Chemical treatment to protect against woodworms was the secret to the acoustic brilliance of the Stradivarius violin.
Credit: iStockphoto
PARIS: A plague of woodworms was the secret behind the extraordinary success of the Stradivarius violin, according to a new U.S. study.
For centuries, historians of music, instrument makers and chemists have been trying to decipher how Antonio Stradivari, working in the small Italian town of Cremona three centuries ago, was able to make violins whose acoustic qualities have never been surpassed.
Theories abound as to how Stradivari worked his magic. Did he have some special glue? Did his maple come from old cathedrals? Or did it come from trees that had grown during a mini-Ice Age in Europe and whose bunched-up rings would have made for a denser wood?
But a study published today in the British journal Nature, led by a Hungarian-born scientist who has been exploring the Stradivarius enigma for decades, suggests the magic came from a more humble source.
Joseph Nagyvary from Texas A&M University led a team that used infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance to analyse organic matter in tiny shavings taken from the inside of five antique instruments during repairs.
The five comprised a violin and cello made by Stradivari in 1717; a violin made by a fellow Cremonese, Guarneri del Gesu in 1741; a violin made by Gand-Bernardel in Paris in the 1840s; and a viola by Henry Jay of London in 1769.
These were compared with maple from modern-day Bosnia-Hercegovina and central Europe, which is boiled in water before being baked by instrument-makers. The three instruments made in Cremona all gave off signatures suggesting that they were chemically treated - but none of the other instruments did.
According to Nagyvary, further work is needed to ascertain exactly what went into the chemical treatment. But, he said, his "educated guess" was that it was oxidising minerals that were used to protect against wood-boring beetle larvae.
These compounds were not only used by local instrument makers such as Stradivari and Guarneri, by also by furniture makers in 17th-century Cremona, he said.
"I assume that either there was a location where the wood was treated, or the solution, a mineral powder, was provided to the craftsmen, and they soaked and boiled their wood in that solution to kill the woodworm and to stop the growth of rotting fungi.
"There was a major woodworm infestation" at that time, said Nagyvary. "If you did not kill the woodworm in the wood, there was major damage to the wood. Many many artefacts in Milan, where they had no such methods, the chairs, the musical instruments show a great deal of woodworm damage."
The woodworm treatment, he believes is what gives the Stradivarius its smooth, mellifluous tones - for acoustic specialists, a "low threshold of noise," and for expert players an absence of irritating, gravelly sounds at low frequencies.
Just as important, said Nagyvary, is the hard varnish, derived from crystal powder, that Stradivari applied to his violins, again to make them less palatable to woodworm. This varnish gives a "Strad" its "brilliance," or clear, focused high notes, he said.
"Basically, I think the unsung hero behind the Stradivarius violin was the local drugstore keeper," said Nagyvary. "He was the guy who made this powder and worked with these toxic chemicals - and who probably died at the tender age of 30, penniless."
As always, Nagyvary seems
As always, Nagyvary seems nothing so much as a self-aggrandizing charlatan, who desperately seeks to justify his own failure to reproduce or better the work of the master. Not that the good doctor is a bad violinmaker... rather, he's not satisfied with being merely a good one. He wants to debunk the intuitive understanding Stradivari had mastered and to reduce the success of these wonderful instruments to mere chemistry. Sorry Joseph, it just ain't so, no matter how many illustrious journals buy your 'science.'
Some criticism for a critic
I respectfully disagree. I think the problem is that there are people, who like you, would rather not admit that it's entirely possible someone has decoded, at least partially, why Stradivari's instruments have such a unique brilliance that can't be reproduced. Even that being the case, I don't think that necessarily 'degrades' Stradivari's work. He will still be looked upon as the epitome of fine violin making.
I find it appalling how much bigotry Dr. Nagyvary has faced when he started his research. I would think that violin lovers (whether they'd be makers, collectors, players, etc) would leap at the opportunity if it by chance Stradivari's sound could be reproduced (assuming that the science is sound, and there's proof). Instead, all Strad owners are warned to NOT let Dr. Nagyvary near any of their instruments.
I think I have an idea why .. If Dr. Nagyvary is correct in his research, what effect would that have on Strads that are commonly sold for millions of dollars? Would it lessen its value, or more importantly, would that mean there would be less people willing to spend that kind of money on a musical insrument?
Lastly, there's nothing wrong with one who wants to challenge the status quo. If no one does this, many of our greatest accomplishments would not have happened. I think the problem isn't Dr. Nagyvary, but rather, the problem lies that some people may have to face the possible fact that their fanatical love for Stradivari's instruments may not be a total product of his skill--that's legendary of biblical proportions, but instead, it may be partially by accident. A scary thought indeed ...
Strad
Hmm - woodworm treatment, I would expect it to be Borax from a seasoning process and having a secondary benefit of being a flame retardent.
Many players actually find strads overly powerful and brash only actually deciding they like them when they are told that they are playing a strad.
I think in a blind test a De Gani or a Vuillaume would probably be preferred by most players.
Ever since science has tried to become a luthier there have been many such studies. there is no magic ingredient and I am afraid that it comes from practice and experience... and choosing the right materials.
A violin maker from the UK