Showing posts with label Cremona. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cremona. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2020

'Magnificat' by Claudio Moneverdi (Cremonese ancestry)


Claudio Monteverdi - Magnificat (complete)

1,045,138 views - April 4, 2012

S. Quimas

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo monteˈverdi]; 15 May 1567 (baptized) -- 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.

Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition -- the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Monteverdi wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, an innovative work that is still regularly performed. He was recognized as an innovative composer and enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime.



Music in this video

Magnificat II a 6 - Anima mea

Magnificat II a 6 - Et exultavit

Magnificat II a 6 - Quia respexit

Magnificat II a 6 - Quia fecit

Magnificat II a 6 - Et misericordia

Magnificat II a 6 - Fecit potentiam

Magnificat II a 6 - Deposuit potentes

Magnificat II a 6 - Esurientes implevit

Magnificat II a 6 - Suscepit Israel

Magnificat II a 6 - Sicut locutus est

 

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'Magnificat'

 

The Magnificat (Latin for "[My soul] magnifies [the Lord]") is a canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos (Greek: Ἡ ᾨδὴ τῆς Θεοτόκου). It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical services of the Catholic Church and of the Eastern Orthodox churches. Its name comes from the incipit of the Latin version of the text.

The text of the canticle is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke (1:46–55) where it is spoken by Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth. In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, the latter moves within Elizabeth's womb. Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith (using words partially reflected in the Hail Mary), and Mary responds with what is now known as the Magnificat.

The Magnificat is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymns and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn. Within the whole of Christianity, the canticle is most frequently recited within the Liturgy of the Hours. In Western Christianity, the Magnificat is most often sung or recited during the main evening prayer service: Vespers in the Catholic and Lutheran churches, and Evening Prayer (or Evensong) in Anglicanism. In Eastern Christianity, the Magnificat is usually sung at Sunday Matins. Among Protestant groups, the Magnificat may also be sung during worship services, especially in the Advent season during which these verses are traditionally read.

 

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'Magnificat' is a hymn which a part of the musical setting 'Vespro Della Beata Vergine' 1610

Vespro Della Beata Vergine - Claudio Monteverdi - John Eliot Gardiner (complete)

Vespro della Beata Vergine (Wikipedia)

 

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Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Cenomani postings - Summer 2019


[Map of Lombardy with Lombard place names, by Athicer at DeviantArt; The Cenomani was a Celto-Gaulish tribe which occupied most of what are now the provinces of Brescia and Verona]




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The great Lombard city of Cremona originally started as a Gaulish settlement at about 400 BC.

Multiple place names

One interesting thing to ponder are the numerous place names. For example, the Lombard province and city of Cremona. Some of the various names for Cremona:

Cremona (Italian)
Cremùna (Lombard/Cremonese)
Carmona (Emilian)
Carmùna (East Lombard?)
Crémone (French)
Crimona (Latin)
Kremun (German)


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The Mysterious Abandoned Villa on Lake Como, Lombardy

The strange thing about this villa in Lake Como is the complete mystery behind it. Locals understand that this villa was constructed in roughly the 1800s, but there are no records to indicate this.  Rumors state that the home was left alone after a gruesome murder or suicide – but still, no one knows. Today, it is left largely alone and visitors are advised to stay away from it. To us, it looks like the scene of a new horror film!


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Michigan law enforcement ace, the beautiful Laura Frizzo





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Langobard Nation








Actual Langobard helmet



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The Incredible Story of the Bugatti in the Lake | Robb Report


317,785 views

Robb Report

Published on Nov 19, 2018

According to legend, French race car driver René Dreyfus (winner of the Monaco Grand Prix in 1930) was in a liquor-fueled game of poker with Swiss playboy Adalbert Bodé in Paris in 1934. Short on cash, Dreyfus bet his 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia race car and lost it to Bodé. Shortly thereafter, it found its way to the bottom of a lake, where it stayed for the rest of the century.

Subscribe to Robb Report: https://bit.ly/2rx0Icw

When Bodé returned to Switzerland, he was stopped at the border and told that he could not take the car with him. As gambler’s fortunes tend to wax and wane, Bodé was notable to get the cash together to get the car out of customs, and it was marked for destruction like any other confiscated contraband. Being a different time, Swiss authorities decided the easiest, if not the most ecologically friendly, method of disposal would be to dump it into the Lago Maggiore.

