FRANCE: The secret of Stradivarius violins lies in their varnish French scientists find

Record ID: 554664

  • Title: FRANCE: The secret of Stradivarius violins lies in their varnish French scientists find
  • Date: 5th December 2009
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 4, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF PARIS MUSIC OBSERVATORY "CITE DE LA MUSIQUE" VARIOUS OF STRADIVARIUS VIOLINS DISPLAYED IN MUSEUM JEAN-PHILIPPE ECHARD, RESEARCHER, CARRYING A STRADIVARIUS VIOLIN AND PLACING IT ON TABLE VARIOUS OF STRADIVARIUS VIOLIN VARIOUS OF ECHARD PLACING MICROSCOPE ON TOP OF VIOLIN ECHARD SITTING DOWN AND LOOKING TH
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Science / Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVA5RJJACCJRLVK65H5WY0JCFSUF
  • Story Text: Scientists in France have uncovered the secret behind Stradivarius violins - it's all in the varnish.
    It was a secret for hundreds of years, but now scientists think they know what gives a Stradivarius violin that distinctive sound.
    The Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari produced inimitable violins made either in maple, ebony or spruce which gave an amazing tone. But he took his secrets to the grave.
    Generations of violinmakers tried to workout the secret of the instruments' tone. Was it the wood or the glue or the assembly of the materials? In any case, it couldn't be imitated.
    Now scientists in France believe they have cracked the secret. They say it lies in the varnish.
    Stradivari used a simple technique and materials used by painters of the time. He also added red pigment to his varnishes, not in order to improve the sound of his instruments but for the aesthetics.
    "The varnish is a very thin layer which is very hard to measure, especially during the 19th century, was at the centre of the mystery during two centuries because it was the one thing that was the hardest to reproduce in an obvious way," said researcher Jean-Philippe Echard who works at "la Cite de la Musique' observatory in Paris.
    It's the way Stadivari applied the varnish which still remains the secret.
    "We have the ingredients of the recipe but we don't know how those ingredients were combined in order to obtain this finish which has been so admired," Echard said.
    Stradivari died aged 93 in 1737. Fifty years after his death, the Stradivarius myth was born and violin specialists started the hunt to see how to reproduce the Italian craftman's work.
    "Musicians, historians, owners of musical instruments and collectors have spent over two centuries investigating this varnish. There have been many suppositions, that there could be fossilised amber, propolis, all kind of strange materials which would have explained the singularity of the varnish. We have discovered that Stradivarius was using very simple ingredients to make his varnish," Echard said.
    Stradivari's violins are extremely rare and fetch extraordinary prices on the few occasions when they come up for sale. He built 1100 instruments, including 450 violins, in his life, of which only 650 remain today.
    Two rare Stradivarius violins made in 1714 and 1698 sold for to 5.6 and 4.3 million francs.
    The music coming out of those beautiful instruments is unique. And despite scientists making a break-through, it might be a long time before someone can really build a violin the way Stradivari did.
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