0:00:11 > 0:00:14ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
0:00:31 > 0:00:33SCRAPING
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Once upon a time, a very long time ago,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45there lived a man named Antonio Stradivari.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Stradivari was an extraordinary violin maker.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53He conjured magical musical instruments
0:00:53 > 0:00:56out of the most ordinary blocks of wood.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Their tone was like a nightingale's song - pure and strong and sweet.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Other craftsmen grew curious.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12What made Stradivari's violins so special?
0:01:12 > 0:01:17But try as they might, no-one could discover his secret.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And the cunning Stradivari told nobody,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22carrying it with him to his grave.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27It sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30The amazing thing is that it's all true.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Ever since I started learning the violin as a child,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37the name Stradivarius has held an almost mythical appeal.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40In the 17th century, Antonio Stradivari
0:01:40 > 0:01:45made over 1,000 instruments and about 600 of them still survive.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But a Strad is so much more than just a musical instrument.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Each one is like a little miracle in wood,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and for violinists they're the ultimate Holy Grail.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58The prospect of playing one, let alone owning one,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01is an almost unimaginably thrilling prospect.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04For me though, part of the enchantment lies in the fact
0:02:04 > 0:02:09that 250 years after his death, we still don't know how he did it.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13We still have never really discovered Stradivari's secret.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16MUSIC
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Although I stopped playing the violin seriously in my teens,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26I've remained a bit of a violin geek.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31So this summer's exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is
0:02:31 > 0:02:32a rare treat.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37For the first time ever in Britain,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41it brings together 21 of Stradivari's finest instruments
0:02:41 > 0:02:45from museums and private collections all around the world.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Every single one has an incredibly rich history.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53But I've singled out some of my favourites.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00This is the story of Stradivarius
0:03:00 > 0:03:03told through four very special violins.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05MUSIC
0:03:37 > 0:03:43We'll never know when or where the very first violin was made.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The fiddle seems to have appeared fully formed
0:03:46 > 0:03:48during the 16th century.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54For me, the Stradivari story really begins in the 1560s
0:03:54 > 0:03:5880 years before his birth, when his home town of Cremona,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02in Northern Italy, became the violin-making capital of Europe.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09The earliest violins were an accompaniment to lively
0:04:09 > 0:04:10nights in the tavern.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16But in more refined circles the fiddle was frowned upon.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It might be an appropriate plaything for a peasant, but it was
0:04:19 > 0:04:24hardly deemed appropriate for courtly entertainment or religious services.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26In parts of Italy the church even ordered
0:04:26 > 0:04:32the destruction of the supposedly licentious object.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35But something happened to change the fortunes of the violin,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and Cremona, for ever.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44This curious new instrument entranced Catherine de Medici,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47one of the most powerful women in Renaissance Europe.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Captivated by its unique sound,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55she ordered a set of 38 new violins from Italy.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02And they were all made in Cremona by Antonio Stradivari's forefather,
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Andrea Amati,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06the very first master violin-maker in history.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11MUSIC
0:05:23 > 0:05:26This violin was one of the instruments that Amati
0:05:26 > 0:05:30made for Catherine de Medici in 1564.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It's the oldest-surviving violin in the world.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I didn't think I'd feel quite so emotional holding it.
0:05:51 > 0:05:58What is just mind-boggling is that this doesn't look like a first draft.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This doesn't look like some rough and ready prototype.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07This is what it is, this is a violin. It's very light.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14It's slightly smaller than a modern instrument, but...
