The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: See what goes into making a Stradivarius violin great, from the special Italian spruce trees to the master violin-makers who come to Cremona, Italy from around the world. But are the old violins really better than the best new ones?

By Jacob Stockinger

Ever wonder what goes into a great violin made centuries ago by Stradivarius or Guarneri or Amati that makes them the favorite instruments of great performing virtuosos?

(The Ear will forget for a while the stories about how blind hearing tests with professional violinists showed that new or modern instruments outscored the centuries-old masterpieces.)

For whatever reason last weekend brought two terrific stories about what goes into making world-class violins – in specific the violins, worth millions of dollars, by Antonio Stradivari (below) and other master crafters and luthiers in Cremona, Italy.

The stories followed the great violins — and also violas and cellos — from the special Italian spruce trees grown in the dolomite Alps, which are celebrated and serenaded with music, to the actual makers of the instruments and the overall cooperative music culture of Cremona, Italy.

One of the stories appeared on NPR (National Public Radio) , specifically on Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Here is a link:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2014/12/05/368718313/in-the-italian-alps-stradivaris-trees-live-on

The other was a great segment on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” It has great visuals and interviews. Here is a link:

http://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/video/FWotANRzsjL84Aj5ziBSdezDN88_Hp3M/the-city-of-music/

And at bottom in a YouTube video, is a comparison test of old and new violin sounds. Listen to it, take it and see how you do.

What do you think of the comparison results?

The Ear wants to hear.