Lipinski Stradivarius

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The Lipinski Stradivarius is an antique violin constructed in 1715 by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, during Stradivari's "golden period" between 1700 and 1720. There are fewer than 700 extant Stradivarius instruments in the world today; thus, it is considered one of the most valuable instruments in the world.

The earlier history of The Lipinski is unclear; Italian violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini is the first known owner. Tartini, who in 1713 experienced a dream in which he allowed the devil play his violin, heard a beautiful sonata which he was unable to compare with anything he had ever heard. Tartini, two years later, tried to reproduce the sound in his sonata The Devil's Trill.

Tartini presented the violin to his pupil, Signor Salvini. After hearing the Polish violinist Karol Lipiński perform, Salvini asked to see his violin, which he then smashed to pieces. Salvini handed the shocked Lipinski the Stradivarius he received from Tartini.

In 1962, the Lipinski Stradivarius was sold to Richard Anschutz, a private buyer in New York. Anschutz gave the violin to his wife, Evi Liivak, for her own private use. The "Lipinski Stradivarius" has not been seen or heard in public since.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Provenance

Giuseppe Tartini
Signor Salvini - Milan
Karol Lipinski
Richard Weichold, instrument dealer - Dresden, 1861
Prof. Engelbert Röntgen - Leipzig
owner not known
W.E.Hill & Sons, instrument dealers - London, 1899
Unknown amateur musician - Holland
Hill & Sons, instrument dealers - London
owner not known
Hamma, instrument dealers - Germany
Unknown
Wurlitzer - New York, 1922
owner not known
Roger Chittolini
Dr. José Martínez Cañas - Havana, 1941
Ángel Reyes - Havana
Wurlitzer, instrument dealers - New York, 1960
Richard Anschutz, Ely Livak - 1962

Joseph Joachim, Liivak, Malonzenoff and Persinger are also known to have possessed the Lipinski Stradivarius.

[edit] See also

Stradivarius

[edit] References

Faber, Toby (2004). Stradivarius: Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0333989767.
Doring, Ernest N. (1999). How Many Strads? Our Heritage from the Master. Chicago: Bein & Fushi, Inc.. OCLC 13966919.