Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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710 STRADIVARI STRADIVARI
The explanation of this is possibly to be found
in the fact that Stradivari's superior gifts
placed him in a high position of trust, freed
Mm from many of the duties exacted from
his comrades, and gave him the privilege of
making his own instruments and using his
own labels. The question must still be somewhat
a matter of surmise, but the above conclusion
is certainly strengthened by the excellent
violins which issued from Stradivari's hands
whilst apparently he stOl worked in the studio
of the great Amati. Again, the termination of
Stradivari's apprenticeship can only be approximately
stated to have taken place a couple of
years before he purchased his house in the Piazza
Eoma in 1680. Already in 1666—and possibly
as early as 1660—Stradivari was making violins
in which he affixed his own labels. These
early violins are particularly noticeable for their
poor material, thick yellow varnish, solid build,
and their proportions, which follow those of
Amati's smaller pattern, i.e. about 13-J long
7^f width of lower bouts ;
6f width of upper
bouts ; 1 ^ lower ribs ; 1\ upper ribs. With
one or two exceptions, notably the ornamented
violin known as the 'Hellier' Strad (1679),
which tends towards the grand Amati in
measurement, and is remarkably heavy in style
of work, Stradivari adhered to the small model
until 1684, after which date he deiinitely turned
his attention to larger-built instruments. There
is little doubt that by this time he had gained
some prestige as a maker, and this, combined
with the loss of his master's living influence,
gave freedom to and further awakened his
inventive faculties. Until 1684 he merely
proved himself to be an uncommonly skilled
craftsman, but the years which intervened
between 1684 and 1700 marked the progress
of those experiments which were to culminate
in the uttermost perfection of form and balance.
It must be observed, however, that notwithstanding
the changes which took place in
Stradivari's work during this period — generally
alluded to as the ' Amatise period '—the perfect
poise and equilibrium, so characteristic of his
later work, is to some extent lacking. That
Nicolo Amati's precepts still strongly influenced
him is proved by his first innovation, which
consisted in adopting a standard of length,
varying from 14 inches to 14^ inches, and
proportions similar to those of the ' grand
Amati. In some instances he flattened the
model, in others arched it ahnost to a central
point, more generally he adhered entirely to the
Amati model, though the solidity of his edges
always remained the same. The scrolls also,
during these years, evidence the master's indecision
by the deviating vigour and occasional
feebleness. A marked alteration in the detail
of his work took place in 1688, when Stradivari
first outlined the curves of the scroll in black,
and also similarly accentuated the centre-line
or back rib of the scroll. This original idea
was one which evidently commended itself to
him ahd to his pati'ons aa, with but few exceptions,
he continued to place it on his scrolls
until the end of his life. Briefly to summarise
this early period, we may say that, between 1684
and 1690, Stradivari principally strove to avoid
the defects of others, while seeking new paths
for himself ; but in the meantime the beauty,
accuracy, and finish of his work was gaining
steadily every year. The cutting of his//'holea,
the carviug of his scrolls, the exquisite precision
of the purfling, all prove the complete dexterity
with which he handled his knife. Then, as a
crowning point to this perfect craftsmanship
a new set of proportions suddenly suggested
themselves to his maturing brain, and we find
him in 1690 creating the 'Long Strad.' The
abrupt appearance of this complete innovation
is not easy to account for, but the growing
demand for strongly toned instruments for use
in the churches doubtless influenced Stradivari
in the fia-st place, and as the authors of Gio. Paolo
Maggvni, his Life and Work (Hill & Sons) state,
the form and proportions were suggested by a
Maggini violin which came under his notice.
This search for power in Stradivari's work is
observable from the moment that he threw off
the yoke of the 'small' Amati pattern. He
gradually increased his breadths year by year,
and even contemporaneously with the Long
'
Strad,' he made violins in 1691 and 1692 rf
stUl larger proportions, by combining extreme
breadth with the utmost length of the long pattern.
The dimensions of a typical ' Long Strad
of 1690 will be found recorded in Messrs. Hills'
Appendix to their work already mentioned.
During the years following 1684 the varnish
upon Stradivari's violins became gi-adually
deeper in colour, and, as on the Long ' Strads,'
it is of a rich hue of amber and light red. Until
1698 Stradivari adopted the 'long pattern'
almost entirely, then came a return to the proportions
which preceded the year 1690, and
we get violins of about 14 inches in length, with
widths similar to those of the Long ' Strad,'
but with outlines more curved, corners longer,
body fuUer, and a whole of more harmonious
appearance. It is interesting to note before
leaving this period that the backs of the Long
'
Strads ' are nearly always cut in one piece ; that
the model is rather flat, but sloping gracefully
from the centre to the purfling ; that the ff
holes, to fall in with the general design, are
set rather upright, nearer together, and more
open ; the pine is fine grained, the mitres
square, and the exquisitely carved sci-oUs aj-e
proportionately long.
With the year 1700 dawned the finest decade
of the great Cremona master's greatest .period.
Slowly but surely he disoar&d the Amati
tradition which had again asserted itself in
1698 and continued to a cei-tain extent until