A Strad Inspired Violin - Benjamin Parrott, Luthier

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log Date 9/1/2011

2011-09-04T13:24:00.002-04:00

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Grand Prize

The Athenaeum Pops Orchestra

The APO Dr. Samuel W. Siurua Memorial Violin No. 001

Today I picked up the new violin which Benjamin Parrott expertly varnished and set up for the coming Athenaeum Pops Orchestra Young String Players Competition.

The white violin with which Ben started was a Chinese instrument made from fine aged tone wood.

Before: The Chinese white violin above arrived in March, 2011

After: The finished Dr. Samuel W. Siurua Violin No. 001 on August 31, 2011

The APO Prize SWS violin in its Bobelock case with Coda Diamond GX bow, Kuhn Shoulder Rest and Bernardel Rosin

John Rihani shows off all the above accessories provided with generous consideration through
Encore Orchestral Strings, of Paige's Music

What is the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra's(APO) Young String Players Competition?

It is a live performance competition for low income high school violin and viola players from the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and the Indianapolis metro area. The prize awarded to one winner in each category will be a fine violin or viola. Honorariums in amounts from $50 to $200 may also be awarded 2^nd and 3^rd place winners. As well the two winners will perform their solos with the orchestra at an Arts Garden Concert and possible other events yet to be determined.

What is the Purpose of the APO Competition?

It is to further the goal of the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra to mentor younger musicians; to increase the intergenerational diversity of the orchestra string sections with young musicians; and to remember

the late Dr. Samuel W. Siurua who dedicated his life to teaching hundreds of young instrumentalists during his 30 years in the Indianapolis Public Schools.

What is the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra?

The original Athenaeum Orchestra was organized as a zither ensemble in the 1870’s. About 1875 Emil Wulschner organized the group as an orchestra first known as The Musicverein. All the members were the finest German musicians in the city and spoke only German. From 1897 to 1918 this group was considered the finest orchestra in Indianapolis. Due to anti-German sentiment, the Musicverein was disbanded in 1918. In 1930 when the Indianapolis Symphony was organized, several members of the old Musicverein became its charter members. Constantine G. Borshoff organized the Athenaeum Turners Orchestra in 1940. Former conductors of the Turners Orchestra include David W. Hughes, Jackson Wiley, Edward Staubach and Dr. Charles Conrad. The orchestra was reorganized in 1995 as the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra, Inc. under the direction of Benjamin Winkler. It was later conducted by Richard Marcus, Peter Heins, Richard Moon and José Valencia. The Orchestra is currently under the direction of Dr. Lee H. Jones. The purpose of this organization is to contribute to the cultural aspects of the City of Indianapolis and nearby communities and groups by presenting formal and informal musical programs and concerts. The orchestra’s mission is to provide a quality playing outlet for our members that is musically rewarding, to entertain our audiences with both familiar and unusual music of high quality, and to mentor younger musicians in their goals of being better musicians.

How do I find out more about the upcoming competition?

Please contact me, Jerry D. Allen, at jallen120@gmail.com or by phone at (317) 359-3159.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 10/12/2010

2010-10-18T09:17:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Regraduating the Top Plate

The most significant alteration Ben will make to the violin parts before reassembling them with a new bass bar, neck and fingerboard is the regraduation of the plates. While this violin does not appear to be modeled after a specific Baroque maker, Ben hopes it will replicate the sounds of the early Amati instruments. The plates in this instrument do not have quite as high an arching as an Amati or Strad but Ben hopes to remove enough wood in the regraduation process to increase flexibility and still maintain their strength. His goal on the top plate is to reduce the thickness and weight down to that more common in the Strads and Amatis. Below is the inside of the top plate before any graduation has started.

Ben is setting up the drill press to act as a depth gauge when he drills pilot holes that will determine the depth to which he removes wood from the plate. This will go in phases.

Here Ben starts by drilling holes down the center line of the plate. The gauge on the drill press prevents him drilling the plate deeper than 3.5mm.

Below you can see the pattern of holes covering the plate. Because parts of the plate were less than 3/5mm thick originally there are no holes or even impressions made by the tip of the drill bit.

The raw wood exposed in the center between the F holes is where Ben has already finger planed down to the bottom depth of the drilled pilot holes.

Here using a caliper thickness gauge you can clearly see he has hit his initial thickness of 3.5mm.

Below the gauge shows some of the original surface was already at 2.7mm. This is the goal Ben has set for the overall thickness of the top plate.

