New 16 inches viola I just finished, I named it "L'Isle joyeuse"

February 24, 2012 at 7:43 PM

New 16 inches viola I just finished, I named it "L'Isle joyeuse":

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 7:45 PM

www.manfio.com

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 7:52 PM

www.manfio.com

From Randy Walton
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 3:42 PM

Very good work! Very nice antiquing with a very handsome and masculine scroll.

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 8:50 PM

Thanks Randy! This is the third I make based in a new form, her two older sisters are now in the Gewandhaus Leipzig and in the Kammerphillarmonie Bremen, Germany.

www.manfio.com

From Francesca Rizzardi
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 1:44 AM

What is that wood you're using for the back? I read that violas often use poplar; yours is some kind of burl?

From Francesca Rizzardi
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:52 AM

Second guess: maple burl, same for ribs and back?

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 11:23 AM

Ciao Francesca! That's North American maple, slab cut, it is lighter and softer than European maple and I find it good for violas.

www.manfio.com

From Francesca Rizzardi
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 4:07 PM

Gorgeous. Is that the same wood for the scroll, too?

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 5:05 PM

Grazie, thanks! No, for the scroll I use European (Bosnian) maple that I got in Rivolta, Desio, near Milan, in 1994.

But there are some types of North American hard maple that can be used for necks, Rocca used it back in 1850, the violin that was played by Paolo Borciani (Quartetto Italiano) was made by Rocca with North American maple.

www.manfio.com

From Ann Marie Cordial
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 8:10 PM

Luis -

You really have a knack for creating beauty. I have always thought that the luthiers who create such instruments must have stout hearts, for if I put my blood, sweat and tears into making a lovely instrument, particularly one with a compelling voice, I could never let it go. I would starve as a maker, because I'd look at my creations as my 'children'.
---Ann Marie

From LUIS CLAUDIO MANFIO
Posted on February 27, 2012 at 9:03 PM

Thanks for your kind words Ann Marie! Yes, it is hard to part with them, but about every month I have a new viola made, and they are made to be played by good musicians, to make music, not to stay with me.

And it is good knowing that right now my instruments are being played in some part of the world.

In the traditional Japanese culture they say that when a craftsman creates an object (sword, musical instrument, etc.) it must be used in its full possibilities otherwise it will be a dishonour to the object and to the maker who produced it. I like this idea, so a good instrument must be in the hands of a good musician, and I am a mediocre player.

Here some more photos of the instrument, as well as father and workshop assistant working on it:

From Ann Marie Cordial
Posted on March 1, 2012 at 1:23 PM

Nice! I like the Japanese outlook. But I would still have some attachment to the instrument...particularly after the painstaking way it is created.

Luthiers literally take a seed or an acorn that has matured over years and years - that once reached out to the sun and stars, that once moved with the wind, and has given it a voice.

---Ann Marie

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New 16 inches viola I just finished, I named it "L'Isle joyeuse"

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