Kameshwar Wali
Syracuse University
Department of Physics
Monday, May 2, 2011
4:30 p.m.
Cardwell 102
Cremona Violins; a Physicist’s Quest for the Secrets of Stradivari
Cremona violins occupy a unique and storied place in violin history. The talk will present a brief account of that history − the rise and fall of the Cremonese art of violin making that dominated over two centuries. It will be primarily devoted, however, to the physics behind violin acoustics, specifically the research of William F “Jack Fry over the past several decades, chronicling gradual evolution in his ideas leading to a holistic approach in sharp contrast to the conventional “reductionist“ approach. A brief video will demonstrate Fry’s main points at the end.