What Is The Secret To The Sound Of The Stradivari Violin?
The violins that were created by Antonio Stradivari in the late 1600’s to the early 1700’s have had a storied history and a reputation for creating an astonishing sound and clarity.
The Stradivari violins are prized collectors items that can easily go for hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars each.
It is a bit of a mystery as to why Antonio Stradivari was able to create such a rich and astonishing sound with his violins that is unmatched even today. One theory has to do with the quality of the wood that was used at the time. Back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, old growth forests were common, whereas today most of the old growth wood has been cut down.
This means that modern violins are made of newer trees than the Stradivari violins. The differences in wood density between early and late growth forests are significantly lower in the ancient violins and it has been speculated that this difference in wood densities impacts the vibrations created by the violins and increases the quality of the production of sound.
Another theory is finish Stradivari used to treat the wood with is the secret to the sound quality of his violins. While the exact formula Stradivari used to treat his violins is a mystery, it is known that he has used a combination of several types of minerals, such as potassium borate (borax), potassium silicate, and vernice bianca, and a varnish composed of Arabic gum, honey, and egg white.
