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Stradivarius' sound 'due to Sun'

BBC NEWS: "There is still considerable debate about why the violins made by Antonio Stradivari sound superior to modern-day violins.

Born in 1644, he established his workshop in Cremona, Italy, and remained there until his death in 1737.

During his lifetime, it is estimated he made 1,100 instruments - violins, guitars, violas, and cellos - of which about 600 survive today.

Stradivari is responsible for crafting the most celebrated violin in the world: 'The Messiah' in 1716. But what makes these instruments so prized?

The popular belief is that the Cremonese artisans of the late 17th to 18th Centuries had a 'secret ingredient' (or undocumented technique) that gave the instruments their famed sound.

Candidates include the use of a special varnish, chemical treatment of the wood, 'cooking' or drying the wood, wood seasoning, and the use of very old wood from historic structures.

But two US scientists think the answer can be found in the Sun.

Stradivari was born one year after the start of the so-called Maunder Minimum - a period between 1645 and 1715 when our star went through a decline in activity and output.

During this period, sunspots were rarely seen on the Sun, and the 11-year solar cycle that is so prominent today was closed down.

The Maunder Minimum coincides with what climatologists call the 'Little Ice Age', a period of very cold weather in western Europe.

Estimates of the cooling during this time range from 0.5 to 2 deg Celsius.

Evidence for the cold spell is found in tree-ring records from high-elevation forests in the Alps. There was a long period of reduced growth rates, and when trees grow slowly their wood is denser."

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