I read the New York Times article, “A Strad? Violinists Can’t Tell” by Pam Belluck. I am thoroughly interested in classical music so this article which combined music and science was perfect for me. This article hypothesized that the age and type of violin, in the end, doesn’t really matter as the two types are basically indistinguishable. Professional violinist, soloists and acclaimed artists from around the world participated in an experiment in which violinist were given a variety of violins (both old and new) and asked which was their favorite. One such line of research was “new-versus-old research in 2010, asking 21 players at an international competition in Indiana to put on goggles that obscured their vision, and try three new violins and three old. Thirteen chose a new violin as their favorite; the least favorite of the six was a Stradivarius, researchers reported.” Many believe that the hundred year old instruments made by Stradivarius or Gesu are better than any new instrument. “Researchers looking into this belief beg to differ. In a new study, they report that internationally accomplished violinists could not distinguish between old and new in a blind playoff, and that many chose a new instrument as their favorite.” Although further tests need to be conducted, the conclusion for now is that the Stradivarius violins aren’t necessarily better than newer instruments.
This article is important to our modern society as well as to the classical music world. The experiments detailed in the article show that “old” and “acclaimed” instruments aren’t necessarily the best. This is important for young musicians, both amateur and professional, who don’t have the funds to pay for a multi-million dollar violin.
Although this article was informative and interesting I felt that more evidence concerning the scientific and experimental aspects of this phenomenon could have been included. The article mentions a more in depth experiment that was recently completed and it would have been nice to have those results.
I read Emma’s review on the article, “A Strad? Violinists Can’t Tell.” I thought that she did a good job on her review and that it was insightful and to the point. The first thing I think she did well was her use of quotes. They weren’t too long or too short, and they really got to the point of what she was trying to say. I don’t believe that she could have picked better quotes for her argument, or that she could have integrated them better into her review. The second thing I think she did well was the summary. It was very easy to understand what the article she read was about, and her summary did not drag on for too long or get bogged down in the details. I feel like she had just the right amount of information. The final thing I think Emma did well was to explain the effect such research might have on the world as a whole, and specifically musicians. The experiment found that most violinists actually prefer newer instruments to old ones, showing that age does not always make the best violin. This means that both professionals and amateurs alike don’t need to pay crazy amounts of money for an instrument that isn’t really as good as everyone says it is. I think Emma was right in saying that this is the most important effect the research will have, and it was a very insightful comment on her part.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think Emma could have done better was make her review longer. It seemed pretty short to me, especially compared to other reviews that people write. Her first paragraph seemed long enough, but her second and third seemed a little sparse and lacking in the information department. The other thing she could have improved upon was her choice of article. It seemed that this article was more about music and instruments than science. The researchers did perform an experiment with players and instruments, but the results have an impact almost solely on the musical community. She could have picked a topic more related to science or what we’re studying right now.
I learned from this article that the Stradivarius violin is actually not considered the best by many violinists. This interests me from a musical standpoint because I play the cello and have been looking to buy one. Obviously I am not in the market for a cello as expensive as the instruments this article is talking about, but the information I learned about the age of the instrument is interesting and I find it useful in my own search.