Sound sample of a fine French violin circa 1920s. The piece is commonly known as the Albinoni Adagio in g minor…popularized in the Mel Gibson’s Australian war movie, Gallipoli. Its often compared to Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings because it has become widely used in movies and television whenever a sad, contemplative mood requires musical backing. However, there’s a bit of a controversy…here’s some info from the internet:

The Adagio in G minor for strings and organ continuo is a neo-baroque composition by Remo Giazotto first published in 1958. It is usually referred to as “Albinoni’s Adagio”, or “Adagio in G minor by Albinoni, arranged by Giazotto”, but it has been established as an entirely original work by Giazotto.[1]
It was supposedly based on a fragment of a second-movement continuo from a “Sonata in G minor” by Tomaso Albinoni purportedly found among the ruins of the old Saxon State Library, Dresden, after it was firebombed by the Allies during World War II, but since Giazotto’s death in 1998 it has emerged that the piece is all his composition, as no such fragment has been found or recorded to have been in possession by the Saxon State Library.

The piece is most commonly orchestrated for string ensemble and organ, or string ensemble alone, but has achieved a level of fame such that it is commonly transcribed for other instruments. The piece has also permeated popular culture, having been used as background music for such films as Gallipoli, television programmes and in advertisements to the point of becoming a cliché for self-consciously “sad” moments

Duration : 0:2:26

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Sound sample of an very fine antique German violin – 19th century instrument. The violinist is a student playing Meditation From Thais by Jules Massenet.

Duration : 0:4:13

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Sound sample of an professional violin circa 1920s. Piece is an Excerpt of the Bach Sonata No. 1 (2nd Movement), Fuga in g minor being played by a student violinist.

Duration : 0:1:22

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Sound sample of a nice, old Czechoslovakian violin. Sound sample is AIR ON A G STRING by Bach, being played by a high school violin student.

Duration : 0:2:12

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Sound sample of an very old, superb da Salo violin. Student violinist is playing an excerpt of Mozart’s Rondo.

Duration : 0:1:13

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