Cremona Violins

A Physicist's Quest for the Secrets of Stradivari (With DVD-ROM)

By: Kameshwar C Wali

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eText | 30 November 2009

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176 Pages

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Cremona violins occupy a unique and storied place in violin history. This book contains a brief account of that history — the rise and fall of the Cremonese art of violin making that dominated over two centuries. It is primarily devoted, however, to the physics behind violin acoustics, specifically the research of William F “Jack” Fry over the past several decades. The gradual evolution of his ideas leading to a holistic approach is chronicled, in sharp contrast to the conventional “reductionist” analysis. With rare insights, he has come closer than anyone before in reproducing the tonal qualities of the great Italian masters. This historic achievement makes the book extremely valuable for violin makers and violin researchers, enabling young and aspiring violinists to own excellent sounding instruments with the acoustical marvels of the old at affordable prices.

The accompanying video features Fry's demonstration of how and why minute changes in thickness graduations make predictable changes in tonal qualities of an instrument.

Contents:

Luigi Tarisio and the Violins of Cremona
The Rise and Fall of the Cremonese Art of Violin Making Antonio Stradivari (1644c–1737)
The Anatomy of a Violin and the Mechanism of Sound Production
Some Historical Notes on Violin Research Over Centuries
William F Fry and His Quest for the Secrets of Cremona Violins
Myth and Reality of Cremona Violins, Fry's Violins
A Convergence of Science and Art

Readership: Physicists, musicologists, violin makers and violin researchers.