Did you ever notice?

I awaken recalling vividly sensations when first playing piano/violin duos at age 13: The "real"sound happened only when the violin was playing. What might that have meant? Probably a combination of things: 1) My friend, Alcestis Perry, was always playing her own violin, whereas I was always playing a different piano. 2) The chaotic sound of the piano needed the grounding provided by the specifically resonant strings of the violin.

The validity of those sensations becomes more and more apparent with every passing day. My colleagues, Dibble and Eggar, affirm the reality that the key of G sounds not so good on the piano, but with the addition of strings it becomes an altogether different kettle of beautiful fish.

The phenomenon of sympathetic vibration became evident in the early days of Tonal Refraction, over 30 years ago when, out of curiosity, I refracted the five early Mozart piano/violin sonatas. There it is plain as day: fiddle strings vibrating sympathetically out of the piano strings.

Did you ever notice?

I looked up sympathetic vibration in Grove this morning. Conspicuously absent.