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This research proves unquestionably that the wood of the great
masters was subjected to an aggressive chemical treatment and the
chemicals most likely some sort of oxidizing agents had a crucial
role in creating the great sound of the Stradivarius and the Guarneri,
Nagyvary says.
Like many discoveries, this one could have been accidental. Perhaps
the violin makers were not even aware of the acoustical effects of the
chemicals. Both Stradivari and Guarneri wanted to treat their violins
to prevent worms from eating away the wood. They used some chemical
agents to protect the wood from worm infestations of the time, and the
unintended consequence from these chemicals was a sound like none
other, he adds.
The team tested several instruments, including violins and cellos,
produced by Stradivari and Guarneri from 1717 to around 1741, using
spectra analysis and other methods.
The results and those previously reported by Nagyvary showed that two
specific areas of the instruments accounted for their unique sound
chemicals used in the varnish and fillers of the instruments, and the
overall wood treatment process used by Stradivari and Guarneri.
This is highly gratifying for me, because it proves what I first
proposed 30 years ago that the chemicals used to treat instruments
and not the unadulterated wood itself were the reasons for the great
sound of these instruments, Nagyvary explains.
I was criticized and ridiculed when I made these claims, and to have
undeniable scientific proof that I was correct is very satisfying, to
say the least.
Antonio Stradivari (1644 to 1737) made about 1,200 violins in his
lifetime and kept a large inventory of them, and would only sell one
when he was ready to part with it. Today, there are only about 600
Stradivarius violins remaining and they are valued at up to $5 million
each.
Although lesser known, Guarneri del Gesu was a contemporary of
Stradivari and his instruments are considered equal in quality and
price by experts.
Nagyvary, a native of Hungary who learned to play the violin by using
an instrument that once belonged to Albert Einstein, has wondered for
years how Stradivari, who could barely read and had no scientific
training, could have produced instruments with such a pristine sound.
I started researching this in the early 1970s and from the beginning,
I was convinced that the chemicals used to treat the instruments were
the real key, not the wood itself, he says.
There is still a missing piece of the puzzle, Nagyvary believes.
The next step is to identify the chemical agents involved. To do that,
more precious wood samples are needed, he adds.
But in the past, there has been a lack of cooperation from the
antique violin business, and that has to be overcome. It may help us
to produce violins and other instruments one day that are just as good
as the million-dollar Stradivarius. And this research could also tell
us ways to better preserve instruments, too.
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