Two hundred years ago, there were a lot of violinists. Many made a living at it.
If you were of means and wanted to hear music, your best option was to hire someone to play it for you.
Of course, the invention of the phonograph and the radio changed all of that. Now, one great violinist could be heard by millions, not dozens of people.
The result is that there are now only two sorts of violinists:
- People who play the violin because they love it. They might get paid, but they probably don’t.
- People who are so good at playing the violin that it’s worth hiring them instead of listening to a recording. They bring humanity, possibility and power to their performance in a way that no streaming service ever could.
If you are hoping to make a living as a pretty good violinist, you were born in the wrong century.
As you’ve already guessed, we’re all violinists now.