Physicsweb.org: “Science and the Stradivarius”
Posted in Music, Other on April 14th, 2007 by Eric Franklin
An award winning article regarding the physics of violin acoustics and the mysteries of the “Stradivarius sound.” A very compelling read that makes me want to learn to play violin - showing it as a complex and sensual instrument while breaking some of the mystical taboos associated with the greatest instruments.
Every violin, whether a Stradivarius or the cheapest factory-made copy, has a distinctive “voice” of its own. Just as any musician can immediately recognize the difference between Domingo and Pavarotti singing the same operatic aria, so a skilled violinist can distinguish between different qualities in the sound produced by individual Stradivari or Guarneri violins. The challenge for scientists is to characterize such differences by physical measurements. Indeed, over the last century and a half, many famous physicists have been intrigued by the workings of the violin, with Helmholtz, Savart and Raman all making vital contributions.
Article originally discovered via this post over at Signal vs. Noise.