JAVS Summer 2014

command high prices not simply because of their age, but the history that comes with it: Nothing is so rich in suggestion as their story. Whatever their origin, whether they were created for princes or kings, or destined for musicians more or less renowned, sold in the market-place for a song to village minstrels or humble folk of every sort, they all, thanks to the longevity with which they were endowed, have lived through centuries a life of emotion comparable to that of the men with whom they shared the most diverse, the most paradoxical vicissitudes. 32 The authors comment that this is a specific quality of instruments of the highest reputation, namely Stradivari, Guarneri, Maggini, Amati, Bergonzi, and Montagnana. This is in contrast to “instruments of the second, third, or fourth rank,” that are evaluated from their ability to aid the performer: Such instruments [are] being purchased less on account of their label, the renown of their earlier owners, their history, or their exceeding rarity, than for their resonant quality and the service they can render the artist who uses them, an apparent confusion as regards their price may manifest itself. 33 Part of this history is no doubt the belief that Stradivari produced the very best of instruments: in 1927 it was thought that “in spite of every endeavour and all the progress of science, it has been and is still considered to be impossible to produce instruments that approach, even remotely, those classics.”

Fast forward to 2013: the most detailed, recent research on the topic is by Gino Cattani, Roger L. M. Dunbar, and Zur Shapira in the journal Organizational Science . It still has the supremacy of Stradivari and Guaneri as an accepted presumption, as they “are still considered to be among the most expressive. Many performers believe they sound better when they play a violin made by a Cremonese grand master, and many also believe present day violin makers cannot make an equivalent instrument.” 34 The authors suggest that the value of these instruments can be attributed to the search for what it was that Stradivari and his contemporaries knew about instrument-making. In other words, we recall Schonberg’s question: “Did the old makers have a secret?” If there was indeed this secret, a major issue is delayed recognition: With the help of virtuoso performers, Cremonese stringed instruments gained extraordinary recognition. This recognition did not occur, however, until almost a century after the most famous Cremonese makers had done their best work. Despite many efforts to reproduce Cremonese masters’ instruments, this significant recognition delay led to a concern that the knowledge for making such instruments had been lost. 35 The authors note that instruments of Stainer and Amati far outstripped Stradivari and Guaneri at the onset. 36 This only changed when the center of music shifted from royal courts to concert halls and the power of projection became a principal asset, together with virtuoso musicians whose choice of instrument increased the value

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