Paganini

Nicolo Paganini is probably the most famous violinist who ever lived. That's not him to the left, that's someone else. It doesn't matter. He would have liked her. Paganini is - to violinists - what Marco Polo is to explorers - what Einstein is to scientists - what Roosevelt is to politicians - what Frank Sinatra is to singers. Paganini was like a trapeze artist on the violin - working without a net. He was born on this day in 1782.

Teresa Milanollo

Teresa Milanollo was an Italian violinist of the nineteenth century, born August 28, in 1827. She studied with French violinist DeBeriot, concertized for a while, but gave up her career upon marrying French General Theodore Parmentier in 1857. She would be almost completely unknown today if it were not for the fact that a famous Stradivari violin bears her name - the Milanollo Strad made in 1728, now being played by Corey Cerovsek. This violin was at one time played by Nicolo Paganini; however, Teresa Milanollo inherited it from Domenico Dragonetti. Some people are just lucky that way.