Broken chords
Your story about Stefan Jackiw and his broken string (, July) reminds me of an experience over 65 years ago. In October 1956, Josef Kripscadenza when, suddenly, a string broke. The gasp in the hall was like a massive burst tyre – total deflation. Almost without missing a beat, Stern grabbed the leader Hugh Maguire’s violin and started the cadenza again. At the end of the movement, he retrieved his instrument, disappeared briefly then resumed with the slow movement as though nothing had happened. Sadly, though, the magic had gone.
