Performance Venues

Member of Stradivari family

Italian family of violin makers.

(b ? Cremona, 1644–9; d Cremona, Dec 18, 1737). Maker of violins and other instruments. Since the end of the 18th century he has been universally regarded as the greatest of all violin makers. In point of tonal excellence, design, beauty to the eye and accuracy of workmanship his instruments have never been surpassed. Stradivari inherited more than 100 years of Cremonese violin-making tradition, and upon this firmest of foundations he built his own unique career. At the peak of a working life spanning almost 70 years he brought his art to a perfection which has not been equalled. Later, at least two of his sons worked with him, but both died within a few years of their father, and thus almost the entire production of the family workshop is attributed to Antonio. In all, some 650 of his instruments survive, many of them used by the world’s leading string players....

Member of Stradivari family

(b Cremona, Feb 1, 1671; d Cremona, May 11, 1743). Violin maker , eldest son of (1) Antonio Stradivari. Although only a handful of his instruments still bear their original labels, he was nevertheless a highly important maker, though perhaps less spontaneous and confident than his father. He was his father's right-hand man for over 50 years, during which time he assisted in the building and occasionally the design of a wide variety of bowed and plucked instruments. He was perhaps responsible for the modification of the ‘forma B’ cello, about ...

Member of Stradivari family

(b Cremona, Nov 14, 1679; d Cremona, June 9, 1742). Violin maker , son of (1) Antonio Stradivari. While still a young man he travelled to Naples, perhaps in pursuit of a career outside violin making. He made violins intermittently after 1700, and a great deal of his time was taken up with social acitivities unrelated to the family workshop. The most well travelled of the Stradivari family, as a young man he spent a long period in Naples. Later in life he was on familiar terms with Tomaso Vitali, the leading violinist at Modena. Nevertheless, Omobono did build a recognizable number of violins which though not up to high artistic standards of his father and brother, are highly appreciated for their acoustic qualities....

Since 1968 the official name of a bellfoundry located in Whitechapel Road, east London. The lineage of the foundry can be traced back to at least 1420. From 1570 its bells have been produced by master bellfounders of the following families: Mot (16th century); Carter, Bartlett and Clifton (17th century); Phelps, Lester, Pack, Chapman and Mears (18th century); Mears, Stainbank and Lawson (19th century); and Hughes (from 1904). From 1865 to 1968 the foundry was known as Mears & Stainbank. It has been principally engaged in making tower bells, both single and in short-range diatonic series: the latter mostly for swinging in the manner of English change-ringing, but some to be rung hanging stationary, as chimes. From the early 19th century or before, it also made musical handbells. At first these were mostly sets of 8 to 12 bells in diatonic series for practising change-ringing; but with the increasing popularity of handbell music in the 20th century (...