More research of old violin sound

[mtrycrafts]

I stumbled on this link and discussion at AVS:
http://www.livescience.com/othernews/061129_violin_treatment.html

Most interesting. But, what is really interesting is this from that article

“I played a Strad for some time,” said Christopher Whiting, a professional violinist and a writer for Strings Magazine. “Now I have daily contact with a Guarneri del Gesù. I don't believe that expensive old violins sound better than good modern violins. I have never been able to hear the difference when doing a 'blind test,' listening to several violins, one after the other, without looking to see which one is being played. Nobody I've met has been able to do it either. But it's easy to tell the difference between a good violinist and a bad violinist!”

 

[tbewick]

I think the point about the purpose or usage of those old violins now is interesting. I think that's why there's been that drive towards using period instruments because the sound is so different. Of course it's all a matter of personal taste. Some people think that Mozart didn't use the flute so much in his compositions simply because the flute at that time had a less pleasing sound than modern versions. There's also the matter of older instruments sometimes being more difficult to play.

 

[Ampdog]

Entirely interesting. We need more of this!

As a poor electronics engineer that also listens to music (correct order should perhaps be the other way round). This fascinates me. More of that could only enrich the lives of "true" engineers, vs. scope gazers.

 

[krabapple]

He needs to use Monster's oxygen-free violin strings. Otherwise he won't hear the difference.

 

[gmichael]

He needs to use Monster's oxygen-free violin strings. Otherwise he won't hear the difference.

What kind of Bose should he use?

 

[Resident Loser]

As I recall...

...part of it is playing styles have changed...vibrato is a relatively latter-day, some would say, affectation...it's more difficult to hold a rock-solid sustained note...Probably the reason period pieces on original instruments sound different.

Mozart did in fact write for the flute...perhaps not a fave of his but, so did Bach and Vivaldi and they both pre-date him...not sure if the instrument's evolution was all that stunted, sound-wise...

jimHJJ(...drums, plucked strings, vibrating air columns...I think that's the order roughly...)

 

[tbewick]

...part of it is playing styles have changed...vibrato is a relatively latter-day, some would say, affectation...it's more difficult to hold a rock-solid sustained note...Probably the reason period pieces on original instruments sound different.

Mozart did in fact write for the flute...perhaps not a fave of his but, so did Bach and Vivaldi and they both pre-date him...not sure if the instrument's evolution was all that stunted, sound-wise...

jimHJJ(...drums, plucked strings, vibrating air columns...I think that's the order roughly...)

It's just something I read in the inlay of The Academy of Ancient Music's version of some of the Mozart symphonies. It actually makes a point about how they avoided vibrato. Their version is very 'anti-romantic' in style overall. Having the old violins does make difference to the sound because they have more individual sounds than modern instruments. If I remember correctly, only a few of the violinists use Strad's.

 

[skizzerflake]

There are several things that would have made music back then sound quite different. String players didn't use vibrato and brass instruments didn't have valves. In addition, sometime during the first half of the 1700's, musicians started using a different scale, with slightly different pitches for the notes. The tempered scale made it easier to move a piece of music to a different key and still have the harmonies work. With no vibrato, valveless brass and a different scale, their music must have sounded quite different. I hve heard early music groups that used valvless brass and it is quite hair-raising.