Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Stradivarius violins are highly prized collector’s items. According to some musicians, they produce elegant music with a level of clarity that is unparalleled by modern instruments. And it’s the finishing touches — mysterious treatments applied hundreds of years ago by Antonio Stradivari — that contribute to their unique look and sound. In a step toward unraveling the secret, researchers report on nanometer-scale imaging of two of Stradivari’s violins, revealing a protein-based layer between the wood and varnish. The study was published on October 17 in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry.
[...] It was reported in previous studies that some stringed instruments built by Stradivari have a hidden coating underneath the shiny varnish. By filling in and smoothing out the wood, this coating would influence the wood’s resonance and the sound that’s produced. Knowing the components of this film could be key to replicating the historic instruments in modern times. So, Lisa Vaccari, Marco Malagodi, and colleagues wanted to find a technique that would determine the composition of the layer between the wood and varnish of two precious violins — the San Lorenzo 1718 and the Toscano 1690.
Using synchrotron radiation Fourier-transform infrared spectromicroscopy, a technique previously used on historic violins, the research team discovered that both samples had an intermediary layer. However, this method couldn’t differentiate the layer’s composition from the adjacent wood.
Next, they turned to infrared scattering-type scanning near field microscopy (IR s-SNOM) to analyze the samples. The IR s-SNOM apparatus includes a microscope that collects images tens of nanometers wide and measures the infrared light scattered from the coating layer and the wood to collect information about their chemical composition. The results of the new method revealed that the layer between the wood and varnish of both instruments contained protein-based compounds, congregating in nano-sized patches.
Reference: “A Nanofocused Light on Stradivari Violins: Infrared s-SNOM Reveals New Clues Behind Craftsmanship Mastery” by Chiaramaria Stani, Claudia Invernizzi, Giovanni Birarda, Patrizia Davit, Lisa Vaccari, Marco Malagodi, Monica Gulmini and Giacomo Fiocco, 17 October 2022, Analytical Chemistry.
DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02965
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Sunday October 30 2022, @05:39AM (9 children)
There's been thought that the wood itself might have been different 300 years ago.
I also wonder if the wood has aged and maybe Strads sound even better than 300 years ago.
The source's source: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.analchem.2c02965 [acs.org]
It's a bit long and very detailed (and interesting.) They mention some things like:
I also wonder if the protein coating has done something to improve the sonic qualities of the wood over the 300 years. The article mentions:
The bottom line is they're not definitively sure what it is and how and what was done, but they're learning.
Maybe it was just a coating of good old hot hide glue?
(Score: 4, Touché) by driverless on Sunday October 30 2022, @05:55AM (6 children)
And according to an awful lot of double-blind listening tests by musical experts they're about the same as a modern high-quality concert violin. It's only when you know that you're listening to a Strad that it sounds a lot better.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by RS3 on Sunday October 30 2022, @07:25AM (4 children)
When I first heard a Strad, up close, I was surprised at how bright, almost shrill it sounded. I prefer a more warm mellow viola or cello. But being that I dabble in the music world, including live sound and recording, I quickly realized what made some people like them- it "cuts" through the rest of the orchestra. The one guy playing one (major orchestra concertmaster) likened it to playing an electric guitar. He said the notes almost jump out, that it took less effort to get loud when needed.
But yes, I'm aware of the listening tests. I should do a spectral density test sometime. Need to find an anechoic chamber somewhere...
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Sunday October 30 2022, @07:43AM (3 children)
See if you can make friends with someone who works for a test house doing RF certification ;)
(Score: 3, Informative) by RS3 on Sunday October 30 2022, @07:58AM (2 children)
I assume you're kidding? Anechoic is for sound, Faraday cage for RF? Actually I had to take some medical equipment for RF certification once. The Faraday cage was pretty cool. My uni has an anechoic chamber, but I'm nowhere near them. I need to find one near the owners of the Strad. (rich people, and _none_ of them play violin; it's just one of the cool things rich people own, like owning great artwork I suppose). I'm sure someone has done spectral tests on Strads... oh lookie here: https://bormanviolins.com/stradcomp.html [bormanviolins.com] and I'm sure there are lots more. I really don't want to have any dealings with a $15M violin unless I'm selling one. That'd be okay. :)
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RS3 on Sunday October 30 2022, @08:33AM
I should've looked more closely at the bormanviolins.com page I linked. I see that the Strad is indeed a good bit brighter than their violin. Again, some might prefer the sharper brighter sound. I wish the FFT chart displayed up to 10KHz.
(Score: 2) by coolgopher on Sunday October 30 2022, @11:14AM
Actually not kidding. For RF emissions testing you do need anechoic chambers as well (on top of faraday cage to block outside interference). And apparently that ends up anechoic for audio as well. Haven't been in one personally, but a colleague has (and is not a fan of it).
(Score: 4, Informative) by sjames on Sunday October 30 2022, @12:16PM
There is also the theory that it's a survival bias. That is, that there were run of the mill Strads that nobody bothered to preserve and a few really great ones that people go through great pains to preserve.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2022, @07:11AM (1 child)
> hot hide glue
Or maybe the magic sauce was... something even more wholesome.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2022, @02:08PM
> > hot hide glue
Worked with a master woodworker and luthier for awhile, from his perspective the advantage of hide glue is that alcohol safely de-bonds the joint, making future repairs easy. Also, as noted in this Wiki article, hide glue sticks to itself (even after the first layer cures), again making repairs easy--no need to fully remove the original glue.
If traditional hide glue didn't have that advantage, it wouldn't still be used...because it's a pain to work with, has to be hot and has a very short application time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_glue#Types_and_uses [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 5, Informative) by bradley13 on Sunday October 30 2022, @06:09AM (1 child)
There have been blind concerts: experts are unable to pick out the Stradivarius from modern high quality violins.
Are they good violins? Certainly. But the mystique comes from the name. Just like paintings: there were (and are) many painters as good as, say, Monet. But he got the fame, so his paintings are worth millions.
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Sunday October 30 2022, @10:31AM
Most high-end modern violins are made to have the same acoustic characteristics as the best examples of Stradivarius and the likes but without the trade-offs in play-ability. So, in practice, they're either identical (in a studio where multiple recording can be made to compensate for the additional bad runs) or superior (during live performances where easier modern instruments produce less errors).
There's a good comparison of different violins here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8q3zrCYMRw [youtube.com]
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