Violin Forum/Message Board

John Cadd · Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:27 am Post subject: Did Stradivarius wear glasses

Does it seem unusual that such a difficult thing as violinmaking was possible for a ninety year old maker? Did they make spectacles in those days?This not skeptical ,just curious.

rs · Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 3:04 pm Post subject:

They did indeed make spectacles in his day. The telescope was invented about 125 years before AS was ninety by a Dutch spectacle maker. Magnification was well in place, therefore. But in answer to your question, I have no idea if HE wore them!
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Randall Shenefelt

John Cadd · Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 5:25 pm Post subject:

Thanks rs. I never knew they made them so long ago. OK before I leave the whole subject.Did many people live as long as that in those days? I thought most died when they were teenagers.(Not literally ).

actonern · Super Member Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 444

"Did many people live as long as that in those days"

Not on average, but averages don't tell the story well. In our time, for example, a newborn's odds of making it to 70 are much lower than the odds of a 65 year old making it to 70. In Stradivari's time, the toll on longevity, including childhood diseases, death at birth, death from plague, etc, greatly lowered average age expectancy... BUT... if you managed to clear those hurdles and lived "right," life expectancy would be little different than today.

You just had to be a lot more lucky, is all...

E

John Cadd · Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:31 am Post subject:

Thanks Actonern ,I can see where my faulty logic came in there.I had a mad notion that if he lived (say) 2 1/2 times longer than average that would , in modern days , work out at about 200 years .No way!. Thanks. My you, it would have been nice to hear what he would have made. When we get to Heaven.