Violin making, then and now

Pine, maple and ebony: these types of wood have for centuries formed the basis of that acoustic miracle, the violin. The combination of pine for the belly, maple for the back, sides and scroll, has been surpassed by no other combination; even the technology of the 20th century has produced no materials which equal the acoustic and enduring qualities of this ingenious choice of woods!

Many old instruments have been carefully kept in good condition by player and restorer, so that they can still be played, while when they were new they were played by great virtuosi such as Corelli, Vivaldi, Tartini, Viotti, etc. Luckily, beautiful modern instruments also find their way into the hands of the soloists. If these instruments are as carefully handled by players and violinmakers as the old master instruments now are, then in years to come the better modern instruments, as the "antiques of the future", will fulfil the same role that the old master instruments do now.