"It's going to go back in its case….The sooner it's away, the better." I find this to be very sad. I recognize that the violin is in pristine condition, but I believe instruments should be able to let their voices be heard. Not be locked away in a case.
As a musical instrument, I agree with you. As a work of art, I completely understand wanting to keep it safe and in the condition it is in. I'd bet the sound isn't all that great, because it hasn't vibrated the way violins vibrate that are played often. So really, we probably aren't missing all that much.
On one hand you can always start playing it, but you can't undo damage done to the instrument through wear or the chance of an unfortunate accident it will be exposed to through use. IMO it would be a disgrace to sabotage all the care that has been put into preserving the instrument. There are plenty of playable strads, just keep this one for future reference. In 200 years this one may be the only one left as is, unmodified or "modernised" and undamaged.
Lady Blunt owned it and used it,as it should be,to give joy. All these untouched museum and vault instruments might aswell just be bits of wood. I saw the Messiah in Oxford and just felt sorry for it hanging there silent.
How sad this violin will never be played.They are made to be played. How wonderful it would have been in that auction room to listen to the beautiful tone of the violin. I would love to OWN it & PLAY it, instead i will continue playing my 1800's violin. I wonder what Stradivarius would have thought about the sale. Well done The Nippon Music Foundation for their generosity. The proceeds of the sale were put to a very worthy, sad cause. Pity that the person who bought the violin didn't think in the same way.
@Xavier Smith are you deft? It sold for 14.? Mil usd from this auction site. It Is also not fit for playing anymore anyway in most luthier's professional opinions
Everyone's either complaining about how it's never played or that it should remain unplayed. I understand both sides but I'd just say sure, on a very rare occasion someone could play it for a brief piece it if they must, but after all, it's become quite a relic, something that should be in a safe place due to its value and not "played-regularly" just because it's "still an instrument and was made to be played". If we has a 300+ year old ship (or whatever) in really good condition, we would rather keep it in good condition instead of using it and running the risk of damaging it because it "wasn't meant to be closed away". In this violin's case, luthiers will use its perfection as a template to further seek greater craftsmanship of their own instruments for decades, perhaps even centuries, to come. :)
It's my understanding that violins like this must be played in order for them to maintain their magnificence, luster and overall state of repair. I would pay 500 dollars for a nosebleed seat to see this violin played.
I just clicked on this video and read your post. I disagree. If an old master like a Strad is continuously played, it will require regular maintenance and repair. Many old masters have been repaired so many times that the replacement parts outweigh the original parts. You can always keep a violin going by having an expert repair person and/or restorer work on it but gradually, in reality, it becomes a different instrument. If 60% of a Strad is replacement parts is it still a Strad? An old master, carefully stored in a climate controlled environment, free from meddling human hands will likely last another thousand years. As for whether an old master should be played until it falls apart is another question.
Imagine getting one of these specifically crafted for you, brand new?! Must have been a dream back in the 1700. It looks beautiful NOW. Could you imagine brand spanking new
There are many that are played, and will eventually be worn out. This single instrument will remain youthful and the Strad legacy will persist. That is why it is not being played.
Thank you for these fastenating cameos of the world's finest violins. Any free information on Guarnieri, Stadivari, Magini, Gianini, or any fine obscure Italian violins and violas welcomed!
This video would serve Stradivari so much better if they had actual violinists talking about it instead of business people talking how how it looks and how it's made. The key part is the sound! Someone should have played it and showed off it's beautiful tones.
***** If you go to the poster's channel you will find that he DID post also a short video of Yehudi Menuhin playing the Lady Blunt strad. In any case he did not have to post any video at all but he did everyone a favor by taking the time to post this one --so I fail to see why that merits criticism?
I have read that the Lady Blunt doesn't sound as good because its been so long since someone has played it. It needs to be played regularly to be maintained.
@@esther1994 That's utterly ridiculous. An instrument does not lose its tone by not being played and DEFINITELY does not need to be played to maintain it, that's a myth and an infuriating one at that. Like saying the best way to preserve the Mona Lisa is to take it off its stretcher every so often. Not only does it not help, it increases the chance of damaging it. The best way to preserve it is to not play it and move it as little as possible in its ideal environment. In 400 years this one may well be the only one in its original state.
+Isaiah Kaiawe I disagree. There a loads of valuable instruments being played. Having one in "mint" condition is valuable in itself. How many do you think will exist in a 100, 200, 500 years? Its likely still being played a bit in private anyway.
Welther47 Are you a musician? I do understand the point you are making and I think the musical value of instruments like this is often exaggerated but it is first and foremost an instrument. I think the view of most musicians would be that the value of a beautiful instrument is to make beautiful music, not to be looked at. If that gives it a shorter life, so be it. Music itself is inherently transitory and so are the instruments that make it. I suppose non-musicians may see things rather differently.
The point or motive behind crafting the instrument or any violin in general wasn't to be looked at, my friends. It was made to play beautiful music not locked in a vault for ten years. From your disbelief or not, violins ESPECIALLY by that of the great Stradavari are meant to be played.
