CATGUT ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY, INC. J NEWSLETTER Number 40, published semiannually November 1, 1983 Since our last Newsletter members of tbe CAS have participated in conferences and concerts all the way from lowa to Paris and Stockholm with Cincinnati in between. The conference in lowa was organized by William Savage - the Fourth conference and workshop on "Acoustics and the Physics of Sound and Music." This included not only invited papers by Gabriel Weinreich and Carleen Hutchins, but a concert demonstration and lecture on the VIOLIN OCTET which fea- tured several pieces written for the top six instruments. The two big ones were not shipped out because they were being finished for something exciting in the Fall. Closely following the lowa conference was the 105th Acoustical Society of America meeting in Cincinnati. In addition to the technical sessions, the meeting included a buffet supper and CAS meeting hosted by Bob and Marge Fryxell in their lovely home in the suburbs? Mem- bers and guests were invited and all had a wonderful time with informal discussions as well as playing of music. In conjunction with their meeting, Carleen Hutchins spoke to the Cincinnati Community Orchestra following a buffet supper hosted by Ruth and Fran Rosevear. After the ASA meeting, CMH lectured to the Acoustical Consultants of America. Leo Beranek was in the group and contributed some interesting anecdotes of his early experiences as one of Professor Saunders graduate students during the time when Heifetz came to play his violins to compare the tone qualities of various instruments. Later in May, Carolyn Field, who has been working with us in the shop for several years and playing some of the new instruments, particularly the Alto, was invited to give a talk at the Detroit meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her paper - "The Hutchins Violin Octet: Past and Present" was well received. Since then the Australian Radio has done a broadcast on the VIOLIN OCTET and their musical potential including an inter- view with Carolyn. The "Sound and the Fiddle" was the theme of a lecture-demonstration presented by CMH at the Bloomfield, N.J. library. She was assisted by Alan Scott, playing several selections on the Alto Violin as well as demonstrating the Tenor and Baritone. Also, Eileen Ivers played sev- eral of the small instruments (Mezzo, Soprano and Treble) as well as conventional violins. Much to the delight of the audience, Mrs. Ivers played some of the Irish dance music for which she is famous all over the world. It was a rewarding occasion. Mary Lee Esty was invited by the Violin Society of America to lecture on the "History of Violin Acoustics" since CMH was unable to do it. This included a review of the early develop- ments which have been published in the paper referred to elsewhere on the History of Violin Research published in the Journal of the Acoustical Society. There have been many fine com- ments on the job which Mary Lee did. The Violin Society of America is holding their 11th Annual Convention at the Parker House, Tremont & School Streets, Boston, on November 11,12,13,1983. At the end of May the complete VIOLIN OCTET was crated up at 112 Essex with the help of Tom Coleman and sent out to San Diego, California, in care of Bertram Turetzky of the Music Depart- ment of the University of Southern California in La Jolla. This is in anticipation of a concert demonstration of the OCTET which is being featured at the Acoustical Society of America meeting in San Diego. The concert will take place Wednesday, November 9th at 4:15 P.M. at the Town and Country Hotel, Town and Country Room, 500 Hotel Circle N., San Diego. Turetzky reports that the instruments arrived safely and they are excited to be working with them. Turetzky had worked earlier with Henry Brant, who is now in California and who will participate in this conference and concert where they will be playing some of his music. The International Congress on Acoustics in Paris brought together members of the CAS from various countries around the world: Australia, China, India, Japan, USA, U.K. and many of the countries of Europe. There were many papers on the acoustics of stringed instruments as well as other instruments. Particularly interesting is the work that Dr. Heinrich Dunnwald is doing. He is a young violin maker and researcher who is combining the construction of in- struments under varying conditions with the effects on their acoustics. His work should give us a good deal of further information in the next few years. A session at IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique) , which is the Pierre Boulez center for musical re- search, was most interesting and the group had a chance to see the wonderful facilities con- structed underground near the