There is a tree of Music?
In 1786, a man named Francois Xavier Tourte invented something that would change the world of the music world. For better! Tourte managed to make a bow for string instruments, especially the violin. The violin needs an arch that has to be flexible and firm and Tourte ‘s challenge was to find the perfect timber.
He found what he looked for in the wood sugar barrels arriving in Europe from Brazil. The reddish color and strong wood known as “pernambuco” was, in fact, the pau-Brazil. It was so abundant in the Portuguese colony that it became the nation’s name: the land of Pau-Brazil or simply, Brazil.
Today all the musicians agree: “The arc made with Brazil wood is the best – so good that it plays virtually alone. No other has its sound. I can not image playing Korsakov, with another wood bow”, says a musician.
The problem is that Brazil wood faces extinction. The profession of bow maker and music is also threatened. Brazil wood is essential to the sound of violins and other stringed instruments. So essential that led to the International Initiative for the Preservation of Pernambuco (Pau Brazil). The movement has gained strength and professionals of music came together to invest in the planting of Brazil wood.
Scientists realized that the Brazil-wood had been preserved well in land where there was cocoa. So, they decided to make an experience that was doomed to succeed. Brazil wood is unique,and that is why we call it “The Tree of Music”