Violinist Falls, Breaks Valuable Violin

When I first read this headline I thought: My friend Melissa plays violin? She has been known to take a tumble. I always make sure she is ok, then start laughing. That is the fall ettiquette.

David Garrett, a former model who has been called the David Beckham of the classical scene, said he tripped while carrying his 18th century violin as he was leaving London's Barbican Hall after a performance, smashing it to bits.

"I had it over my shoulder in its case and I fell down a concrete flight of stairs backward," Garrett said Thursday. "When I opened the case, much of my G.B. Guadagnini had been crushed."

Garrett said he bought the 1772 violin for $1 million in 2003, and he is now hoping to get it repaired in New York, where he is based.

Source: AP