Are Stradivarius Violins Really Rare?

Have you ever asked yourself, “how many Stradivarius violins are there in the world today?” The question may come from an interest in the history of the instrument, or perhaps you simply want to start playing the violin.

Regardless, the answer may surprise you.

There are many violins out there that bear the label, “Stradivarius” but, unfortunately, these labels often mean made in the style of, rather than made by the master.

Below you’ll find all you need to know about these elusive violins.

What is a Stradivarius violin?

A true Stradivarius must be made by Antonio Stradivari himself. He was a master at making musical instruments in many different forms. While he is most famous for his violins and the impact that his design had on the future of these instruments, he also made violas, harps, and cellos.

All of the instruments that he made bear a label written in Latin. This label reads: “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno [date].” It indicated the maker, the place of production, and the date.

The man was a master craftsman, and his violins are acknowledged as the best ever produced. His design became a gold standard in violin-making. Unfortunately, as a result, several knock-offs were made.

These would also bear the name of the master but not with the aim of hoodwinking people buying them. These copies would be a lot less expensive to buy and shoppers of the time understood that they weren’t getting the real thing.

Unfortunately, though, a couple of hundred years later, this has led to a lot of confusion.

One thing is for certain, though, these instruments certainly do capture the imagination. Take the so-called Red Violin, for example. It was made by Stradivari in 1720 and disappeared for a couple of centuries to reemerge as a gift for a talented player today.

It’s a story that lends itself to telling, and a movie based on the legend was made. Whether or not the film is accurate is open to debate, but it is very entertaining.

How much is a Stradivarius worth?

A violin that has been established as genuine is worth millions. The highest price paid to date in this area is $16 million. So, if you do suspect that you have a real Stradivarius, be sure to have it appraised as soon as possible – we’re not talking about chump change.

What kind of wood is a Stradivarius violin made of?

The wood used is by Stradivarius was Maple infused with minerals. It is this infusion that some claim is the reason behind why we have not been able to replicate the sound produced by the genuine article even if we stick to the exact same measurements and use Maple wood as well.

How many Stradivarius violins are known to exist?

It is estimated that in total, Stradivari made around 1,100 musical instruments in total. Of these, 600 are still thought to be in existence. Of that number, only 244 violins are currently accounted for.

Part of the problem is that identifying a real model is particularly difficult because there were many copies produced over the next few centuries. These may come to light now and look very much like a genuine Stradivari.

Many instruments dating back to the 1700s and 1800s are still in circulation today. The problem is that they are the right age, look right, and may even have the name of the master in them.

The only real way to tell whether or not your instrument is the real thing is to have it certified by an expert in the field. There are subtle differences in the varnishes used, the chemical composition of the wood, etc. that are not possible to pick up with the naked eye.

What is the most expensive violin in the world?

That would be the Messiah Stradivarius. It is currently estimated to be worth $20,000,000. Why is it so valuable?  It is the only known Stradivarius that is in nearly new condition. The original varnish is still in place and in very good repair.

It is famous for being produced when the master was at the peak of his powers. It is said that this instrument has never been played. We wonder what the master might have thought of that – we find it a little sad, and we feel that he might have as well.

Would he scoff at a musical instrument being on display in a museum, never to be played? Who knows, but we think it likely.

Stradivari is acknowledged as one of the master craftsmen of his era. His work remains unparalleled even today despite all of our technology. If you do ever get the chance to play one of his instruments, make sure that you take that opportunity.

A Mysterious Instrument, and an Even Better Story

The Red Violin story is just as interesting as the film of that name. In fact, while the Red Violin movie did indeed take a lot of poetic license, there are some parallels to what happened in real life.

The Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius

The violin’s history does contain a lot of gaps. But we do know that it was created by Antonio Stradivari in 1720 in Italy. It’s there that the true story of the Red Violin becomes a little more complicated.

The relatively new violin then disappeared for two hundred years. Theories abound about what happened to it, but no one knows for sure until it turned up in Germany in the 1930s.

