Viola
Measuring 16 ½ inches in body length

This is a remarkable story that has come full circle. A story like this just doesn’t happen without some divine intervention. This viola, made in 1992 was named “King Josiah” after one of the great Israeli kings.Measuring 161/2 inches in body length, and patterned after the famous Stradivarius McDonald viola, it is varnished, with an auburn-brown color over a honey-gold  base coat. It was an original member of a quartet made to premier a Biblical composition commissioned by John E. Sipe, written by Dr. Dwight Gustafson and performed at Bob Jones University in 1992.

The real story, without all of the specifics, begins when this viola and a second viola, made in 1991, were stolen from the car of a potential buyer, who was in transition from Mr. Sipe’s shop to his home, but had stopped a moment for food. From that point, to when it recently resurfaced, it stayed in its case in pristine condition, just like the day it left the maker’s shop. The years still conceal the mystery surrounding the theft of this beautiful viola, who stole it, why it laid in its case for thirteen years and why was it returned to a local music store with no conditions attached. These questions may never be answered. Answering them would remove the mystic from a story with a wonderful ending. This gives hope that the second viola may someday reappear!