Isaiah Kaiawe Calm down there. They are being played. And stolen, and felt on. That''s why most do not have the original neck or fittings. We are talking about the Lady Blunt because it is in so excellent condition. There is such a difference of having held the real thing and only heard it. They should be preserved in playing condition
so a bunch of shitty collectors with money have this but an amazing violinist cant have one cuz theyre all sitting in those collectors closets building up dust
Now please don't burn me at the stake for this, I'm a musician too, I understand the sound part. But physically, I don't know if i believe someone could just look at this with a pile of others and "see" the difference.
I actually agree with you for the most part. I wouldnt consider myself a musician but at least a minor enthusiast and therefore i can say that most would only notice its designs and if they're paying close attention its antiquity. Outside of that theyll probably never notice anything out of the norm
Matthew Lahner you are not an idiot! That is just the way you feel. You would understand if you saw it in person and either heard it played by a true artist, or were blessed enough and talented enough to play it yourself.
You can see a difference but can you hear a difference BECAUSE of what you see? And the answer is No. there are countless blind fold test that prove a modern violin is as good if not better than a Stradivari or del Gesu etc. This fetish thing with violins is the musical equivalent of the emperors new clothes.
Steve B I saw the one in the Victoria and Albert museum. It was beautiful and perfection but I also saw a violin being made at the academia Cremonensis being made and go on to win a violin making competition. That was real and alive. Did you know Stradivarius’ house in Cremona is now a plastic goods and Tupperware outlet. It’s all very funny.
Stuff built by many ancient cultures from thousands of years ago still stands. I think with no upkeep, 100 years from now, most of our structures would have crumbled to the ground.
This and 'le Messie' - the two great unplayed Strads. They must be kept unplayed - there are enough battered Strads (and Guarneris) in existence. The couple of 'new' ones are priceless (and not just monetarily). Wonderful fiddles.
I beg to differ. Guarneri and Stradivari made instruments to be played. Not to be looked at. You can have a beautiful piece of wood sound like shit. On the same token Stradivari would not care if bumps and knicks happened. All people care about is the price tag. I am positive Stradivari would in fact encourage the refurbishment and the maintainence of his works.
The whole reason I sought this documentary was because the Lady Blunt was mentioned in another documentary, which stated that it could not be played (although Menuhin used to play it). Why?!?!? I wanted to know. So I sought a documentary solely about this instrument. Yet amazingly, you got through the whole thing without mentioning what I most wanted to know. Why can't it be played? Is it because it's so wonderfully preserved that someone has decided that it should not be played? I can't imagine that it is good for a violin to be kept in a glass case, rather than played. Seems such a shame.
Because there are 648 other Stradivarius that are being played and have been being played for 300 years now. Beaten up, patina’d up thrown around and played as I’m sure Stradivari intended but there are 2 of them in new never played condition and they should be kept that way for many generations to come. There’s plenty to hear but very, very few to specifically gaze upon. Once these fine, seldom works of craftsmen ship are played. Thats it, it’s a testament to time and Stradivari not only playing his instruments but also seeing them still in there glory that cannot be recreated!
@@L3GHO5T - Thank you for your answer. I may or may not agree with you, but at least I understand now that it's not a matter of "can" not be played, it's just that it "may" not be played.
@@monelleny ya that’s more or less it. I agree with you in the sense it’s ultimately an instrument that was both designed and created to be played but once it loses that new state it can never go back but in all honesty. How could you not play it the thing that I don’t understand is why can’t something be played and still kept in pristine shape? Play it just don’t be rough with it. It’s not like any of these strads, Guarneri, Amati’s even in the roughest shape played are 99.99% handled with great care. Have a great day!
With present technology we can determine exactly how this was made (X-ray CT) and make replicas accurate down to the micron level. There is no secret, AS was a superb craftsman.
Why did they not show MORE of the Label ..? That is so important to millions of us out there who have NEVER seen an ORGINAL Strativarius label. Hmmm? Internet is filled with copies and fakes, but NOTHING to compare against. Such a shame regarding the tiny view of a portion of the label only. Hmmm?
this is a instrument made for playing but the ones that is not being played basically is doing against the creator since the sound is meant to allow others to hear the sound but they are all locked up and no one can hear the sound !
At the end of the day, its probably just a nice violin with an interesting history. The fact that anyone would and can spend $15 million on it is depressing.
It's as much a piece of art as the Mona Lisa or valuable as anything you see in a museum with glass protecting it. Because of its history and state it became priceless in one point of view and due to the limits of the buyers' wealth, now has a monetary value at the point of sale. I guarantee the new owner wouldn't want to sell it for even double the price he paid for it.
While I do agree with most posters on here that an instrument is meant to be played, I also realize, there are no, or very few, examples of Stradivarius violins that are still like they were when they left his shop. When they are played & used they need maintenance & every time a new neck is installed it changes it. The wear on edges, damage etc can be fixed but then that part isn't original. Like an old, classic car, it's only original once. You can use it & rebuild it, but then you lose the hand of the original builder. I wouldn't want to see lots of his instruments packed away but it's also good to keep a few in as pristine condition as possible. It lets the world see untouched work by his hands.
People, there are millions of violins, hundreds of those are still playable and from A. Stradivari. But this one is one of a kind. Why do you want to destroy it just because of your irrational belief that it "should be played". No, it should be preserved. Again, it's ONE violin. Play another!
