For centuries, modern violin makers have tried in vain to
recreate musical instruments that sound as good as the ones the
Italian masters made in the 17th century. Researchers now think
that the wonderful music from a Stradivarius is due to the
density of the wood it was made from and that, in turn, has to
do with how COLD the weather was at that time. Trees in the
early seventeenth century, when these great violins were made,
was affected by the mini-Ice Age that was going on at that time.
In BBC News, Matt McGrath quotes violinist Berend Stoel as
saying, "If you look at any piece of wood, as long as it's not
tropical, you have these year rings. The differences between
these rings are the density - the wood is more dense during the
winter than it is during the faster growing period of the
summer. That pattern is influencing the resonating quality of
the wood." If we have a COLDER future (rather than a hotter
one), will violins sing beautifully again? Art credit:
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