Sunshine juxtaposition

2 Comments

First, Nao pointed to a BBC News article on how the Stradivarius got its sound; specifically:

Scientists from Columbia and Tennessee universities ... say the Sun's [reduced heat during the 17th century] resulted in colder winters and cooler summers, [which] produced slower tree growth which in turn led to denser wood with superior acoustical properties....

So reduced sunlight (specifically reduced heat from sunlight) led to better wood which led to better violins. I feel like I'm watching an episode of James Burke's brilliant TV show Connections. But wait, there's more: according to the Guardian, the sun is getting dimmer:

Each year less light reaches the surface of the Earth. No one is sure what's causing 'global dimming'—or what it means for the future. In fact most scientists have never heard of it.

And to top it off, according to Wayman, the National Weather Service sez it's going to get a whole lot hotter very quickly:

UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER HAS ENTERED THE REGION FOR DECEMBER...AS THE EARTH HAS LEFT ITS ORBIT AND IS HURLING TOWARD THE SUN.

I can't tell whether all this solar activity is good news or bad news for music lovers. Maybe we won't know for another couple hundred years.

2 Responses to “Sunshine juxtaposition”

  1. Nao

    It does sound plausible, doesn’t it? And in fact, I think it ranks up there with the other more plausible theories I’ve heard.

    What may not be clear is that theories about the reasons for the quality of Stradivarius violins (and the Amati family’s) are kind of like the question of whether Shakespeare really wrote Shakespeare. That is, they engender a lot of controversy. Or so I’ve gathered.

    So I’m always amused, too, when another reason pops up in the news.

    reply

  2. David Moles

    Wow, Gene Wolfe City. And here I’d thought it was just my eyesight.

    reply

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