Acoustic evolution of old Italian violins from Amati to Stradivari

Tai, Hwan‐Ching; Shen, Yen-Ping; Lin, Jer-Horng; Chung, Dai‐Ting

doi:10.1073/pnas.1800666115

Cited by 40 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 48 publications

(74 reference statements)

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“…We noticed that in the analysis of the classic Stradivari violin, the content of certain inorganic elements is not naturally increased; for example, Cu 2+ , Ca 2+ , and Al 3+ , inferred bivalent and trivalent metal ions, may make cellulose and lignin cross-link together. These metal cross-links seem to change the sound quality of the Stradivari violin [27][28][29]. From our results, the divalent copper ion could cross-link the SCC and PEI together and improve the treble-sound quality, and the analytic system developed here might have potential to approximate the metal ion cross-linking effect with lignin/cellulose-based earphones.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

Improving the High-Frequency Response of PEI-Based Earphone with Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Lee

et al. 2020

Molecules

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The polyetherimide diaphragm, sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC), and copper ion coating composite used on earphones were observed to improve the high-frequency (10k–14k Hz) performance. This reinforcement phenomenon was expected to make the sound experience brighter and more diverse. By SEM observation, the mixed coating of SCC/Cu2+ on the polyethylenimine (PEI) diaphragm exhibited a planar blocky structure and was tightly bonded to the surface of the PEI polymer without the aid of colloids. The endothermic process of SCC and metal ion complexation was analyzed by isothermal titration calorimetry. The association ratios of SCC/Cu2+ and SCC/Ni2+ were 4/1 and 6/1, respectively, and the SCC/Cu2+ association yielded a stronger binding constant and more free energy. It was expected that the SCC/Cu2+(4/1) mixed liquid would be immobilized on the PEI polymer by multivalent interaction, including hydrogen-bonding networks between carboxyl groups of SCC and amine groups of PEI, and cross-linking of bridging copper ions. We used dimethylethylenediamine (DME) monomer instead of PEI polymer to analyze this multivalent interaction and observed a two-stage exothermic association of SCC/Cu2+(4/1) and DME with a total Gibbs free energy of 15.15 kcal/mol. We observed that the binding energy could be used to explain that the SCC/Cu2+ mixed formulation could be fixed on the surface of the PEI polymer and could enhance the strength of the PEI film. Compared with graphene films, which can continuously improve the performance of high and ultrasonic frequencies, this study was devoted to and was initiated for the purpose of applying porphyrin compounds to improve music performance.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

Improving the High-Frequency Response of PEI-Based Earphone with Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Lee

et al. 2020

Molecules

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“…Instead of subjective listening tests, Tai and coworkers have resorted to objective analyses to evaluate Stradivari violins' timbre quality [6] . T h e y r e c o r d e d f i v e to p -n o tc h Stradivari instruments from the Chimei Museum in Taiwan, which has the world's leading collection of antique Italian violins.…”

Section: Wenjie Caimentioning

confidence: 99%

String Theories: Chemical Secrets of Italian Violins and Chinese Guqins

Cai¹,

Tai²

2020

ACM

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The most valuable musical instruments in the world are 17-18th century violins from Cremona, Italy (made by Stradivari and Guarneri), and Chinese guqins (7-string zithers) from the 8-13th century. Today, musicians still prefer these antique instruments for their superior acoustic qualities that cannot be reproduced by later makers. Over the centuries, many theories have been proposed to explain the unique playing properties of famous violins and guqins, but most are based on conjectures rather than factual evidence.

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“…The city of Cremona, in fact, was already teaming with numerous luthiers, and the experimentation on string instruments was constantly in full throttle. At the beginning of the 18th century, Cremona was home to the most celebrated luthiers of all times, such as Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri “del Gesù”, and through them this tradition of experimentation gave birth to some of the finest instruments ever made 1 , 2 . Nowadays, violin makers tend to follow a “differential” approach, and apply idiosyncratic variations to violin models of celebrated luthiers of that period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A data-driven approach to violin making

González

Salvi

Baeza

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Of all the characteristics of a violin, those that concern its shape are probably the most important ones, as the violin maker has complete control over them. Contemporary violin making, however, is still based more on tradition than understanding, and a definitive scientific study of the specific relations that exist between shape and vibrational properties is yet to come and sorely missed. In this article, using standard statistical learning tools, we show that the modal frequencies of violin tops can, in fact, be predicted from geometric parameters, and that artificial intelligence can be successfully applied to traditional violin making. We also study how modal frequencies vary with the thicknesses of the plate (a process often referred to as plate tuning) and discuss the complexity of this dependency. Finally, we propose a predictive tool for plate tuning, which takes into account material and geometric parameters.

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Acoustic evolution of old Italian violins from Amati to Stradivari

Cited by 40 publications

References 48 publications

Improving the High-Frequency Response of PEI-Based Earphone with Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

Improving the High-Frequency Response of PEI-Based Earphone with Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin

String Theories: Chemical Secrets of Italian Violins and Chinese Guqins

A data-driven approach to violin making

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