Science: Old Y. New

Every violinist knows what a Stradivarius or a Guarnerius is, knows that these famed fiddles made in Cremona more than 200 years ago are considered the best in the world. Supposedly unrecapturable is the secret of the Cremona makers—whether it was construction, shape, wood or varnish. Professor Frederick Albert Saunders, Harvard physicist, has long been making a scientific analysis of the tone quality and playing performance of Stradivarius and Guarnerius violins in comparison with the best modern instruments. Last week, in the Journal of the Franklin Institute, he published his findings.

With a...