Here before further drilling and planing Ben is removing hardened glue using a file.

Here he uses a scraper on the glue as he gets closer to the wood surface.

Below a new series of pilot holes have been drilled to a depth of 3mm.

Again, Ben finger planes the plate down this time to the new 3mm thickness. Before doing this he checked the weight of the plate at the 3.5mm thickness and found it was 77 grams without the bass bar. His goal is to reduce the weight to below 70 grams including the new bass bar which will probably weigh 5 grams alone.

More planing is shown in two photos below.

After completion of the second graduation pass, Ben reweighs the plate and it has dropped by 4 grams to 73 grams. This means he may have to further graduate more areas down to as little as 2.7mm or he will not reach his 70 gram overall weight goal. Throughout this process he tests the plate bending it slightly in his hands to test for the strength and flexibility he wants to achieve. This is a highly subjective process, his personal judgement of the feel of the wood that has been learned through years of experience testing and hearing the end results after the instrument is completed.

Below Ben is evening out this work using a scraper which will not impact the weight significantly.

Here checking with the calipers again after the second graduation he verifies that he is at 3mm thickness.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/27/2010

2010-10-18T08:29:00.000-04:00

Monday, September 27th, 2010
Making an Impression of the Back and Button Nub

In preparation for replacing the button on the back plate which will attach to the new neck Been needs to make an impression of the remaining button nub and the area surrounding it on the back plate.

On the left below you can see the green dental compound that will be used for the impression.

To protect the plate and make it easier to remove the dental compound Ben usually oils the surface and or place a piece of plastic wrap between the wood and the compound.

The dental compound has to be heated and worked in your hands until it is soft enough to be be pressed over the surface of the wood. Below the softened compound is shiny as it is pressed against the outside of the back plate with a block of scrap wood. You can clearly see the button nub against the green compound.

Below the impression is shown after it has hardened and been removed from the violin.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/16/2010

2010-10-18T08:18:00.000-04:00

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

Removal of Remaining Neck and Ribs

Ben saws off as much of the remaining neck as possible.

The part too close to the back to be safely to sawed must next be removed.

Ben finger planes the rest down to the back plate.

Below after finger planing Ben will need to remove built up glue.

He applies hot water below. There is a sweet but nauseating odor given off as the glue liquifies.
.

Then he can scrap the softened glue down to the button which will eventually need to be replaced inserting a keystone linked new button just outside of the perfling.

Below Ben is examining the remaining ribs that will need to be removed again using hot water to soften the glue.

Here Ben is working with the C bout corner blocks some of which can be saved while others will need to be replaced.

He needs to separate the C bout blocks and rib lining so that he can remove the bottom bout.

Below is the back plate after the bottom bout ribs have been removed.

Because the bottom bout ribs were formed from a single piece of maple Ben was careful to remove them in one piece.

Next he needs to clean them up by removing the cracked end block that will need to be replaced.
Below he is using a chisel to cut the block back to the rib. Interestingly when he examined the bottom bout block and saddle he found additional indicators that this was probably a Mittenwald, German made violin. The varnish appears to be soft, there is a notch in the rib for centering and inserting the saddle and there was a rosewood or ebony alignment pin that had been nailed through the top plate into the block.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 8/30/2010

2010-09-02T11:55:00.000-04:00

Monday August 30th, 2010

Violin Restoration: From Broke to Baroque

The Work Begins

Ben is loosening the bottom bout rib from the back plate in the photo below. Additional photos show steps in working on the top plate.

Here Ben is using a chisel to cut away the top of the bass bar.

Once most of the bass bar is removed he switches to a small finger plane which he uses to remove the remainder of the bass bar and the glue which has held it to the top plate. He uses this technique since the top plate is very thick and he plans to regraduate/thin it anyway. In the case that the plate was not to be thinned he would use hot water to loosen and remove the last layer and glue.

Below Ben is checking the cracks on the top plate including the one on the lower bass bout which was repaired with cleats(lighter colored wood above his thumb) years before. The small cleats used previously were not effective and the crack had reopened and will need to be repaired again.

Applying hot water Ben is cleaning the cracks.

He has removed parts of the old cleats and glue as well as dirt from the cracks that were never repaired. Below you can clearly see the separation needed so he can apply glue.

For final cleaning he will use water and soap which will cause the foaming seen below.

