[20 marks] 點解小提琴可以賣得這樣貴?

因為出名,材料不簡單

(一)制琴師的名氣

如果是義大利三大制琴家族史特拉底瓦裏、阿瑪蒂（Am-ati）和哥內利（Guarneri）等著名琴師製作的小提琴，那價格定必不菲。不管琴的音色如何，只要是這些大師親手製造的作品，都一定價值連城。相反，如果是普通木匠造的，不管手工有多好，價格也遠遠比不上前者。

猶其是史特拉底瓦裏，一生共製作了1千1百把小提琴，每把都身價不凡，其中有6百把到當前仍在使用中。史特拉底瓦裏名氣甚大，數百年來也曾經有無數人模仿他的手法制琴、冒用名號，不過行家一試便原形畢露。史特拉底瓦裏的手藝世上無可替換。

因此很多琴行估價，首先不是聽聲音。而是看看到底製作者是誰。制琴師的名字跟琴的音質有一個相關而有不完全相同的關係。一般來說，著名的制琴師之所以著名，就是因為他的琴大多音色好，但是同一個人做的琴，音色差別也很大，也不是把把都好。但是因為時代久遠，好琴難覓，所以著名琴師的琴都個個昂貴。要特別注意的是，琴內的標籤不一定是可靠的。越是名貴的琴，標籤越不可靠。鑒定琴一定要有專門的行家，不可輕信。

(二)木料的選用

不論工藝再怎麼精製，若木料不佳也是徒然。製作小提琴的木料在砍伐後需要自然乾燥幾年到幾十年不等。木料的自然乾燥期越長，音色越好，價格也自然越貴，木料貴了，小提琴的價格自然相對地提高。

(三)成本的高低

很多歐洲琴，因為人工昂貴，同樣品質的琴，購入價格就高好幾倍。琴行購入這類琴時成本高昂，售價亦相對地提高。而且琴的售價往往跟琴行的管理方式有關。如有些琴行會將戶員的薪金及琴行的租金等都計進入了小提琴的成本內。所以買琴者不妨多走幾間琴行及搜集有關小提琴的資料，便可避免‘買貴貨’的問題。

I think, those violins which are over HK$150,000 are out of its true intrinsic value but conceptual value. That means, it is not just a violin for playing, but for symbolizing social status of the owner in terms of wealth and taste. Therefore, such kind of violins would mostly appear in auction --- a game among the rich instead of musicians. Just like the case in paintings.

Now, the most expensive violin has been over HK$20 million!!! The underlying factors to achieve this includes:
1. it is an authentic violin made by a legendary violin maker (e.g. Stradivari, Amati, Guarneri, Maggini);
2. it has been used, not necessarily owned, by celebrated violinists in the past (e.g. Heifetz, Stern, Oistrakh, Menuhin, etc.), as well as the living ones (e.g. Perlman, Shaham, Bell, etc.), in concerts and on recordings;
3. very good condition without any defect.

To conclude, such kind of violin is based on a concept "Legendary". Fortunately and unfortunately, no newly made violin can produce tone quality like these "legendary" violins.

圖片參考：http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cd/Antonio_stradivari.jpg

Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument, in a Romantic 19th-century print.

Most Expensive Musical Instruments

圖片參考：http://images.forbes.com/media/lifestyle/2006/04/11/1_0411feat.jpg

© Christie's


Most Expensive Violin*
"The Lady Tennant," Stradivarius violin
$2.03 million
Crafted in 1699, the violin was first owned by Charles Philippe Lafont, a contemporary of Nicolo Paganini. It gets its name from Scottish industrialist Sir Charles Tennant, who bought the instrument in 1900 for his wife, Marguerite Miles, an amateur violinist.
It was sold by Christie's New York in April 2005.
*All sales numbers are for most expensive publicly auctioned instruments.

圖片參考：http://images.forbes.com/media/lifestyle/2006/04/11/2_0411feat.jpg

© Christie's


No. 2 Violin
"The Kreutzer," Stradivarius violin
$1.58 million*
This instrument belonged to musician Rodolphe Kreutzer, to whom Beethoven dedicated one of his best-known violin sonatas (The Kreutzer Sonata). Crafted in 1727, it was sold for £947,500 by Christie's London in 1998.

*Calculated at 1998 exchange rates. “The Kreutzer” would be No. 3 if it had been priced in U.S. dollars.
Most Expensive Musical Instruments

圖片參考：http://images.forbes.com/media/lifestyle/2006/04/11/3_0411feat.jpg

© Christie's


No. 3 Violin
"The Mendelssohn," Stradivarius violin
$1.78 million*
This 1720 crimson-hued fiddle is said to have been the influence for the film "The Red Violin." Owned by wealthy bankers in Berlin who were descendants of composer Felix Mendelssohn, it sold for £902,000 by Christie's London in November 1990.
*Calculated at 1990 exchange rates. “The Mendelssohn” would be No. 3 if it had been priced in U.S. dollars.