Characterization of violins : a digital tool at the service of organology

The instruments of the violin family differ in size and morphology, which vary according to epoch and region. This diversity is difficult to study because most of the old instruments that have come down to us have been recut to match the dimensions of the new models in use. Anomalies can therefore appear in the vault, but they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. This project aims to develop a digital tool in the programming language Python to objectively quantify these singularities and geometric anomalies of ancient violins and violas. All this is based on a set of digital representations of the three-dimensional geometry of these instruments, which come essentially from the MIM (Musical Instruments Museum, Brussels). The challenges are to enable organologists to better understand the original morphology of members of the violin family under the Ancient Regime, and to evaluate the authenticity of ancient instruments. This research will also help to guide luthiers and musicians who are often involved in historically informed interpretation practices.