Born in the USA: History of the Violin in America
It grew out of corn-fed Cremonas and took root in the parlors of fiddling aristocrats and common folk
The first known violin maker to reach American shores was a trained professional—and scoundrel. In 1691, London luthier Geoffrey Stafford was deported to the colonies as a felon. He found work fighting Indians on the Albany frontier until the Royal Governor Benjamin Fletcher took a fancy to him and invited him to New York. Stafford returned to his trade and managed to make a few violins and lutes before running the Governor's body servant through with a sword. He fled and was later hanged as a highwayman without training another maker to follow in his footsteps.
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