I remember watching a program where they methodically compared a Stradivarius violin to the stuff we have today. It turned out the sound wasn't all that different, unattainable (or "better") from modern-day violins. I believe the craftsmanship (and the wood which was obtained from an extinct species) is what gives a Stradivarius it's value. So I may be able to understand why someone would want to not play it and rather keep it behind glass.
The wood isn't extinct, one of the groves of trees is in Italy and is still being harvested for violin makers' use. It's not only the wood, it's the precise shaping of the top plate within fractions of a millimeter, and the lacquer, the back, etc. that give the great instruments their sound. Although the dried timbers in Stradivari's time would have grown during the Little Ice Age and would have had very slow growth yielding very tight grain patterns.
Yes, Stradivari was a great violin maker. No, he shouldn't be worshipped. His popularity has more to do with the human need to call someone "the best" than any superiority he has over other great makers.
In no way am I trying to say that Stradivari wasn't a great violin maker but, you can't tell me that there are modern day violin makers that can make just as good as a Stradivarius. The only difference is the age and amount of playing that is done on the violin. There have been blind test done of Strads and modern violins that experts would pick the modern day violin.
They're enough violins for playing, This one we must saved for the sake of history. A Strad will not make you a great player. It's the player that make the strad great. It's not the arrow it's the Indian.
I'm far from an expert on this type of thing, but not playing instruments is frowned upon in the guitar community. The belief is that the sound board needs to mature while being played. I understand that if one is only interested in details of construction, sacrificing the Lady Blunt by not playing it makes some sense, but true custodians of the instrument, caring for all of its needs, would make sure it was played regularly to continue the aging process including those necessary musical vibrations. I guess when one is dealing with a 300 year old instrument, there might be a feeling that the maintenance value of continuing to work the top and bottom of the instrument is not as important in the grand scheme of things as conserving the instrument as an object from the most celebrated maker. It would be nice to hear it, though.
ironpirites Don't compare the Violin to basic shit like a guitar. They're completely different instruments, keep your guitar center knowledge to guitars where it belongs
Alex Rivers But guitar has a higher "skill cap" than violin, you can't play rhythm, melody and harmonics on a violin but you can on a guitar. Guitar is much harder to play than I violin (classical guitar or finger style guitar), but most guitar players go for what's easier like rock or country
@@slimJIMfella woah you can play harmonics on the violin and other stuff and unlike guitar it doesnt have fretes wich makes all string instruments extremely hard and plus u really cant self teach yourself violin and want to get good and just becasue u play guitar and its hard doesnt mean its harder than other instruments
@@slimJIMfella The violin is much much harder to master than the guitar. The hours of practice required to get the intonation, the bowing skills, the variation in volume (dynamics), developing vibrato, and the fretless fingerboard make the violin orders of magnitude more difficult. There are no great violinists who didn't start playing before the age of eight or younger. You can start playing guitar as a teenager or adult and become a virtuoso.
LOVELY and deeply touching. So sad that today's consumerist society are calling for this touchstone to the past to be played and used. So few pristine Stradivarius exist and they are works of art. It's like saying the Mona Lisa should be painted over.
Well to preserve the art in the sound of very fine violins, they NEED to be played. No Stradivarius instrument is in bad hands, unless they are stolen. Even the instruments that are owned by collectors and museums regularly take them out of their display cases to be played on. They're in more than safe hands and plus, the people that can afford these know what masterpieces they are.
yes the paper label, with the name of the maker, the town, and year; is traditional. I have one made by an amateur 80 yrs ago and it has a paper label.
it's all marketing bullshit, they did a blind playing test comparision with a modern professional violin that's around less than $40,000 and it sounded just as good as Strav if not BETTER to the ears of PROFESSIONALS.
Im no professional but I can tell the difference and its very clear the strav has a more full sound to it, also more smooth in transition of notes not so sharp and clean cut as new violins. new violins have more of a sharp ping sound. The strav is softer but resonates more, just a perfect combination. And I have an untrained ear!
Justin Liu I could hear the difference clearly during the test. Many of them just picked their favorite due to personal taste, many of these "professionals" had a taste for darker sounding Violins. The Stradivarius Violin is a bright sounding Violin. Still the best
I think it's the heritage of a fiddle that makes everyone so hot for em.... maybe if you are a master soloist you could hear the sound quality difference vs a new instrument,
It gets played, it's just not in circulation getting beaten up or left in a taxi. What do you think beating it up is going to change for the better exactly? :)
hola quiero saver si alguien esta interesado en comprar un violin de este artista advierto que esta repintado y por lo tanto ya no mantiene su pintura original
"The most special are the most lonely. God I pity the violins. In glass coffins, they'll keep coughing; They've forgotten how to sing. First there's lights out, then there's lock ups, masterpieces serving maximum sentences. It's their own fault for being timeless. There's a price to pay and a consequence. All the galleries and museums, 'Here's your ticket, welcome to the tomb.' They're just public mausoleums. The living dead fill every room."
tommy emmanuel takes a beat to hell guitar with scratches all over it and makes it sound like gold. i care more about experiencing music than worshiping materials. i fail to understand the appeal here.
