In Focus: a 1759 viola by Petter Hellstedt

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Stefan Lindholm examines an instrument by the Swedish maker

Sweden’s first public concerts took place in Stockholm in 1731 and soon music life in the capital was flourishing. Many musical instruments came from abroad but in 1756 there was a ban on imports, which immediately gave rise to the culture of violin making in Sweden. By the end of the 18th century there were a dozen different workshops in Stockholm alone. 

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