To most violinists, buying a violin made by Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini, or Amati is an absolute dream. To luthiers, producing an instrument to the likes of those great makers is a life-long venture. And Joseph Nagyvary made that venture a little bit easier.
Joseph Nagyvary was a chemist. Born in 1934 in Szeged, Hungary, he was inspired by Albert Szent-Györgyi – another Szeged native, who discovered vitamin C, and much of the citric acid cycle – to pursue a career in natural products and biochemistry.
But biochemistry isn’t what Joseph really wanted to do. Joseph wanted to be a violinist. But during his childhood, World War II, and the communist takeover of Hungary dashed that dream. However, after majoring in chemistry at the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest, he moved to Zurich, as a student of Swiss Nobel Laureate Paul Karrer, where he was able to take his first violin lesson, on a violin that had previously belonged to Albert Einstein. It was love at first play, until he was told that he was too late to become a professional violinist.
He moved to the US in 1968, where he became a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at Texas A&M University. But he still couldn’t take his mind off the beautiful art of music that he had fallen in love with. He dedicated decades, studying, and examining fine string instruments, and trying to recreate sounds of Cremona ; an Italian city often known as the violin maker capital. Travelling to Italy in course of that search, he has perused mountains of historical documents, scrutinized over violins, and conducted hands-on experiments, trying everything from soaking wood in grape juice, to burying it beneath dung (that’s dedication!)
However, his greatest breakthrough deals with the chemical treatment that Stradivari, and other Cremona luthiers used for their instruments. Upon examining violins, violas, and cellos fabricated by makers like Stradivari, Guarneri (both from Cremona), Gand-Bernardel (Paris), and Henry Jay (London), he found that violins made by Cremonese masters had escaped from wood-eating worms, and fungi, whereas the instruments from other cities were not so lucky. He concluded that the woods used in Cremona had been treated with preservatives. According to a study published in the journal Nature by Prof Nagyvary, the maple that was used by the celebrated craftsmen could have been processed chemically to preserve and protect the wood, which also enhanced the warmth and power of the instruments.
Using the techniques of infared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance to analyse shavings taken from the interior of five antique instruments during repairs, it was eventually found that differences originating from a local practice of wood preservation – such as oxidising minerals – affected the mechanical and acoustical properties.
Understanding the chemistry behind this process could lead to huge improvements in modern violin production, and many violin makers are already jumping on the bandwagon, hoping to be able to create that million dollar sound, without the cost.
It is breakthroughs like this that greatly affect the violin-making communities ; that allow luthiers to get closer and closer to the extraordinary instruments of Stradivari’s time, and revolutionize instruments, and music.
This story was told to me by my violin teacher, when I was looking into buying my own violin. And this particular story really resonated with me, not only because it was so fascinating, but also because it teaches an important lesson.
Joseph Nagyvary wanted to be a violinist. But as a victim of circumstance, that door closed for him. But as they say, when one door closes, another one opens. And not only did Joseph open a door for himself, he opened a door for the entire music community, and a very important one at that.
Now a luthier at Nagyvary Violins, Joseph is a prime example of optimism and persistence. His story teaches us to always seek out other opportunities, even when it’s not the one you’ve had your heart set on. He teaches us to always pursue our passions, even if it’s not the way you expected to. And above all, he teaches us to never let go of our dreams. And that’s something I think we all ought to learn.