It was bought by one of the descendants of Felix Mendelssohn before being sold again in 1956 to an American industrialist. During a Christie’s auction in 1990, it came onto the market again, only to end up in the hands of Elizabeth Pitcairn as a gift from her grandfather.

She was only16 at the time and did not advertise the fact that she owned the violin.

It was only thirty year’s later, once she had become one of the best violinist’s in the world, that her ownership of the violin became public knowledge.

Is “The Red Violin” a True Story?

What is the story of the Red Violin? Is the movie based on fact? Most of it is speculation on the part of the writers. The writer’s introduced fictitious violin maker, but it was easy to see that this character was based on Stradivari.

Because the full history of the violin is unknown, and, at the time, it was not known that Elizabeth Pitcairn, the current owner, had bought the violin.

The movie is not considered based on fact. Still, true or not, we’re sure that any of the world’s greatest violinists would be very interested in owning such an instrument.

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The Red Violin Movie

For starters, The Red Violin Movie explains that the violin is red from the maker’s wife’s blood. This is not true. There are still parts of this original varnish in place, even after almost three hundred years so it would be easy to put it paid to the notion in the movie about blood being used to stain it.

The Truth in Color

It is a testament to the craftsmanship of the piece and the exquisite care that has been taken with the violin over the years, that it still carries traces of the original varnish. One thing is clear, it was a well-loved instrument and clearly valued highly by its different owners.

When newly finished, it would have been a very light wood, close to white in color. The violin would then have been left in the sun for a few days to weeks to allow it to dry completely.

This would darken it naturally. Once completely dry, the violin would be coated in a mineral-rich varnish that helps to harden the wood and to bring out the natural color of it and to stain it slightly.

The red color of the violin is due to the application of this varnish. It was one way to help differentiate instruments from different makers. The theory is that red was also a highly popular color amongst the aristocracy at the time and this could also have influenced his choice.

That the violin ended up in the hands of a prodigy living in America in the movie was a spooky coincidence in real life.

Pitcairn used the violin to practice over the course of many decades when she was at home in Pennsylvania.

She wanted to become truly accomplished before revealing the origins of the violin and so it was a long time before the world actually knew that she was using a very historically important violin.

Drawing Conclusions

Pitcairn released the facts about the violin when she played a solo in 2003 at the Lincoln Center with the New York String Orchestra. Needless to say, parallels to the movie were immediately drawn, and there was quite a buzz about her and her violin.

So, as far as sorting fact from fiction, who knows, perhaps the writers were inspired by the spirit of Stradivari himself.

The movie is based on supposition, but it is still worth a watch and is one possible way things could have gone with the instrument. It is a richly imagined piece of film history and the fact that the violin actually exists, and that the real ending was so similar to that in the movie does add an extra air of mystery.

The Stradivarius in Culture

There’s no doubt the instrument has has captured the imagination of anyone who appreciates finer things, and a good story.

What the real story is, we might never find out – but do we really want to know all about it? Isn’t the mystery part of the overall appeal of the violin? Would finding out make any difference to our enjoyment of it? Sometimes entertaining the mystery is more enjoyable than uncovering truth.

Nonetheless, if you can’t own the real thing, you can at least enjoy the thought of it – which can be just as rewarding:

Stradivarius Violin Necklace

Stradivarius Violin Pin

Stradivarius Violin Key Chain

But, don’t discount some of the modern violinists, who are influencing a whole new generation of young people to take up the violin. Today, we are going to take a look at some of the world’s most famous violinists.

Drawing Inspiration From Famous Violin Players

David Oistrakh

Born in 1908, David Oistrakh didn’t have a long life. Dying in 1974, he definitely left a legacy that is going to live on for generations to come. This Russian violinist was known for recordings and recitals of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto, along with many classic pieces from Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Beethoven.

Many other famous violinists, who were also his friends, dedicated works to him, and works that he himself premiered. His favorite was always Tchaikovsky’s Concerto, and many feel that his was, and is, the best recording of this famous piece.

