At Ease
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The secret behind the sound of the great
violins of the 17th and 18th centuries,
particularly those of Italians Stradivari and
Guarneri, has eluded scientists for centuries.
Joseph Nagyvary, professor of
biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M,
stands at the forefront of research being
done on the great old violins. He has taken
the information gained from his studies to
build his own violins, which he uses to test
his theories. In the process, he has acquired
a reputation as a violin maker.
Nagyvary has received international
attention for his work and seems to have
solved at least half of the puzzle of what
made the Italian violins great.
At Ease Staff
Editors
Bill Hughes
Marybeth Rohsner
Staff writers
Tony Cornett
Karen Kroesche
Nancy Neukirchner
Reviews
Karl Pallmeyer
Photographer
Bill Hughes
Features
Collector's Choice
Retired A&M physics prof Gilbert Plass spends several
hours a week playing classical music as a disc jockey for
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with 2,500 recordings in his collection, he’s never
played the same song twice.
Violins of Joseph Nagyvary 8
Scientist Joseph Na
gyvary is using a
combination of sci
entific and historical
research in pursuit of
the secrets of 18th-
century Italian vio
lins. He says he has
half of the puzzle
solved. And he’ll be
making history if he
solves the other half.
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