{"id":30666,"date":"2023-07-25T13:50:32","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T11:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=186851"},"modified":"2023-07-26T11:40:01","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T09:40:01","slug":"10-most-expensive-instruments-ever-the-instruments-that-are-worth-mouth-watering-amounts-of-money","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/10-most-expensive-instruments-ever-the-instruments-that-are-worth-mouth-watering-amounts-of-money\/","title":{"rendered":"10 most expensive instruments ever: the instruments that are worth mouth-watering amounts of money"},"content":{"rendered":"

How much? Our round-up of the most expensive instruments ever <\/p>

By Hannah Nepilova\n \t\t<\/p>

2023-07-25 11:50:32<\/p>

\n\n

For anyone who has a few \u00a3 million going spare, and the rest of us\u2026. here is our guide to the world\u2019s most expensive instruments, from Charlie Parker\u2019s saxophone to Rostropovich\u2019s cello.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most expensive instruments ever<\/h2>\n
Louis XV special harp<\/h3>\n
Inspired by the rococo style of French King Louis XV\u2019s time, this ornate harp<\/a> <\/strong>from Lyon & Healy has been nicknamed the Rolls Royce of harps, and not just because it looks so spectacular: the sound is apparently crystal clear. A worthy addition to any palatial ballroom, it carries a price tag of $189 000 (approximately \u00a3144, 000).<\/p>\n\n<h3>Casablanca \u2018As Time Goes By\u2019 Piano<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p3"\">The<a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/what-is-the-most-expensive-piano-in-the-world\/"\"><span class=\""s1"\"><b> most expensive piano<\/b><\/span><\/a><b> <\/b>ever sold at auction (for $3.4 million), this wooden upright with only 55 keys is a hugely symbolic part of the film <i>Casablanca: <\/i>it\u2019s the piano that Dooley Wilson\u2019s Sam is playing when Ingrid Bergman utters that unforgettable line \u2018Play it Sam, play \u2018As Time Goes By\u2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p3"\">With its intricate gold and green Moroccan design \u2013 complete with chewing gum stuck under the keyboard (a souvenir from one of the actors apparently) \u2013 it looks very distinctive. Its sound, however, remains a mystery, given that the piano has never actually been played: while Dooley Wilson was a talented musician, the piano music was played by the offstage pianist Elliot Carpenter while Wilson acted out his part.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Play\" it=\"\" sam=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7vThuwa5RZU?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>\u00a0\u2018The Messiah\u2019 Stradivarius Violin<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Priced at $20 million, the so-called \u2018Messiah\u2019 was made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716, when the Italian violin-maker was at the height of his powers. However, it owes its fame and expense mainly to the like-new condition in which it has survived: its varnish is almost unworn, its carving is still razor sharp and the painted edge work on the scroll is still intact, the reason being that, unlike other Strads, which were regularly played, this one has always been a collector\u2019s piece.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Messiah\" stradivarius=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Oj3A5WG-fgo?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/what-is-the-most-expensive-piano-in-the-world\/"\"><b>What is the most expensive piano in the world?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/famous-pianos\/"\"><b>10 most famous pianos<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/four-of-the-most-famous-violins-ever-made-and-who-owns-them-now\/"\"><b>Four of the most famous violins ever made, and who owns them now<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/which-performers-currently-own-stradivarius-violins-and-how-much-are-they-worth\/"\">Which performers currently own Stradivarius violins and how much are they worth?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3>Duport Stradivarius Cello<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Named after one of its first owners, the 19th century cellist Jean-Louis Duport, this 1711 instrument has passed through some pretty illustrious hands. In fact, Napoleon Bonaparte himself once had a go at holding it, and a dent \u2013 still visible on the cello \u2013 is rumoured to have resulted from his rough handling while straddling the instrument with his boots.<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Aside from Duport, its players have included the 19th century French cellist August Franchomme, who said of the instrument: \u2018The more I contemplate it and the more I play it, the more prodigious I find it. What opulent wood! What magnificent varnish and what elegant, perfect workmanship! \u2026Its tone is extremely full, pure, smooth and distinguished and it has a surprising uniformity.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">More recently, the cello, which is valued at around<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>$20 million, was owned by Mstislav Rostropovich, who played it until his death in 2007.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Rostropovich\" records=\"\" the=\"\" prelude=\"\" from=\"\" bach=\"\" cello=\"\" suite=\"\" no.1=\"\" bwv=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ml14kGHCBg0?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Signed Fender Stratocaster guitar<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Here\u2019s an oddity among guitars in that this one was not owned by a famous musicians or featured on any famous recordings. It was, however, signed by an eye-watering roll call of musicians, including Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, David Gilmour, Pete Townshend and Jeff Beck.<\/p>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Auctioned off in 2005 by the charity Reach Out To Asia, an organisation founded to provide aid and support to the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 200,000 people, it was purchased for $2.7 million \u2013 the largest sum ever paid for a guitar.<\/p>\n<h3>6Charlie Parker Grafton Alto Saxophone<\/h3>\n<p>This was the <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/saxophone-invention\/"\">saxophone<\/a><\/strong> that jazz legend Charlie Parker (one of the <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/greatest-jazz-saxophonists-ever\/"\">greatest jazz saxophone players ever<\/a><\/strong>) played in a 1953 performance at Massey Hall. As the story goes, the other musicians \u2014 trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Bud Powell, bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Max Roach \u2014 had not rehearsed together before their performance with Parker, who rocked up to the venue without his instrument, having recently pawned it (some say to buy heroin).