Fritz Kreisler

Here is a musician who saw the recording age coming to life. Fritz Kreisler lived from 1875 until 1962, and was known for his polite and charming performances that were perfect technically, although he would add a bit of his own flair now and again.

Kreisler overcame many obstacles throughout his life, including a fractured skull resulting in a week-long coma after being hit by a car in 1941. Not long before his death in 1962, he was again struck by a vehicle, leaving him deaf and blind. His most popular and influential piece was his cadenza for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D.

Giuseppe Tartini

Giuseppe Tartini went against the wishes of his parents, who wanted him to become a friar, and made his mark in the music world. He also studied law at the University of Padua, and from there led a rather interesting life.

Marrying a commoner of lower class, Elisabetta Premazone, who was also the mistress of Cardinal Giorgio Cornaro, he found himself needing to flee out of the fear of excommunication or death after being accused of “stealing” her. He went to the monastery of St. Francis of Assisi, where he studied the violin and discovered his true talent. He was famous for his use of trills, with his most famous work being the Devil’s Trill Sonata for solo violin.

Lindsey Stirling

Known as the “Dancing Violinist” and “The Hip Hop Violinist,” Lindsey Stirling first appeared to the world on America’s Got Talent in 2010. It didn’t take long for her to become known as one of the finest talents in the world of violin today, and she has more than two million YouTube subscribers, not to mention more than 100,000 sales with her self-titled album.

Stirling appeals to a younger generation of music enthusiasts, creating her own versions of today’s biggest hits. She also records her own compositions, which are a combination of electronic and dubstep, and her first album spent many weeks at number one on the iTunes Electronic Charts in 2012.

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Arcangelo Corelli

Born in 1653, Arcangelo Corelli is considered to be one of the most influential violinists of all time, and most of today’s violinists can trace their training to him, including fingering techniques, bowing form, and even posture.

Corelli was famous as a performer in Western Europe, and he had some interesting prejudices when it came to playing, including a dislike of extremely high notes, which he thought had a screeching sound. Most of his own compositions were written to be played at D or below on the highest string.

Antonio Vivaldi

Younger than Corelli by 25 years, Antonio Vivaldi would later prove to be his rival. His music because nearly obsolete after his death, but was revived by Alfred Casella and Fritz Kreisler, to the point where Vivaldi is once again considered to be among the top three composers in history, alongside Bach and Handel.

Priest, Educator, and Composer Antonio Vivaldi was known for his incomparable technical precision, and he was able to create images with his music. For instance, in Four Seasons, he creates the sounds of birds singing, storms, and even frozen lakes.

Frank Peter Zimmermann

Frank Peter Zimmermann began his solo career in 1983, and would soon be known for his technique, along with a sound that was pure and strong. He has performed some of the most famous concertos for EMI, and has also dabbled in contemporary music.

This artist has premiered works by such composers as Brett Dean and Matthias Pintscher, and now has an affinity for chamber music, having put together the Trio Zimmermann with cellist Christian Poltera and violist Antoine Tamestit. In 2013, the trio one a BBC Music Magazine Chamber Award.

Ginette Neveu

Born in 1919, Ginette Neveu suffered a tragic death as a result of a plane crash at the young age of 30. But, in her 30 years on this planet, she left an incredible mark on the world of music. Some of her most popular pieces, Chausson’s Poeme and the Sibelius Violin Concerto show the intensity in her work.

Debuting to the world at the tender age of seven, Ginette would go on to win first place at the Wieniawski Competition, and then began touring the world. Neveu premiered Poulenc’s Violin Sonata to the world, playing this and other pieces with an unrivalled intensity.

Every Famous Violinist has a Beginning

This is just a small handful of the most famous violinists throughout history.

When people think about violin music, it is performers from centuries past that first come to mind. But, there have been a number of modern violinists who have made a definitive mark in the world of music, and have definitely left their own legacy. Incredibly famous violin players such as Itzhak Perlman, Niccolò Paganini, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Yehudi Menuhin, Jascha Heifetz, Sarah Chang, plus many, many more.

