Stradivari's Genius: Five Violins, One Cello, and Three Centuries of Enduring Perfection

Antonio Stradivari (1644--1737) was a perfectionist whose single-minded pursuit of excellence changed the world of music. In the course of his long career in the northern Italian city of Cremona, he created more than a thousand stringed instruments; approximately six hundred survive, their quality unequalled by any subsequent violin-maker. In this fascinating book, Toby Faber traces the rich, multilayered stories of six of these peerless creations-five violins and a cello-and the one towering artist who brought them into being. Blending history, biography, meticulous detective work, and an abiding passion for music, Faber takes us from the salons of Vienna to the concert halls of New York, and from the breakthroughs of Beethoven's last quartets to the first phonographic recordings. This magnificent narrative invites us to share the life, the intrigue, and the incomparable beauty of the world's most marvelous stringed instruments.

Author: Toby Faber
Publisher: Random House Trade
Published: 04/04/2006
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.46lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.14w x 0.58d
ISBN: 9780375760853

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 05/28/2006 pg. 20

About the Author
Born in Cambridge, England, in 1965, TOBY FABER now lives in London with his wife and daughter. He was previously managing director of his family's renowned publishing firm, Faber and Faber. This is his first book.