De Munck (Stradivarius cello)

The De Munck Stradivarius of 1730, also called the De Munck-Feuermann, is an antique cello crafted by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. It was notably owned and played by Ernest de Munck and Emanuel Feuermann.[1] Steven Isserlis has described the instrument as his "dream cello [...] it has everything."[2]

It is currently owned by the Nippon Music Foundation, who has loaned the instrument to a number of prominent cellists.[3]

Background

The De Munck-Feuermann, while labelled 1710, was made during Stradivari's "late period". It owes its nicknames to two notable owners and players of the instrument, cellists Ernest de Munck (acquired in 1869[3]) and Emanuel Feuermann (acquired in 1934[3]), the latter being considered one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century.[1] After Feuermann's death in 1942, the instrument was acquired by American collector Russell B. Kingman, and then sold to cellist Aldo Parisot in 1956.[3]

The instrument was sold by Parisot to the Nippon Music Foundation in December 1996.[3] It was on loan to Steven Isserlis until May 2011, then to Danjulo Ishizaka. On 24 September 2019, it was loaned to Camille Thomas for a period of one year.[4]

Measurements

The De Munck-Feuermann is characterised by its long narrow shape. Its detailed dimensions, as measured by calliper, are:[5]

Part Measurement
Back length 74.5 centimetres (29.3 in)
Upper bouts 32.35 centimetres (12.74 in)
Lower bouts 41.6 centimetres (16.4 in)
Middle bouts 21.3 centimetres (8.4 in)
Depth of ribs 11.6 centimetres (4.6 in)

References
  1. "Emanuel Feurmann". The New Yorker. February 17, 2003. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. "Famous Strads: the Davydov, the De Munck and the Duport". The Irish Times. January 29, 2008. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  3. ""Feuermann"". Nippon Music Foundation. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  4. "'De Munck, Feuermann' Stradivarius cello is loaned to Camille Thomas". The Strad. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  5. Morreau, Annette (2008). Emanuel Feuermann. ISBN 978-0300183931. Retrieved 2 August 2019.


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