The violin is an important instrument that features across a wide variety of music genres today. With a history going back to the 16th Century, a number of violins boast wide recognition in the world of music. Such fame may be the result of the violin maker (with names like Stradivari immediately sparking interest), the violin owner, or the violin’s story. Who wouldn’t want a chance to play, hold, or even just see Mozart’s violin?
There are many violins out there that stand out from the masses, so this post is by no means an exhaustive list of the most famous or best violins. It’s just a list of four violins that you might find interesting – for your general knowledge.
1. The Silent Violin
There are just about 650 Stradivari violins believed to still exist today. These world-famous violins stand out for their unique sound that is claimed to be inimitable. One of them is The Messiah that enjoys worldwide fame, but not for its sound. In fact, nobody really knows how the instrument sounds as it sits in its glass display case at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
“The Messiah” sits in its glass display case just outside the Print Room of the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford. Measuring just less than 23 inches, with a 133/16- inch body, the famous fiddle soon grew gargantuan in stature not because of its sound but because of its story. In fact, the conundrum is that nobody knows how the old fiddle actually sounds. A big part of its mystique lies in the fact that, as the only Stradivari in existence still preserved in pristine condition, it has virtually never been played! Via LitHub
2. The Mona Lisa of Violins
Although Guarneri del Gesu’s name does not enjoy the same recognition as Stradivari, his violins actually sell for more during auctions. One of his most famous creations is the ex-Vieuxtemps, named after its 19-century owner, composer and violinist Henri Vieuxtemps.
Unlike The Messiah, the Mona Lisa of violins is still being played. Anne Akiko Meyers enjoys exclusive use of the instrument after a sponsor, who wanted it heard around the world, purchased it and approached her with the proposition of exclusive player rights.
“From the first note, it was really unlike any other violin I had played. The G string is so incredibly rich and large and so deep-sounding. The E string is like a cathedral. It has such beautiful overtones. Those two extremes on one instrument … It was a dream,” Meyers said. Via ABQ Journal
3. The Titanic Violin
This violin is believed to bet the violin used by bandleader Wallace Hartley to play the hymn Nearer My God, to Thee as the Titanic descended. Interestingly, it was found in the attic of a British home and it took two years of in-depth trace analysis to prove it indeed was the Titanic Violin.
The Titanic violin has had a rough time
Not only was it lost underwater for ten days before crews before being retrieved, it’s also had to go through an extensive verification process in recent years…The Titanic violin, played by bandleader Wallace Hartley as the ship sank on April 14th 1912, officially became the most expensive piece of Titanic memorabilia when it was auctioned in 2013, fetching a none-too-shabby $1.7 million. The director of the auction house that sold it, Andrew Aldridge, said: “I can honestly say I don’t think any other article has made people show as much emotion as this one.” Via Classic FM
4. The world’s first 3D-Printed Violin
3D printing is still relatively new, but that has not limited the creativity it has triggered. A more recent introduction to the world of violins is the 3Dvarius. Although it derives its name from the Stradivarius line, it in no way sounds like those famed violins. However, it may turn out to be just as unique in sound and sight.
The strings and wooden bridge (and I’m assuming the output jack) on the 3Dvarius are the only pieces which didn’t originate from the CAD file. But with the rate at which 3D printing is accelerating, a future where musical instruments and all of thier components can be printed is not just a probability, it’s an inevitability…
My favorite aspect of the 3Dvarius has less to do with its musicality and more with its appearance; take away the strings, the bridge and the output, and you’ve got a piece of polymer that looks like a translucent squid you might find at the depths of the ocean. Electric violins often look less like their acoustic counterparts than the electric versions of other instruments, but this one in particular, with its transparent aquatic visage, is a beauty and a beast. Via Nerdist
Featured Image: Image Credit
100 years ago today, one of the greatest violin virtuosos was born…
Happy birthday Yehudi Menuhin!https://t.co/tql4lZw1AE— medici.tv (@medicitv) April 22, 2016
Custom painted electric violin designed by Hollow Moon Art and created by Deviant Violins — https://t.co/qZlLim3kMp pic.twitter.com/02lfInNBr9
— The Witcher (@witchergame) April 19, 2016
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Do you love playing the violin? From Hiefetz to Perlman, there are dozens of famous violin players who have helped inspire us all.
Whether you’re just starting to learn the violin or you’re a seasoned professional, chances are there’s a certain violinist who you’ve channeled more than others.
Find out which of these famous violin players is your alter ego in the quiz below! Be sure to share your results with your fellow violinists. Via TakeLessons
Stolen Stradivarius Violin Worth $5 Million Sat In Venice Basement For Years
VENICE (CBSLA.com/AP) — Philip Johnson was dying of pancreatic cancer when he brought his former wife, Thanh Tran, to the basement of his home in Venice, California. Under a tarp that was weighted down with bricks was a violin case with a combination lock.
He gave the case to Tran. He didn’t say a word about it, and she assumed it contained an antique violin that she had once bought for him.
It wasn’t until nearly four years later that Tran learned the truth: The case contained a famous Stradivarius that had been stolen from renowned violinist Roman Totenberg in 1980, likely by Johnson, who died in November 2011 at age 58. Via CBS
Watch Anne Akiko Meyers perform on famous violin
GREENSBORO – Watch renowned concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers perform on the 1741 “Vieuxtemps” Guarneri del Gesu. It was the most expensive violin ever sold when an anonymous collector reportedly purchased it for more than $16 million. Meyers received it on lifetime loan, and it is considered by many to be one of the finest violins in existence. Via Greensboro
