Yet since the carrying power of a musical instrument can be properly judged only from a last-row seat in a concert hall, the recent "scientific" studies of modern violins versus old lack validity.
The first thing I did was to play my violin to test the acoustics in the building — they were amazing," said Ms. Shih, who is a professor of violin studies at the University of Mainz's School of Music as well as artistic director of concerts in Norfolk, England, and in Casalmaggiore, Italy.
In 1826 Bennett became a chorister at King's College, Cambridge, and also entered the Royal Academy of Music to study violin, piano, and composition.
He told of growing up in rural New York State among cows and tractors while studying the violin and of veering into show business after earning a degree in business management.
To study how violin contours change over time, Dan Chitwood, a plant biologist and avid viola player at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St .Louis, Missouri, analyzed photographs of more than 7000 auctioned violins made between the years of 1560 and 2003.
With the country's huge population, cultural vitality, swelling middle class, emulation of things Western and parental devotion to children's achievement, tens of millions of its people are studying piano, violin and other Western instruments.
Violinmakers are taking up the tools of science in a study of Guarneri del Gesù's Vieuxtemps and other great violins.
He began study violin at the age of 6, gave a recital at Carnegie Hall at 15; then studied with Ravel.
But first he threw himself into study of the piano and soon was accompanying his father in piano-violin duets.
