Classical music perhaps received its title because of the element of history regarding the genre’s compositions. Because the music itself spans such a vast period of time, the instruments for which the music was composed also carry great historical significance. Anything composed on electric instrumentation brings the music to a more present time, or what many refer to as “20th Century music.” This technological advancement, and the invention of new instruments, works on some levels, but a problem lies in that the instruments on which the early music was composed are wearing out, which will eventually make it impossible to recreate the original compositions. Violins, for instance, are not built, but carved out of wood, making the process of manufacturing these instruments time consuming and costly. But, if this process is something that needs to continue in order to preserve this highly regarded aspect of history, and considering there are technological advancements in instrument building, could it be possible to re-create the violin, to enhance the instrument’s performance?
These are the questions that Dr. Carleen Hutchins explored in her research, development, testing, and construction of instruments, starting in 1957. Under the initial direction of Professor F. A. Saunders, former head of the Harvard Physics Department, combined with scaling theory by J. C. Schelleng, a former Bell Telephone Laboratory Research Director, Hutchins began to explore how to enhance the violin, to actually provide a range of tone previously unheard from the instrument.