The bowed string instruments: acoustic characterization of unique pieces from the Italian lutherie

The Italian handicraft tradition in the construction of bowed string instruments is a very important element of the Italian cultural heritage, that has nothing to envy to other wellknown traditions, such as painting and sculpture. The preservation of a handicraft musical instrument is fully incorporated in the preservation of the artworks of Italian heritage. In order to ensure suitable preservation, the systematic studies for the determination of the technical and acoustic characteristics of handicraft musical instruments are of particular interest. This study deals with the characterization of the bowed string instruments, with a particular attention to their acoustic behaviour. The idea of conducting such a research arises from the need to describe a systematic process aimed at the characterization of handicraft instruments and to collect in a single survey a description of different pieces from the Italian lutherie.