V.com weekend vote: When was your main violin (or viola or cello) made?
As an object, the violin is one of mankind's great accomplishments. Despite radical changes in society and technology, the design of the violin has changed very little since it was standardized by Andrea Amati in the 16th century and then perfected by Antonio Stradivari a century later.
That means that in any given orchestra, musicians are holding violins whose year of origin can range across centuries. Mind-boggling! One violinist might play on an Italian fiddle made in the 1700s; another on a 19th c. French violin, another on an American violin made just last year.
The three violins in my possession range greatly as well, with one made in the 19th, one in the 20th, and one in the 21st century!
For this vote, select period when your most-frequently-played violin, viola or cello was made. Then tell us about it in the comments section, and you can also tell us the dates of any other instruments you have.
Thanks to Neil Poulsen for this Weekend Vote idea. If you have an idea for the Weekend Vote, please e-mail me. I welcome your ideas!
You might also like:
- Interview with Violin Maker Andrew Carruthers: Inspiration and the Turtle Fiddle
- Book review: 'The Violin Maker'
- Top Modern Violin Makers Honored in the 2022 Violin Society of America Competition
- Looking for a new violin? Take a look at these 50 modern American makers
* * *
Enjoying Violinist.com? Click here to sign up for our free, bi-weekly email newsletter. And if you've already signed up, please invite your friends! Thank you.
Replies
My violin was made exactly one century before i was born and that is all i am interested in saying about this. For now.
My primary violin was made in 1795 in Prague. My secondary, which I learned on, in 1826 Vienna. I also have a late 20th century, unlabeled "mystery" violin, probably made in China but finished and set up in the US.
how about 1950-1999? (that option is missing)
how about 1950-1999? (that option is missing)
I don't actually know when my violin and viola was made. My viola is 19th century British, and I cannot trace it before 1877 when it was repaired by a luthier named Drach in Chicago. My violin has a Bailly label which is probably not authentic, but 10 luthiers have given 12 opinions (that's right; two changed opinions over the years) about its provenance.
My main instruments, violin and viola, are made by a Norwegian luthier, Jon Anfinsen.
I visited him many years ago, I think it was in 1970, and bought a violin and a viola from him.
The viola is from 1968, it is his instrument number 92.
The violin is from 1969, it is his instrument number 95.
He was a very kind man. He gave me a discount because I bought two instruments. The viola was supposed to go to an exhibition in Stockholm in Sweden, so I coudn't get it right away. He had two violas at that point, but it was the one with the number 92 that I preferred.
We made the agreement that I borrowed the other viola, and then after the exhibition I would visit him again and swap instruments.
When I visited him again he told me that he got a higher offer from someone else for that viola but he kept the viola reserved for me. It was amazing. It is a great viola which I love very much.
I own a Thomas Kennedy of London, which my parents brought back from WE Hill in about 1962. With a dental mirror, I once found a date of 1821 written on the inside. It has been a treasured possession, although I haven't played it nearly enough in the past 50 years.
My first full size violin was an Old German Violin dated, when I was younger, to the 18th century, but more recently to the 19th. It had a beautiful G-string tone that got wrecked and while it is still a good violin, I am now playing a German style instrument date 1949. My viola, certified as a genuine Gagliano when my father acquired it, is now reckoned to be 19th century - probably like a lot of these other "genuine Gagliani" that yesteryears' professionals were proud to possess.
Jean, look again -- the 1950-1999 option is in there. It's just out of chronological order.
In standard Pareto fashion, the categories are ordered according to their increasing percentages.
This is really interesting data. I'm surprised to see such a high percentage of recently made instruments. (2000-2024)
I recall the thread where a relatively high percentage of musicians (I thought) stated that they were playing their dream instrument. I can't recall the actual results; but, it surprised my that the percentage was as high as it was.
The other interesting result that sticks out to me is the rather small percentage of musicians who don't know the age of their instrument, even though instruments included in this survey date back almost 300 hears.
Thanks, Laurie.
Over the last 10 years I've had 5 "main" violins. Their ages have been going back steadily - 1990's, 1850's, 1820's, 1809, 1790's. I still have the last four, all English.
French "ca. 1900". Gives me a tricky choice. I chose 1900-1949. For European violins, the wars perhaps offer quite important date barriers.
My violin is French, circa 1890. Maybe Mirecourt. Not sure. The only thing I know about my viola is that it is German.
My violin was made in 1995 by a little known local Canadian maker whose location is around 30-45 minutes away from my current home. It's pretty comparable to most advanced student workshop violins in the $2k-$4k bracket, though I got it for a bit of a bargain. My viola was made in 2021 by the Hiroshi Kono workshop.
I don't think you will get any votes for the time period 1600--1650. The earliest existing violins, rare and expensive, will be after 1650, by either Andrea Amati or Gaspar da Salo. There are references in literature or art work of violins before 1650 but no physical evidence. The issue is clouded by the similarity of the Italian words Viol, Viola, and Violin (lit."small viol")
My violin is a loose copy of Strad’s Willemotte made by self in 2022, it is 9th instrument I’ve made and copes well with Trad, Bluegrass and local amateur orchestra repertoire.
It's a very special thing, to know, or even just to meet, the person who made your fiddle.
My main instrument, which I’ve had since halfway through my music major program, is an 1869 fiddle; so it’s in the 1850-1899 period, 3rd in vote tally at this hour.
The others date from 1883 and 1921. The 1921 instrument is from France. The 1869 and 1883 fiddles are from Germany.
Side note: I make it a point to play on all of these instruments each day, except when I’m taking time off. I’ve found that this helps the strings stay better in tune. With today’s composite-core A-D-G + steel E, I can go days in a row without having to re-tune, even here in the hot, humid summers of the American Southeast.
This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Subscribe
Laurie's Books
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine
September 15, 2024 at 01:16 AM · My main instrument is a modern American viola made in 1979.
My other string instrument doesn't have its actual date on its label. It's a West German workshop violin that my great-uncle purchased in 1954, which gives a fairly narrow range of possible dates. It's probably from the early 1950s but possibly from the late 1940s.