There the masterpiece of French design sat until 2009, when it was finally recovered. Though many people knew the car was somewhere in the lake, no one had yet committed to bringing it up. Unfortunately, its reemergence was brought on by tragedy when a member of the local salvage diving club was beaten to death by three young people in a street attack. In an effort to raise money for a charity dedicated to preventing youth violence, the club committed to bringing up the car.

Read More: https://bit.ly/2KgZp9Z


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1927 Bugatti Type 35 Pur Sang Replica - Jay Leno's Garage


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Fred Zamberletti, left, with Carl Eller
 and Red McCombs in 2002
Fred Zamberletti

Fred Zamberletti (May 28, 1932 – September 2, 2018) was an athletic trainer in American football.

Born in Melcher, Iowa, he was the athletic trainer for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was the team's first athletic trainer, assuming the job in the Vikings inaugural year of 1961. He was on the sidelines for every preseason, regular season and postseason game in Vikings history until the December 24, 2011 game at Washington against the Redskins. He attended the University of Iowa. Zamberletti was named the Professional Athletic Trainer of the Year in 1986 and in 1996 the Vikings staff was honored as the NFL Athletic Training Staff of the Year. He was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor on December 20, 1998.[1]

Death
Zamberletti died September 2, 2018 of spinal osteomyelitis. He was 86.[2]

References
1. "Minnesota Vikings Statements on Fred Zamberletti". www.vikings.com. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
2. https://www.twincities.com/2018/09/02/legendary-vikings-trainer-fred-zamberletti-dies-at-86/

External links
U of Iowa alumni page
StarTribune 12-23-2011
 

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Creamy baked mushroom risotto
Risotto - A dish of Milanese origin

Risotto

Course:    Primo
Place of origin:    Lombardy, Italy
Serving temperature: Hot
Main ingredients: Rice, broth, butter, onion, white wine, parmesan cheese

Cookbook: Risotto (recipes)

Media: Risotto

Risotto (from riso meaning "rice") is a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. The broth can be derived from meat, fish, or vegetables. Many types of risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Saffron was originally used for flavour and its attractive yellow colour. Risotto in Italy is normally a first course served before the main course, but risotto alla milanese is often served with ossobuco alla milanese as a main course.

con't....


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Photo by Noemi Ventura


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Mediterranean cruise - Lake Como, Lombardy

Described by Wordsworth as ‘a treasure which the earth keeps to itself’, Lake Como is easily the most beautiful of all the Italian Lakes. With its Hollywood A-list following, rich silk heritage, must-see lakeside towns and surrounding hills, mountains and forests, it’s easy to see why these crystalline waters have captured the heart of the literati and glitterati for centuries. Housed in a 19th-century building right on Lake Como’s shores, Metropole Suisse is centrally located in the town of the same name, Como. But what makes it special is the high level of personal service – the Cassani family’s 123 years of ownership has made it one of the most welcoming waterfront stops.











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Light blue and white are the colors of the Brescian flag. "3V" stands for Tre Valli Bresciane (Three Brescian Valleys: Camonica, Trompia, and Sabbia).


'The 3V trail dedicated to Silvano Cinelli in the Brescian Valleys'

[Translated from the "Brescia A Tavola" travel website]

A single path, long and exciting, that unites the three Brescia valleys. Today we tell you about an evocative itinerary that winds through majestic landscapes, marked by blue-white signage. The 3V Trail,in 8 stages of about 5 hours each, is dedicated to Silvano Cinelli,one of the creators of this initiative. The full itinerary requires excellent physical preparation!


 

The first 4 stages...

The first stop is the Conche Sanctuary, almost 1000 years old. Along this ancient route of about 5 and a half hours of walking, you will meet various churches and chapels. After spending the night at the Sanctuary, the second stage leads to the Horn of sonclino, at over 1300 meters high. Between beech and rocky ridges, you can admire a magnificent view before descending to Lodrino, where the second stage ends after about 7 hours.

From Lodrino, stage 3 takes you to Alpe Pezzeda, near Collio. The summit of Mount Ario, at 1775 meters, offers an enchanting panoramic view of the Sand Valley. From here, the 4th stage crosses the Pezzeda Morning Pass. The short hike of about 3 hours ends at the Pass of the Portole, one of the highest peaks of this route, from which you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Trompia Valley.



