For centuries, the amazing sound of the violin has fascinated people. Her melodious sounds appeased the ears of spoiled aristocrats in fashionable salons and made ordinary people dance at unpretentious village holidays.
Everyone found in the voice of the "queen of music" something of their own - close and dear. This is probably why many legends are associated with the violin, and sometimes even true mystical stories.
Devil's creation
The first violins appeared on earth only during the Renaissance (XIV-XVI centuries). The legends associated with them immediately appeared. The most famous of them says that the creator of the first instrument was none other than the devil himself. Once the prince of darkness saw a beautiful girl on earth and fell passionately in love with her.
However, the damsel did not respond to the feeling of the unclean, although he promised her fabulous riches for love. Then the angry devil turned the intractable beauty into a violin, giving his creation the seductive forms of a beloved. Since then, the violin has enjoyed special patronage of the dark forces, and with it the skilled violinists and craftsmen who create instruments.
In Sweden, there are many legends about the river spirit - a strömkarl, a virtuoso violinist who plays beautiful melodies over the water. Legends say that the music of this spirit is delightfully good and its violin can make even lame old people start dancing.
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They talked about skilled musicians (and still talk about it): they play like a strömcarl. It was believed that if a person wished to listen to the amazing game of the inhabitant of the waters, he should sacrifice a black lamb to him.
And violinists wishing to learn the skills of a strömkarl left their instruments for the night under the river bridges, where, according to rumors, a ghostly virtuoso lived.
Fucking revels
In many countries, people were wary of the violin. It was believed that it was the playing of this instrument that devils enjoy during their revels.
But the trouble is: it is difficult to find a good musician among the evil spirits. That is why many European fairy tales talk about how cunning demons go to all the trouble, just to lure skilled violinists to their feasts, and sometimes by deceit they take away the instrument itself.
So, legends say that the devil, who wanted to get a good violin, took the guise of a village musician and in the evening sometimes kept watch for his “colleague” who was returning home from work. Word by word - an acquaintance was struck up, and at some point the unclean one offered a new friend to exchange violins.
The devil's tool looked very expensive, and therefore many poor fellows immediately agreed to an exchange. But when he came home, the poor musician found in the case not a gorgeous violin, but a dry branch.
But in order to lure the violinist to a damn feast, the unclean man pretended to be a rich man and offered the rural virtuoso good money.
And only after arriving at the customer's house, the poor violinist understood what kind of "party" he had come to. To elude the dreaded "clients", the musician had to show remarkable ingenuity. But it also happened that he had to please devils and witches with music for ages.
The "red" violin that takes life
However, the most famous mystical legend associated with this instrument is the story of the "red" violin.
For several centuries a legend has been circulating in Europe that a certain violin maker, who mourned the death of his beloved wife, added her blood to the varnish with which he covered a new violin.
After that, the violin turned bright red, and the soul of the deceased moved to the instrument. In the first years of its existence, the "red" violin did no harm to anyone. And then this is what happened.
The instrument accidentally fell into the hands of a violinist boy. The soul of a woman, enclosed in an instrument, awakened an unprecedented talent in the boy. Evil forces were going to listen to his play and, in the end, they drank the life of the child without a trace.
When he died, the instrument was buried with him. However, the next day it turned out that the unfortunate man's grave had been excavated, and the violin had disappeared. Since then, she "travels" all over Europe, choosing her owner, but every person who is "lucky" to touch the "red" violin will face terrible misfortunes and painful death.
Master riddles
Certainly, the cautious attitude towards the violin concerned its creators as well. At all times, people looked at the violin makers with distrust, and legends were made about the most outstanding of them during their lifetime. Although it should be noted, the personalities of these people asked others a lot of riddles.
The violins created by the great Antonio Stradivari, even three centuries after his death, have no equal. But even a careful study of these instruments did not reveal the secret of their divine voices. Stradivari's creations did not differ from other violins either in the quality of wood, or in size, or even in varnish.
But for a long time it was believed that an incomparable voice to the instruments of a great master is given by an amazing varnish made according to a special recipe. But a few years ago, an almost barbaric experiment was carried out by some brave researchers. One of the Stradivari violins was completely washed off the varnish, but even after this blasphemy it sounded as before.
A few centuries ago, the following version was born, trying to explain the phenomenon of the master. Allegedly, in childhood, little Antonio was blessed by the Lord himself, giving him the talent to create instruments whose voice would remind people of the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the same time, the future great master received a wonderful miracle from the Almighty, which he subsequently added to the varnish for his violins. And it was this secret ingredient that allegedly gave divine sound to Stradivarius instruments.
Servants of the prince of darkness
Quite different rumors circulated in European countries about the violins of Giuseppe Guarneri, nicknamed del Gesu. It was rumored that this master, bound by a treaty with the Jesuit order, had to sell part of his tools to them for an insignificant price.
Frustrated by such injustice, Guarneri made a deal with the devil, according to which he received freedom, and his violins acquired an unprecedented power of influence on the audience. Since then, the sounds of del Gesu's instruments have fascinated people and allegedly awakened dark feelings and desires in their souls.
An interesting fact is that it was Guarneri's violin that for many years was the faithful companion and assistant of the most "demonic" virtuoso in the history of mankind, Niccolo Paganini.
Legends say that this brilliant musician, suffering from the humiliation of hopeless poverty and seeking recognition, gave his soul to the devil in exchange for a magnificent violin, which later brought him wealth and fame.
According to another legend, Paganini won the brainchild of Guarneri at cards in a roadside tavern from a strange man who, not regretting the loss at all, predicted great glory to the young man at parting. Whatever it was, and Paganini's music did not leave anyone indifferent. Ladies at his concerts wept and fainted, and even men were not shy about their tears.
However, rumors of a deal with the devil constantly haunted the genius musician, which was partly due to his peculiar appearance and eccentric behavior. And if during Paganini's life very few people dared to oppose him with accusations, then after the death of the musician the Roman Catholic Church categorically opposed his burial according to the Christian rite.
For 47 years, the body of Niccolo Paganini sought refuge in all cities of Italy, until, finally, in 1897, his grueling posthumous journey ended in one of the cemeteries of Parma.
These terrible wanderings of the remains of the great virtuoso gave rise to new legends. So, the inhabitants of the island of Saint-Honoré, where Paganini's body took refuge for some time, say that after the remains of the musician left their lands, amazing blue lilies grew on the coastal rocks. The very same spirit of the musician remained forever on these shores, and now on stormy nights through the sound of the wind you can hear the voice of his violin.
And the faithful companion of the "demonic" virtuoso is now in the homeland of Paganini - in the town hall of the city of Genoa. And once a year, one of the talented young musicians picks it up to play in front of the audience for the whole evening in memory of its first famous owner.
Elena LYAKINA
