Stringed instruments make noise from the vibrations of tuned strings, using acoustic or electronic means to amplify those vibrations to the point where they’re loud enough to hear. The strings ...

“I was startled to find somebody who knew so much about old instruments ... luthier business they founded in 1969, Gryphon Stringed Instruments, has expanded into a flourishing repair shop ...

They are at least 2,000 years old and date back to the pre-Óc ... they examined the antlers and determined that they were single-stringed musical instruments called chordophones.

On Wednesday night at the Library of Congress, the opportunity to hear some of history’s most finely crafted instruments doubled as a chance to hear one of the top string quartets of today.