DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN STRING INSTRUMENTS

Peter Klein

Pages 37-41 from CIMCIM Newsletter No. XIV, 1989

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Introduction

Scientific examination of string instruments were concerned, above all, with the problems of resonance and acoustic and, furthermore, with the determination of the wood species used and their origin and properties. Lottermoser and Meyer reported in 1958 on the first experiment in order to achieve a dendrochronological dating of Italian string instruments. In this preliminary study a relative correlation of the tree-ring series of three violins could be demonstrated; however, absolute dating was not possible. Up to the present further dendrochronological analyses on violins were only occasionally attempted for individual instruments (Corona 1980, 1987, Schweingruber, 1983). Some years ago a comprehensive investigation of the wood of string instruments was initiated by the University of Hamburg and supported by the "Germanisches National Museum Nurnberg" and Geigenbauschile Mittenwald" (Klein et al. 1984, 1986, Mehringer 1985). In a first step chronologies of spruce wood were established with recent trees from sites where the wood for the instruments most likely came from.

The main aim was then to dendrochronologically date the bellies of instruments made from spruce wood (Fig. 1). In addition to the absolute dating of the individual instruments the attribution to a definite geographical origin and a relationship between the felling date of the tree and the creation of the instrument were to be elucidated.

Establishment of spruce chronologies

Based on wood of recent trees and selected instruments from the 16th to the 20th century - spruce chronologies were established for different regions. The tree-ring series of the bellies were taken directly from the objects by means of a calibrated lens (Fig. 2). Presently these chronologies already cover a continuous span of more than 600 years from the present to the year 1350 AD. Up to date we can differentiate the origin of the wood for bellies into alpine regions and sites at low altitudes.

Using these master charts it was possible to determine the last annual ring of the wood used for individual instruments (Fig. 3). It is obvious that as a rule the bellies consist of two parts. It is also evident that before joining the bass side and the treble side the width of the boards used was reduced by different numbers of tree rings. This is shown by the comparison of the two individual curves representing wood from the same tree.

Use of Sapwood for string instruments

In literature (Leonhardt 1969, Ille 1975, Bariska 1978) it is often reported that no sapwood has been utilised for the bellies of violins and other string instruments. If this was generally practiced by instrument makers a dating of the heartwood would not contribute much to age determination of an instrument. In contrast to oak wood, the number of sapwood rings for spruce wood differs markedly between trees of different sites even if the same age class is compared. The trees can contain more than 60 sapwood rings. According to this it was unlikely that this valuable part of the wood would be cut off. For example, dating the wood of several instruments for which an exact date of construction is known shows that the interval between the date of the youngest growth ring, and the date given for the instrument is smaller than that comprised by the sapwood.

For some instruments it was also possible to attempt a direct determination of the sapwood. Tiny wood specimens of 10-20 mm thickness of the instruments could be stained with safraninastrablue and the sapwood character identified microscopically by the means of the blue stain in membranes of the bordered pits in sapwood, while the membrane in heartwood contains aromatic accessory components, which absorb safranin.

The storage time of sounding wood

The analyses of the wood selected for instruments in the School of Violin Making in Mittenwald with known felling dates demonstrate that a different number of growth rings were cut off in manufacturing an instrument. Figure 4 shows 10 boards from a tree felled in 1970 in order to make violins. Up to 29 growth rings were removed. These results are important in evaluating the storage time of spruce wood of old instruments. Regarding the belly of an instrument it is not possible to say whether the interval between the felling date of the tree and the creation of the instrument indicates the storage time of the wood. It is more important to consider that a certain number of growth rings were cut off in the process of manufacturing. Assuming that two or three millimeters of wood are lost it is possible to evaluate the number of growth rings removed. In the case of thirty five instruments this proved to be a reliable assumption and a storage time of between five and twenty five years could be concluded (Fig. 5). This statement refers exclusively to German instruments which were analysed and the analysis will be extended to instruments from other provenances in the coming years.

Dendrochronological dating

In co-operation with the museums in Brussels, Nürnberg and Vienna several instruments were analysed (Table 1). The dendrochronological analysis is only able to give the dating of the youngest ring on the belly. It is not possible to explain by the dedrochronology whether the belly is an original or a reused board. The belly of the bass viola da gamba made by Vogel (Nrnberg) can be concluded that an old belly is existent. The felling date of the tree used for the four boards is in accordance with the historical attribution. Similar consequences can be derived for the instruments made by Giovanni d'Andrea da Verona and Heinrich Ebert. In the case of the Violin of Ventura Linaro it is clear that the belly was made more than sixty years later. A more detailed interpretation of each of these instruments is given in the the article by Moens (1988) in the proceedings of this conference. 

