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There's a particularly interesting case with an extraordinary generation of violins made in Northern Italy, in the city of Cremona, back in the late 1600s—early 1700s.
有一個特別有趣的例子，在17世紀末期18世紀初，意大利北部城市克雷莫納產了一批非常棒的小提琴。
These vintage Cremonese violins are considered the best in the world.
這些古老的小提琴被認為是世界上最好的小提琴。
But it's not like the makers of those violins were any more skilled than their modern-day counterparts.
但并不是說這批小提琴的制造者就比其他現代制琴師的技藝高超。
They weren't. Today's top violin makers can pretty much replicate all the physical attributes of a Cremonese violin.
他們并不是。現在頂級的小提琴制琴師能基本復制出克雷莫納小提琴的物理性質。
But it's generally thought that the acoustical quality of modern violins doesn't live up to the quality of the vintage ones.
但普遍認為，現代小提琴的音質并不如以前的小提琴好。
Student: So what attributes of the old violins have been replicated?
能復制出復古小提琴的什么性質呢？
Professor: Oh, their dimensions, shape, their fingerboard height, uh, general craftsmanship.
噢，大小、形狀、指板高度，嗯，基本的工藝。
For a long time, people thought the varnish used to coat and protect the violins was special.
很長時間以來，人們以為小提琴的表面防護涂層很特別。
But research showed it was the same ordinary varnish used on furniture.
但調查表明，涂層和普通家具涂層是一樣的。
However, researchers have discovered that there are something special about the wood the violins were made from.
但研究人員發現，制造小提琴的木材有些特別之處。
And recently they have been able to replicate that too.
最近人們也能復制出來了。
Student: How? Unless the trees that Cremonese used are still alive.
怎么做到的？除非克雷莫納人用的樹到現在還活著。
Professor: The trees weren't replicated, just the wood, specifically the wood's density.
人們沒有復制樹，只復制木材，特別是木材密度。
Density is determined by how trees grow.
密度由樹的生長方式決定。
Trees, all trees that don't grow in the tropics grow seasonally, they grow faster early in the year in the springtime than they do later in the year.
所有不生長在熱帶地區的樹都是季節性生長的，它們在每年初（春天）長得較快，之后較慢。
So early growth wood is relatively porous.
所以先長出來的木頭相對多孔。
Late growth wood is denser, less porous.
晚長得木頭更緊密，沒這么多孔。
And this variation shows up in the trees growth rings.
在樹的年輪也能看出這個差異。
The denser layers are generally darker than the less dense layers.
較緊密的木層顏色比沒這么緊密的要深。
We call this variation the density differential.
我們把這種差異稱為密度差。