... the last 4 stages

The fifth stage leads to the Monte Cimosco Refuge, at 1825 meters. During this stretch you leave the Sand Valley and enter Val Camonica. The route continues with the sixthstage, which in 6 hours leads to the Cross of Marone Refuge. On the summit of Mount Giglielmo, there is the spectacular monument of the Redeemer. The view of the Orobic Alps also includes the blue mirror of Lake Iseo.

Now only the last two stagesare missing. From the Cross Refuge of Marone, with 5 hours of walking you reach Polavena. From here you can take the means and go home. For the daredevils, a last 6-hour stage, from Polavena to Urago Mella, closes this magical 3V Trail and the adventure between Val Trompia, Val Sabbia and Val Camonica.


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Saturday, March 5, 2016

Claudio Monteverdi - Lombard pioneer of the Baroque period




Claudio Monteverdi "Missa in illo tempore : Crucifixus à 4"

Musikkhistoria

Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (15 May 1567 (baptized) -- 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.

Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition: the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Enjoying fame in his lifetime, he wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, which is still regularly performed.

"Missa in illo tempore : Crucifixus à 4"
Performed : Bach Collegium Japan
Dir : Masaaki Suzuki

Image : stained glass window - detail of head of Christ, Scopwick Church, Lincolnshire, England




Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (Italian; 15 May 1567 (baptized) – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, singer and Roman Catholic priest.

Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the change from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period period. He developed two styles of composition – the heritage of Renaissance polyphony and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque. Monteverdi wrote one of the earliest operas, L'Orfeo, a novel work that is the earliest surviving opera still regularly performed. He is widely recognized as an inventive composer who enjoyed considerable fame in his lifetime.


Claudio Monteverdi was born in 1567 in Cremona, Lombardy. His father was Baldassare Monteverdi, a doctor, apothecary and amateur surgeon. He was the oldest of five children. During his childhood, he was taught by Marc'Antonio Ingegneri, the maestro di cappella at the Cathedral of Cremona. The Maestro’s job was to conduct important worship services in accordance with the liturgy of the Catholic Church. Monteverdi learned about music as a member of the cathedral choir. He also studied at the University of Cremona. 


His first music was written for publication, including some motets and sacred madrigals, in 1582 and 1583. His first five publications were: Sacrae cantiunculae, 1582 (a collection of miniature motets); Madrigali Spirituali, 1583 (a volume of which only the bass partbook is extant); Canzonette a tre voci, 1584 (a collection of three-voice canzonettes); and the five-part madrigals Book I, 1587, and Book II, 1590. He worked at the court of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga in Mantua as a vocalist and viol player, then as music director. In 1602, he was working as the court conductor and Vincenzo appointed him master of music on the death of Benedetto Pallavicino.

In 1599 Monteverdi married the court singer Claudia Cattaneo, who died in September 1607. They had two sons (Francesco and Massimilino) and a daughter (Leonora). Another daughter died shortly after birth. In 1610 he moved to Rome, arriving in secret, hoping to present his music to Pope Paul V. His Vespers were printed the same year, but his planned meeting with the Pope never took place.


In 1612 Vincenzo died and was succeeded by his eldest son Francesco. Heavily in debt, due to the profligacy of his father, Francesco sacked Monteverdi and he spent a year in Mantua without any paid employment. His 1607 opera L'Orfeo was dedicated to Francesco. The title page of the opera bears the dedication "Al serenissimo signor D. Francesco Gonzaga, Prencipe di Mantoua, & di Monferato, &c."

By 1613, he had moved to San Marco in Venice where, as conductor, he quickly restored the musical standard of both the choir and the instrumentalists. The musical standard had declined due to the financial mismanagement of his predecessor, Giulio Cesare Martinengo. The managers of the basilica were relieved to have such a distinguished musician in charge, as the music had been declining since the death of Giovanni Croce in 1609.

In 1632, he became a priest. During the last years of his life, when he was often ill, he composed his two last masterpieces: Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses, 1641), and the historic opera L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1642), based on the life of the Roman emperor Nero. L'incoronazione especially is considered a culminating point of Monteverdi's work. It contains tragic, romantic, and comic scenes (a new development in opera), a more realistic portrayal of the characters, and warmer melodies than previously heard. It requires a smaller orchestra, and has a less prominent role for the choir. For a long period of time, Monteverdi's operas were merely regarded as a historical or musical interest. Since the 1960s, The Coronation of Poppea has re-entered the repertoire of major opera companies worldwide.

