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    The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari
    The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari
    The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari
    Ebook218 pages3 hours

    The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari

    By John Marchese

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “[A] magical, profound, and elegant look at the continued need for high quality in our throw away society.” —Douglas Brinkley, Historian

    This intensely human story, which moves from an ageless workshop in Brooklyn to the rehearsal rooms of Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and across the globe to Cremona, the birthplace of Stradivari, opens up for the reader the insular and fascinating realm of music, musicians, and the craftsmanship that is essential to that world.

    How does a simple piece of wood become the king of instruments?

    On a quest to learn about what many consider the world’s most perfect instrument, author and musician John Marchese befriends Sam Zygmuntowicz, an old-world craftsman in Brooklyn, New York, along with the man who is waiting for Sam’s next violin, Eugene Drucker of the world famous Emerson String Quartet.

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 26, 2010
    ISBN9780061850578
    The Violin Maker: A Search for the Secrets of Craftsmanship, Sound, and Stradivari
    Author

    John Marchese

    A musician and award-winning journalist, John Marchese is the author of Renovations: A Father and Son Rebuild a House and Rediscover Each Other. He lives in New York City and in New York's Catskill Mountain region.

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    Reviews for The Violin Maker

    4/5

    9 ratings4 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Perhaps unsurprisingly, given my obsession with all things violin, I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem of a book. It rips along like a novel, but is full of wisdom on all manner of creative angst.
    • 5/5
      Really well written. A pleasure to read. Fast exploration into the world of master craftsmen.
    • 4/5
      This lyrical, nonfiction book is a focused look at the making of a violin by master violin craftsman Sam Zygmuntowicz. The book jumps into small vignettes such as the authors trip to and adventures in Cremona, Italy, the home of Stradivarius; interviews with a famous violinist who will be the recipient of the violin profiled here; and other personal musings. Aside from those, all the time is spent in Sam's shop. Fortunately, the book was not too technical, and never said first he put the 'tygomin onto the refulan under the yerbop' or the like. But it did dig into the order, the process, selecting the wood, trying to deduce something about the resin coating, and a number of other considerations. The book does require, I think, at least some nominal knowledge of classical music, as well as an interest in painstaking craftsmanship. To wit, the book includes musings on Sam's philosophies about art and history. That said, it was a book with pace, and well edited. It did not bog down nor did I resent the brief forays into the author's own life. Worth the read and definitely intriguing, and left me wanting to know more. This book definitely could be improved if it had more pictures--if you read this print out some pictures of violins while you read it.
    • 5/5
      I checked out this book on Friday, read half of it that night then read the other half on Saturday afternoon. What a great, accessible and entertaining read. I would recommend this read to anyone., hands down.

    Book preview

    The Violin Maker - John Marchese

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