Before starting to glue the cracks he always does a test clamping to see how the parts will fit together and usually lets the cracks dry out while clamped..

Below he is applying glue to the top bout crack that had never been repaired. He uses the old "brush and Finger" technique. First applying the hide glue to the top of the crack with a brush as seen here.

Then he uses his finger to push the glue into the crack and clean the excess off.

On the under side of the plate he will remove excess glue that was forced through the crack from above.

Below the glued cracks are clamped for drying. After all of the top plate cracks are glued solidly Ben can start the process of thinning/regraduating the thickness of the plate. That will be at a later date. When that process is complete however he plan to inlay and glue oval patch (like a sound post patch) much larger and more durable than the cleats used previously.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 8/23/2010

2010-08-29T14:03:00.001-04:00

Monday August 23rd, 2010

Violin Restoration: From Broke to Baroque

Some months ago I came across a very old broken fiddle that I was told would be cost prohibitive to repair and was not playable. In fact, I was told if it had any value at all, it was as wall art. The wood was very old and attractive as was the original carving of the top and bottom plates which when originally created were probably done by a luthier of some skill. The instrument had a label that identified it as having been made by an Italian maker from Verona. The maker, Giacomo Zanoli, was not in Verona until after 1740. However, the label itself was nothing like labels of that maker and was probably a fake given that the date was too early for Verona and the spelling of the maker's name was usually Zanioli on original labels. The instrument itself I was told, did not have characteristics of construction or appearance of the Italian school but rather more likely Mittenwald, Germany as witnessed by the lack of mitering at the C-bout corners and shape, chamfering and position of the F holes as well as the position of the mensur marks.

The top bass side rib was a replacement not even constructed of maple nor properly bent to match the curve of the top plate. The top plate was one piece construction with a number of previously repaired and unrepaired cracks that would have to be repaired or re-repaired to make the instrument playable.

The bottom plate was from a single piece of maple with quite lovely flaming and unique in appearance. However, someone had at one time attempted to clean the instrument and had literally scraped away most of the original varnish leaving dark streaks as are visible in the photo below.

The maple ribs which were probably originally carved from similar or the same maple as the back were attractive but had become warped and did not all flow with the curves of the two plates bouts. The lower rib bouts were constructed from a single piece if maple.

The neck, fingerboard and scroll appeared to be replacements constructed by a country fiddle maker. The scroll photo below shows the fairly crude carving consistent with American folk fiddle construction.

After leaving the fiddle in my closet for a few months I spoke to Ben Parrott one morning and he asked about the fiddle. In spite of great expense that would be entailed in doing a restoration it seemed a shame to just hang it on the wall and let even more structural damage occur to it over the years. Ben suggested that if I was willing to invest the funds he would be willing to remove the top plate to better assess what if any parts of the violin might be salvaged. Given that Ben believed the age of the top and bottom plates to be 200 years old or more, it had occurred to us that the two plates might be used in construction of a violin setup as they were in the Baroque period. I thought it would be great fun to play my favorite music and composers on an instrument that could produce the sound as it was when the music was first composed and performed.

To do the assessment Ben first removed the chin rest and pried/popped off the fingerboard from the neck. The glue was very dry and brittle so it came off very easily.

Ben found an opening between th etop plate and ribs and inserted a dull blade to begin wedging the plate apart moving carefully around the entire body.

At points where the glue appeared to be resistent or carpenter's glue had been used he applied a few drops of alcohol which when dry cool the glue and make it more brittle and easily broken.

Eventually he worked he way around the fiddle and lifted the plate starting at the bottom by the end button.

Below is the violin with top plate removed side-by-side with the inside of the back exposed.

I asked Ben to take some measurements of the plates for future reference.

The back plate:

length - 350.5 mm

lower bout width - 200 mm

upper bout width - 159.5 mm

width between C-bouts - 112 mm

maximum thickness center - 5.2 mm

minimum thickness upper corners - 2.5 mm

The top plate:

maximum thickness center between upper eyes of the F-holes - 5.1 mm

minimum thickness at the upper corners - 2.7 mm

Below repairs to the top plate are evident and may have been done by a skilled luthier who penciled in on the top, Repaired 1929 By Joseph Benjamin of Brigsdale, Ohio ( a suburb of Columbus).

Below Ben is splitting the corner blocks as he intends to eventually remove the ribs from the back plate completely.

Below Ben is soaking the label and the neck joint with water to soften and remove them.

Above and below Ben is splitting the neck joint to remove the neck easily.

