Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644-1737) [Paperback]

W. Henry Hill (Author), Arthur F. Hill (Author), Alfred E. Hill (Author), Sydney Beck (Introduction), Rembert Wurlitzer (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1963

This is the definitive work on Stradivarius and one of the great musicology books. It covers construction methods, woods, varnishes, types of instruments, and special features as well as the life of the composer. "A rich mine of fascinating information." — American Record Guide. 93 illustrations, plus 4 color plates.

Product Details

• Paperback: 358 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 2nd edition (June 1, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486204251
• ISBN-13: 978-0486204253
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #217,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the essential texts, December 3, 2000

By 

J. Darnton "Michael Darnton" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644-1737) (Paperback)

This is perhaps the most important book ever published relating to the topics of violin making and the unchallenged greatest maker of all times. The Hills are the most respected scholars, ever, of the violin, and this was a landmark publication in 1902 and remains so. Under the quaint language is the information that subsequent scholars have used as the basis of their understanding of Stradivari's work (and stolen for the basis of many of their own articles and books), and almost everything written in the book is still considered accurate--an unprecedented event in violin publishing, where there's much more myth than fact in many books, especially those of the past, many of which are essentially fiction posing as non-fiction. There is simply no reason not to own this book if you are interested in violins.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It remains the definitive text a century later, June 20, 2005

By 

chefdevergue (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644-1737) (Paperback)

The style may seem quaint, but if you have spent any time at all reading scholarly works from this time period, you will find that Hill's prose is far from unreadable. By and large, I continue to find Hill's style to be readily approachable after 3 decades worth of repeated readings.

In any case, the prose is not what makes this work invaluable. Like another reviewer stated, you cannot do any study of Stradivari instruments without first consulting Hill, and Hill remains the foundation of all scholarly work concerning Stradivari, even a century later. While not exactly for laymen, nonetheless this book is relatively accessible to those who have only a passing knowledge in stringed instruments. For those more expert, Hill remains the essential starting point. If you have a young violinist in your family, I would recommend this book as a gift. I still have my decades-old book, received one Christmas long long ago, and I am glad that I got it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for violin lovers, April 2, 2010

By 

Penny Johnson (California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antonio Stradivari: His Life and Work (1644-1737) (Paperback)

I bought the authors' book regarding Guarneri family because this information is not available in Wikipedia. From this book I learned that the authors are expert violin makers. The Guarneri book demonstrated the authors' serious research efforts. This makes me buy this book. As in the Guarneri book, this book has many nice color photos and black/white photos. The discussion about material, construction, and varnish are all very interesting and well explained. The dimension information regarding Strad, Amati and Gurneri violins are informative. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves violin.