Violinists love to play on antique instruments, with some, such as Stradivari violins, costing millions of pounds. Now, scientists have discovered that certain older instruments really do produce a special sound; namely, stronger and more audible combination tones – bell-like “phantom” tones that not everyone can hear, but which are produced when two musical notes are played simultaneously.
The most famous of these tones are Tartini tones. Named after the Italian composer and violinist, Giuseppe Tartini, who discovered them in 1714, these terzo suono or third sounds had, until recently, been considered pure auditory illusions – generated through the distortion of various frequencies within the inner ear.
