Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737) . st mentioned) was also made about the same will be remarked that these dimensions are nearly iden-tical with those of the smaller pattern made by is instructive to find that in 1692-93 Stradivari returnedto his first idea, retaining the extra length, but narrowingthe width, apparently convinced of the futility of at- ^ Article Stradivari,^ Groves Dictionary of Music andMusicians, 1883. 46 STRADIVARIS MOIJNS tempting to attain the characteristic brightness of tonecombined with the solemn depth of power of the
Antonio Stradivari, his life and work (1644-1737) . st mentioned) was also made about the same will be remarked that these dimensions are nearly iden-tical with those of the smaller pattern made by is instructive to find that in 1692-93 Stradivari returnedto his first idea, retaining the extra length, but narrowingthe width, apparently convinced of the futility of at- ^ Article Stradivari,^ Groves Dictionary of Music andMusicians, 1883. 46 STRADIVARIS MOIJNS tempting to attain the characteristic brightness of tonecombined with the solemn depth of power of the 1698, with but rare exceptions, he continued to makeviolins of the long pattern only. In that year we see achange, for, curiously enough, he returns, with a few modi-fications, to the pre-1690 type ; 1699 gives us the orthodoxlong pattern again ; but in 1700, as far as our observationsgo, he has dismissed it for good. We do not, of course,positively affirm that no long-pattern instruments weremade in 1698, but only record that hitherto we have not. ^^S- 17- —Stradivaris Monogram, carved on the Button of the BackOF AN Example dated 1689. met with any. The existence of fresh designs in 1698undoubtedly shows that Stradivari was restless ; and this,coupled with the fact of our having possessed anotherviolin dated 1699, which, while preserving the longStrad width, is of the ordinary fourteen-inch length,tends to foreshadow Stradivaris return to the pre1690proportions. The varnish used by Stradivari after 1690 is, withnotably few exceptions, of a deeper and richer colour thanthat of the previous years. We have hitherto been THE LONG STRAD 47 accustomed to see the traditional Amati yellow and itskindred tints, although, as already stated, Stradivari hadfrom the earliest times occasionally employed varnish ofdeeper colour; but not until 1684 do we begin morefrequently to meet with the warmer-tinted of the long-pattern instruments are especially finein this respect, and
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