Violin Maker to Discuss the Sound Secrets of the Instrument

First posted on 02-29-2008

Terry Borman, a world-renowned violin maker now based in Fayetteville, will present a lecture, “Innovation in a Timeless Art - Science of the Stradivarius” at 2:30 p.m. Friday, March 7, in Room 132 of the Chemistry Building.

Borman has spent more than 30 years providing a “voice” to notable virtuosi such as Pinchas Zukerman and Kyung Wha Chung. More than crafting violins, he also devotes his time to the science behind the instrument’s sound.

Human ears are extremely complex auditory sensors and it’s universally agreed that the violins with the most pleasing sound to human ears are the ones made in the Italian city of Cremona from the 16th through the 18th centuries, with the instruments made by Antonio Stradivari being the most famous.

Many notable scientists have attempted to explain the mechanism behind the unique and beautiful sound of the violin, but no one has yet identified the source of clarity in the “voice” of the violin. Researchers have focused on the wood, the age, the varnish, and even looked for a chemical treatment of the wood to explain the great sound of the Cremonese violins.

Terry Borman’s personal quest has focused on the front plate of the violin, called the “table” or “belly,” typically made of spruce wood. Taking a materials science approach utilizing non-invasive methods such as CT scans, three dimensional laser holography, and magnetic-resonance imaging, he has tentatively identified significant differentials in wood density between Cremonese instruments and newer instruments. His findings could influence the craft of violin making for ages to come.

Emphasizing the link between art and science in Borman’s research, his lecture will be jointly sponsored by the University of Arkansas music department and the department of chemistry and biochemistry.