The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari (P.S.)

How does a simple piece of wood become the king of instruments? The violin does something remarkable, magical, and evocative. It is capable of bringing to life the mathematical marvels of Bach, the moan of a Gypsy melody, the wounded dignity of Beethoven's Concerto in D Major. No other instrument is steeped in such a rich brew of myth and lore—and yet the making of a violin starts with a simple block of wood. The Violin Maker takes the reader on a journey as that block of wood, in the hands of a master craftsman, becomes an instrument to rival one made by the greatest master of all time. How does a simple piece of wood become a violin, the king of instruments? Watch and find out as Eugene Drucker, a member of the world--renowned Emerson String Quartet, commissions Sam Zygmuntowicz, a Brooklyn craftsman, to make him a new violin. As he tells this extraordinary story, journalist John Marchese shares the rich lore of this beloved instrument and illuminates an art that has barely changed since the Renaissance. Marchese takes readers from start to finish as Zygmuntowicz builds the violin, from the first selection of the wood, to the cutting of the back and belly, through the carving of the scroll and the fingerboard, to the placement of the sound peg. Though much of the story takes place in the craftsman's museum--like Brooklyn workshop, there are side trips across the river to the rehearsal rooms of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln center, and across the world. Stops on the itinerary include Cremona, Italy, the magical city where Antonio Stradivari (and a few of his contemporaries) achieved a level of violin--making perfection that has endured for centuries, as well as points in France and Germany integral to the history of the violin. A stunning work of narrative nonfiction that's also a finely crafted, loving homage to the instrument that most closely approximates the human voice The violin does something no other instrument can do, something remarkable, magical, and evocative. It is the closest thing there is to the human voice. No other instrument is steeped in such a rich brew of myth and lore. The making of a violin in the hands of one man, from start to finish, is also something of a miracle. On a quest to learn about what many consider the world?s most perfect instrument, author and musician John Marchese befriends an old-world craftsman in Brooklyn, New York : Sam Zygmuntowicz has built instruments for some of the world?s most renowned musicians, and professionals from all over make the pilgrimage to his studio to add their names to his waiting list. This intensely human story takes the reader from the workshop in Brooklyn to the rehearsal rooms of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and to Cremona, the birthplace of Stradivari.--p. 4 de la couverture Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 8, 2009).