aInstitut d'Alembert - LAM, Sorbonne Université / CNRS
bGeorge Stoppani violin making studio
cBELE, Conservatorio de Musica – Juan Crisostomo de Arriaga
dJardón Rico Luthier
Abstract :
The Bilbao project aims at answering this question by relating
intrinsic characteristics
of the materials (wood density and stiffness) and some geometric
characteristics of the
violin’s constituent parts (thicknesses of the plates) with the tonal
qualities of the
complete violins. To this end, six instruments were carefully built :
three instruments
with normal backs, each paired with a pliant (thin), normal, or
resistant (thick) top ;
similarly, three with normal tops, each paired with a pliant, normal,
or resistant back.
The two examples of normal top paired with normal back serve as a
control. Wood for
tops and backs were closely matched in density and sound speeds –
all tops and backs
from the same trees. Greater control was achieved by having all
plates and scrolls cut
by CNC routers. The outside surface was not changed during the
experiment, as the
graduation was performed entirely on the inside surface. In addition,
structural
measurements were taken at many steps during the building process
and the
instruments were then assessed during playing and listening tests.
These six
instruments constitute therefore an unprecedented set of carefully
controlled and
documented violins, and offer an incredible opportunity for
conducting various
analyses and correlations.