Monteverdi died, aged 76, in Venice on 29 November 1643 and was buried at the church of the Frari.


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Thursday, March 3, 2016

The violin in Lombardy: Part 4 - Antonio Stradivari: Section B


























Stradivarius

A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari (Stradivarius), particularly Antonio Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries. According to their reputation, the quality of their sound has defied attempts to explain or equal it, though this belief is disputed. The name "Stradivarius" has become a superlative often associated with excellence; to be called "the Stradivari" of any field is to be deemed the finest there is. The fame of Stradivarius instruments is widespread, appearing in numerous works of fiction.



Hellier Stradivarius

The Hellier Stradivarius of circa 1679 is a violin made by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy. It derives its name from the Hellier family, who might well have bought it directly from the luthier himself.

The Hellier Stradivarius has had a convoluted ownership history. It seems to have been in the possession of the Hellier family from the beginning of the 18th century. Sir Samuel Hellier, High Sheriff of Staffordshire 1745–49, brought the violin to England, and through various wills it was kept in the family until 1880.




Messiah Stradivarius

The Messiah-Salabue Stradivarius of 1716 is a violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona. It is considered to be the only Stradivarius in existence in as new state. It is in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England.

The Messiah, sobriquet Le Messie, remained in the Stradivarius workshop until his death in 1737. It was then sold by his son Paolo to Count Cozio di Salabue in 1775, and for a time, the violin bore the name Salabue. The instrument was then purchased by Luigi Tarisio in 1827. Upon Tarisio’s death, in 1854, French luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume of Paris purchased The Messiah along with Tarisio's entire collection. "One day Tarisio was discoursing to Vuillaume on the merits of this unknown and marvelous instrument, when the violinist Jean-Delphin Alard (Vuillaume's son-in-law), exclaimed: 'Then your violin is like the Messiah: one always expects him but he never appears' ('Vraiment, Monsieur Tarisio, votre violon est comme le Messie des Juifs: on l'attend toujours, mais il ne paraît jamais' ). Thus the violin was baptized with the name by which it is still known."

The Messiah was bequeathed by the family of W.E. Hill to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for preservation as "a yardstick for future violin makers to learn from."

The violin is in like-new condition, as it was seldom played. The tonal potential of the instrument has been questioned due to the conditions of the Hill bequest. However it was played by the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, who states in a letter of 1891 to the then owner of the Messiah, Robert Crawford, that he was struck by the combined sweetness and grandeur of the sound. Nathan Milstein played it at the Hills' shop before 1940 and described it as an unforgettable experience. It is one of the most valuable of all the Stradivari instruments.

The top of the Messiah is made from the same tree as a P.G. Rogeri violin of 1710. The tuning pegs and the tailpiece (that shows the Nativity of Christ) are not original, but were added by Vuillaume.




Axelrod quartet

The Axelrod quartet is a set of four Stradivarius instruments collected by Herbert R. Axelrod. The collection consists of the Greffuhle violin, Axelrod viola, Ole Bull violin, and Marylebone cello.

In 1997, Axelrod donated them to the Smithsonian Institution. Their value at the time was estimated at $50 million.

The Axelrod quartet is occasionally used in performances. In concert, the Servais Stradivarius, which is also in the Smithsonian's collection, is occasionally added to the Axelrod quartet.



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Stradivari instruments


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Carlo Bergonzi (luthier)

Carlo Bergonzi (21 December 1683 – 9 February 1747) was an Italian luthier who apprenticed with Hieronymus Amati, collaborated with Joseph Guarneri, and is considered the greatest pupil of Antonio Stradivari.

Bergonzi is the first and most noted member of the Bergonzi family, an illustrious group of luthiers from Cremona, Italy, a city with a rich tradition of stringed instrument fabricators.



Kreisler Bergonzi

The Kreisler Bergonzi is an antique violin made by the Italian luthier Carlo Bergonzi (1683–1747) from Cremona in 1740.

Of all of the extant Cremonese instruments, the Kreisler Bergonzi is one of the best preserved with its original neck and most of its original varnish. There has been very little repair work required on it. It is one of the best sounding of all Bergonzi violins.


