The Lost Stradivarius

"The Lost Stradivarius" by John Meade Falkner is a story set in the 1840s about a young man named John Maltravers, a violin player studying at Oxford, who stumbles into the strange after finding old music. The story begins with a letter from his aunt, who plans to tell him of his father's past and as he settles into university life, he loves to play music with his friend, William Gaskell. While playing music, John notices supernatural happenings like a creaking wicker chair that only occurs when they play a mystery song called "Gagliarda". He soon finds out that these occurrences are tied to something unseen that is linked to the music. The tale shows suspense and foreshadowing as John gets more involved in this strange melody.