Some scientists hypothesize that the dense wood used in Stradivarius instruments was caused by slow tree growth during the cooler period.

Barjansky's cello was an outstanding Stradivarius instrument which became known as the Barjansky Stradivarius.

He plays a contemporary violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner which he has had since 2002, preferring it to his previous Stradivarius instrument.

Over the years, he amassed nearly two dozen Stradivarius instruments, 10 Guarneri del Gesus and 20 more by other celebrated makers.

It plays on four Stradivarius instruments.

To find four Stradivarius instruments in one quartet is very rare.

However, neither blind listening tests nor acoustic analysis have ever demonstrated that Stradivarius instruments are better than other high-quality instruments or even reliably distinguishable from them.

It is one of only 700 known extant Stradivarius instruments in the world today.

There are fewer than 700 extant Stradivarius instruments in the world today; thus, it is considered one of the most valuable instruments in the world.

Many violinists in the division play expensive Stradivarius instruments and some already have professional managers for concerts and recordings.