Exploring Stradivari and del Gesù Violins, with Dr. Sloan and Cristian Fatu

September 14, 2020, 10:36 PM · Los Angeles-based fine violin collector Dr. William Sloan doesn't really think there is a "secret" to the exceptional sound of old Italian instruments such as the two he owns, the 1714 "Jackson" Stradivari and the 1742 "Sloan" Guarneri del Gesù.

Certain makers in the 18th century were simply great craftsmen, he told violinist Cristian Fatu in the video interview below.

"They understood the wood, they understood the vibrations," Sloan said, "....and they made something that is durable."

Indeed, these fiddles have endured -- some 300 years later, both violins sing with voices that have rung through them for centuries. They sing again in the hands of Fatu, who at the end of the video performs the Sarabande from Bach's Partita No. 1 in B minor, alternating between the "Jackson" Strad and "Sloan" del Gesù. On Saturday Fatu plans to launch a series of paid streams, performing on both of Sloan's instruments, with solo violin works by Bach, Paganini, Ysaÿe, Kreisler, Enescu and Piazzola. (See Fatu's video announcement and his website for more information on that.)

Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù - arguably the two finest violin makers who ever lived, are known for the particular kinds of sound that each of their violins generally makes -- the clear and ringing tone of a Strad, or the "woody," rough-edged sound of a del Gesù. Generalizations, to be sure, but the experiences and stated views of many fine violinists bear out those observations. Sloan, a surgeon who learned the craft of violin-making late in life and has completed four violins himself, said that the difference that we can hear all comes down to the arching in the instrument, as well as the graduation in the wood.

A tree produces enough wood to make more than one violin, and Sloan talks about the "sister" instruments that were carved from the "same wood" as his own famous instruments. Sloan's "Jackson" Strad is made in the same year and from the same wood as Itzhak Perlman's 1714 "Soil" Strad. And Sloan's del Gesù has its sibling in Pinchas Zukerman's 1742 "Dushkin" del Gesù.

Yet the violins are incredibly rare. "Most violin makers today who are copying Guarneri del Gesùs -- have never seen one," Sloan said. There are, at most, 150 del Gesù violins left in the world, and about 500 Stradivari violins. Sloan has owned both violins for more than 30 years. "I've never made a copy of my Guarneri completely," he said, "but I've used it as a reference."

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Replies

Paul Stein

September 15, 2020 at 05:06 AM · Dr. Sloan has my admiration for his love of violins and having the drive and fortitude to make his own violins. He is also very generous and is happy to share his instruments and knowledge with friends and musicians.

Marty Kasprzyk

September 16, 2020 at 06:46 PM · I've heard Dr. Sloan's violins played by some good violinists. His are pretty good too!

Susan Stephenson

September 20, 2020 at 04:57 PM · I had the good fortune to know Dr. Bill Sloan back in our days playing in the University of Toledo orchestra together. He is a good violinist and, obviously, very knowledgeable about his instruments.

He would have "Messiah" parties in December. Singers and instrumentalist alike would gather in his home and we would play the Christmas portion of "Messiah".

At one party, he generously let me play both his Stad and the Guaneri. Needless to say, I though I had died and gone to heaven already!

Thanks for sharing your instruments and expertise with all of us, Dr. Sloan!

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