PIRSA:17030086

Can Stradivari’s Sound Be Measured?

Curtin, J. (2017). Can Stradivari’s Sound Be Measured?. Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/17030086

Curtin, Joseph. Can Stradivari’s Sound Be Measured?. Perimeter Institute, Mar. 22, 2017, https://pirsa.org/17030086 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:17030086,
            doi = {10.48660/17030086},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/17030086},
            author = {Curtin, Joseph},
            keywords = {Other},
            language = {en},
            title = {Can Stradivari{\textquoteright}s Sound Be Measured?},
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2017},
            month = {mar},
            note = {PIRSA:17030086 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Joseph Curtin

Joseph Curtin Studios

Talk number
PIRSA:17030086
Collection
Talk Type
Subject
Abstract

It has long been believed that Stradivari and his contemporaries in 18th Century Italy built violins with playing qualities unmatched by later makers. However, a team of researchers led by Claudia Fritz and Joseph Curtin have shown that under double-blind conditions neither professional violinists nor experienced listeners can tell Old Italian violins from new ones at better than chance levels. Moreover, players and listeners tend to prefer the new. Violin-maker, researcher, and MacArthur Fellow Joseph Curtin will discuss recent developments in violin science, and his own interest in measuring violin sound in order to establish objective parameters for violin quality.