new Georges-Porapidou centre in Paris. The meeting there was hosted by Pierre Boulez with discussions of the work they are doing by several of his staff *Those present were: Eric Arnold, Joseph Bein, Arthur and Virginia Benade, Jacques Chamuel, R.O.Cook, Edith Corliss, William Doolittle, Robert and Marjorie Fryxell, Adrian Houtsma, Carleen Hutchins, Robert and Sue Latta, Raymond Lewkowicz and wife, lan Lindevald ,Max Mathews, Herman and Eileen Medwin, Dale Rogers, Thomas Rossing, William Savage, Arnold Tubis, Gabriel Weinreich, Earl Williams, Ellery Wilson plus several others. COPYRIGHT Catgut Acoustical Society,lnc. 198 very Mass, 2 NL #40, Nov. 1983 A of 112 Essex 07042 meeting the Officers and Trustees was held April 10,1983 at CAS headquarters. Present were: Carolyn Field, George Foy, President Daniel Haines, Carleen Hutchins, Morton Hutchins, Dugald McGilvray, Robert Scanlan Elizabeth McGilvray, Richard Menzel, Robert M. Meyer, Oliver Rodgers, 34 Burning Tree Lane Richard Robert N.J. 08648 and Beth Scanlan. Vice-President The following slate was submitted by the nominating committee, Morton Hutchins Ethel Piggins, and 112 Essex Avenue chairman, accepted. N.J. 07042 Trustees : Vice-President Maurice Hancock George Foy elect 2 year term White Salisbury Road Richard E. Menzel re-elect 2 year term Farnborough, Hants Daniel W. Haines England 2 year term Carolyn Field 2 year term Vice-President Robert E. Fryxell 3 term McLennan year John George Bissinger 3 year term 28 Highland Close " N.5.W.2290 Robert Meyer elect 3 term Australia Oliver Rodgers " 3 year term 3 Vice-President Richard Sacksteder year term Helmut Muller " Miiller-BBM GmbH Officers : Robert-Koch Str.ll 8033 Planegg b. Munchen Morton Hutchins Vice President, USA elect- 3 year term West Germany Maurice Hancock U.K. Vice-President John McLennan ii Australia !1 Johan Sundberg Helmut Muller ii Europe Royal Inst. Technology 10044, Stockholm 70 Treasurer Warren Creel 456 Hamilton Albany, N.Y. 12203 Rex Thompson, 10 Rothesay Avenue, Hazelwood Park, South Australia 5066, will accept dues from Australian Secretary members before March 1, 1984 only. Bills will be sent out in Hutchins January. 112 Essex Avenue Hannan, N.J. 07 042 Norman E. 18 Lake Rise, Essex RMI 4DY, England, will also accept dues payments from U.K.members. Details Financial Secretary in January dues mailing. Dugald McGilvray 12 Clalridge Court N.J. 07042 ************** Editor NECROLOGY Robert Fryxell 8430 Hickory Drive Robert Ohio 45243 Bishop,Newark, Nottinghamshire,England John W. San Diego, California * .11 general mail should be addressed t ffice address. Newsletter material to ************* members. CMH had some very interesting discussions with Voichita Bucur on further possibil- ities for testing wood for violins both as to the age of the wood and its micro structure as well as information that can be gotten from ultra sonic tests. This should prove fruitful and particularly interesting for those who wish more information on what happens to wood for violins and why it seems so critical under certain conditions. After the busy and exciting ten days of the ICA in Paris, CAS members went on to the Stockholm SMAC (Stockholm Musical Acoustical Conference 1983) where Johan Sundberg, Erik Jansson and Anders Askenfelt had organized a very fruitful and rewarding conference. Details of this will be written up i. a later Newsletter, but suffice to say it was a rare opportu- nity for all of us to exchange ideas and to find many new conceptions and challenges as we talked to each other and listened to the papers that were given. A high spot of this confer- ence was not only the CAS meeting discussion which we had one but also the very fine concert which was given under the auspices of the Royal Academy of Music at the Swedish Musik- museet. This concert was the culmination of the composer contest for the VIOLIN OCTET instru- ments and three winning compositions were played with two of the composers present. The musi- cians were assembled and trained by Semmy Lazaroff who did a beautiful job. The conductor was Miklo's Maros. Before going to the ICA Hutchins visited with several violin makers in Italy. She was met at the Rome airport by Beate Kienitz, a young lady violin maker working in Rome, who drove her around Italy for visits which included several days with David Fix and his wife, Rene, in their lovely home in Cetona where David is working on an analysis of the Condax var- nish papers. Then a visit to Cremona where Hutchins had a very cordial reception with Francesco Bisolotti as well as Bruce Carlson who is doing some very fine repair work on the old instruments in his shop in Cremona. The Cremona school was closed but Bisolotti served as guide to several places of interest related to the work of Stradivari and hosted a very lovely luncheon.