Yes, Almost. It is almost all down to the player. Some players will pick up any half decent fiddle and get a great sound out of it. Some players will scrape and drone whatever the violin is. Get a good violin and also a Chinese fiddle with a decent bow and set them both up and adjust properly with Pirastro or even Dominant strings. Then ask someone like Alexander Sitkovetsky to play them both. You will be astounded at how little difference there is as both will sound great. The player again.
Violins are made to be played not to keep it in the box. I think that the maker of this violin will really be happy in his grave if someone who loves to play violin. Plays it. I love to play violin. But I don't know whether I am really eligible to play this violin. I don't want to buy but I want to earn it.
Oh give me a break! If it's never played, it's nothing more than a piece of wood... an old piece of wood. Also how do you know that the varnish hasn't aged and used to be lighter in color 290 years ago?
They know because it's rarely been played and therefore not been exposed to air contamination and UV light. There's a good reason why they won't play it.
@@mirfalltnixein1582 Because it's bad for the instrument. Don't come with the "it's better for the instrument to play it" argument. If you have a functioning brain you should be able to deduce that's illogical at best.
@@nextlifeonearth in my opinion it's still better to play the instrument but still I get your point it's inevitable that it'll get damaged in any way but what I meant with my comment was that it's better for the sound of the instrument when you play it. And I also have to agree with your point of leaving the instrument for display because it just wouldn't be worth it because it would just sound bad compared to other instruments especially to the other strads out there so yes I can agree that it would be better to just put it on display because it just wouldn't be worth playing it anymore
@@mirfalltnixein1582 The sound is not affected by playing the instrument. That's a myth. Last time it was played was badly recorded, but the instrument sounded fine despite the recording.
This is an example of when humans "sacrifice" a 1,000 year old tree while it continues making music and bringing pleasure for many centuries later. These are honored and respected uses of our sacred woods of our planet.
but it's not even in original condition - you saw that Vuillaume altered the neck and added the new fingerboard; the pegs and tailpiece also aren't original. Why would Vuillaume bother doing that if it was never to be played?
"It's going to go back in its case….The sooner it's away, the better." I find this to be very sad. I recognize that the violin is in pristine condition, but I believe instruments should be able to let their voices be heard. Not be locked away in a case.
Well said. I felt exactly the same when I heard that comment.
As a musical instrument, I agree with you. As a work of art, I completely understand wanting to keep it safe and in the condition it is in. I'd bet the sound isn't all that great, because it hasn't vibrated the way violins vibrate that are played often. So really, we probably aren't missing all that much.
Thomas McLendon An acoustic instrument needs to be played at least periodically. Otherwise it will go "tone dead" from sitting idle for a long time.
On one hand you can always start playing it, but you can't undo damage done to the instrument through wear or the chance of an unfortunate accident it will be exposed to through use.
IMO it would be a disgrace to sabotage all the care that has been put into preserving the instrument. There are plenty of playable strads, just keep this one for future reference. In 200 years this one may be the only one left as is, unmodified or "modernised" and undamaged.
Lady Blunt owned it and used it,as it should be,to give joy. All these untouched museum and vault instruments might aswell just be bits of wood. I saw the Messiah in Oxford and just felt sorry for it hanging there silent.
A beautiful lady muted for the sake of beauty. Longing for freedom to express her inner beauty.
How sad this violin will never be played.They are made to be played. How wonderful it would have been in that auction room to listen to the beautiful tone of the violin. I would love to OWN it & PLAY it, instead i will continue playing my 1800's violin. I wonder what Stradivarius would have thought about the sale. Well done The Nippon Music Foundation for their generosity. The proceeds of the sale were put to a very worthy, sad cause. Pity that the person who bought the violin didn't think in the same way.
Allow the lady to sing again.she is a witness to time, and she is still very much alive.
The whole point of an instrument is to play it. I feel like Stradivari would be rolling in his grave if he knew this shit was going on....
Agreed
Ada Wong ... That's right. Perhaps it doesn't play well...? That's entirely possible. We'll never know.
Exactly!!!!
Play it, and play it often, It's why he built it!!!
he'd be rolling in his grave knowing that all his work to make instruments louder was all destroyed by the microphone
@Xavier Smith are you deft? It sold for 14.? Mil usd from this auction site. It Is also not fit for playing anymore anyway in most luthier's professional opinions
Everyone's either complaining about how it's never played or that it should remain unplayed. I understand both sides but I'd just say sure, on a very rare occasion someone could play it for a brief piece it if they must, but after all, it's become quite a relic, something that should be in a safe place due to its value and not "played-regularly" just because it's "still an instrument and was made to be played". If we has a 300+ year old ship (or whatever) in really good condition, we would rather keep it in good condition instead of using it and running the risk of damaging it because it "wasn't meant to be closed away". In this violin's case, luthiers will use its perfection as a template to further seek greater craftsmanship of their own instruments for decades, perhaps even centuries, to come. :)
It's my understanding that violins like this must be played in order for them to maintain their magnificence, luster and overall state of repair. I would pay 500 dollars for a nosebleed seat to see this violin played.
I just clicked on this video and read your post. I disagree. If an old master like a Strad is continuously played, it will require regular maintenance and repair. Many old masters have been repaired so many times that the replacement parts outweigh the original parts. You can always keep a violin going by having an expert repair person and/or restorer work on it but gradually, in reality, it becomes a different instrument. If 60% of a Strad is replacement parts is it still a Strad?