0:06:17 > 0:06:20This early violin was made like all those that followed it
0:06:20 > 0:06:22out of maple wood.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Its form is beautiful, but it's functional too.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29The curves equalise the resonance at all frequencies.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Where a simpler shape would favour one note over others.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38The first piece of music written for the violin,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41composed by Catherine de Medici's court musician,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44may well have been played on this very instrument.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46RENAISSANCE STRING MUSIC
0:06:48 > 0:06:51I feel like music's one of those things that connects us
0:06:51 > 0:06:55all through time and through history
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and it's so ephemeral.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01We hear it, it's just molecules and vibrations in the air,
0:07:01 > 0:07:07but to actually hold the object that would have played
0:07:07 > 0:07:10the first piece of violin music ever written.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's completely bewilderingly wonderful.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21MUSIC
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Andrea Amati and his family dominated
0:07:29 > 0:07:32violin-making for the next hundred years.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34But in the middle of the 17th century,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36a young Cremonese craftsman emerged,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39who would go on to challenge the Amatis' crown.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45His name was Antonio Stradivari
0:07:45 > 0:07:49and his oldest fiddle is here, in the Ashmolean Museum.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51MUSIC
0:07:56 > 0:07:59One of the things that really adds to the allure of Stradivari
0:07:59 > 0:08:01is that he seems to come out of nowhere.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03We know very little about his birth
0:08:03 > 0:08:04or his childhood.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05It's almost as if
0:08:05 > 0:08:07he arrives with this.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10This is his first known violin.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It's known as the Serdet.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14It was made in 1666, which is
0:08:14 > 0:08:16the same year as the Great Fire of London.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19We do know from later records that Stradivari was about 22
0:08:19 > 0:08:21when he produced it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26I have been waiting for this moment for pretty much my entire life,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29it feels like, because I'm actually going to be allowed to hold
0:08:29 > 0:08:32this Strad and even to play it.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48This is the first time in my life that I've ever held a Strad.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53It's just something that as a violinist you grow up dreaming about
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and never, ever, ever imagine that
0:08:56 > 0:08:58you'll be able to actually do it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04A few things about the Serdet suggest it's the work of a novice.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07The slightly awkward arching of the back
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and the irregular details on the corners.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15But it also has features that would become Stradivari's trademarks,
0:09:15 > 0:09:17like the sound holes and the scroll.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24One of the really interesting things about this violin is the label,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28which reads "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Alumnus
0:09:28 > 0:09:34"Nicolaii Amati, Faciebat Anno 1666."
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Which suggests that perhaps Stradivarius really was
0:09:37 > 0:09:39a pupil of Amati.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43If so, it's the only shred of evidence that we have that he was.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49If indeed it is evidence. I do wonder if he did study with Amati.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Or whether it was just a great career move to suggest that he did.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56SINGLE NOTE BEING PLAYED
0:09:59 > 0:10:01It's tantalising to think about the music that might have been
0:10:01 > 0:10:06played on the Serdet by its very first owner.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Stradivari was a contemporary of the great Johann Sebastian Bach.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14So I'd like to think that it might have been one of my favourite pieces,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22I've asked Jennifer Pike,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25who I met through the Young Musician Of The Year competition
0:10:25 > 0:10:26which she won aged just 12,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29to come and help me put the Serdet through its paces.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31VIOLINS TUNE UP
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Do you ever lose, does it ever get less thrilling, to play a Strad?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I don't think so. No.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40That kind of feeling of awe never leaves you.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- It feels fitting to play Bach on a Strad, I think.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- Shall we have a go?- Let's have a go.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51MUSIC: "Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor" by Bach
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Jennifer's playing a Strad from the exhibition, and I've been allowed
0:11:17 > 0:11:21to play the Serdet, Stradivari's earliest violin.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Nice!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- Unbelievable.- The tone really is unbelievable.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34What do you think, because you obviously play on an amazing
0:12:34 > 0:12:37violin all the time, but what makes the tone different?
0:12:37 > 0:12:38What makes it so special?
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I don't know, each violin has its own voice, in a way.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46This is really mellow. It's just so warm, it's like sitting by the fire.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48JENNIFER LAUGHS
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- It's like an old friend.- It is like an old friend.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53Even though we just met.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57I don't think I ever really want to give it back, either.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01You don't mind, Ashmolean, if we never give them back, do you?
