The violin is the best classical instrument

My opponent claims that the violin being the best classical instrument " that is, excelling above all others " is objective as opposed to subjective. This is fine, but let us see what evidence she uses to back up this claim: - "The value of a violin at its greatest is $16 million..." So, then, just because the most expensive instrument ever sold was a violin, the violin is automatically the "best classical instrument"? Well, no, we later see in the paragraph that there was "a viola that sold for $45 million," along with a statement that... - "This isn't just about what is the most expensive instrument ever sold..." I would agree. The cost of an instrument has no bearing on whether or not it is the greatest instrument. In fact, the argument that "even ... average violins cost is [sic] more than other instruments" is detrimental to the opposition's cause. Surely, the greatest instrument would be one that would be widely accessible. Or, perhaps the greatest instrument would be one that is so expensive that only the wealthiest of musicians could afford it. This, a defining attribute of why the violin is OBJECTIVELY the best, is subjective in itself. - "The concertmaster is always a first violin... That means that in a world class orchestra with only professional musicians the skill of the violinist who is concertmaster is obviously better than all the other professional world class musicians" This statement implies that, in the orchestral world, the world's most skilled musicians are ALWAYS violin players in an attempt to prove that the violin is thus the greatest instrument. This clearly doesn't prove anything, as musical skill is NOT defined by the instrument the instrumentalist plays, as this paragraph implies. The concertmaster is always a first violin, and therefore cannot always be the best musician in the orchestra at the same. To imply so would be laughable. - "The oldest surviving violin is from 1564. Violins that are valuable are old which proves that violins are made in good quality too." The oldest surviving harpsichord is from 1530. Therefore, it's the best quality instrument overall, right? - "As to my opponent's second paragraph, the triangle is not of better quality or value, nor is it more skillful, talented or successful." Well, we've established that the value of an instrument being a defining factor of an instrument being "the greatest" is subjective thus far. I would also like to continue on to say that most triangles are of a superior quality to most violins. Could this statement be argued? What defines quality? If referring to longevity, I would argue that most triangles will last longer than most violins. And what defines talent and skill? I could say that Jose is more skilled and talented than a world-class concertmaster. That is an opinion, and therefore subjective. - "... the piano can be expressive but not as expressive as the violin." Subjective. - "... the best is determined by value, quality, success, talent and skill." Finally we have a clear criteria, defined by the proponent, that defines what makes an instrument the best. The best part is that the violin does not objectively meet any of these criteria: - The most expensive instrument ever sold was not a violin and the instrument with the highest average selling value is not a violin. - The violin, a member of the string family, all of which are similarly crafted and could all have the same quality, does not have an innate quality that any other instrument couldn't possess. - The violin is no more successful than every other classical instrument, especially the piano. I would argue that the piano is overall more successful than the violin, but that's for another time. - The violin does not give those who play it talent, therefore the talent argument is irrelevant (as well as subjective). The violin also takes no more talent to master than any other instrument. - The violin takes no more skill to master than any other instrument If I have not proven that the choice for "best classical instrument" is subjective, I have at least proven, by my opponent's criteria, that the violin is "objectively" (again, I emphasize "by my opponent's criteria") not the best classical instrument.