Instrument        Historical                Annual              Determination
maker             attribution               rings               of the last
                                                                measured tree ring

                                            bass  treble        bass  treble

Hans Vogel        Bass viola da             130   130           1534  1536
(Nurnberg)        gamba 1581                64    58            1546  1526

Ventura Linarol   Violin 1581                     148                 1640
(Vienna C 96)

Giovanni          Lyra                      195    117          1500  1504
d'Andrea da       1511                              56                 -
Verona
(Vienna C 94)

Ebert Heinrich    Tenor gamba               128     129         1567  1575
(Brussels 1402)   c 1600

Table 1. Dendrochronological results of four instruments in collections at Brussels, Nrnberg and Vienna. The Index number (1 - 3) means the attribution to the same tree.

A good chance to differentiate between the original bellies and copies is to be done for instruments with the label of such a famous maker as Jacob Stainer. It is evident from Table 2 that the bellies of two private instruments were manufactured at the end of the century. It is also interesting that the wood used for the copies originates from the area Bayrischer Wald or Erzgebirege while to wood for the originals comes from the alpine regions. 


Instrument        Historical                Annual              Determination
maker             attribution               rings               of the last
                                                                measured tree ring

                                            bass  treble        bass  treble

Jacob Stainer     Bass viola da             1241  1371          1624  1608
(B 244)           gamba 1665

Jacob Stainer     Violin                    87    94            1639  1639
(B 5176)          1654

Jacob Stainer     Violincello               165   214           1657  1649
NYMMA 981.8

Jacob Stainer     Violin                    83    96            1651  1652
WAS 71, 17        ca. 1650

Jacob Stainer?    Violin                    72    72            1872  1872
private           label: 1642

Jacob Stainer?    Violin                    136   129           1889  1894
private           label 1721

Table 2 Dendrochronological results of six instruments.

  • B = Staatlichen Instituts für Musikforschung Preussischer Kulturbesitz.
  • NYMMA = Metropolitan Museum, New York
  • WAS = Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
    The index number (1 - 6) means the attribution to the same tree.

    Similar results have been found for the bellies of different copies of Stradivari and Amati instruments.

    Conclusions

    From the dendrochronological investigations of string instruments it becomes evident that a "terminus post quem" for the creation of the belly of an instrument can be determined. Exact dating is restricted to the last tree-ring available for measurement and not directly possible for the felling date.

    From the absolute dating of many instruments however, it can be concluded that the entire tree radius was often utilised for making instruments with merely the bark being removed. It is clear that the storage time of the wood varies considerably and that some rings were often cut off. The difference between the last measured ring on the tree and the historical attribution of the instruments shows the possibilities and the limitations of dendrochronology. In future the establishment of extended master chronologies for spruce from further geographical regions will allow more accurate attributions of origin for the wood used for bellies.

    Acknowledgements

    I am indebted to the Musikinstrumentenmuseum Berlin, Museé instrumentale, Brussels, Museum für Kunst- und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Geigenbauschule, Mittenwald, Deutches Museum, München, Metropolitan Museum, New York, Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuernberg, Kunsthorisches Museum, Vienna and Smithsonian Institution, Washington for their co-operation in my research.

    The analyses were financially supported by the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk.

    Bibliography

    1. Bariska, M. 1978: Klangholz, Holzinstrument, Musik. Naturwiss. Rundschau 31, 45 - 52.
    2. Corona, E. 1980: Richerche dendrochronologie su due violini del XVIII secolo. Italia For. e Mont XXXV, 112 - 115.
    3. Corona, E. 1987: Il violino del commune di Rovereto. Biblioteca civica "G. Tartarotti" Rovereto, 18 - 21.
    4. Ille, R. 1975: Eigenschaften und Verarbeitung von Fichtenresonanzholz von Meistergeigen, I. Holztechnologie 16, 95 - 101.
    5. Klein, P., Mehringer, H. and Bauch, J. 1984: Tree ring chronology of spruce wood and its application in the dating of stringed instruments. In Preprints of ICOM, Committee for Conservation, 7th Triennial Meeting, 84.1., 69-72.
    6. Klein, P., Mehringer, H. and Bauch, J. 1986: Dendrochronological and wood biological investigations on string instruments. Holzforschung 40, 197 - 203.
    7. Leonhardt, K. 1969: Geigenbau und Klangfarbe, Verlag Das Musikinstrument, Frankfurt/Main.
    8. Lottermoser, W. and J. Meyer, 1858: über die Müglichkeit eine Dendrochronologie von altitalienischen Geigen. Instrumentenbauzeitschrift 12, 295 - 296.
    9. Mehringer, H. 1985: Jahringanalytische und holzbiologische Untersuchungen an Saiteninstrumenten. Diplom-Arbeit Univ. Hamburg. unpublished.
    10. Moens, K. 1988: Problems of authenticity of Sixteenth century stringed instruments, CIMCIM, Newsletter, 1989.
    11. Schweingruber, F.W. 1983: Der Jahrring: Standort, Methodik, Zeit und Klima in der Dendrochronologie. Verlag Paul Haupt, Bern und Stuttgart.

    Read at the CIMCIM Meeting, Berlin, 11-17 April 1988.

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