Italian fiddler Francesco Geminiani once wrote that a violin ’s tonus should " rival the most perfect human voice . " Nearly three 100 afterward , scientists have substantiate that some of the human beings ’s oldest violins do in fact mimic aspects of the human singing voice , a finding which scientists believe bear witness " the characteristic brilliance ofStradivari violins . "
Using speech analytic thinking software , scientists in Taiwan compared the strait produced by 15 outmoded instruments with transcription of 16 male and distaff vocalists singing English vowel sounds , The Guardianreports . They discovered that violins made by Andrea Amati and Antonio Stradivari , the groundbreaker of the official document , produce similar " formant feature article " as the singers . The resonance frequencies were similar between Amati violins and bass part and baritone horn singers , while the mellow - frequency tones produced by Stradivari instruments were comparable to tenors and contralto .
Andrea Amati , bear in 1505 , was the first known fiddle Godhead . His purpose was improved over 100 years by and by by Antonio Stradivari , whose instrument now betray for several million dollars . " Some Stradivari violins clearly own female singing qualities , which may contribute to their perceive sweetness and grandeur , " Hwan - Ching Tai , an generator of the discipline , toldThe Guardian .
Their findings werepublishedin the journalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . A 2013 study byDr . Joseph Nagyvary , a prof emeritus at Texas A&M University , also pointed to a connection between the auditory sensation produced by 250 - year - old fiddle and those of a distaff soprano vocalizer .
According toVox , a blind test reveal that professional fiddler could n’t faithfully tell the conflict between old violins like " Stradavarius " and modern ace , with most even expressing a preference for the newer instrument . However , the value of these antique instruments can be chalk up to their rarity and account , and many fiddler still swear by their exceptional quality .
[ h / tThe Guardian ]
