Otto Seifert Berlin circa 1900
Otto Seifert, at the peak of his career, made instruments in the style of the Neu-Cremona school of lutherie, described in Max Grossman's book of that name.
Grossman theorized that the thickness of an instrument's top and back plates was key to understanding and recreating the superior sound of golden era Cremonese instruments. He wrote that luthiers should tap the plates and listen to the pitches produced. They should stop removing material from the plates when the pitches resonate at the ideal frequencies.
Grossman eschewed competing theories about the superiority of Cremonese varnish or material.
Seifert, who was a more skilled and productive maker than Grossman, built instruments to test and illustrate Grossman's theories. Instruments from this collaboration, including this violin, are branded on the interior of the top plate "Neu-Cremona."
Otto Seifert, at the peak of his career, made instruments in the style of the Neu-Cremona school of lutherie, described in Max Grossman's book of that name.
Grossman theorized that the thickness of an instrument's top and back plates was key to understanding and recreating the superior sound of golden era Cremonese instruments. He wrote that luthiers should tap the plates and listen to the pitches produced. They should stop removing material from the plates when the pitches resonate at the ideal frequencies.
Grossman eschewed competing theories about the superiority of Cremonese varnish or material.
Seifert, who was a more skilled and productive maker than Grossman, built instruments to test and illustrate Grossman's theories. Instruments from this collaboration, including this violin, are branded on the interior of the top plate "Neu-Cremona."