Writer Russ Rymer delves into the world of the endangered music tree. The music of Beethoven, Brahms and their compatriots could not be played without the traditional violin bow, and the bow can only be made of one material: the wood from the pernambuco tree, which grows only in Brazil. Sensing their own extinction, musicians and bow makers have been working to save the tree, which is threatened by the destruction of the Atlantic forests. Russ examines the future of the tree, and the art that it supports.
Supported by the University of Sydney