You may hear references to playing the world's smallest violin when someone is being overly whiny or wallowing in self-pity, and now scientists have turned the joke into an actual microscopic object.

British physicists claim they’ve created the “world’s smallest violin” — and, by the looks of it, they could take a bow for their masterpiece invention. The brainy bunch at Loughborough University ...

Historical background -- Stradivari's workshop materials -- The violin forms and patterns -- Violin fittings and setup -- The dance master's kit -- The viola da gamba and viola d'amore -- The lute -- ...