What makes a Strad a Strad?
The question has haunted musicians, historians and craftsmen, who puzzle why the most beautiful-sounding violins in history came from the hands of Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy, in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. About 600 Strads still exist, but, try as they might, modern violin makers have been unable to recreate the richness of their sound. Violinist Miles Hoffman has described a Strad’s uniqueness as “like a great race car – there’s more power than you need and it responds to the slightest touch.”
Experts have credited the degree of arching on Stradivari’s instruments, the quality of their wood – but this week, researchers at Texas A&M University claimed to have proved another theory: Chemistry.
Joseph Nagyvary, a professor emeritus of biochemistry, collected minute samples from restorers and found traces of a preservative called borax, as well as fluorides, chromium and iron salts. “The presence of these chemicals all points to collaboration between the violin makers and the local druggist at the time. Their probable intent was to treat the wood for preservation purposes,” Nagyvary says. The chemicals would have protected the violins from worm infestations, but it also indirectly gave the wood a unique sound, he claims.
Nagyvary hopes his research helps further study into recreating a Strad’s tonal sound. But not everyone is convinced. Carlos Arcieri, a violin restorer in New York, said the wood’s composition is an important, but minor, element of a Stradivarius’ genius. “The unique sound is because of the talent of the man who made it,” Arcieri says. “It’s how he made the instrument, not what it’s made of.”