Lord of the Rings violin to be auctioned

A violin that featured in the music of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy is being auctioned.

The Hardanger violin can be heard on Concerning Hobbits, the second track of The Fellowship of the Ring.

It is expected to sell for between £3,000 and £6,000, when auctioned by Gardiner Houlgate in Wiltshire.

Its current owner, Dermot Crehan, said it had " basically been under my bed since before Covid" and he would love it to go to someone who will use it.

"I've done a little bit of work with it, but I've basically semi-retired.

"The best thing for a violin is not to be under the bed, but under someone's chin," he added.

Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore asked Mr Crehan to play a Norwegian Hardanger violin, now nicknamed the Rohan Fiddle, because of its "plaintive and haunting" sound.

Mr Crehan said: "Working on Lord of the Rings was one of the high points of my career.

"Howard didn't want to use an Irish instrument, so asked me to get a Hardanger violin from Norway to give the music a different feel."

Jamie South, the auctioneer who will sell the fiddle, said: "The Lord of the Rings films and book inspire huge interest among collectors and fans, so we're anticipating interest from around the world."

Hardanger violins are a traditional Norwegian instrument with a headstock that usually terminates in a carved animal or a carved woman's head.

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