The Violin Maker

?[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.

It is a story of obsession, science, and the pursuit of perfection?a journey into the heart of a disappearing art:

• The Art of Craftsmanship: Go inside the Brooklyn workshop of luthier Sam Zygmuntowicz and witness the thousand cuts that transform a simple block of wood into the king of instruments.
• The Shadow of Stradivari: Journey from the rehearsal rooms of Carnegie Hall to Cremona, Italy, the historic home of Antonio Stradivari, and explore the myth and lore of the world's most perfect instrument.
• A High-Stakes Commission: Follow the intensely human story of a unique partnership between a craftsman and his client, Eugene Drucker of the world-famous Emerson String Quartet.
• The Mystery of Sound: Delve into the science and soul of acoustics in a quest to understand what makes the violin capable of expressing our most profound emotions.