Published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study was conducted by a team from the Acoustics Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the University of Bologna and the University of Ferrara in Italy.
The results are significant because they challenge a long-held belief, propagated in the past by legendary violinists like Niccolò Paganini and today preserved by collectors, performers, instrument dealers and luthiers, that the superior sound quality of older instruments justifies the astronomic prices they command—the most expensive violins sell for upwards of $15 million.
In a series of double-blind experiments, NIST scientists examined eight new and historic violins, six produced between 1685 and 1736 by the legendary Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari families of luthiers, and two modern violins made in 1990 by the Italian luthier Gian Paolo Rugeri.
The results showed that listeners of all backgrounds—violin experts and non-experts, professional and amateur musicians, and those familiar with stringed instruments as well as those who simply enjoy listening to music—judged the modern Rugeri violins as having superior sound quality.
The researchers were able to explain why: The new violins are made with wood that is stiffer and more uniform in density than wood available to the traditional luthiers. The scientists suggest this difference is attributable to the current practice of wood seasoning with mechanical vibration, a technique that was unknown in the 17th and 18th centuries.
