Word: liutai
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...with glue-also mixed for its resonant qualities-and at that point it is as mechanically perfect as it will ever be. But it will only last a few years unless protected by varnish-and the varnish, despite its unique softness and nonpenetrating qualities, destroys some resonance. Almost all liutai have secret varnish formulas...
...Formulas. Most experts agree that there are plenty of modern fiddles every bit as fine as the finest Strad. Says one liutaio (literally, lutemaker): "I cannot tell you the names of my clients because they always claim to be playing a Stradivarius." In Italy alone there are some 120 liutai. amateur and pro, who turn out from three to six instruments a year and sell them for as much as $600 each.* Among the best known are the four Bisiach brothers of Milan and Flo ence, Rome's Politi family, Milan's Luigi Ornati and Ferdinando Garimberti...
...Telling. The U.S., too, has its liutai. Standouts: Wisconsin's Carl Beck er, Philadelphia's William Moennig & Son, Manhattan's Simone Sacconi. It also has such well-grounded amateurs as New York's Norman Pickering, who makes stringed instruments when he is not developing fine components for high-fidelity machines. By use of electronic devices, he has isolated dozens of "resonance systems" which give violins their unique sound. To work out his finished instruments' initial "tightness" of tone, he uses a mechanical generator that vibrates the bridge. But most professionals simply get students to play...
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