From the classics to new and popular pieces, these composers have created masterpieces that will always stand the test of time, and be influential to new violinists and generations of musicians to come.

Ask any violinist why they got started on the violin, and the most common answer is likely that a parent had them take lessons when they were children. But ask why a player who is still actively playing the violin today, “What keeps you going?” The answers are endless.

The rich tones that enter both the ear, your head, neck, chest—the sheer physical intimacy—of a violin is something quite special. Soothing, exciting, fulfilling, and oftentimes challenging, there is a kind of rapture that sets it apart from the guitar and other stringed instruments. Perhaps it is exactly that—the physical engagement of the violin to your chin, the tones and vibrations throughout both arms, through your fingers and the box…simply intoxicating.

Now, some equate the violin as a “classical music” instrument. But any player worth their salt will tell you how they have had fun, dabbling in Asian, Middle Eastern, as well as classical music. Quickly reflect and you can probably name half a dozen rock, pop, Americana, and jazz tunes that feature a violin. Bands and artists like The Eagles, Kansas, Michael Bublé, R.E.M., Alicia Keys, and on and on, have incorporated violins to lead or back their compositions, contributing mightily to a tune’s timelessness.

Regardless of genre or era, a violin can elevate popular music, preventing a Top 40 ditty from becoming so much “Dust in the Wind.” (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

The point is, be it rock, folk, Persian, Arabic, or klezmer, you’ll find violins a-plenty!

Top 10 Blogs & Websites for Violin

For enthusiasts, let’s look at some online resources where you may learn, engage, and enjoy with fellow violinists. We’re aiming here for active blogs and websites where commercial interruptions (pop-up ads and incessant demands for you to login and share your email) are less intrusive while spending time on the sites.

Explore and enjoy these top ten violin blogs and websites for violin players, teachers, and those thinking of picking up or returning to this beautiful, unique instrument…

Musicaro

1. http://musicaroo.com/category/violin/

While its founder, Camila Rabin, has steadily grown www.musicaroo.com into a site covering a wide range of instruments and musical topics, two things hold true.

First, this site is active with recent posts that remain aligned with her passion for music appreciation. It is not overrun with aggressive advertising. And, clicking on the navigation dedicated to violins, you’ll find the second reason we like this site so much. The content is fresh, interesting, and truly global in perspective.

One recent post explores two unusual, violin-like instruments: the Japanese kokyu and the Chinese erhu. Not just any blog includes photos and histories that expand our knowledge of violins beyond our traditional perceptions of the classically-styled, Western 4-stringed instrument.

Violinist.com

2. http://www.violinist.com/blog/

OK, this site has a lot of ads in the sidebars. But that’s okay. And, the site is old school in terms of its forum format. You must scroll and hunt-and-peck a bit. But it is a lively forum and violinists invest time in writing lively, interesting, and downright funny content. There are comments about products and so forth, but aside from the ads, www.violinist.com/blog is truly an enthusiast’s forum.

One post playfully lists compositions to play as your soundtrack to the August 2017 total eclipse of the sun. Editor Laurie Niles gets some hilarious replies to the article—this blog is alive and well.

The Violin

3. http://www.the-violin.com/violin-blog/

This is a warm, nicely designed blog by a mother of five children, Steph. How a mother of five kids who also is an elementary school teacher manages to keep a blog going—well, that’s what coffee can do for you.

Steph is a gifted writer. It would be wonderful if there were some way to get folks locally to volunteer and help with her children, so she could author more passages like this one:

“Staying relaxed I turn my focus towards clean light shifts. Arpeggios give variety to scale practice, I can almost feel my moods change with every new arpeggio.”

The site has numerous navigations where Steph and others review products, recommend sheet music, and provide tips for instructors.

Claire Allen, Violin

4. http://www.claireallenviolin.com/blog

While more of a website than a blog, this site has well-made videos of performances and tips for parents who are getting their children started on the violin. Claire Allen, a Washington, D.C.-based professional violinist and instructor, also has a blog within the site.

