Paul Adam

Well into his middle years, Gianni Castiglione has a pleasant, quiet life in Cremona. A luther - a maker and repairer of violinis - he spends most of his time adoring his grandchildren and playing chamber-quartets with the local priest, the chief of police, and a fellow aging luther, Tomaso Rainaldi. A true romantic, Rainaldi is in thrall to music's myths, particularly the stories about the "Messiah's Sister," a priceless, centuries-old -- and possibly...