Stradivarius

8 Stories

300-Year-Old Wizard of Oz Violin Likely to Set Record

'Da Vinci' Stradivarius formerly owned by Toscha Seidel expected to fetch up to $20M at auction

(Newser) - An old violin, thought to be heard on the Oscar-winning score of The Wizard of Oz, might just become the most expensive Stradivarius ever sold at auction. The rare violin formerly owned by Toscha Seidel, "widely considered one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century," will hit...

Stolen Strad Reborn After Nearly 40 Years

Violinist Nathan Meltzer revives prize instrument in Cambridge, Mass.

(Newser) - A Stradivarius violin stolen four decades ago from the virtuoso Roman Totenberg and returned to his family by a federal prosecutor came alive again—at the crime scene, the AP reports. Nineteen-year-old star violinist Nathan Meltzer revived the prize instrument of the late Polish-born musician on Friday at a public...

Mayor's Odd Request to Entire City: Shhhh

In Cremona, Italy, sounds of Stradivarius instruments being recorded for posterity

(Newser) - Stradivarius instruments—violins, violas, and cellos made in the 17th and 18th centuries by Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, Italy—are known for their unmatched tones. It's for this reason that the instruments are passed down and painstakingly restored over generations. Even so, their tones begin to change as the...

Saga of Stradivarius Stolen in 1980 Ends on High Note

Roman Totenberg's family to hear stolen violin for first time in 37 years

(Newser) - After a meticulous restoration that took more than a year, a Stradivarius violin that was stolen from violinist Roman Totenberg and missing for decades is about to return to the stage. Violinist Mira Wang, who studied under Totenberg, will play the instrument at a private concert in New York on...

Researchers: We Know the Stradivarius' Secret
Researchers: We Know
the Stradivarius' Secret
study says
Dec 23, 2016 11:33 AM CST

Researchers: We Know the Stradivarius' Secret

One key to its sound appears to be an old mineral bath

(Newser) - For hundreds of years, violins by Antonio Stradivari have been considered the best in the world, some fetching millions of dollars. The only other instruments vying for the title were crafted by a man named Giuseppe Guarneri, who toiled away in his workshop in the same northern Italian city of...

How a Stolen Stradivarius Surfaced After 35 Years

Roman Totenberg was right to suspect Phillip Johnson: FBI

(Newser) - Violinist Roman Totenberg always suspected who stole his $250,000 1734 Stradivarius violin from his office in Cambridge, Mass., after a concert in 1980. Security cameras spotted violinist Phillip Johnson, then 27, lingering outside the room and Johnson's ex-girlfriend later said he had taken it. Without proof, Totenberg could...

Stradivarius No Match for New Violins, Test Finds

Soloists assess renowned instruments with surprising results

(Newser) - Musicians have long been captivated by the instruments of the Stradivari family; centuries after they were built, they've become the stuff of legend. Yet new blind tests seem to shatter the notion that a Stradivarius is actually superior to today's violins. In fact, the tests found expert violinists...

$20M Stradivarius Cello Broken in Accident

Report indicates it may have fallen off table during photo shoot

(Newser) - A Stradivarius cello housed at the Spanish Royal Palace was broken in an accident, an official said today. The instrument could be worth more than $20 million. The damage sustained: a piece that joins the neck of the 17th-century instrument to the body of it broke and fell off the...

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