Playing Level: Very Good
This lovely violin belonged to Dr. Leon Schatzberg-Sawicki, 1918-2008. He was born in Colomja, Poland, and died in New York. He graduated from the Lvov Conservatory in 1938, and went on to study medicine at Lvov University, where he graduated May 1941. He married a fellow student, Ella Schrenzel. During the Nazi occupation (1941-1944), he changed his name to the Polish ‘Sawicki,’ with the help of false identity papers. He played this violin all over Poland in street corners, restaurants, and impromptu bands, while Ella tutored Polish kids. They were liberated by the Soviets in July 1944. Both lived long lives and saw children and grandchildren.
