Peter Sheppard Skærved – Violin At the Library of Congress , Washington DC Two violins, two pieces, one violinist, one composer.

The Library of Congress and violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved invited acclaimed American composer, Michael Alec Rose, to write pieces responding to two violins in the collection, by Nicola/Nicolò Amati and Antonio Stradivari. These two violins represent two generations of great Cremonese lutherie and are separated by just under half-a-century.

Like nearly all surviving violins from the 16- and 1700s the 1700 'Ward' Stradivari was subject to a number of alterations in the 1800s. The most visible of these was the re-angling of the neck, and a lengthening of the fingerboard. Less immediately apparent was the replacement of the 'bass-bar' inside the instrument, and the evolution of different bridge designs. For most of its life, this violin would have been strung with uncovered gut strings. However, from the beginning of the 20th century, these were increasingly changed out for strings wound with metal, which give a brighter, more penetrating sound. Another visible change to the look of the instrument, although less dramatic than the structural alterations to the body of the violin, was the use of a 'chinrest' , attached, as here, to the end of the instrument to enable a firmer grip for the player. The result of all of these changes might be said to the 'modern' violin. Combined with the 'Tourte-model' bow, as used here, this combination of instrument and accoutrements produces the sound most familiar to audiences.

The 1654 'Brookings' Amati was also altered, like the Stradivari, in the 1800s. However, in 2022 the decision was made to return the instrument to a state closer to how it was made and used in the 1600s. The changes itemised above were reversed, and the instrument is once again in what is generally referred to as 'baroque' state. These alterations are not permanent, and have been executed in a way that can be reversed in the future.

These two films explore aspects of the instruments: their sound and characters. The differences between the instruments, of course, are not merely the result of different 'set-ups'. Whilst Stradivari emerged as a young maker from the tradition of the first three generations of the Amati family, by the 1680s, he was clearly ploughing a deliberately different sonic and aesthetic furrow from Nicola Amati.

In the Spring of 2023, Peter Sheppard Skærved brought Michael Alec Rose for a day of 'workshopping' with the two instruments, in the Whittall Pavilion at the Library (where these films were shot). Rose wrote two pieces, 'Philia' and 'The Eclipse of Hipparchus', for the two instruments. These explore not only the sound worlds of the instruments, but ideas which surround their making, and indeed, their location, here in this storied library.

Each of the films focuses on one of the pieces, and what happened when music, violinist, composer, and violins met, on camera. The artists, and the instruments, are documented reacting to, and shaping the music, in real time, and the ideas and performance that result, are captured, as well as the reflections on the outcomes.

This is a rare chance to witness the collaborative process between composer, performer, and instrument, in action. As documented here, the music takes surprising turns on each instrument and each set-up, and the resulting comparisons and counterpoints, between old and new, are surprising, and sometimes enlightening.

For transcript and more information, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11252