The blog seems to have lost steam recently, but has quite an archive along with links to outside resources. In her blogging, Ms. Allen freely shares thoughts and step-by-step ideas on the Suzuki method, working with young students, and documenting the recitals of her own students in some truly beautiful photographs that capture the rapture, and the pride, of the performers.

TED Blog

5. http://blog.ted.com/8-lyrical-talks-about-the-violin/

TED is widely known nowadays. But it still came as a surprise that there are numerous video TED talks about the violin. They range from remarkable performances by child prodigies to the story of a famed violinist suffering from schizophrenia, found on Skid Row but re-engaged via his love of playing. It is a truly inspirational story.

But not all is serious—or about skill levels of an 11-year-old you can never hope to match. Worth watching is the TED installment featuring a poet, backed by a violinist, doing an amazing and chilling performance-art piece. Check it out at http://www.ted.com/talks/shane_koyczan_to_this_day_for_the_bullied_and_beautiful.html.

Plucky Violin Teacher

6. http://www.pluckyviolinteacher.com/

The URL alone is worth the visit. You cannot help but love this blogger, Brecklyn Ferrin, a.k.a., The Plucky Violinist. Inspired by both her love for playing and teaching, as well as her husband’s undertaking of a doctorate, Ms. Ferrin’s fun and informative blog is above all, practical.

The blog features free downloads for instructors using the Suzuki method. And, Ms. Ferrin shares some honest, insightful experiences about operating her studio. In one entry, she relates how she had to come to terms with raising her rates—and what happened.

Yes, she’s doing some marketing on here, too. Like she says in her About section—she has children and a husband earning an advanced degree. So, she earns any commercial plugs by her content. This is a well-crafted blog and she is never pushy about things she’s encouraging you to consider downloading or buying. Frankly, based on her real-life experiences, what she offers to other instructors is probably worth every penny!

Teach Suzuki

7. http://teachsuzuki.blogspot.com/

Paula Bird, a teacher of violin and piano for more than 35 years, has a lot to share on www.teachsuzuki.blogspot.com. The blog has sections for kids and parents, cute photos from little and big guests at her studio, and a lot of resources—many of them links to free information, guides and other helpful ideas for parents and teachers.

That said, the blog seems to have lost steam in recent times. Given the wonderful insights and commentary Ms. Bird had been sharing—including the integration of business guru Stephen Covey into her worldview of teaching violin—it would be nice if she returned.

But, boy oh boy, if she’s been teaching all those little tykes how to play violin and piano for 35+ years, who can blame her for taking a break from a blog!

Darnton Violins

8. http://darntonviolins.com/blog/

Being very honest, dear readers, your writer is a male. And this site has photos taken by luthier and author, Michael Darnton, that depict saws, clamps, glue, and wood shavings.

So, in full disclosure, this is a blogsite that one cannot put down, as it were. Mr. Darnton shares detailed stories about van’s running over a rental cello—and how he repaired it. Close-ups of disassembled violins and their step-by-step re-gluing…who can resist? Story upon story, photo after photo, one just wishes he’d start a cable show, something like “Vince the Violin Man” in place of “Tim the Toolman.”

We know we’d watch it…

SharMusic

9. http://blog.sharmusic.com/topic/violin

This very active blog covers violins, viola, cello, and music education. Delightful contributions include photos. One April 2017 entry by Neil Fong Gilfillan features a cute drawing by a child with his violin, and Mr. Gilfillan talks about infusing his teaching methods with gamification—how to engage young students using activities beyond holding and playing the instrument the entire time.

The blog has more than 110 articles on violin alone and dozens more about other stringed instruments and education. Well-written and organized, this is really a great site for instructors to hear from one another and share ideas.

Fiddle Freak

10. https://fiddlefreak.com/

Author and host Stuart Mason runs this blog. Off the beaten path, we end here with a site that explores the non-classical territories of the violin. www.fiddlefreak.com covers a wide range of bluegrass, country, and crossover artists. Mr. Mason reviews new albums and singles with straight talk about their accomplishments, virtues, and some pratfalls.

