Fungi and Violin Making

Mycowood violins treated with fungi rival the sound of the famous Stradivarius violin Fungi Used in Making Beautiful Music The famous sound of the Stradivarius is now affordable! hen it comes to the modern day, including 450 to subject of fine bow 512 violins. Although many W stringed great violin makers lived in instruments, especially the Cremona, other parts of Italy, violin, the name Stradivarius and throughout Europe, usually comes to mind. Stradivari is generally considered the greatest and Just as microorganisms are most significant artisan in this used to produce fine wine, can field. they also be used to make By Andre Hsiung, MS musical instruments that can His instruments are regarded rival, or even exceed, the as amongst the finest bow Andre Hsiung is the Director of beautiful resonant tones of a stringed instruments ever Technical Services at Hardy Stradivarius? created, highly prized, and Diagnostics. He is responsible still played by soloists and for the technical support team and the quality control Antonio Stradivari was an professionals around the laboratory. Italian luthier and crafter of world; they are also highly stringed instruments such as coveted by the collectors. When Andre is away from violins, cellos, guitars, violas, microbiology, he is also an and harps. He lived in the city amateur violinist and can be of Cremona, Italy, from 1644 found on Saturday mornings in to 1737. The Latinized form a local violin shop, where he is of his surname, Stradivarius, an apprentice violin appraiser/maker. If you find an as well as the colloquial old violin in your attic or "Strad" is often used to refer neighborhood garage sale, to his instruments. please be sure to give him a call! It is estimated that he made HardyDiagnostics.com 1,000 to 1,100 instruments Figure 1: Antonio Stradivari and that around 650 of these crafting one of his famous violins instruments survived to that were unmatched...until now! This treatment alters the acoustic properties of the instrument, making it sound indistinguishably similar to a Stradivarius. In a dinner talk at a conference, Schwarze reported on his research and gave a preview of what his wood treatment method could mean, particularly for young violinists. Low density, high speed of sound, and a high modulus of Unfortunately, Stradivari died majority of musicians, and elasticity—these qualities are without revealing any of his even the most talented soloists essential for ideal violin tone secrets, but the general would have to partner with wood. In the late 17th and consensus among experts is wealthy corporate sponsors to early 18th centuries, that a combination of factors play these instruments. Stradivari used a special wood (wood selection, varnish, grown only in the cold period design, etc) made his With the severe shortage of between 1645 and 1715. In instruments so unique. fine instruments and hundreds the long winters and cool of fine musicians graduating summers, the wood grew To illustrate the value of his yearly from the finest music especially slowly and evenly, violins, one of his fiddles schools such as Julliard, the creating a low density and called “Lady Blunt” (named Cleveland Institute of Music, high modulus of elasticity. after its first publicly known and the Paris Conservatory, Until now, modern violin owner–Lady Anne Blunt), etc, these aspiring musicians makers could only dream of was auctioned by the Tarisio need to resort to much more wood with such tonal auction house in 2011 for affordable instruments qualities. $15.9 million U.S. dollars. without compromising sound quality. However, Professor Besides Stradivari violins, Schwarze’s developments other instruments made by A few months ago, a could soon make similarly other renowned Cremona, colleague shared with me an good wood available for Italian, and European makers article describing the work of violin making. He discovered from the 1600s to 1700s are a Swiss wood researcher two species of fungi also easily sold to collectors Professor Francis W. M. R. (Physisporinus vitreus and for the price of at least a Schwarze (Empa, Swiss Xylaria longipes), which couple hundred thousand to Federal Laboratories for decay Norway spruce and upwards of a couple million Materials Science and sycamore—the two most dollars. Technology, St. Gallen, important kinds of wood used Switzerland) who had for violin making—to such an Needless to say, these prices succeeded in modifying the extent that their tonal quality make these instruments price wood for a violin through is vastly improved. prohibitive to the great treatment with special fungi. Even the modulus of elasticity surprising for all participants: is not compromised; the wood both the jury of experts and remains just as resistant to the majority of the audience strain as before the fungal thought that the mycowood treatment—an important violin that Schwarze had criterion for violin making. treated with fungi for nine months was the actual Strad. Professor Schwarze uses the “Of course, such a test is vegetative state of two fungi, always subjective,” Professor Physisporinus vitreus for the Schwarze said. “There is no top plate and Xylaria longipes clear-cut, scientific method Figure 2: Physisporinus vitrius, a for the bottom plate, with for measuring tonal quality.” white fungus growing on wood in thread-like cells that actively The actual Stradivarius came the wild. It is used on the violin’s colonise the wood and secrete in second place. Schwarze’s top plate. enzymes which ultimately untreated violins came in last alter the wood structure and place. its acoustic properties. After six to nine months of Currently, Professor Schwarze exposure to the fungi, the is working on an sycamore wood will be 15% interdisciplinary project to less dense than before develop a quality-controlled treatment. treatment for violin wood, with successful, reliable, and Before the wood is further reproducible results. Until Figure 3: Xylaria longipes, also processed to a violin, it is 2014, within the scope of the known as "dead man's fingers" treated with ethylene oxide project that is funded by a growing in the wild. This fungi is gas. “No fungus can survive Swiss Foundation, 30 used on the sycamore wood of the that,” Professor Schwarze additional violins will be bottom plate of the violin. said. This ensures that fungal made from fungal-treated growth in the wood of the wood. “Normally, fungi reduce the violin is completely stopped. density of the wood, but at the Regarding what opportunities same time, they unfortunately Together with the violin this project can lead to, reduce the speed with which makers Martin Schleske and Schwarze explained, “The the sound waves travel Michael Rhonheimer, successful implementation of through the wood,” the Professor Schwarze biotechnological methods for researcher explained. “The developed violins made of treating soundboard wood unique feature of these fungi mycowood, (wood treated could, in the future, give is that they gradually degrade with wood-decaying fungi). In young musicians the plant cell walls, thus inducing 2009, the violins were played opportunity to play on a violin a thinning of the walls. But in a blind, behind-the-curtain with the sound quality of an even in the late stages of test versus a genuine expensive—and, for most wood decomposition, a stiff Stradivarius from 1711. All musicians, unaffordable — scaffold structure remains via the violins were played by the Stradivarius.” which the sound waves can British violinist Matthew still travel directly.” Trusler. The result was It is obvious that there are clearly two market segments for the violin enthusiasts: the collectors and the musicians. While all musicians typically care about is the sound quality, the collectors are solely concerned with the origin, identity and the craftsmanship. The author repairing an old As a personal experience, I Italian cello, possibly made by have been to appraisal events Pietro Guarneri of Mantua, where collectors and 1693. Original label shown appraisers don’t even play the below. instruments (not even pluck the strings) and they just look at the instruments as if they are fine oil paintings. When a fine instrument is uncovered or confirmed, the sense of jubilation is intoxicating, in addition to instantaneous wealth. Hopefully, Professor Schwarze’s work will confirm the viability of mycowood and allow so many talented musicians to produce high quality sounds without spending a fortune. Most importantly, from a violin connoisseur and appraiser’s standpoint, nothing can substitute the exhilarating experience of holding a Stradivari violin. Andre Hsiung Santa Maria, CA .

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