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| How to repair a Stradivarius? | How to repair a Stradivarius? |
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| WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... | WHO, WHAT, WHY? The Magazine answers... |
| David Garrett faces an anxious waitA soloist falls on his priceless 290-year-old violin. But how can it be repaired so it sounds the same? | David Garrett faces an anxious waitA soloist falls on his priceless 290-year-old violin. But how can it be repaired so it sounds the same? |
| To drop a much-loved instrument is accident enough. But when it is a violin made by the acknowledged master of the craft, Antonio Stradivari - and it is the tool of your trade as an in-demand soloist - it is unfortunate indeed. | To drop a much-loved instrument is accident enough. But when it is a violin made by the acknowledged master of the craft, Antonio Stradivari - and it is the tool of your trade as an in-demand soloist - it is unfortunate indeed. |
| This is the fate that befell David Garrett after performing at London's Barbican Centre in December. He slipped down a flight of stairs and landed on his violin case, badly cracking the Stradivarius - known as San Lorenzo - inside. A violin case acts like a skull, protecting what's inside. But if too badly shaken, the violin - like a brain - can be damaged. | This is the fate that befell David Garrett after performing at London's Barbican Centre in December. He slipped down a flight of stairs and landed on his violin case, badly cracking the Stradivarius - known as San Lorenzo - inside. A violin case acts like a skull, protecting what's inside. But if too badly shaken, the violin - like a brain - can be damaged. |
| THE ANSWER Collect all pieces and fragmentsRestorer takes months to ease these back into placeCracks invisible after repair Fall destroys Stradivarius It is a repair job that will take months of painstaking work to knit the cracks seamlessly back together, using tools and materials much like those used by Stradivari himself. | |
| "You have to very carefully make sure that the broken parts match up perfectly, so any slivers of wood that came loose are put into place," says David Morris, director of restorers J&A Beare, whose colleague in New York has seen the broken violin. | "You have to very carefully make sure that the broken parts match up perfectly, so any slivers of wood that came loose are put into place," says David Morris, director of restorers J&A Beare, whose colleague in New York has seen the broken violin. |
| "There's a very famous Stradivarius cello that had its front replaced by a notable Spanish maker. That's the old way of restoration, to throw away the broken part and make your own replacement. Today we would piece it back together again from the original fragments." | "There's a very famous Stradivarius cello that had its front replaced by a notable Spanish maker. That's the old way of restoration, to throw away the broken part and make your own replacement. Today we would piece it back together again from the original fragments." |
| Inside a restorer's workshopEnlarge Image Tools range from the traditional - chisels, knives and water-soluble fish-based glue similar to that Stradivari would have used - to the modern. | Inside a restorer's workshopEnlarge Image Tools range from the traditional - chisels, knives and water-soluble fish-based glue similar to that Stradivari would have used - to the modern. |
| "If you walked into our workshop today, it would look like the set of a film about a violin-maker from several hundred years ago," says Mr Morris. "But we also use ultra-violet light and endoscopes, which allow you to see inside and take photos, rather than take the top off the instrument." | "If you walked into our workshop today, it would look like the set of a film about a violin-maker from several hundred years ago," says Mr Morris. "But we also use ultra-violet light and endoscopes, which allow you to see inside and take photos, rather than take the top off the instrument." |
| He likens this to keyhole surgery - where once surgeons opened up a patient, today some procedures are possible via tiny incisions. | He likens this to keyhole surgery - where once surgeons opened up a patient, today some procedures are possible via tiny incisions. |
| Crack'd side to side | Crack'd side to side |
| The broken violin will take at least eight months to repair. "There are two major cracks on the top on the table where the f-holes are. And two went straight through the soundpost, which is always the bad spot to hit," Garrett says. | The broken violin will take at least eight months to repair. "There are two major cracks on the top on the table where the f-holes are. And two went straight through the soundpost, which is always the bad spot to hit," Garrett says. |