An old master, carefully stored in a climate controlled environment, free from meddling human hands will likely last another thousand years. As for whether an old master should be played until it falls apart is another question.
Really whatever you say I got 5 pieces
Imagine getting one of these specifically crafted for you, brand new?! Must have been a dream back in the 1700. It looks beautiful NOW. Could you imagine brand spanking new
This is the violin that Paganini gambled
There are many that are played, and will eventually be worn out. This single instrument will remain youthful and the Strad legacy will persist. That is why it is not being played.
When a violin is not played it sounds bad. The more you play the better it sounds. Non violinists don't get that
Thank you for these fastenating cameos of the world's finest violins. Any free information on Guarnieri, Stadivari, Magini, Gianini, or any fine obscure Italian violins and violas welcomed!
This video would serve Stradivari so much better if they had actual violinists talking about it instead of business people talking how how it looks and how it's made. The key part is the sound! Someone should have played it and showed off it's beautiful tones.
+Nicholas McCloskey Maybe the purpose of the video is not to "serve Stradivari" rather to educate the public?
+Mandolin1944 True but can a violinist not explain it as well as play it?
*****
If you go to the poster's channel you will find that he DID post also a short video of Yehudi Menuhin playing the Lady Blunt strad. In any case he did not have to post any video at all but he did everyone a favor by taking the time to post this one --so I fail to see why that merits criticism?
I have read that the Lady Blunt doesn't sound as good because its been so long since someone has played it. It needs to be played regularly to be maintained.
@@esther1994 That's utterly ridiculous. An instrument does not lose its tone by not being played and DEFINITELY does not need to be played to maintain it, that's a myth and an infuriating one at that. Like saying the best way to preserve the Mona Lisa is to take it off its stretcher every so often. Not only does it not help, it increases the chance of damaging it.
The best way to preserve it is to not play it and move it as little as possible in its ideal environment.
In 400 years this one may well be the only one in its original state.
i know exactly why his violins sound so nice, i noticed it right when i saw the top's grain, i hypothesized about long time ago.
It's so disappointing to see an instrument like the Blunt bought not for the sake of playing but as an antique. It's just really sad.
+Isaiah Kaiawe I couldn't agree more. An instrument comes alive in the hands of a player. Otherwise, it's just a pretty piece of wood.
+Isaiah Kaiawe I disagree. There a loads of valuable instruments being played. Having one in "mint" condition is valuable in itself. How many do you think will exist in a 100, 200, 500 years?
Its likely still being played a bit in private anyway.
Welther47
Are you a musician? I do understand the point you are making and I think the musical value of instruments like this is often exaggerated but it is first and foremost an instrument.
I think the view of most musicians would be that the value of a beautiful instrument is to make beautiful music, not to be looked at. If that gives it a shorter life, so be it. Music itself is inherently transitory and so are the instruments that make it.
I suppose non-musicians may see things rather differently.
The point or motive behind crafting the instrument or any violin in general wasn't to be looked at, my friends. It was made to play beautiful music not locked in a vault for ten years.
From your disbelief or not, violins ESPECIALLY by that of the great Stradavari are meant to be played.
Isaiah Kaiawe
Calm down there. They are being played. And stolen, and felt on. That''s why most do not have the original neck or fittings.
We are talking about the Lady Blunt because it is in so excellent condition. There is such a difference of having held the real thing and only heard it.
They should be preserved in playing condition
I agree, but having an opportunity to study the work of arguably the best violin maker in history seems worth keeping it in a case
so a bunch of shitty collectors with money have this but an amazing violinist cant have one cuz theyre all sitting in those collectors closets building up dust
He didn't make the damn thing so it could never be played. It's meant to be heard. Play it, you fools!!!!!!!
Now please don't burn me at the stake for this, I'm a musician too, I understand the sound part.
But physically, I don't know if i believe someone could just look at this with a pile of others and "see" the difference.
Matthew Lahner Then you're an idiot
I actually agree with you for the most part. I wouldnt consider myself a musician but at least a minor enthusiast and therefore i can say that most would only notice its designs and if they're paying close attention its antiquity. Outside of that theyll probably never notice anything out of the norm
Matthew Lahner you are not an idiot! That is just the way you feel.
You would understand if you saw it in person and either heard it played by a true artist, or were blessed enough and talented enough to play it yourself.
You can see a difference but can you hear a difference BECAUSE of what you see? And the answer is No. there are countless blind fold test that prove a modern violin is as good if not better than a Stradivari or del Gesu etc. This fetish thing with violins is the musical equivalent of the emperors new clothes.
Steve B I saw the one in the Victoria and Albert museum. It was beautiful and perfection but I also saw a violin being made at the academia Cremonensis being made and go on to win a violin making competition. That was real and alive. Did you know Stradivarius’ house in Cremona is now a plastic goods and Tupperware outlet. It’s all very funny.
Violin is a tool more than an art work
It is one beautiful instrument wish mine was completely restored butt! The golden varnish still holds it's color! 😳😊🤗
You are absolutely right - it is all very, very subjective. Only the dealers benefit.
Be nice to hear it played 😊
Even if it was not a unbelievable sounding violin it would make a awsome work of art
Stuff built by many ancient cultures from thousands of years ago still stands. I think with no upkeep, 100 years from now, most of our structures would have crumbled to the ground.
