to us.  And maybe ask Raghnall Sgianach what the Marag and his gang are up to.)

[Addie]

Sorry about that, Stephen... can’t be too careful these days.  Big Tony checked with Augustino who checked with Hiroshi, who asked Take, who said you are really you.  Fascinating theory.  Once Carlo drains the room, we can get cameras in there and map out the floor in detail, and examine the priceless mosaic floor, before we get the jackhammers in there.  We’ll preserve the concrete areas, of course: they’re an important link to the del Gesù Code, once we can see the outlines clearly.

 

Carlo, are you getting all this?  Carlo?  Uh oh, I’d better contact Shar’s International Security Division, and have their agents check the local restaurants and cafés.  

[Violadamore]

 

Carlo, are you getting all this?  Carlo?  Uh oh, I’d better contact Shar’s International Security Division, and have their agents check the local restaurants and cafés.  

As long as he's been at sea, I'd check some other local establishments as well

[Will L]

Like the library and the ice cream parlor? 

[Addie]

As long as he's been at sea, I'd check some other local establishments as well

 

OMFG!  What am I going to tell the Pope when we meet next week?  

 

Carlo?  CARLO!!  CAR-LO!!!!

 

We need to get into the Vatican archives...  everything’s going to be fine.  He’s just in the ice cream parlor.  He’d better be!

 

CARLO!

[CarloBartolini]

Cos'e' un Parlor?

 

Addie & Viola, I'm trying to establish a relation between violin colors and ice cream at the moment, for a a new thread.....back to work...will prepare a report soon. (as you can see I am being followed by an agent in sunglasses)

 

Thanks Stephen for the insight, report soon.

[Addie]

Does the cone represent UV or a ground color? Nice, anyway.

The guy with the sunglasses is a "Man From Shar," i.e. he's with Shar's International Security Division. Be nice and buy him an ice cream.

[CarloBartolini]

Oh, thanks Addie, I was just about to throw my ice cream on his glasses, in order to escape.

 

Ok, some difficult progress, I think we have been sabotaged. 

 

I returned to the secret room to flood it but I found it in such state:

 

With great difficulty I managed to flood it, and something not before seen, in the place of the missing tiles appeared, I believe we needed the RI of air to be able to see it, RI of water hid it. Look near the column.

If you look really hard you may see a drawing of a violin and to the left of the violin DG's cross and IHS.

 

Hit the jackhammer in the spot of the cross and there was a tile with the following text. "follow the allacero ensign"

 

Well, allacero as far as I understand is one of the many ancient names for maple. But ensign? So it occurred to me... but I need to give some historical background to properly explain my theory.

 

 

[CarloBartolini]

1261 

 

King Denis the academic of Portugal, prepares the then young kingdom of Portugal for the conquest of the seas.

 

With such goals, in land of Leiria he expanded the the forest started by his father Afonso III into a truly great forest of pines and other woods suitable for shipbuilding, today called the Pine Forest of Leiria, Pinus Pinaster, Pitch was used to calk the seams of the caravels. Some of the furnaces still exist today in Monte Real. 

 

1319

 

Pope Clement V annihilated the order of Knights Templar in most of Europe through charges of heresy, re-instituting the order under Dom Dinis with the name of The Order of Christ. King Denis negotiated with Pope Clement's successor John XXII for the new order's recognition and right to inherit the Templar assets and property.

 

Pict below has two crosses, on the right the Cross of the Order of the Temple (Knights Templar, 1119 -1312) on the right the Cross of the Order of Christ. (1317 - 1789) Tomar, it’s headquarters.

 

1322

 

In 1322 the portuguese flag flapped in the winds attached to the masts of the king’s ships.

 

It was in this year of 1322 that the portuguese majesty sent to Genoa and Venice, with ample power to sign contracts, one of his best ministers. From these efforts traveled to Portugal experienced sailors regarding log distance cruising, and with them the noblemen Emmanuele Pessagno, famed captan of the italian seas.

 

To him D. Diniz gave the title of Admiral of Portugal, hereditary in his family until the crisis of 1383-85.

 

1452

 

Diogo de Teive and his son João discover Flores Island and Corvo, and arrives ate the latitude of the land of Lavrador (Labrador).

 

January - April 1492

 

1492 - between 30 of January and 14 April , P. de Barcelos and J.F. Lavrador sail to the “Terra de Lavrador” or “Land of Labrador”.

 

They sailed through the Hudson straight till Hudson Bay sailing all it’s extension.

 

Map from the book: Grandes Viagens Portuguesas de Descobrimento e Expansão — Junta das Missões Geográficas e de Investigações do Ultramar — edited by the Ministry of the Overseas — Portugal — 1951

 

 

-Now here is where it gets complicated.

 

The Del Gesù’s cross is clearly similar to to the Templar’s and to the Order of Christ’s cross, but has some tips similar to branches or  to a leaf, well from what trees is a violin made of? 

 

The one which crosses my mind is maple, the tips of Del Gesù’s cross remind me of the tips of a Maple leaf, putting things together - Labrador is named after the portuguese captain who sailed there secretly before Columbus, what for? Maybe he was carrying a treasure, which treasure? Well who funded the Order of Christ? The Templars money of course. Was he secretly transporting the night’s Templar treasure to the Land of Labrador? And the Flag of Canada is a part of the puzzle, an indication of where the secret letters of Francesca Stradivari are hidden?

[Addie]

Oh, no. I can see where this is headed, Carlo, and it's not good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Island

[Craig Tucker]

But, you've gotta love it.

Some peoples minds just work like this. Mine doesn't - mine is geared towards a much simpler view of life. One where the Knights Templar were simply a historic bunch of idiots, that hung around together back when the Catholics were still The Government, and the Pope was God on earth...

Perhaps I simply quit believing in such historical stuff, way back when I decided to quit Catholicism and became a heretic myself?

But I love reading these brief historical thinking’s, written down by the people who do read and retain and care about such things, because they have a validity that is true and accurate - at least in one aspect.

Geez Carlo, Did you ever read "The Secrets of the Temple" ? I read that book long ago - back when I was in to the things that exist that are in the opposite corridor of life than I am, and it really opened my eyes to the fact that as a craftsman/artist there was a side to life that I simply wasn't geared to really ever understand or operate in. Odd huh?

But that's me.

That there are violin makers whose minds work on that plain (perhaps you, as an example?) I do understand that are also craftspeople /artists - that also have that inclination, well that still blows me away.

I believe (I know, here I go again...) that it is this type of person that will almost automatically also believe that the luthiers of old operated with a secret knowledge that does not exist today.

And in this the thinking is most likely correct because trades were governed by this type of, well, lets call it encryption. Secrecy was part and parcel of life then. And that symbol you are pointing out is a VERY INTERESTING symbol - one I would simply have overlooked the significance of.

 

Thanks for that Carlo!

You the man.