0:13:01 > 0:13:03CHAMBER MUSIC
0:13:06 > 0:13:09The year after Stradivari made the Serdet violin,
0:13:09 > 0:13:13he married a local girl and their first child was born
0:13:13 > 0:13:16a slightly unorthodox four months later.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19He was now a contented family man.
0:13:19 > 0:13:20But professionally,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Stradivari had yet to reach the height of his powers.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27It was not until over a decade later
0:13:27 > 0:13:30that his career really took off.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34And I get the sense that as well as his phenomenal technical skill,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36he also had a very good manner with his clients.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43There's very little documentary evidence about Stradivari's life,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46which makes what we do have incredibly precious.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Like this letter I've got a copy of here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Now, my Italian is a bit rusty,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54but he writes, "most illustrious and excellent sir,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56"I didn't send the violins sooner
0:13:56 > 0:13:59"because I was waiting for somebody trustworthy
0:13:59 > 0:14:02"and I pray you to forgive me for not sending it more quickly
0:14:02 > 0:14:05"and I hope you will appreciate it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07"I remain yours.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12"Your very modest and devoted servant, Antonio Stradivari."
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And it's dated Cremona, 23rd August.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Now, we don't know who this very illustrious and excellent Sir was,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21but I'm extremely envious of him.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Imagine getting a letter like this from Stradivari.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I think you'd forgive him being late, wouldn't you?
0:14:27 > 0:14:30MUSIC: "Tango por una Cabeza" by Carlos Gardel
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Michael Kearns has been making violins for 40 years.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47The methods he uses have hardly changed since Stradivari's day,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52and he shares my admiration for the great craftsman's skill.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57As a violin maker, is it possible to say
0:14:57 > 0:15:00how a Strad is different from everything else?
0:15:00 > 0:15:01You know it when you see it.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03You know it when you hear it, obviously.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I mean, they are very fine-sounding instruments.
0:15:07 > 0:15:13And the more I've been a violin maker, almost the greater he gets.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17He was there in Cremona at the same time as many other makers.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20He was using the same wood, the same varnish, the same materials,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and yet, his violins are so different.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25How is it possible to explain that?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29I think Stradivari was, in a sense, the right man at the right time.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33He grew out of three generations in Cremona of fine makers
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and he just took it that several stages further
0:15:36 > 0:15:41and had a long working life, and really was hugely talented,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44so, it would be a little bit like Rembrandt.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47They all had the same paints, the same canvases,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49but Rembrandt had something special,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and there's a little bit of that when it comes to talking about Stradivari.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- Is it fair to say that he's a genius?- I think so.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57He's just, there's just something special,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00there's a few more gears when you start looking at it.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Looking at a Strad, are you intimidated?
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Are you inspired? How do you feel?
0:16:06 > 0:16:07I think I am inspired.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It's huge, it's huge. It's intimidating as well.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Because it reflects on your own limitations.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Nevertheless, you have to stand up to the block and have a shot at it.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19And that's the fun of it.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24MUSIC: "Concerto Grosso in D, Op. 6, No. 4-3 Allegro" by Arcangelo Corelli
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Stradivari was producing violins
0:16:31 > 0:16:35during a golden age of music for the instrument.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The great baroque composers like Bach and Corelli
0:16:38 > 0:16:40were at their height
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and their compositions demanded a level of virtuosity
0:16:43 > 0:16:47that a previous generation of players could only have dreamt of.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51At the same time, venues were getting larger.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54And for a violin to reach the very back rows,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56it needed a much more powerful tone.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Stradivari rose to this challenge
0:17:00 > 0:17:03and set out to create the perfect instrument.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07During a decade of constant experimentation,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11he produced fiddles in different shapes and sizes,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15including this, the Long Strad,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19before returning to his tried and tested design.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Although in his 60s,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Stradivari was about to surpass himself as a craftsman.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30The violins he produced during his "golden period"
0:17:30 > 0:17:32at the beginning of the 18th century
0:17:32 > 0:17:35are still the most highly prized in the world.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39And the Viotti is one of them.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- MUSIC:- "Serenade" from Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Named after the brilliant 18th-century virtuoso,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58Giovanni Battista Viotti, who once owned it,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02this Strad has recently been valued at £3.5 million.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07But we've been given very special permission to play it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15Handsome, elegant and charming, Viotti was a natural performer.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17It's rumoured that he received the Strad
0:18:17 > 0:18:19as a love-token from Catherine the Great.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26But although he was the darling of audiences back home in Italy,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30there was one crowd who were notoriously hard to impress.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36There's a great story of how Viotti seduced 18th-century Paris,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40a place that was famous not only for its suspicion of Italian musicians,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43but also of the violin as a solo instrument.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47One French writer went so far as to publish a defence of the bass viol
0:18:47 > 0:18:49against the ventures of the violin,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52describing it as "an undersized pygmy".
