[‘Antonio Stradivari’ (1893), a Victorian conceit of the craftsman as ‘hero’ by Edgar Bundy (1862-1922)]

If you are highly-strung about climate change, then think again; it may well have been climate change that enabled Antonio Stradivari (c.1644 - 1737) to produce some of the finest violins, violas, and ‘cellos ever made. The Latinized-form of his surname, ‘Stradivarius’, often abbreviated to ‘Strad’, is, of course, synonymous with violins that are unmatched for their depth, beauty, and clarity of tone.

“Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands had developed a computer programme that analysed Computed Tomographic (CT) scans to see how effective certain treatments were in patients with emphysema. One of the scientists involved was Dr Berend Stoel, a violinist with a keen interest in the secrets of the Stradivarius. [Above left: a ‘Stradivarius’ of 1703, on exhibit at the Musikinstrumentenmuseum, Berlin. Photo by Husky, reproduced under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version]

He adapted his program to work with violins and scanned five of the priceless instruments from Cremona as well as seven modern violins.

They show that while the overall density of the different instruments was similar, the 300-year-old instruments showed evidence of more even growth in the summer and winter. Dr Stoel explained its importance: ‘If you look at any piece of wood, as long as it’s not tropical, you have these year rings. The differences between these rings are the density - the wood is more dense during the winter than it is during the faster growing period of the summer. That pattern is influencing the resonating quality of the wood.’”

So, here, courtesy of YouTube, you can listen to the wondrous sound of a ‘Strad’ [the ‘Spanish 2’ of 1689, from the Patrimonio Nacional, Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain], performing as the First Violin in a String Quartet (Op. 33, No. 5) by Luigi Boccherini (1743 - 1805):

Earlier Theory

These new observations tie in well with a theory developed earlier by Henri Grissino-Mayer, a University of Tennessee tree-ring scientist, and Lloyd Burckle, a Columbia University climatologist, who likewise attribute the special quality of the wood used by Stradivari to tree-ring growth during a time of unusually low solar activity, the period called the Maunder Minimum (c. 1645 to 1715/50), a key event in the ‘Little Ice Age’ [see: ‘Did “Little Ice Age” Create Stradivarius Violins’ Famous Tone?’, National Geographic News, January 7, 2004]. During this period, temperatures throughout Europe were much cooler by between 0.5 degrees C to 2 degrees C, causing stunting, with slower tree growth and unusually dense wood.

Fascinatingly, “... modern violins, according to Dr Stoel, show greater differences in their seasonal growth patterns. The older ones had more even grain, reflecting similar growth periods in winter and summer.”

Of course, as Dr. Stoel rightly stresses, the violin maker must also be a master of the craft:

“It’s possible that you could use this CT technique to select different types of wood that would be more like the wood that Stradivarius used. But if you are a lousy violin maker and use the best wood, you will still end up with a very bad violin.”

Just so. Nevertheless, it appears that climate change has many strings to its bow, and that climate change, however grim - and parts of the ‘Little Ice Age’ were very grim indeed - always has its upsides. It will again, whether warmer, colder, wetter, or drier (and we are currently cooling a little).

And, never, never dismiss the powerful role of the sun in climate change - the violin provides a bridge to this sound theory.

“Pizzicato polkas all round!” “Tea with Boccherini, I think.”