This site is a joy. Just meander, read about some artists you’ve never heard of, and click to hunt down samples of their music. You will be amazed by the artistry that’s out there—and is not classical, yet still demonstrates virtuosity. Then, you consider that many are unsigned artists, hobbyists, and writing their own compositions…mind-blowing!

Therefore, when you’re thinking about the violin and its history, it’s best if you think about it as an instrument that has evolved over time, instead of a perfect product that was invented.

Stringed instruments in the Middle Ages

Looking back in history, we find records of stringed instruments that existed in Europe during the Middle Ages. However, it is believed that the very first stringed instruments played with a bow originated in Central Asia with instruments like the morin khuur in Mongolia.

These instruments originating in Central Asia then traveled via the trade routes to the rest of the world. Once European instrument craftsmen learned of these instruments and how they were made, they designed their own take on them with traditional wood crafting techniques from Europe.

Evolution of the violin

In 16th century Europe, there was a variety of stringed instruments that were played with a bow that began to evolve. This is where the contention regarding specific aspects of violin family history arose. There are some that believe Andrea Amati invented the violin, but there are others who do not believe he created the first violin, but that it was created earlier in the 16th century in Brescia.

One thing that is certain is that there were many different stringed instruments during this time and the modern violin family evolved from a stringed instrument that was played with a bow and was extremely popular during this time.

The oldest surviving violin was made by Andrea Amati in 1564 and is named the Charles IX. This supports the idea that Andrea Amati did, indeed, create the very first standard modern violin; at the very least, it can be agreed that it does offer some physical evidence to justify/prove this thought.

Popularity of the violin

Due to the facts that the violin was small, versatile, and had a very sweet, melodic tone, it became quite popular in Europe among all classes of people.

Eventually, the family of instruments known as the violins became much more admired than the viols, which are close rivals, because the violin family of instruments had much better sound projection, which was better for larger concert venues.

In the late 18th and into the early 19th centuries, the violin went through some pretty serious technical changes. The length of the fingerboard was increased and it was set at an angle so that it could better support the increase in the tension of the strings.

It was discovered that by increasing the tension of the strings and making the changes in the fingerboard, the violin had an increase in both sound projection and range.

Those who had older violins took them to luthiers to adapt them. In some cases, these adaptations ended up seriously impairing the original piece. The new violins were being made using these new specifications. It’s not exactly clear when these changes were made and who exactly made them.

As the violin continued to grow in popularity, more instruments were being produced and it began to be used in a variety of different music styles.

Individuals who played the violin began to develop new techniques to complement the new genres of music, and in some cases, small modifications were being made to the instrument itself to meet the needs of the genre of music that was being played.

The violin became a key component in a variety of different music styles, being used to play Hungarian music, Celtic music, gypsy music, and Irish music. Later, as new music genres began to emerge, it was used to play blues, jazz, bluegrass, and country/western.

Antonio Stradivari, a “Golden Age” luthier, is the most famous of the violin makers; today, his violins sell for millions of dollars.

Today’s violin

These days, the violin is one of the most popular instruments across the world. The older violins are more sought after than the mass-produced factory violins by advanced and intermediate players of this instrument due to the superior resonance, craftsmanship, and because it is believed that the tone/timbre of the instrument matures over its lifetime.

The violins that are being produced today can emit sound electronically through amplifiers and microphones, which means that the need for a sound box has been eliminated.

Musicians can use amplifiers to distort the fully electric sound produced by today’s violins to create a variety of tonal qualities, which means the capability of the instrument is even more diversified.

Violin In The Future

As you can see, over time, the violin has evolved into an extremely versatile instrument and these days, a violinist now has a variety of career options and genres that he or she can explore.

While it’s true that violins are famous for their origins, there are also many amazing violin players flourishing across all genres including bluegrass, country, and Celtic music. This is why there are so many people who are interested in, and excited to be learning about this amazing instrument.