0:18:56 > 0:18:59But if anyone could change their mind, it was Viotti
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and it's perhaps a sign of his self-assurance
0:19:02 > 0:19:06that his Parisian premiere was no low-key affair.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Viotti's French debut was booked for Good Friday,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11one of the biggest nights of the concert calendar.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13It took place at the Concert Spirituel,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16one of the most prestigious venues in the city.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19You can almost imagine the atmosphere as he raised his bow.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27MUSIC: "Partita No. 3 in Mi Majeur, BWV 1006 Preludio" by JS Bach
0:19:47 > 0:19:50At first, the audience was sceptical.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54But by the end of the concert run, Paris was seduced
0:19:54 > 0:19:57by the way Viotti's violin sang like a human voice.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39This string of concerts would change the course
0:20:39 > 0:20:43of violin playing for ever, not just in Paris but throughout Europe.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47As leading musicians sought to emulate Viotti's remarkable tone,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49the Stradivarius became the instrument of choice
0:20:49 > 0:20:51for soloists the world over.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05Stradivari died in December 1737, aged 92.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08He'd been making violins for over 70 years.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And the saying "as rich as Stradivari"
0:21:12 > 0:21:15was common on the streets of Cremona.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19But even after his death, Stradivari's reputation continued
0:21:19 > 0:21:22to grow, as his instruments took on a life of their own.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29In 1890, The Strad, a journal dedicated to string instruments,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32issued its very first publication.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36The editorial observed that since Stradivari's death,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40"violin making had practically come to a standstill."
0:21:40 > 0:21:43It touched on something that was beginning to puzzle the public.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Just what was it about Stradivari's violins that made them so special?
0:21:48 > 0:21:51The search was on to try and uncover his secret.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Many theories have been suggested over the years.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Was Stradivari using wood that had been soaked in sea water,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05or covered in volcanic ash?
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Was his an unusually dense crop of maple?
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Or was there a secret formula to the legendary Cremonese varnish?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20But, so far, there's been no definitive answer.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Despite our best efforts, science has yet to solve
0:22:23 > 0:22:25the riddle of what set Stradivari apart.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And I wonder whether there really is a magic formula,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32or whether he wasn't just astonishingly good at what he did.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34A kind of Shakespeare or Titian,
0:22:34 > 0:22:39whose genius can never ever be slavishly copied, or repeated.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46And if there's one violin that embodies the way
0:22:46 > 0:22:51Stradivari's craft has obsessed generation after generation,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53it's the Messiah.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Made during his Golden Period, in 1716, Stradivari never parted
0:23:01 > 0:23:03with this particular fiddle.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It remained in his workshop until the day he died.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Each of its successive owners has fallen under its spell.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Many only parted with it on death.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22What would I do to have you in my life?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26What WOULDN'T I do to have you in my life?