I had never seen a violin of the early '700s in such a perfect condition, it seems so new, so new that I have strong doubts ...
This could be because Lady Blunt smoked so much reefer, and so frequently, that she forget she even owned it!
300 year old violins look so awesome the detail on them r astonishing including the mother of pearl on the peg key' s
Gorgeous violin...
Diane Lacroix p
The ultimate in the violin con game...
This and 'le Messie' - the two great unplayed Strads. They must be kept unplayed - there are enough battered Strads (and Guarneris) in existence. The couple of 'new' ones are priceless (and not just monetarily). Wonderful fiddles.
I beg to differ. Guarneri and Stradivari made instruments to be played. Not to be looked at. You can have a beautiful piece of wood sound like shit. On the same token Stradivari would not care if bumps and knicks happened. All people care about is the price tag. I am positive Stradivari would in fact encourage the refurbishment and the maintainence of his works.
@@nickdavis965If he were here he would pick it up and play it.
Existe t-il des violons stradivarius plus petit s
The whole reason I sought this documentary was because the Lady Blunt was mentioned in another documentary, which stated that it could not be played (although Menuhin used to play it). Why?!?!? I wanted to know. So I sought a documentary solely about this instrument. Yet amazingly, you got through the whole thing without mentioning what I most wanted to know. Why can't it be played? Is it because it's so wonderfully preserved that someone has decided that it should not be played? I can't imagine that it is good for a violin to be kept in a glass case, rather than played. Seems such a shame.
Because there are 648 other Stradivarius that are being played and have been being played for 300 years now. Beaten up, patina’d up thrown around and played as I’m sure Stradivari intended but there are 2 of them in new never played condition and they should be kept that way for many generations to come. There’s plenty to hear but very, very few to specifically gaze upon. Once these fine, seldom works of craftsmen ship are played. Thats it, it’s a testament to time and Stradivari not only playing his instruments but also seeing them still in there glory that cannot be recreated!
@@L3GHO5T - Thank you for your answer. I may or may not agree with you, but at least I understand now that it's not a matter of "can" not be played, it's just that it "may" not be played.
@@monelleny ya that’s more or less it. I agree with you in the sense it’s ultimately an instrument that was both designed and created to be played but once it loses that new state it can never go back but in all honesty. How could you not play it the thing that I don’t understand is why can’t something be played and still kept in pristine shape? Play it just don’t be rough with it. It’s not like any of these strads, Guarneri, Amati’s even in the roughest shape played are 99.99% handled with great care. Have a great day!
It's sad we are such a throwaway society. You hardly find anything 20 years old today, much less hundreds of years old.
Mane playin' Sigur Ros in the background
You see>? Music really does save lives.
What pure condition?? The bridge has been changed the tuning keys has been changed and the neck has been elongated.
With present technology we can determine exactly how this was made (X-ray CT) and make replicas accurate down to the micron level. There is no secret, AS was a superb craftsman.
Wish they could x- ray mine Alpine spruce Flamed Maple black Ebony and & what I don't understand the Willow wood?
The history of the majority of his violins is why the well $$$
Why did they not show MORE of the Label ..? That is so important to millions of us out there who have NEVER seen an ORGINAL Strativarius label. Hmmm? Internet is filled with copies and fakes, but NOTHING to compare against. Such a shame regarding the tiny view of a portion of the label only. Hmmm?
Here from Twoset's visit, after Carlos mentioned Lady Blunt.
this is a instrument made for playing but the ones that is not being played basically is doing against the creator since the sound is meant to allow others to hear the sound but they are all locked up and no one can hear the sound !
***** ikr :\
And it's the only one that never needed extreme repair. It's for the best.
At the end of the day, its probably just a nice violin with an interesting history. The fact that anyone would and can spend $15 million on it is depressing.
charity man charity
Yes I agree some people just have too much money . I bet Stradivarius got shit all for this when he built it .
It's as much a piece of art as the Mona Lisa or valuable as anything you see in a museum with glass protecting it.
Because of its history and state it became priceless in one point of view and due to the limits of the buyers' wealth, now has a monetary value at the point of sale. I guarantee the new owner wouldn't want to sell it for even double the price he paid for it.
While I do agree with most posters on here that an instrument is meant to be played, I also realize, there are no, or very few, examples of Stradivarius violins that are still like they were when they left his shop. When they are played & used they need maintenance & every time a new neck is installed it changes it. The wear on edges, damage etc can be fixed but then that part isn't original. Like an old, classic car, it's only original once. You can use it & rebuild it, but then you lose the hand of the original builder.
I wouldn't want to see lots of his instruments packed away but it's also good to keep a few in as pristine condition as possible. It lets the world see untouched work by his hands.
all i know is its a great instrument and the sound is nothing you ever heard before
I’d love to grab that thing and drive ‘er on a few Scottish strathspeys and some reels
Stradivarius: Ah, the future generations will surely relish the sound of my instruments!
*future generations*:
Hundreds of his instruments are still played. For the sake of the future just preserving one of them is essential.
People, there are millions of violins, hundreds of those are still playable and from A. Stradivari. But this one is one of a kind. Why do you want to destroy it just because of your irrational belief that it "should be played". No, it should be preserved. Again, it's ONE violin. Play another!
