Italian virtuoso Niccolo Paganini's favorite violin, dubbed "Il Cannone (The Cannon)" for its powerful and distinctive sound, was scanned by French scientists using advanced X-ray technology in efforts to find out how exactly it produces such a captivatingly unique tone, AFP reports last Monday, March 11.
History of Paganini's Priced Possession, 'Il Cannone'
Paganini's trusty "companion," which would later on become one of the most valuable of its kind having been recently insured for over €30 million (more than $32 million), was built by famed master luthier Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri in the Italian city of Cremona in 1743.
The violin's notoriety began to build up after it was gifted to Paganini, who was fresh from a gambling loss at the time, which made him lose possession of his exorbitantly priced Amati violin.
Catching wind of this loss, a rich French businessman and novice violinist named Livron then proceeded to lend Paganini a Guarneri-made instrument to use. After hearing it being played masterfully, Livron refused to take the instrument back from Paganini.
Since then, the virtuoso would develop a lifelong "partnership" with the instrument and eventually gave the violin its now-famous nickname, "Il Cannone" or "The Cannon."
Paganini has even developed new techniques thanks to the instrument, so much so that the two are now inextricably linked under the title "Il Cannone, ex Paganini."
Last Monday, French scientists and historians collaborated to unravel the secrets behind the sound quality of "Il Cannone," hoping to also find insights on how to retain this tone for centuries more.
'Il Cannone' Inspected at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
To thoroughly inspect and study each intricacy the instrument possessed, it was placed in a clear glass casing and was blasted with "non-destructive" X-rays at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF).
The researchers in charge of the project aimed to catalog every minute detail of the violin's wooden structure to study it more effectively, the data of which would take numerous months to collate and organize, according to their statement to AFP.
The ensuing study will also utilize a state-of-the-art technique that allows the scientists to create a 3D render that matches the intricacies of the original violin to a "tee," eventually allowing them to zoom in on a micron of an area, or around a thousandth of a millimeter.
ESRF Project Leader Luigi Paolasini said that this particular study is going to open "new possibilities" in the ensuing research surrounding the "conservation of ancient musical instruments of cultural interest."
He added that this endeavor also allows for a unique opportunity for multiple disciplines to cross over, particularly that of "music, history, and science."
Paolasini's colleague, Paul Tafforeau, explained that the project's foremost goal is "conservation," saying, "If ever any flaws need repairing, we will have all the details."
"It's an exceptional instrument in terms of its sound qualities," he added. "With this data we hope to better understand why."
