Stradivarius Violins: Enduring Mystery Finally Solved
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New research reveals where Anton Stradivari sourced timber for his violins during his “golden age.”
Stradivari was born in 1644 and lived to the grand old age of 92, during which time he probably made more than a thousand fiddles, around half of which survive to this day. We know comparatively little about his early life, other than that he was born in Cremona, a small town in northern Italy that became the undisputed capital of stringed instrument making in the 17th century and has never lost the title.
How did this one man, who emerged out of nowhere, figure out how to create from a lifeless, silent block of wood the most remarkable sound machine we have ever known? Which today sell for millions. And why is it that, over 350 years since he was born, we still have not grasped how he did what he did? And given that the history of human development is generally one of progress and improvement, why on earth have we not worked out how to do it any better?
One feature of these violins that makes their sound so famous is the instruments’ soundboard, sometimes called a top plate, which vibrates and amplifies the sound as strings are played. The density, stiffness, and consistency of the wood all affect the quality of the sound, shaping its richness, brilliance, and dynamic range. Yet the source of the resonant wood used for Stradivari’s soundboards has been a mystery. But, now, NatGeo reports that this one piece of the puzzle over how Stradivari produced the unmatched sound in his violins has been conclusively solved.
A new analysis of tree rings from hundreds of violins has been published in the journal Dendrochronologia, showing the violins Stradivari made during his "golden age" came almost exclusively from Norway spruce - Picea abies - growing in Italy’s Val di Fiemme forest in the majestic Dolomite Mountains. “This is comprehensive, and especially in terms of dating and the origin of the wood, very clear,” says Valerie Trouet, a dendrochronologist from the University of Arizona. “I do think that’s put one chapter on this Stradivari controversy to bed.”
Now, experts just need to figure out all the other ingredients that make Stradivari's violins so uniquely special, as the nonagenarian took his secrets with him to the grave.