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Wednesday, March 2, 2016

The violin in Lombardy: Part 3 - Antonio Stradivari: Section A
























Antonio Stradivari

Antonio Stradivari (1644 – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a crafter of stringed instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. Stradivari is generally considered the most significant and greatest artisan in this field. The Latinized form of his surname, Stradivarius, as well as the colloquial "Strad" are terms often used to refer to his instruments. The Hills Violin Shop estimate that Antonio produced 1,116 instruments, of which 960 were violins. It is also estimated that around 650 of these instruments survive, including 450 to 512 violins.




Stradivari and the Cremonese violin making school

San Matteo, the Stradivari parish, as well as San Faustino, the Amati parish, made up the center of cremonese violin making.They exerted influence not only on one another, in terms of the shape, varnish and sound of instruments, but also on many of their contemporaries; they defined violin making standards for the next 300 years.

Even at the beginning of the 18th century, Stradivari’s influence could be seen not only in the work of Cremonese makers, but also international ones, such as Barak Norman’s, one of the first important British makers. In the 1720s Daniel Parker, a very important British luthier, produced fine violins after Stradivari’s work selling anywhere from £30,000 - £60,000 in recent auctions. Parker based his best instruments on Stradivari's` `long pattern`, having the opportunity to study one or more of the instruments. Well into the 19th century, Jean Baptiste Vuillaume, the leading French luthier of his time, also made many important copies of Strads and Guarneris.
 

In the 18th century, Cremonese luthiers were the suppliers and local players on the demand side. After Stradivari’s death, this drastically changed. Although the Cremonese luthiers remained the suppliers, the demand side consisted of collectors, researchers, imitators, profiteers and speculators. Many local players could no longer afford the sought out instruments and most of the purchased instruments would be hidden in private collections, put in museums, or would be simply put back in their cases, hoping that they would gain value over time. It is then that the so-called ‘fever’ for Stradivaris took off.

Cozio, Tarisio and Vuillaume were the fathers of this frenzy that would extend well into the 21st century. Also, soon after Stradivari’s death, most of the other major Cremonese luthiers would die, putting an end to the golden period of Cremona’s violin making, which lasted more than 150 years, starting with the Amatis and ending with the Cerutis.


Stradivarius instruments

Stradivari's instruments are regarded as amongst the finest bowed stringed instruments ever created, are highly prized, and are still played by professionals today. Only one other maker, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù, commands a similar respect among violinists. However, neither blind listening tests nor acoustic analysis have ever demonstrated that Stradivarius instruments are better than other high-quality instruments or even reliably distinguishable from them.

Fashions in music, as in other things, have changed over the centuries, and the supremacy of Stradivari's and Guarneri's instruments is accepted only today. In the past, instruments by Nicolò Amati and Jacob Stainer were preferred for their subtle sweetness of tone.

 




The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 1
 

haj metwally


The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 2

The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 3

The Mystery of the Stradivarius _ part 4

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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

The violin in Lombardy: Part 2 - "Cremonese school"

Beginning in the 16th century, Cremona became renowned as a centre of musical instrument manufacture, with the violins of the Amati family, and later the products of the Guarneri and Stradivari shops. To the present day, their work is widely considered to be the summit of achievement in string instrument making. Cremona is still renowned for producing high-quality instruments.

[Crermona


The most famous violin makers (luthiers) between the 16th century and the 18th century include:

The school of Cremona, beginning in the half of the 16th century with violas and violone and in the field of violin in the second half of the 16th century

The Amati family, active 1550–1740 in Cremona

The Guarneri family, active 1626–1744 in Cremona and Venice

The Stradivari family, active 1644–1737 in Cremona

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The violin immediately became very popular, both among street musicians and the nobility, illustrated by the fact that the French king Charles IX ordered Andrea Amati to construct 24 violins for him in 1560. One of these instruments, now called the Charles IX, is the oldest surviving violin.

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Violin shop in Cremona
To this day, instruments from the so-called Golden Age of violin making, especially those made by Stradivari, Guarneri del Gesù and Montagnana are the most sought-after instruments by both collectors and performers. The current record amount paid for a Stradivari violin is £9.8 million (US$15.9 million), when the instrument known as the Lady Blunt was sold by Tarisio Auctions in an online auction on June 20, 2011.

[Violin]


Since their invention, instruments in the violin family have seen a number of changes. The overall pattern for the instrument was set in the 17th century by luthiers like the prolific Amati family, Jakob Stainer of the Tyrol, and Antonio Stradivari, with many makers at the time and since following their templates.

