10 most expensive musical instruments in the world
Contents:
• There are many musical instruments in the world that are dear only to their owners. But there are some exceptional tools that are worth millions of dollars.
Here top 10 most expensive musical instruments in history.
10. Violin “Lady Tennant” by Stradivari – $2 million
• The first, but not the only violin by Antonio Stradivari in this ranking. Sometimes this instrument is called "Lady Tennant-Lafont", in honor of one of the owners – the famous French virtuoso violinist and composer Charles Philippe Lafont.
• Many years after Lafon, it was acquired by a wealthy Scot, Charles Tennant, who gave it to his violinist wife. In 2005, the violin went under the hammer at Christie's auction. It is possible that in the future it will be sold more than once, already much more expensive – such things only grow in price.
9 John Lennon's Steinway Z Piano – $2.1 million
• The Model Z from Steinway & Sons is the most expensive piano ever sold. It was on it that the cult song Imagine was played.
• After John Lennon's death, the piano was purchased by a private British collector who loaned it to the Beatles History Museum in Liverpool.
• In 2000, the piano was again put up for auction, and in the course of a fierce "fight" went to the singer George Michael. He later revealed that he bought it so that Steinway Z would be in front of people and decided to donate it to the Beatles History Museum.
8. Electric guitar Reach out to Asia Fender Stratocaster – $2,7 million
• A regular electric guitar from the Fender Stratocaster family can be bought for 85. However, an electric guitar sold at a charity auction in Qatar in 2004 is worth much more, because it was in the hands of David Gilmour, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.
• Proceeds from the sale of the tool went to help victims of the tsunami in South Asia.
7. Violin "Hammer" by Stradivari – $ 3,5 million
• The name Hammer (“sledgehammer” or “hammer” in English) has nothing to do with either the shape or the sound quality of the instrument. This Stradivari violin bears the name of the first documented owner, Christian Hammer, a nineteenth-century Swedish collector.
• In 2006, Hammer was purchased at Christie's by a buyer who wished to remain anonymous.
6 David Gilmour's Fender Black Strat Electric Guitar – $3,9 million
• This black Stratocaster is inextricably linked to the image of Gilmour, because it played Pink Floyd hits, from Dark Side Of The Moon to Animals.
• However, in 2019, the most expensive electric guitar in the world was sold at auction for a phenomenal amount. This is despite Gilmour making changes to the Black Strat, such as painting it black over the original Sunburst, and replacing the original maple neck with a maple neck but with a rosewood fingerboard. Usually modifications reduce the price of the lot, but not in this case.
5. Kurt Cobain acoustic guitar – $6 million
• In 2020, the media reported that the guitar of the late musician Kurt Cobain was sold at Julien's Auctions.
• A model called the Martin D-18E was the only guitar the Nirvana frontman played at the MTV Unplugged concert in 1993, a few months before the musician's death.
4. Violin "Lady Blunt" by Stradivari – $ 15,9 million
• This tool has changed its name several times depending on the owner. It was given its last name in honor of Lady Ann Blunt, who owned the instrument for 30 years and sold it in 1895.
• The precious violin retained its original appearance and was played very rarely. Until now, the "Lady Blunt" is considered the best preserved Stradivari violin offered for sale in the last century.
3 Giuseppe Guarneri's Vieuxtaine – $16 million
• The most expensive violin sold to date was created by an eminent Italian violin maker around 1741. It is considered the best creation of Giuseppe Guarneri.
• Henri Vieuxtant was an accomplished Belgian violinist, and one of the owners of a Guarneri violin. The instrument was named after him. For many years the violin has been in the hands of the most famous violinists. Among them were Sir Isaac Wolfson, Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
• The Viet Tang is in excellent condition even after being used for more than two centuries, thanks to the gentle handling.
• In 2012, it became known that the violin was bought for an unknown amount. The buyer later donated the violin to American violinist Ann Akiko Meyers for life. And in 2013, information about the amount of the transaction appeared.
2. Duport cello by Stradivari – $20 million (debatable)
• This instrument is named after one of the owners, the French musician Jean-Louis Duport. The cello has a scratch that was caused by Napoleon Bonaparte's rough handling when he saddled the instrument with his spurred boots.
• From 1974 to 2007, Duport belonged to Mstislav Rostropovich, and after his death, according to one source, Galina Vishnevskaya sold the instrument for $20 million to the Japanese music foundation Nippon Music Foundation. This organization provides musicians with instruments for rent.
• However, according to other sources, the heirs of Mstislav Rostropovich remain the owners of Duport.
1. Viola "McDonald" by Stradivari – $45 million
• Violas are slightly different from violins in terms of size and sound produced. The McDonald viola, created in the Golden Age by Antonio Stradivari (1719), is the most expensive musical instrument in the world.
• It was not named after a famous fast food restaurant chain, but after one of the owners, the third Baron MacDonald Godfrey Bosville. At the moment, only two Stradivari violas are in private collections, and McDonald is one of them. Several times this fabulously expensive item was put up for auction, but still has not changed hands.
