The Science of Siren Songs: Stradivari Unveiled - A Conversation with Joseph Curtin

Availability:
Ebook in EPUB format. Available for immediate download after we receive your order

DRM:
ACS4

Publication Year:
2021

ISBN-13: 9781771700375

This book is based on an in-depth conversation between Howard Burton and master violin maker and acoustician Joseph Curtin, recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. This in-depth conversation explores Curtin’s long quest to characterize the sound of a Stradivari violin and the rigorous series of double-blind tests he and his colleagues developed to probe whether or not professional musicians can really tell the difference between a Stradivari and a modern violin. The conversation also covers violin acoustics and how Joseph Curtin marries acoustic science to the art of violin making and merges time-honoured techniques with new materials and design.

This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Finding What You’re Looking For, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

I. Finding One’s Niche - Becoming a violin maker

II. Confronting Biases - Measuring a mystery

III. Characterizing Sound - Towards objectivity

IV. Making Modern Violins - In search of a new aesthetic

V. The Future Awaits - Digital violins, new books and more

About Ideas Roadshow Conversations Series:

Presented in an accessible, conversational format, Ideas Roadshow books not only explore frontline academic research featuring world-leading researchers but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research.