Music is the source that brings countless emotional colors to this world. Instrumental music contributes to creating these miracles. With instrumental music, some musicians have made this planet the most livable place with their special music.
Many musical instruments with a lifespan of up to hundreds of years make a strong impression not only in sound but also in great historical value, admired and admired by many musical instrument fans all over the world. . These musical instruments also have a high cash value and can only be appraised and sold at high-class auctions. Let’s take a look at the 10 most expensive musical instruments ever sold in the world.
1. Donald Stradivarius Viola – $14 million
This is one of 10 Violas made by the famous Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), and is still intact today. The name of the guitar is MacDonald, named after the first owner who owned it – Marquis Godfrey Bosville MacDonald (England) in the 19th century (1820).
The front of this viola is made from cypress wood, the back is made from a sheet of maple wood, finished with a beautiful glossy varnish coating, remaining intact and flawless after 3 centuries of existence. The instrument was owned by the co-founder of the famous Amadeus Quartet, Peter Schidlof from 1964 until his death in 1987.
In 2014, the guitar was valued at a minimum price of $45 million, but at that time no one had successfully bid for this legendary instrument. Why can it be affirmed that Viola The MacDonald is a legend? Firstly, this is one of two Violas crafted by Artist Antonio Stradivari during the golden period of his career (1700-1720), his best musical instruments were all born during this period.
Second, is the level of rarity, in the world today there are about 600 Violins, 50 Cellos and only 10 Stradivari branded Violas. This is also the first Stradivari viola to be sold publicly in the past 50 years, but now there is still an opportunity for all collectors and artists who love musical instruments with such many layers of value. because The MacDonald doesn’t officially belong to anyone yet.
2. Duport Stradivarius Cello – $20 million
This is also a work of Artist Antonio Stradivari, this cello is also named after cellist Jean – Louis Duport, the first person to play the instrument. This is one of Antonio’s specialized musical instruments. The cello was built by him in 1711 at the request of doctor Francois Chicoynesu.
1752 Chicoyneau died, Duport Cello was sent to Paris to be sold, but there were no buyers. Finally, artist Jean – Louis Duport was contacted by the dealer authorized to sell this guitar to see if they were still interested in Duport, after which the Duport brothers bought this cello at a fairly low price.
In 1812, Jean-Louis Duport allowed King Napoleon Bonaparte to handle this cello after holding a concert. There are rumors that Duport still has a dent on the surface made from the sole of the French king’s shoe. . Jean – Louis Duport died in 1819, the cello was passed down to his son. In 1843 it was bought by Auguste-Joseph Franchomme for a record price at that time – 25,000 Francs.
This guitar was sold to a musical instrument collector for $20 million in 2008. . After that, Duport Cello was owned by Gerald Warburg and Mstislav Rostropovic (1971). There is much information that after Rostropovic passed away, Duport Cello was purchased by Nippon Music Foundation for $20 million, but the heirs Rostropovich’s plan suggests that the instrument was still in their possession this same year.
3. Vieuxtemps Guarneri Violin – $16 million
The reason for the price of the violin is probably the timeless durability of a violin. The guitar is nearly 300 years old but has no cracks, and has never needed repair or replacement. This musical instrument was crafted by the famous Italian artist – Guiseppe Guarneri in 1741, a direct rival of Antonio Stradivarius at that time.
An anonymous collector bought this guitar for $16 million in 2012, then offered lifetime rights to American artist Ane Akiko Meyers, providing even more opportunities to enjoy the beautiful sounds. magic for music lovers.
4. Lady Blunt Violin – $15.9 million
The Lady Blunt is one of the two best preserved Stradivari Violins in existence. Antonio Stradivari produced this violin in 1721, and it was named after its first owner – Lady Anne Blunt. Lady Blunt was auctioned online for charity relief after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
5. Hammer Stradivarius Violin – $3.5 million
The violin is named after a 19th-century Swedish collector who was its first recorded owner – Christian Hammer. This is also one of the products created during the golden period of Stradivarius. In 1911 Hammer Stradivari appeared in America with artist and violin teacher Bernard Sinsheimer. In 1992, it was acquired by a Japanese oil company in a real estate transaction.
On May 16, 2006 Hammer Stradivari it was sold at an auction to an anonymous buyer after just 5 minutes at a price of 3.54 million US dollars, while the estimated value was 1.5-2 .5 million dollars.
6. Violin Messiah Stradivarius – $20 million
This is one of the most expensive violins in the world, a product of the genius string instrument craftsman Antoni Stradivari, Messiah Stradivarius was crafted in 1716. According to a research work called Proceedings Of national Academy Of Science in 2016, the guitar’s excellent sound quality comes from the constituting material of spruce wood.
Mr. Antonio Stradivari chose to cut down the tree on a moonless night in January, to get the lightest pieces of wood (at this time the sap is all concentrated on the tree roots, so the tree trunk is lighter). Then the wood is left to dry for 1 year before making it. Thanks to nature’s tempering process of wood combined with Stradivari’s top-notch guitar-making techniques, the Messiah violin was born.
It sold at its last auction for $20 million, and was recently allowed to “retire” to display in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England, more than 300 years after its production.
7. John Lennon’s Steinway Z Piano – $2.08 million
This upright piano from Steinway looks no different from a normal piano. The highlight of the piano lies not in its appearance but in its historical value. This is a piano owned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The song “Imagine” was born on this guitar.
The guitar was manufactured in 1970, John Lennon took possession of the Steinway Z in December of that year. In 2009 Steinway Z was put on the auction floor, and was quickly bought by George Michael – a big name in the music industry for 2.08 million USD, but instead of keeping it for himself, he bought it for himself. donated the guitar to the Beatles Story museum in Liverpool. There are many people who have difficulty understanding George Michael’s action, but according to him, it was worth it for this priceless piano.
8. Lady of Tennant-Lafont Stradivarius
This is an ancient violin, created by Stradivari in 1699, 1 year before the start of his golden period.
The Lady of Tennant-Lafont Stradivarius was owned by the 19th century violinist, Charles Philippe Lafont. After Lafont’s death, the instrument was acquired by London violin dealer We Hill & Sons, who in turn sold it to Sir Charles Clow Tennant, this Scottish businessman gave the violin to his wife Marguerite Agaranthe Miles Tennent, an amateur violinist, as a gift.
April 22, 2005. Lady of Tennant was sold for $2.032 million in New York and then borrowed by artists Yang Liu and Yossif Ivanov to perform at major concerts.
9. Eric Clapton’s Fender Stratocaster – $959,000
You can hear the sound of this Fender Strat guitar in many of Eric Clapton’s hits, as this was his favorite guitar. Clapton sold Blackie in 2004 for $959,500 to raise money for his Crossroads rehab center. In 2005, this guitar was sold again in an auction to raise funds for Reach Out Asia in Qatar, a charity fund used to aid victims after the tsunami disaster. This guitar was autographed by many famous artists before being auctioned.
10. Acoustic Guitar OM-45 by CF Martin – 554 thousand dollars
The Martin brand began making guitars in America in the mid-1800s. Today, they make more than 50,000 instruments each year. After 1929, Martin began producing the OM series, which are said to be the most beautiful guitars ever made.
The OM-45 Deluxe was Roy Rogers’ guitar string of choice, sold at auction in 2009 for the sum of $554,500. Although a replica version of the OM-45 could be purchased for under $80,000 at the time.