The remaining part of the joint will be easier to remove later.

The Assessment Verdict.

Ben believes the the two plates and all but the replacement rib can be restored and used as the basis for a Baroque violin. A new neck with scroll, baroque finger board, replacement upper bass rib and new bass bar will need to be carved by Ben. The maple ribs will need to be re-bent to better match the curve of the top and bottom plates. Cracks will have to be repaired or re-repaired. In order to improve the sound Ben proposes to re-graduate the the two plates. Measurement of the plate thickness verified that the plates were nearly twice as thick as those of the great Stradivari and Guarnari instruments of the same period. He will reduce the thickness of the plates consistent with the Italian masters. Finally, the instruments will require cleaning and application of replacement varnish to repair damage from the scraping done previously. A Baroque bridge, new sound post, baroque style pegs and gut strings will complete the restoration. Ben estimates the time involved will be approximately 60% of that required to build a new Baroque violin.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 5/7/2010

2010-05-07T11:19:00.002-04:00

Friday May 7th, 2010

A Thank You from Haiti

The photos of the recipient of the Dr. Samuel W. Siurua Memorial Violin at Haiti's Holy Trinity School of Music are shown below. Dr. Jean Montes with seven volunteers made the trip to Haiti the last week of March delivering 60 instruments to replace those lost in the earthquake of January, 2010. This was organized by Dr. Montes under the auspices of the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra of which he is Artisitic Director. There were 15 instruments from Indianapolis including the violin finished by Benjamin Parrott in memory of Sam Siurua. Dr. Montes personally carried Sam's violin with him on the trip to Port Au Prince and presented it to the recipient, Guerlyn Esperance.

Guerlyn Esperance is the concertmistress of the orchestra and the leading Haitian violin teacher at the school where she began studies in the 3rd grade. She began teaching at the music school in 1990 and at times has carried up to 30 private violin students in weekly lessons. In addition to students and orchestral work Guerlyn leads a string quartet. She has been trained as a teacher in the Suzuki method attending programs in Florida and Washington. Her family is musical. Her sister who is now living in the U.S. is a cellist and she often starts her day to the sounds of her father and brother singing. She feels music has given her confidence and feels she is with family every day when she is teaching at Holy Trinity Music School. She appreciates the many volunteers who have come to Haiti and wishes many more people would come to see and experience the Haiti as she knows it and loves it for it is very different from how it is often portrayed.

Below Dr. Montes presents the biographical sketch of Dr. Siurua's life to Guerlyn.

Here Dr. Montes is opening the violin case before presenting it to Guerlyn.

Then Guerlyn unwraps the violin from the silk bag protecting it.

Next Guerlyn sees the lovely instrument.

Guerlyn at last plays the Dr. Samuel Siurua Memorial Violin.

Below is a scan of Guerlyn's personal thank you note to the donors.

"Merci beaucoup pour le violon je vais en prendre soin de tout caur

Merci

GE"

This translate roughly to the following:

Thank you very much for the violin, I'll take very good care of everything, Thank you, GE

Below Dr. Montes in a personal letter offers his appreciation to all who have contributed to the Haitian Youth Music Relief Project. As he says, "Mesi Anpril"(Thank you very much!).

Finally, I would like to also express my great appreciation to the following persons/organizations who contributed either with cash donations or in-kind donations making the violin, bows and accessories in Dr Siurua's memory possible:

Donna Lively Clark

Diantha De Graw

Frank's Violins (Mark Kurkowski)

Charles Hewett
Indianapolis Violins (Ted Skreko and Chris Ulbricht)

Robert and Leslie Kenny
Mary (Joie) Kipka
Benjamin Parrott

Thank you all very much.
Yours,
Jerry Allen

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 3/22/2010

2010-03-24T01:35:00.014-04:00

Monday March 22, 2010
GNOYO Office and Instrument Donations

Monday morning after my stay with the Montes family I returned to the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra office, 170 Broadway, so I could take the photos I missed the night before when I delivered the instruments from Indianapolis.

Dr Montes family is seen below with from left to right Jaz, Sarah and Soley.

Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity to capture a shot of Dr. Montes. However Meriwether McGee forwarded the photo below of Dr. Montes with GNOYO board president, Katherine Cain and the beautiful "Dr. Samuel W. Siurua" memorial violin.

The GNOYO office sign is seen here.

