Page 67 - 2016Winter

Book Review
These reviews of books and other forms of information express the opinions of the individual reviewers and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editorial Board of Acoustics Today or The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.
American Luthier, Carleen Hutchins— The Art & Science of the Violin
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Publisher: University Press
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of New England, Lebanon,
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New Hampshire.
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2016, 290 pp.
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Price: $35.00 (hardcover)
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ISBN: 978-1-61168-592-3
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American Luthier, Carleen
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Hutchins—ThThe Art & Sci-
e
ence of the Violin, written by
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Quincy Whitney (primary
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arts writer for the Boston
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Sunday Globe NH Weekly),
provides a biographical account of the violin maker and sci- entist, Carleen Hutchins. In 1997 Carleen asked Ms. Whit- ney to write her biography and provided her with valuable diaries and other material that has made this book such a true-to-life work. It gives an extensive chronicle of Carleen’s life while providing snippets of fascinating stories related to the art and science of musical instruments, and, in particu- lar, the role of women. For almost anyone involved in mu- sical acoustics, Carleen Hutchins was a household name as well as an inspiration to scientists with an interest in violins. Ms. Whitney says it so well on p. 136, “Carleen Hutchins had a gift for perceiving other people’s gifts, igniting their pas- sions, finding common ground, and then providing the en- ergy of enthusiasm that she powered like the wind.” She was awarded the Honorary Fellowship in the Acoustical Society of America in 1998 “for her unique role in combining the art of violin making with the science of acoustics.” This reviewer was one of those fortunate scientists to have known her and was most impressed by her selfless dedication to promot- ing violin acoustics. This relationship started with my Ph.D. work under Eugen Skudrzyk who presented me with several violin plates made by Carleen to study during my disserta-
– Philip L. Marston, Book Review Editor
tion, having received them from Carleen in the promotion of her love in life, violin acoustics. Her recognition was ubiq- uitous. Quincy Whitney describes the world class musicians that visited Carleen’s basement acoustics laboratory at her residence at 112 Essex in Montclair—a tribute to the reach of her fame and influence.
What is wonderful about this book is that Ms. Whitney cap- tures the essence of Carleen as a scientist and as a person. Having met and worked with Carleen, my personal expe- riences resonated in unison with Ms. Whitney’s accurate accounts. Furthermore, the author adds fascinating “Inter- mezzos” or short sections throughout the book that enter- tain the reader with fascinating stories: histories of instru- ments and instrumentalists, harps from 2500 BC to organs in the Dark Ages, women as performers in the Renaissance, polyphony and the science of sound, waves and vibrations, early days of Cremona, Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions of musical instruments, Michele Todini’s “cabinet of curiosi- ties”—the Golden Harpsichord, enthralling stories of the great virtuosos and makers of the 18th and 19th centuries, and finally the most famous violin in the world that no one has ever heard—the Messiah.
As a promoter of violin acoustics as well as a violist with a passion for string quartets, we find out about Carleen’s in- credible circle of scientists, not surprisingly also musicians, cellists John Schelleng and Robert Fryxell and violinist Fred- erick Saunders. Schelleng jokingly called this “intense four- some” the “catgut acoustical society” leading to the found- ing of the society with this name in 1963. Under Carleen’s leadership the CAS has promoted scientific research and publication in violin acoustics ever since its first newsletter in May 1964.
As a luthier we remarkably hear about a visit to Carleen from the “celebrated, internationally known instrument dealer” Rembert Wurlitzer of NYC that ended in an opportunity for Carleen to work with his master luthier Simone Sacconi from 1959 to 1963. Sacconi was a renowned expert on violin restoration and author of The Secrets of Stradivari. It is not surprising that 9 years later she founded the summer Violin Craftmanship Institute at the University of New Hampshire which continues to instruct luthiers today.
Author: Quincy Whitney
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Winter 2016 | Acoustics Today | 65