66. Stradivarius Violins

Frank Almond, a professional violinist in Milwaukee, received a mysterious, one-paragraph email sixteen years ago. It mentioned an instrument caught up in an estate situation. Musicians get these kinds of messages all the time—usually, they are nothing. This time, it was different. When a violin dealer accompanied Almond to a bank vault and opened the case, he instantly recognized the instrument: the Lipinski Stradivarius, made in 1715 during what is considered Stradivari’s “golden period.” The owner eventually proposed that Almond simply look after it. He accepted. The nearly six-million-dollar violin, with a documented history that reads like a novel, became his to play.

Antonio Stradivari grew up in Cremona, Italy, the center of string instrument craftsmanship in the 1660s. He did not invent the violin. Instead, he transformed the existing model—a smaller, puffier instrument—into something acoustically unprecedented: more powerful and resonant. Everything was done by hand in his workshop. Because he became famous and wealthy early, he could afford superior materials that many competitors could not. Fewer than a thousand violins ever left his studio. Today, perhaps five hundred survive. Their longevity is a testament to both Stradivari’s genius and the careful stewardship of three generations of owners. These instruments still occupy the world’s most celebrated concert stage