Cindy Zhuang
Title: Stradivarius Violins and Their Historical Importance Before the 1800s
Since I play the violin, I wanted my research topic to be focused on Stradivarius violins,
specifically their craftsmanship and their cultural significance on musicians. Not a lot of people
can own them and I find it very cool that we have two professors at IU who own them, my
professor Mark Kaplan, and Professor James Ehnes.
For my research paper, I want to study the violins of Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737),
specifically focusing on the factors that made Stradivari’s instruments so special in his time, and
what musicians and audiences thought of them in the eighteenth century. The materials I will use
to answer these questions will include any surviving documentary about their ownership and also
comments on their quality. I plan to look at ​ historical sources and articles about Stradivari’s life
and how those instruments were made, as well as people who owned and played on them in the
eighteenth century.
I expect to find that Strads became famous not only because of how well they were made, but
also because of who played them and the kinds of concerts and audiences they played for. I think
my topic is interesting especially for me as a violin student because Stradivarius violins are still
legendary today. Learning about their history can reveal how they shaped music and culture in
the past.