Richard Ingham, and Agence France-Presse, writes about the recent publication of research conducted into the genesis of the unparalleled sound of Stradivarius violins.

“I assume that either there was a location where the wood was treated, or the solution, a mineral powder, was provided to the craftsmen, and they soaked and boiled their wood in that solution to kill the woodworm and to stop the growth of rotting fungi.

“There was a major woodworm infestation” at that time, Dr. Nagyvary says.

“If you did not kill the woodworm in the wood, there was major damage to the wood. Many, many artifacts in Milan, where they had no such methods, the chairs, the musical instruments show a great deal of woodworm damage.”

The woodworm treatment, he believes, is what gives the Stradivarius the mellifluous tones for which it is prized. It is believed that there are fewer than 700 genuine Strads left in existence. Acoustic specialists praise their “low threshold of noise,” and expert players cite the absence of irritating, gravelly sounds at low frequencies.