Violins
Forest, Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park, Italy
Ten hectares of the world’s forests are destroyed every minute, amounting
to 4.9 million hectares a year. Between 1990 and 2005, 72.9 million hectares
of forest vanished. Forests cover a total surface area of 3.69 billion
hectares, or 30% of the Earth’s land mass.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
These are the latest figures published by the FAO on 30 November 2011, which also reveal that the rate of net loss of forested land is speeding up, rising from 4.1 million hectares between 1990 and 2000 to 6.4 million hectares between 2000 and 2005.
Legend has it
that Stradivarius himself used to wander around Paneveggio forest looking
for the best trees for his violins: centuries-old spruce, with its special
qualities of resonance, provided the ideal wood for creating the sound
boxes.
The “resonant pinewood” of Paneveggio are (or were) particularly suitable for creating the sound boards for stringed instruments, as they grow in a relatively high mountainous region that is not subject to excessive and sudden temperature changes. This gives the wood its particular qualities of linearity and uniformity.
In the golden age of musical instruments, Fred Martin used only Brazilian rosewood (dalbergia nigra), the holy grail of essences and a protected species since 1969, for his guitars.
Today the demand for “resonant pinewood”, such as rosewood, mahogany and other prized woods, has not diminished despite the strict laws governing the import/export of timber, high costs, customs restrictions and transport difficulties.
The search for valuable woods that can be used, many of which are now at risk of extinction, should lead to alternatives being found. A committee formed of stringed-instrument makers, environmentalists and enthusiasts from all over the world, The Alternative Wood Committee of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative, is currently engaged in this work.
The committee is working for the distribution and promotion of alternative woods and the conservation of the remaining pernambuco wood, considered the quintessential wood for violin bows.
More details:
http://www.fsc-italia.it/
http://www.ehow.com/info_10065245_woods-make-violin-bows.html
The “resonant pinewood” of Paneveggio are (or were) particularly suitable for creating the sound boards for stringed instruments, as they grow in a relatively high mountainous region that is not subject to excessive and sudden temperature changes. This gives the wood its particular qualities of linearity and uniformity.
In the golden age of musical instruments, Fred Martin used only Brazilian rosewood (dalbergia nigra), the holy grail of essences and a protected species since 1969, for his guitars.
Today the demand for “resonant pinewood”, such as rosewood, mahogany and other prized woods, has not diminished despite the strict laws governing the import/export of timber, high costs, customs restrictions and transport difficulties.
The search for valuable woods that can be used, many of which are now at risk of extinction, should lead to alternatives being found. A committee formed of stringed-instrument makers, environmentalists and enthusiasts from all over the world, The Alternative Wood Committee of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative, is currently engaged in this work.
The committee is working for the distribution and promotion of alternative woods and the conservation of the remaining pernambuco wood, considered the quintessential wood for violin bows.
More details:
http://www.fsc-italia.it/
http://www.ehow.com/info_10065245_woods-make-violin-bows.html
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image: Violins Forest, Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park, Italy
Image GeoEye-1 © GeoEye, acquired on 12 October 2011
Image GeoEye-1 © GeoEye, acquired on 12 October 2011
Download
image: Violins Forest, Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Natural Park, Italy
Image GeoEye-1 © GeoEye, acquired on 12 October 2011
Image GeoEye-1 © GeoEye, acquired on 12 October 2011
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