Pierre and Marie Curie University
Expert on the acoustics of violins at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France
PROFILE
Claudia Fritz
Guest
FROM Claudia Fritz
To the Point
Should New Violins Really Play Second Fiddle to the Old Masters? Violins made centuries ago by Stradivari or Guarneri del Gesu can bring millions of dollars but do they really sound all that much better than instruments being made today? Claudia Fritz, a French expert on the acoustics of violins, persuaded musicians at an international competition in Indianapolis to play six classic and modern instruments while wearing goggles, so they couldn't see which was which. Then she asked them which they'd most like to take home. We hear more from Fritz, and from Nicholas Wade, author of The Faith Instinct , about the evolution of religious behavior, is a science reporter for the New York Times .
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