Session WII. Musical Acoustics Workshop: Concert/Demonstration of New Bowed String Instruments Developed by Catgut Acoustical Society, Inc.
Herbert M. Neustadt · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1971
A classic problem of acoustics is: How can one build a violin having a tone quality that matches the tone of a Stradivarius? This problem has been under enthusiastic attack for many years by a group of researchers led originally by the late Professor Frederick A. Saunders of Harvard, and more recently by Carleen M. Hutchins. The group calls itself “The Catgut Acoustical Society” and has four hundred members in fourteen nations. Many of the members have achieved professional distinction as mathematicians, physicists, and musicians. Forty years of work in a multidisciplinary situation involving technical researchers, violin makers, performing musicians, conductors, and composers as well as listeners have yielded a vast store of information on the conventional violin, viola, cello, and string bass. Many of these findings have been incorporated into experimental instruments built and tested by Carleen Hutchins in her basement laboratory and workshop resulting not only in improvements in conventional violins, violas, cellos, and basses but also in design and construction of a whole new family of eight violin-type instruments which give a uniform tone quality across the entire range of musical frequencies. These eight new instruments are to be played by musicians of the National Gallery Orchestra and Mrs. Hutchins will lecture briefly.