The Stradivarius

The Stradivarius

Antonio Stradivari has not been surpassed in the making of violins, even though he died in 1737.

In 1716 he built an instrument which became his favourite, and it never left him. When he died it passed into the hands of his sons Francesco and Paola. Then it was sold to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and valued at about £100.

In 1827 Luigi Tarisio, the famous collector, purchased it. But then it was not seen for decades.

It received the name ‘La Messie’ (the Messiah) for those hearing the raptures of Tarisio became sceptical of there being such an instrument, as no one had ever set eyes upon it.

One morning in 1854, Luigi Tarisio was found dead. 246 exquisite violins were found in the place. Some were crammed in the attic. One – the best one – was found in the bottom drawer of an old rickety bureau.

When the greatest Stradivarius, ‘La Messie’ was brought out and played, it had been cruelly silent for 147 years. But the silence still continues. In 1931 the instrument was purchased by WE. Hill and Sons for £2,000. In 1938 it was presented by them to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to be kept in perpetuity in a room especially prepared for it. Luigi Tarisio and other collectors have robbed the world of the sound of this violin.