Although I am not a musician, I have always loved the instruments and have admired those who are able to play them.  I found this cracked and worn old violin in the dusty shelves of an antique shop and was intrigued by the thought of what its history might have been.  Has it performed a Beethoven sonata in the manicured hands of a master in the concert hall, or has a farmhand’s callused fingers held the bow and filled the barn to the rafters with the joyful strains of a Virginia reel at a Saturday night square dance?  I’ll probably never know the answer to this question, but will still enjoy looking at its polished wood and graceful shape and wondering what caused each dent and scratch in the battered case.