| Where his violin is damaged | |
| "There are three major cracks from the top to the bottom, as well as a couple of cracks on the side, which don't really affect the sound that much, but they look very ugly." | "There are three major cracks from the top to the bottom, as well as a couple of cracks on the side, which don't really affect the sound that much, but they look very ugly." |
| What makes repairing a violin so fiddly to repair is its arched body. Once the broken fragments are eased back into place, the next step is to apply pressure so the glue holds. | What makes repairing a violin so fiddly to repair is its arched body. Once the broken fragments are eased back into place, the next step is to apply pressure so the glue holds. |
| "You can't let the pieces slip out of alignment. The restorer will take days and days and months and months on this," says Mr Morris. | "You can't let the pieces slip out of alignment. The restorer will take days and days and months and months on this," says Mr Morris. |
| STRADIVARIUS Antonio Stradivari, 1644?-1737Made 1,100 violins, violas, cellos and guitars650 survive, including 450 violinsMuch sought-after, with record price of £1.8m at auction Patches or studs may be inserted into the hollow body to strengthen it, but this risks changing the way notes vibrate and so altering its sound. So the restorer will make these as thin and as carefully placed as possible. | STRADIVARIUS Antonio Stradivari, 1644?-1737Made 1,100 violins, violas, cellos and guitars650 survive, including 450 violinsMuch sought-after, with record price of £1.8m at auction Patches or studs may be inserted into the hollow body to strengthen it, but this risks changing the way notes vibrate and so altering its sound. So the restorer will make these as thin and as carefully placed as possible. |
| "The soundpost is vulnerable as there is so much pressure on it from the weight of the bridge, which holds up the taut strings. I'd say 80% of violins today have a patch under the soundpost. It's a weak point," says Mr Morris. | "The soundpost is vulnerable as there is so much pressure on it from the weight of the bridge, which holds up the taut strings. I'd say 80% of violins today have a patch under the soundpost. It's a weak point," says Mr Morris. |
| And whereas joins were once smoothed then revarnished, today the aim is to disturb as little of the original varnish as possible. There has never been a conclusive answer as to what gives a Stradivarius its distinctive bright sound, but one widely-held theory emphasises the role of the varnish. | And whereas joins were once smoothed then revarnished, today the aim is to disturb as little of the original varnish as possible. There has never been a conclusive answer as to what gives a Stradivarius its distinctive bright sound, but one widely-held theory emphasises the role of the varnish. |
| So is an extensively repaired Stradivarius still a Stradivarius? | So is an extensively repaired Stradivarius still a Stradivarius? |
| "It depends how much has had to be replaced, rather than restored," says Mr Morris. "If someone has a liver transplant, who are they? A violin with one rib of the six replaced is still a Strad. That said, the necks of all Stradivariuses are relatively new as these wear out - and they are not intrinsic to the sound." | "It depends how much has had to be replaced, rather than restored," says Mr Morris. "If someone has a liver transplant, who are they? A violin with one rib of the six replaced is still a Strad. That said, the necks of all Stradivariuses are relatively new as these wear out - and they are not intrinsic to the sound." |
| As for Garrett, he now plays a replacement Stradivarius supplied by Mr Morris's firm, but eagerly awaits the return of his patched-up San Lorenzo. | As for Garrett, he now plays a replacement Stradivarius supplied by Mr Morris's firm, but eagerly awaits the return of his patched-up San Lorenzo. |
| DAMAGED PARTS ON SAN LORENZO 1. Body has several cracks running top to bottom and around sides2. Some cracks near f-holes - so-called because of their shape - which release sound vibrations3. Two cracks have split the soundpost, the top side of the violin4. And another the bass bar, inside the hollow interior5. Damage to neck is less serious as it isn't intrinsic to the sound | DAMAGED PARTS ON SAN LORENZO 1. Body has several cracks running top to bottom and around sides2. Some cracks near f-holes - so-called because of their shape - which release sound vibrations3. Two cracks have split the soundpost, the top side of the violin4. And another the bass bar, inside the hollow interior5. Damage to neck is less serious as it isn't intrinsic to the sound |
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