"As the archetypal example of the polymathic, intellectually omnivorous "Renaissance man," he (DaVinci) not only attained mastery of a wide range of disciplines but did his most impressive work in the spaces between them. Given the voluminousness of his output (not to mention the technical limitations of fifteenth-century Europe), many of his multiple domain-spanning ideas and inventions never became a reality during his lifetime. However, just this year, 494 years after Leonardo's death, we now have the chance to see, and more importantly hear, one of them: the viola organista, an elaborate musical instrument that had previously only existed in his notebooks."

"As the archetypal example of the polymathic, intellectually omnivorous "Renaissance man," he (DaVinci) not only attained mastery of a wide range of disciplines but did his most impressive work in the spaces between them. Given the voluminousness of his output (not to mention the technical limitations of fifteenth-century Europe), many of his multiple domain-spanning ideas and inventions never became a reality during his lifetime. However, just this year, 494 years after Leonardo's death, we now have the chance to see, and more importantly hear, one of them: the viola organista, an elaborate musical instrument that had previously only existed in his notebooks." - Leonardo da Vinci designed an elaborate musical instrument called the 'viola organista' almost 500 years ago. Now the world can see it being played for the very first time.