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The earliest evidence for their existence is in paintings by Gaudenzio Ferrari from the 1530s, though Ferrari's instruments had only three strings. 

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It is not clear exactly who made these first violins, but there is good evidence that they originate from northern Italy, in the vicinity (and at the time the political orbit) of Milan. Not only are Ferrari's paintings in this area, but at the time towns like Brescia and Cremona had a great reputation for the craftsmanship of stringed instruments. The earliest documentary evidence for a violin is in the records of the treasury of Savoy, which paid for "trompettes et vyollons de Verceil", that is to say, "trumpets and violins from Vercelli", the town where Ferrari painted his Madonna of the Orange Tree. The first remaining written use of the Italian term violino occurs in 1538, who brought "violini Milanese" (Milanese violinists) to Nice when negotiating the conclusion of a war.


The oldest confirmed surviving violin, dated inside, is the "Charles IX" by Andrea Amati, made in Cremona in 1564, but the label is very doubtful. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an Amati violin that may be even older, possibly dating to 1558 but just like the Charles IX the date is unconfirmed. One of the most famous and certainly the most pristine is the Messiah Stradivarius (also known as the 'Salabue') made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716 and very little played, perhaps almost never and in an as new state. It is now located in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford.
 

Early makers

Instruments of approximately 300 years of age, especially those made by Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù, are the most sought after instruments (for both collectors and performers). In addition to the skill and reputation of the maker, an instrument's age can also influence both price and quality.

The most famous violin makers, between the early 16th century and the 18th century included:

Amati family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Amati (1500–1577), Antonio Amati (1540–1607), Hieronymous Amati I (1561–1630), Nicolo Amati (1596–1684), Hieronymous Amati II (1649–1740)

Guarneri family of Italian violin makers, Andrea Guarneri (1626–1698), Pietro of Mantua (1655–1720), Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri (Joseph filius Andreae) (1666–1739), Pietro Guarneri (of Venice) (1695–1762), and Giuseppe Guarneri (del Gesu) (1698–1744)

Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) of Cremona


[History of the violin]

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

Eugenio Beltrami: Famous Lombard mathematician

Eugenio Beltrami

Born: 16 November 1835
Cremona, Lombardy, Austrian Empire

Died: 18 February 1900 (aged 64)
Rome, Kingdom of Italy

Residence: Italy

Nationality: Italian

Fields: Mathematician

Institutions: University of Bologna
University of Pisa
University of Rome

Alma mater: University of Pavia

Doctoral advisor: Francesco Brioschi
Doctoral students: Giovanni Frattini

Known for: Laplace–Beltrami operator


Eugenio Beltrami (November 16, 1835 in Cremona – 18 February 1900 in Rome) was an Italian mathematician notable for his work concerning differential geometry and mathematical physics. His work was noted especially for clarity of exposition. He was the first to prove consistency of non-Euclidean geometry by modeling it on a surface of constant curvature, the pseudosphere, and in the interior of an n-dimensional unit sphere, the so-called Beltrami–Klein model. He also developed singular value decomposition for matrices, which has been subsequently rediscovered several times. Beltrami's use of differential calculus for problems of mathematical physics indirectly influenced development of tensor calculus by Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro and Tullio Levi-Civita.


Short biography

Beltrami was born in Cremona in Lombardy, then a part of the Austrian Empire, and now part of Italy. He began studying mathematics at University of Pavia in 1853, but was expelled from Ghislieri College in 1856 due to his political opinions. During this time he was taught and influenced by Francesco Brioschi. He had to discontinue his studies because of financial hardship and spent the next several years as a secretary working for the Lombardy–Venice railroad company. He was appointed to the University of Bologna as a professor in 1862, the year he published his first research paper. Throughout his life, Beltrami had various professorial jobs at universities in Pisa, Rome and Pavia. From 1891 until the end of his life Beltrami lived in Rome. He became the president of the Accademia dei Lincei in 1898 and a senator of the Kingdom of Italy in 1899.



