@NoBoDe - beautiful instruments continue to be built by...

@NoBoDe - beautiful instruments continue to be built by dedicated craftsmen all over the world, even here in W.A.
2 years ago I picked up an instrument from a luthier (a craftsman making string instruments) - who had tried all his life to produce wonderful instruments. He was originally from England and was already in his late 70s, when S. approached him by mail, to purchase a copy of a baroque instrument. His workshop was full of old wood, some of it already shaped into rough outlines for violins, violas and cellos; he had bought most of it overseas from Italy - and the work shop had the most wonderful smell.
So with much to-do it was purchased for $10 000, which is incredibly cheap and oldest daughter was paid to take it over to England by plane - S. recorded her last composition on that instrument -
The maker was hoping that at last he will become well-known for his beautiful violins, having supplied string instruments to various accomplished players in the W.A.S.O. - but he rarely received much feed-back.

Long story - it was delivered - S. was very happy with the quality, played it 'in' - recorded on it - and 1/2 year later passed away.
I was trying to figure out how to tell that sad ending to the luthier - only to find out, he had died 2 weeks prior to S. - in a way this was good news, because I would have worried forever, how to tell this wonderful man, that his last instrument is probably sitting in a wardrobe top shelf being ignored by my drummer-boy son-in-law who is not interested in violins.

A good violinist can make almost any fiddle sound good even a very average one - it['s when it becomes to long and difficult passages when a really good instrument comes into its own.

The mini ice-age talked about happened in the early middle ages - just at the time when the first settlers went to America.

Listening to the recording whilst typing this, they do have differing sound qualities, but beautiful sounding modern instrument are being made, but thankyou for posting this!!!!! String instruments remain my favourite musical instrument - and with a stretch of the imagination I can call my piano also a string instrument - I am going to have some work done on it next year!!

Go well
Taurisk