I remember watching a program where they methodically compared a Stradivarius violin to the stuff we have today. It turned out the sound wasn't all that different, unattainable (or "better") from modern-day violins. I believe the craftsmanship (and the wood which was obtained from an extinct species) is what gives a Stradivarius it's value. So I may be able to understand why someone would want to not play it and rather keep it behind glass.
Psychology is what gives Strads their value.
The wood isn't extinct, one of the groves of trees is in Italy and is still being harvested for violin makers' use. It's not only the wood, it's the precise shaping of the top plate within fractions of a millimeter, and the lacquer, the back, etc. that give the great instruments their sound. Although the dried timbers in Stradivari's time would have grown during the Little Ice Age and would have had very slow growth yielding very tight grain patterns.
Dinosaur Wood? I'm only being sarcastic because of all of the misinformation on the internet that's believed. Extinct? The spruce or the maple?
Yeah...me too. My Lady Blunt kind of 6 string instrument was made in China. It looks like a guitar but it has no bow in its case.
Yes, Stradivari was a great violin maker. No, he shouldn't be worshipped. His popularity has more to do with the human need to call someone "the best" than any superiority he has over other great makers.
"No, I wont play it, it's going back into the case" Oh, come on man, a couple of bars. It won't do any harm!!!!
yes it will
Someone will release a recording of it someday.
@@travis5125 Already have. It was a bad recording, but a recording nonetheless.
@@nextlifeonearth Is it true that this violin smells like reefer smoke?
@@travis5125 I dunno.
The recording I meant was by Yehudi Menuhin.
Christopher Reuning: I've seen so many Stradivari in my lifetime...
Can someone tell the name of the song in the background please! 😊
Concerto No. 12 For Violin In E Major, RV 265: I. Allegro by Vivaldi
It is preserved for future generations to copy and not to be played, let them ruin the other hundreds of strads.
In no way am I trying to say that Stradivari wasn't a great violin maker but, you can't tell me that there are modern day violin makers that can make just as good as a Stradivarius. The only difference is the age and amount of playing that is done on the violin. There have been blind test done of Strads and modern violins that experts would pick the modern day violin.
That test is flawed in so many ways and a very small sample
The yeezy of the orchestra world
How old are those strings that are on it?
good evening, i would like to know what brand of strings does she have?
They're enough violins for playing, This one we must saved for the sake of history. A Strad will not make you a great player. It's the player that make the strad great. It's not the arrow it's the Indian.
Really!.....what would you say is it's most outstanding characteristic?
I'm far from an expert on this type of thing, but not playing instruments is frowned upon in the guitar community. The belief is that the sound board needs to mature while being played. I understand that if one is only interested in details of construction, sacrificing the Lady Blunt by not playing it makes some sense, but true custodians of the instrument, caring for all of its needs, would make sure it was played regularly to continue the aging process including those necessary musical vibrations.
I guess when one is dealing with a 300 year old instrument, there might be a feeling that the maintenance value of continuing to work the top and bottom of the instrument is not as important in the grand scheme of things as conserving the instrument as an object from the most celebrated maker. It would be nice to hear it, though.
ironpirites Don't compare the Violin to basic shit like a guitar. They're completely different instruments, keep your guitar center knowledge to guitars where it belongs
Alex Rivers But guitar has a higher "skill cap" than violin, you can't play rhythm, melody and harmonics on a violin but you can on a guitar. Guitar is much harder to play than I violin (classical guitar or finger style guitar), but most guitar players go for what's easier like rock or country
@@slimJIMfella woah you can play harmonics on the violin and other stuff and unlike guitar it doesnt have fretes wich makes all string instruments extremely hard and plus u really cant self teach yourself violin and want to get good and just becasue u play guitar and its hard doesnt mean its harder than other instruments
@@slimJIMfella The violin is much much harder to master than the guitar. The hours of practice required to get the intonation, the bowing skills, the variation in volume (dynamics), developing vibrato, and the fretless fingerboard make the violin orders of magnitude more difficult. There are no great violinists who didn't start playing before the age of eight or younger. You can start playing guitar as a teenager or adult and become a virtuoso.
U know this was great and all but I was waiting till the end to see the full thing in nice hd quality but they never showed it in 1 full picture....
It's "All the Rowboats" by Regina Spektor.
I think it's a shame that some jerk with a lot of money can snatch this up and never play it. It was made to be heard, not gawked at!
LOVELY and deeply touching. So sad that today's consumerist society are calling for this touchstone to the past to be played and used. So few pristine Stradivarius exist and they are works of art. It's like saying the Mona Lisa should be painted over.
Well to preserve the art in the sound of very fine violins, they NEED to be played. No Stradivarius instrument is in bad hands, unless they are stolen. Even the instruments that are owned by collectors and museums regularly take them out of their display cases to be played on. They're in more than safe hands and plus, the people that can afford these know what masterpieces they are.
***** Well I would say David Garrett's strad is in bad hands
It was. He made 5 others. He invented the Heelicopter too, but the idea never got off the ground...lol..hmmm.
The GTO of violins.
Play the Lady please!!!
