Varnish does more than just provide a protective sheen to a violin. It influences the vibrations and impulses that the wood absorbs and therefore the quality of sound the instrument produces, says an ...

Violin makers routinely finish their instruments with a thick coat of varnish, the better to protect and preserve the wood. Now Swiss scientists claim that this varnish also plays a role in the ...

Using high-tech spectrometres, researchers at the Musee de la Musique in Paris studied the varnish used by Antonio Stradivari, one of the greatest violin-makers of all time - and found that the recipe ...

To talk about a Stradivarius is to talk about the highest standard of craftsmanship an object can attain. Never mind the fact that studies have shown that many professional violinists can’t tell a ...