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NEWS ABOUT: violin

Stradivarius' Powers Just a Musical Myth

Researchers show that even pro musicians can't tell the difference

(Newser) - They’re famed far and wide as the finest violins on the planet (one recently sold for $16 million) , but do Stradivarius violins actually sound better? A study suggests they don’t, NPR reports. Researchers assembled a group of six violins—two Stradivariuses, a Guarneri, and three modern violins—and... More »

World's Most Expensive Instrument on Sale for $18M

It's a 269-year-old Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Jesu violin

(Newser) - The most expensive musical instrument in the world is for sale in Chicago. No it's not a Strad, but rather a 269-year-old Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Jesu violin. Among the oldest extant musical instruments, the violin awaits the collector who has a spare $18 million lying around. The asking price is... More »

$1.9M Stradivarius Stolen at Sandwich Shop

Two pricey bows were also in the case

(Newser) - A quick pit stop at a London sandwich shop turned into disaster for a musician when her $1.9 million antique Stradivarius violin was stolen last Monday, Reuters reports. Also in her case were two rare and expensive bows valued at $98,000 and $8,000, respectively. The 314-year-old violin... More »

Shoulder Lost to Cancer Doesn't Stop Violinist

Teen cancer survivor Joe Ginem plays on after reconstructive surgery

(Newser) - For one Florida teenager, playing the violin was everything—until a rare bone cancer ravaged his arm to the point where Joe Ginem couldn’t lift a pencil. After undergoing chemo, his shoulder needed to be reconstructed, and the surgeon told him he could do so in a way that... More »

GPS Rescues $600K Violin Left in NYC Cab

Technology 'cut the driver out of the picture,' says taxi boss

(Newser) - GPS technology reunited a violinist with the $600,000 instrument he left in a New York cab yesterday, the Times reports. After Korean musician Hanh-Bin left a vehicle without his 18th-century instrument, the Taxi and Limousine Commission was able to find it in less than an hour, using the cab’... More »

'Beckham of Classical Music' Is Hit on Charts, With Ladies

David Garrett loves Metallica, sets world records

(Newser) - He covers Michael Jackson songs, and considers Mozart and Metallica equally influential—David Garrett is not your average classically trained violinist, but perhaps that’s why his self-titled debut has sat atop the classical crossover charts for three weeks. The German-born 28-year-old—who modeled on the side during his time... More »

Yo-Yo Ma 'Finger-Synched' Inauguration Gig

Performers decided to play along to tape in 'wicked cold'

(Newser) - The somber classical sounds that filled the Washington Mall ahead of Barack Obama's swearing-in came from a tape, reports the New York Times. When Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and the rest of the quartet realized that the freezing weather and strong winds would likely wreak havoc with their instruments they... More »

The Secret of the Strad's Superiority

Scientist find mellow tone is in the wood

(Newser) - Stradivarius violins—300 years old and valued at least $3 million each—are universally recognized as producing the richest sounds. Now, the Daily Telegraph reports, scientists believe they know why. X-rays of several old and new instruments show the wood used by 17th-century violin makers has a more uniform density... More »

Violinist to Serenade Taxi Driver

Concert at Newark airport for cabbie who returned $4M Strad

(Newser) - When violin virtuoso Philippe Quint left a 1723 Antonio Stradivari “Ex-Kiesewetter” in a New Jersey taxi two weeks ago, he was distraught: The $4 million instrument was not only irreplaceable, it was on loan. But the cab driver returned the violin next morning, and today, in gratitude, the Grammy-nominated... More »

Stradivarius Market Hits High Note

Rush for 300-year-old violins sparks intrigue, drives price to millions

(Newser) - The price of violins by 18th century Italian master Antonio Stradivari has shot through the roof in recent decades, with the instruments now worth 500 times their weight in gold, reports Der Spiegel. Three powerful dealers control a shadowy worldwide market rife with intrigue where frenzied collectors seek out the... More »

Virtuoso Snubbed in Train Station

What Happens If A violinist Plays in The Subway And Nobody Hears It?

(Newser) - Washington Post reporter Gene Weingarten put world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, in a subway station in Washington DC one rush hour morning to see if people would notice him. Mostly, they didn’t. More »

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