Scientists find secret behind sweet sound of Stradivarius violins

The instruments achieve their sweetness and brilliance by mimicking aspects of the human voice, study says

The violins made by the Italian masters Andrea Amati and Antonio Stradivari are celebrated as the finest ever made, but the secret behind their perfect sound has mystified experts for centuries.

Now scientists in Taiwan believe they have hit on an answer. Using software normally reserved for speech analysis, they found that violins from the two Cremonese luthiers mimic aspects of the human voice, a feature they argue adds to the instruments' exceptional musical quality.