<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p>At the last minute, one of the musicians in the quintet supposedly found the plastic saxophone for Parker to play and the resulting performance went down in history as one of the greatest jazz performances ever.<\/p>\n<p>Made of cream acrylic, the instrument fetched $140,000 at auction in 1994 \u2013 the highest sum ever paid for a saxophone, and is currently on exhibit at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City \u2013 Charlie Parker\u2019s home town.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Peter\" king=\"\" plays=\"\" the=\"\" grafton=\"\" sax=\"\" of=\"\" charlie=\"\" parker=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MjY1NPUUp9U?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/britains-best-music-museums-our-most-famous-musical-instrument-collections\/"\"><b>Britain\u2019s best music museums: our most famous musical instrument collections<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/worlds-oldest-musical-instrument\/"\"><b>What\u2019s the world\u2019s oldest musical instrument?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/childrens-musical-instruments\/"\"><b>Musical instruments for children: 10 of the best<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h2>7. Macdonald Stradivarius Viola<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p1"\">The price tag \u2013 $45 million at the last weigh-in \u2013 is somewhat staggering. But, like the \u2018Messiah\u2019 violin, the Macdonald viola owes some of its value to its preservation: kept primarily in storage, the 1719 instrument missed out on decades\u2019 worth of wear and tear. Then there\u2019s the rarity value, given that Stradivari only made about 15 violas altogether. Not only is the<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>Macdonald one of only eleven Strad violas that still survive today, but it\u2019s the only one<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>in the world that isn\u2019t owned by a museum, foundation, or government, and thus available for private purchase. Tempted?<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""This\" is=\"\" what=\"\" a=\"\" million=\"\" viola=\"\" sounds=\"\" like=\"\" the=\"\" new=\"\" york=\"\" times=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xe11Pp1g39I?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h2>8. Steinway & Sons \u2018Pictures at an Exhibition\u2019 Piano<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p4"\">Carrying a $2.5 million price tag, this is the first <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/who-invented-the-steinway-piano\/"\"><span class=\""s1"\"><b>Steinway<\/b><\/span><\/a> & Sons piano inspired by a musical composition: <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/modest-musorgsky\/"\"><span class=\""s1"\"><b>Mussorgsky<\/b><\/span><\/a>\u2019s <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/pictures-at-an-exhibition-musorgsky-guide-best-recordings\/"\">Pictures at an Exhibition<\/a><\/strong>. Designed by Paul Wyse, it is decorated with images of figures from Russian musical history and folklore, the aim being to tell the story, not only of Mussorgsky\u2019s piano suite, \u2018but of everything surrounding it,\u2019 as Wyse put it.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""The\" making=\"\" of=\"\" at=\"\" an=\"\" exhibition=\"\" steinway=\"\" piano=\"\" by=\"\" paul=\"\" wyse=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Y7tueqBhH5A?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Lady Blunt Antonio Stradivari<\/h3>\n<p>Sold to Lady Anne Blunt \u2013 the daughter of <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/ada-lovelace\/"\">Ada Lovelace<\/a><\/strong> and grand daughter of Lord Byron\u00a0 \u2013 in the late 1800s, this 1721 instrument is almost as well-preserved as the \u2018Messiah\u2019, given that it has seen relatively little use. Those who have actually played it include the violinist <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/yehudi-menuhins-finest-moments\/"\">Yehudi Menuhin<\/a><\/strong>, whose performance at the instrument\u2019s 1971 auction at Sotheby\u2019s can be seen below.<\/p>\n<p>At that auction, the Lady Blunt fetched a then-record-breaking $200,000 (\u00a384,000). But that\u2019s still quite a bit less than the near-$15.9 million (\u00a310 million) it fetched in the wake of the 2011 T\u014dhoku earthquake and tsunami to raise money for the Nippon Foundation\u2019s relief fund.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Yehudi\" menuhin=\"\" plays=\"\" the=\"\" blunt=\"\" stradivarius=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ubj0LteeU1w?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/easiest-instruments-play\/"\"><b>10 easiest instruments to play<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/hardest-instruments-to-play\/"\"><b>10 hardest instruments to play<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/weirdest-instruments\/"\"><b>10 weirdest instruments ever<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3>Lausanne Cathedral Pipe Organ<\/h3>\n<p>Inaugurated in December 2003, and costing 6 million Swiss Francs (about \u00a35 million),the Lausanne Cathedral Pipe Organ (pictured) is one of the most lavish and unique instruments of its kind in the world. For one thing, it\u2019s the first organ to have been designed by a designer: a process that took ten years. Plus, it\u2019s the first organ to contain all four of the main organ styles (classical, French symphony, baroque and German romantique), which gives it an incredible versatility.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Incredible\" sound=\"\" from=\"\" pipe=\"\" organ=\"\" at=\"\" lausanne=\"\" cathedral=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a0NiP4KIpMw?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlightcontent\" editor-content=\"\"> \n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/when-was-the-organ-invented\/"\">When was the organ invented?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/wanamaker-organ\/"\">Wanamaker Organ: How the largest pipe organ in the world ended up in Macy\u2019s Department Store, Philadelphia<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/instruments\/organ-history\/"\">The English organ: how it evolved through history<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> How much? 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Our round-up of the most expensive instruments ever","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/30666"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}