Contributions to non-Euclidean geometry

In 1868 Beltrami published two memoirs (written in Italian; French translations by J. Hoüel appeared in1869) dealing with consistency and interpretations of non-Euclidean geometry of Bolyai and Lobachevsky. In his "Essay on an interpretation of non-Euclidean geometry", Beltrami proposed that this geometry could be realized on a surface of constant negative curvature, a pseudosphere. For Beltrami's concept, lines of the geometry are represented by geodesics on the pseudosphere and theorems of non-Euclidean geometry can be proved within ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space, and not derived in an axiomatic fashion, as Lobachevsky and Bolyai had done previously. In 1840, Minding already considered geodesic triangles on the pseudosphere and remarked that the corresponding "trigonometric formulas" are obtained from the corresponding formulas of spherical trigonometry by replacing the usual trigonometric functions with hyperbolic functions; this was further developed by Codazzi in 1857, but apparently neither of them noticed the association with Lobachevsky's work. 


In this way, Beltrami attempted to demonstrate that two-dimensional non-Euclidean geometry is as valid as the Euclidean geometry of the space, and in particular, that Euclid's parallel postulate could not be derived from the other axioms of Euclidean geometry. It is often stated that this proof was incomplete due to the singularities of the pseudosphere, which means that geodesics could not be extended indefinitely. However, John Stillwell remarks that Beltrami must have been well aware of this difficulty, which is also manifested by the fact that the pseudosphere is topologically a cylinder, and not a plane, and he spent a part of his memoir designing a way around it. By a suitable choice of coordinates, Beltrami showed how the metric on the pseudosphere can be transferred to the unit disk and that the singularity of the pseudosphere corresponds to a horocycle on the non-Euclidean plane. On the other hand, in the introduction to his memoir, Beltrami states that it would be impossible to justify "the rest of Lobachevsky's theory", i.e. the non-Euclidean geometry of space, by this method.

Cremona, Lombardy
In the second memoir published during the same year (1868), "Fundamental theory of spaces of constant curvature", Beltrami continued this logic and gave an abstract proof of equiconsistency of hyperbolic and Euclidean geometry for any dimension. He accomplished this by introducing several models of non-Euclidean geometry that are now known as the Beltrami–Klein model, the Poincaré disk model, and the Poincaré half-plane model, together with transformations that relate them. For the half-plane model, Beltrami cited a note by Liouville in the treatise of Monge on differential geometry. Beltrami also showed that n-dimensional Euclidean geometry is realized on a horosphere of the (n + 1)-dimensional hyperbolic space, so the logical relation between consistency of the Euclidean and the non-Euclidean geometries is symmetric. Beltrami acknowledged the influence of Riemann's groundbreaking Habilitation lecture "On the hypotheses on which geometry is based" (1854; published posthumously in 1868).

Although today Beltrami's "Essay" is recognized as very important for the development of non-Euclidean geometry, the reception at the time was less enthusiastic. Cremona objected to perceived circular reasoning, which even forced Beltrami to delay the publication of the "Essay" by one year. Subsequently, Felix Klein failed to acknowledge Beltrami's priority in construction of the projective disk model of the non-Euclidean geometry. This reaction can be attributed in part to the novelty of Beltrami's reasoning, which was similar to the ideas of Riemann concerning abstract manifolds. J. Hoüel published Beltrami's proof in his French translation of works of Lobachevsky and Bolyai.


Works

Beltrami, Eugenio (1868). "Saggio di interpretazione della geometria non-euclidea". Giornale di Mathematiche VI: 285–315.

Beltrami, Eugenio (1868). "Teoria fondamentale degli spazii di curvatura costante". Annali. di Mat., ser II 2: 232–255. doi:10.1007/BF02419615.

Opere matematiche di Eugenio Beltrami pubblicate per cura della Facoltà di scienze della r. Università di Roma (volumes 1–2) (U. Hoepli, Milano, 1902–1920)[1]

Same edition, vols. 1–4



References

Study, E. (1909). "Review: Opere matematiche di Eugenio Beltrami". Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 16 (3): 147–149. doi:10.1090/s0002-9904-1909-01882-8.

Stillwell, John (1996). Sources of hyperbolic geometry. History of Mathematics 10. Providence, R.I.: American Mathematical Society. ISBN 978-0-8218-0529-9. MR 1402697

Jeremy Gray, Poincaré and Klein — Groups and Geometries. In 1830–1930: a Century of Geometry (ed L.Boi, D.Flament and J.-M.Salanskis), Springer, 1992, 35–44


External links

O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Eugenio Beltrami", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.

Eugenio Beltrami at the Mathematics Genealogy Project

Eugenio Beltrami - Œuvres complètes Gallica-Math



See also

Beltrami equation
 

Beltrami identity
 

Beltrami's theorem
 

Laplace–Beltrami operator

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