Climate conundrum: Does wood from the ‘Little Ice Age’ account for the brilliance of Stradivari’s violins?

2021-08-19T11:22:00

Climate

Did Stradivari have superior wood because of exceptionally low temperatures during his lifetime? In this article from April 2014, John Waddle, Steve Rossow and Steve Sirr investigate the idea using CT scans of Cremonese instruments

The best violins are marvels of engineering and there is not a gram of inessential material within the instrument. Each element is carefully crafted from the optimum material resulting in a complex acoustical device that performs with maximum efficiency. The choice of materials is made with three factors in mind: aesthetics, acoustics and function…

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