0:23:32 > 0:23:36And The Messiah remains as flawless as the day it was finished
0:23:36 > 0:23:40because this Strad has hardly ever been played.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Even being able to handle it is an incredible privilege.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54There's... There's no other instrument in the world
0:23:54 > 0:23:57that has such mythical status as this.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Despite its solidity and its presence in my hands right now,
0:24:02 > 0:24:07and I suppose, the proviso of the Ashmolean having this instrument
0:24:07 > 0:24:09was that it was never played,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and that it remains pristine and perfect,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and, in a sense, that just perpetuates the myth,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16that no-one would part with it till they died.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19And the fact that we can't hear it sing, we can't hear its voice.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23We can only imagine and dream and wonder
0:24:23 > 0:24:25what it might actually sound like.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29But, my hunch is that it would sound pretty good.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36The Messiah captured the public's imagination
0:24:36 > 0:24:38just as enthusiastic Victorian amateurs
0:24:38 > 0:24:41were beginning to take up the violin in droves.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46This created a lucrative market
0:24:46 > 0:24:49for affordable, mass-produced new instruments.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55For this, they needed a template.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59And the Messiah, the pristine, perfect Strad
0:24:59 > 0:25:01was the obvious choice.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It became the most copied violin in the world.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09MUSIC: "Intermezzo" from St Paul's Suite, by Gustav Holst
0:25:24 > 0:25:27One of the special things about a Strad is their rich histories.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30This is just a box of silent wood hanging here,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32and yet you can almost feel it resonating, echoing
0:25:32 > 0:25:35with all the magnificent performances
0:25:35 > 0:25:37that it must have given over the centuries.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42There's one concert at which I'd have loved a front-row seat.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47It took place on 14th June, 1921, at the Queen's Hall in London.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53It was the orchestral premiere
0:25:53 > 0:25:56of one of the most mesmerizing pieces ever written for the violin.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03MUSIC: "The Lark Ascending" by Ralph Vaughan Williams
0:26:11 > 0:26:13The soloist was Marie Hall.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And the Strad she cradled had previously been owned by Viotti.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Marie Hall's career was a real-life Cinderella story.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45She was a girl from an ordinary, working-class background
0:26:45 > 0:26:47who came to the attention of Vaughan Williams
0:26:47 > 0:26:50whilst playing the violin on a street corner.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Vaughan Williams had composed The Lark Ascending
0:26:59 > 0:27:02with Marie and her Stradivarius in mind.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06The combination of a spell-binding piece,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10written by a British composer, played by an English rose,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12captivated the inter-war audience.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Marie Hall and her Strad became
0:27:29 > 0:27:33one of the most iconic musical pairings of the era.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37They toured the world, playing to packed-out concert halls together.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43She called the violin her "greatest treasure".
0:27:56 > 0:27:59It's easy to understand why Marie Hall became
0:27:59 > 0:28:01so attached to her Stradivarius.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03To hear these instruments played
0:28:03 > 0:28:07and to have the opportunity to play a Strad myself -
0:28:07 > 0:28:10has been an unbelievable pleasure and privilege.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13When you hold a Stradivarius,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16it's so much more than just a musical instrument.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20It's like a slice of history, a treasure, and a responsibility.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Even the very greatest musicians don't actually own them.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25They're just the custodians of the instrument
0:28:25 > 0:28:27during a particular chapter of its history -
0:28:27 > 0:28:31a history that stretches across continents and centuries.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I'm still enthralled by this mystery,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38and by the fact that the answer to what makes a Strad a Strad,
0:28:38 > 0:28:41seems to be as elusive to us as, "why do we fall in love?"
0:28:41 > 0:28:43It's like the ultimate riddle.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44A perennial quest,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46and a humbling reminder that,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49for all of our modern technology and scientific advances,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51we still don't have all the answers.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53MUSIC: "Love Is Like A Violin" by Ken Dodd
0:28:53 > 0:29:00# Love is like a violin
0:29:00 > 0:29:07# With its strings around your heart
0:29:07 > 0:29:13# Soft and sweet as dreams begin
0:29:13 > 0:29:17# Sadly crying when you part... #
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd