Violin

In this noisy, chaotic world the violin speaks with a musical purity that unites people across centuries, cultures and languages. This magisterial new book by the acknowledged master of the violin, Yehudi Menuhin, paints a compelling portrait of this magical instrument, and of the composers, performers, teachers and instrument-makers who, like Yehudi Menuhin himself, have fallen under the spell of the violin.
A modern Orpheus, Menuhin has for over 70 years been traveling the world with the music which for him represents a message of peace. Here he charts the journey of the violin from a simple musical arc to the refined Stradivarius, from the instrument of everyday life for many traveling people, to the performance instrument of salons and concert halls. Menuhin introduces us to the astounding richness of the voice of the violin, whose appearance in ethnic music from East and West, popular and folk music, classical and jazz, has established its repertoire upon an interdependence of many musical genres.
Writing in an accessible, highly personal style, Yehudi Menuhin weaves a history of violins and violin people with his own memories of composers such as Stravinski, Bartok, Elgar, and Sibelius, and of fellow performers such as Fritz Kreisler, Bruno Walter, Stephane Grappelli, and Ravi Shankar. Lavishly illustrated with images of the violin in fine art and documentary photography, the book also includes many portraits of the author, and of other composers and performers. The Violin, through the words of Yehudi Menuhin, will speak powerfully to all music lovers.