Price please I need right Now.
yes the paper label, with the name of the maker, the town, and year; is traditional. I have one made by an amateur 80 yrs ago and it has a paper label.
it's all marketing bullshit, they did a blind playing test comparision with a modern professional violin that's around less than $40,000 and it sounded just as good as Strav if not BETTER to the ears of PROFESSIONALS.
Im no professional but I can tell the difference and its very clear the strav has a more full sound to it, also more smooth in transition of notes not so sharp and clean cut as new violins. new violins have more of a sharp ping sound. The strav is softer but resonates more, just a perfect combination. And I have an untrained ear!
Justin Liu I could hear the difference clearly during the test. Many of them just picked their favorite due to personal taste, many of these "professionals" had a taste for darker sounding Violins. The Stradivarius Violin is a bright sounding Violin. Still the best
Another test with 5 violins were made the 2 violins were also quite expensive.In the end the 2 violin were considered worst.
absoftitanium bruh.Respect.Do you even play the violin?If no u have no authority to ask him to shut up.
correction, its the best and most well preserved piece of fucking wood
I think it's the heritage of a fiddle that makes everyone so hot for em.... maybe if you are a master soloist you could hear the sound quality difference vs a new instrument,
It gets played, it's just not in circulation getting beaten up or left in a taxi. What do you think beating it up is going to change for the better exactly? :)
انا عندي كمان إيطالي من صناعة( انطونيو ستراديفاري )صنعت في عام 1721 يعني عمرها 294 سنة للبيع
hola quiero saver si alguien esta interesado en comprar un violin de este artista advierto que esta repintado y por lo tanto ya no mantiene su pintura original
as soon as an iconic instrument like this goes into a vault or for a display, it dies. Instruments are to be played..
W.O.W.
Est ce qu'il existe des violons plus petits 😮
It has a paper label init???
Don't worry so much. This violin is sometimes said to be played by a sweet girl ...
"The most special are the most lonely. God I pity the violins. In glass coffins, they'll keep coughing; They've forgotten how to sing. First there's lights out, then there's lock ups, masterpieces serving maximum sentences. It's their own fault for being timeless. There's a price to pay and a consequence. All the galleries and museums, 'Here's your ticket, welcome to the tomb.' They're just public mausoleums. The living dead fill every room."
tommy emmanuel takes a beat to hell guitar with scratches all over it and makes it sound like gold. i care more about experiencing music than worshiping materials. i fail to understand the appeal here.
What's the point of not playing one that's so great? Are those too fragile to play?
sounds?????
Kindling
They're gut strings. I don't know how old though.
they say Leikeli47 wrote her hit girl blunts about this violin
the argos ones are just as good and they are only £50 :)
Yes, Almost. It is almost all down to the player. Some players will pick up any half decent fiddle and get a great sound out of it. Some players will scrape and drone whatever the violin is. Get a good violin and also a Chinese fiddle with a decent bow and set them both up and adjust properly with Pirastro or even Dominant strings. Then ask someone like Alexander Sitkovetsky to play them both. You will be astounded at how little difference there is as both will sound great. The player again.
I'm sorry the reference was above you.
Violins are made to be played not to keep it in the box. I think that the maker of this violin will really be happy in his grave if someone who loves to play violin. Plays it. I love to play violin. But I don't know whether I am really eligible to play this violin. I don't want to buy but I want to earn it.
If I had stupid 1% money I would buy it solely on the name "Lady Blunt".
How many lady blunts are there in the world?
1
+William Wise 420
+rams haaaaa!
William Wise 1
William Wise 1
fokin play it man!
This is not lady, this is not DA Vinci and more , this is Stradivari.
Est ce qu'il existe des vlolons stradivarius plus. Petits bisous
AYYY]
what good is an instrument if it is not played
Sold for 84 thousand???
Oh give me a break! If it's never played, it's nothing more than a piece of wood... an old piece of wood.
Also how do you know that the varnish hasn't aged and used to be lighter in color 290 years ago?
They know because it's rarely been played and therefore not been exposed to air contamination and UV light.
There's a good reason why they won't play it.
Then please tell us the reason
@@mirfalltnixein1582 Because it's bad for the instrument.
Don't come with the "it's better for the instrument to play it" argument. If you have a functioning brain you should be able to deduce that's illogical at best.
@@nextlifeonearth in my opinion it's still better to play the instrument but still I get your point it's inevitable that it'll get damaged in any way but what I meant with my comment was that it's better for the sound of the instrument when you play it. And I also have to agree with your point of leaving the instrument for display because it just wouldn't be worth it because it would just sound bad compared to other instruments especially to the other strads out there so yes I can agree that it would be better to just put it on display because it just wouldn't be worth playing it anymore
@@mirfalltnixein1582 The sound is not affected by playing the instrument. That's a myth.
Last time it was played was badly recorded, but the instrument sounded fine despite the recording.
This is an example of when humans "sacrifice" a 1,000 year old tree while it continues making music and bringing pleasure for many centuries later. These are honored and respected uses of our sacred woods of our planet.
No they are not. Restoring a violin is difficult, restoring a life is impossible.
You talk totally without factual evidence of how an ecosystem works.
but it's not even in original condition - you saw that Vuillaume altered the neck and added the new fingerboard; the pegs and tailpiece also aren't original. Why would Vuillaume bother doing that if it was never to be played?
I think I'm coming down with the Cremona virus.