One of the secrets of the Stradivarius violins

(ORDO NEWS) — In the United States, another study was carried out, during which it was found that the world famous violinist Stradivari used special chemicals for his instruments. He processed his violins with them to make them sound unique. 

Chemists from Texas A&M University said that some of these chemicals have been identified for the first time. It is reported by phys.org.

Joseph Nagyvary was the first to suggest that chemical components played a more important role than the ability to make quality tools itself. He believed that not only Stradivari, but also many other famous personalities created instruments in this way, the sound of which had no equal for many years.

The wood in the violins was treated with a mixture of zinc, copper, borax and alum, which were mixed with lime water. The presence of these chemicals suggests that the creators of musical instruments worked closely with pharmacists or local pharmacies.

Nagyvary noted that such processing of wood allowed not only to protect it, but also noticeably changed the sound of the instrument. The scientists added that, most likely, each violinist had some secrets of his own and applied them while creating unique instruments. 

For example, it was possible to achieve certain acoustic features using special salts. The sound of the finished violin was also influenced by a wide variety of water-based reagents. Nagyvary emphasized the fact that not only the surface of the instrument is processed in Stradivari violins. 

The wood is well impregnated with chemicals inside. This directly affected how these quality instruments sounded when played.

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