The violin in Sam's memory was earlier presented to the administrator, Meriwether McGee with case and Jon Paul Bravo Carbon fiber bow seen below.

In this room the instruments from Indianapolis are being stored before inventoring and final packing.

In the next room inventoried, packed instruments await the trip to Florida from where they will be flown to Haiti.

GNOYO had 20 instruments inventoried and packed. The 15 from Indianapolis brought the total on hand to 35. Another shipment of possible a dozen or so should have arrived Friday and did not. If it arrives in time it will be added to the 35 on hand to go to Florda Otherwise it will need to wait for a later trip.

Monday Afternoon
On to Pascagoula, Moss Point, Kreole, and Pecan

I left the GNOYO office and headed directly to Mississippi on I-10. I wanted to meet with Renee Gautier-Hague of the Genealogy Department at the Pascagoula Public Library.

She assisted me earlier by sending an electronic file of the Jackson county, MS. Siurua family history page which Sam had written and submitted to the library some years before. I had previously sent her an uneditable electronic copy of Sam's biographical sketches but wanted to download a fully editable version with additions since his passing. That would allow them to utilize any materials including photos independently. Renee was extremely helpful providing references, maps and directions to try to locate Kreole and Pecan sites.

As I had driven into town I was elated to see that the Pascagoula train station was still standing. I had found a picture of Sam standing in front of it ready to head off to college in Chicago and wanted to see the building for myself. It is now the location of the Singing River Art Association and owned by the city. It is no longer serving Amtrak trains.

Thank you to Scotty Montague (left) and John Lynn (right) at the Moss Point Fire Station who provided excellent directions over to Kreole and Pecan after I lost my way the first time in Moss Point. Scotty, I forgot to mention that Sam graduated from Moss Point High School in the 1930's.

Below are photos of the Kreole Finnish Luthern Church and Cemetery which I finally located on the opposite side of Highway 90 from where I had been searching. I located them only after Scotty gave me assistance.

Below is bayou near Pecan similar to that Sam said he had to cross to reach the gulf coast.

Sam's grandfather planted the Pecan grove pictured below behind their property when he moved there before Sam was born. Although overgrown, trees are still living.

Sam's home still stands but not for long. It changed hands several times after Ada's death and now is apparently Federal property to be leveled as part of an Army Corps of Engineers improvement project. I am still trying to determine details but Scotty believes it is part of a plan to reduce flooding in the area.

I am holding several branches from a rosebud azalea bush standing at the side of the house next to the porch. It was so sad and disappointing to see the old homestead deserted, neglected and doomed for demolition. I was so pleased to notice the beautiful blooming bush and pick the blooms to photograph and bring back as a remembrance. Sam and his mother Ada so loved beautiful flowers.

A Strad Inspired Violin - log 3/21/2010

2010-03-22T08:27:00.002-04:00

Sunday,March 21, 2010
Trip to New Orleans

Leaving Indy at 5:54 AM, by the time we crossed the Ohio river on I 65 heading to Louisville, KY. we were already making good.

Here at dawn you can still see Louisville city lights in this photo I shot with my camera phone.

12 hours later after a safe 825 mile (pleasantly uneventful) trip down I 65 to Birmingham, AL and across I 59 and I 10 into New Orleans I reached the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra office where volunteers helped unload.

This photo shows my approach to New Orleans over the I 10 cause way.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 3/20/2010

2010-03-20T21:32:00.000-04:00

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Ready for Pick Up

I arrived at Indianapolis Violins a few minutes after 10:00 AM and found Ben sealing the bridge ready for Chris to put on the violin’s strings. Shortly we were tuning it, playing it and photographing it.

This new violin is just as great as other instruments Ben has made from scratch, finished or set up. It is a lovely sounding, resonant instrument, even across the strings and positions, and easy to play. It was as if my left ear was listening through a key hole into a concert hall. Below Benjamin Parrott makes the formal presentation of Dr. Samuel Siurua’s Memorial Violin to me, Jerry Allen.

Below I make the formal presentation of Dr. Samuel Siurua’s Memorial Violin to the primary donor who made it possible, Diantha De Graw. In the right foreground my sidekick Noble had to get in the picture.

Below on the left clearly visible through the bass side F hole is the label dedicating this commissioned Indianapolis Violins violin in the memory of Dr. Samuel W. Siurua. On the right Donna Lively Clark kneels behind Sam’s instrument and two lovely violas while most of the other donated violins are displayed to her right.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 3/18/2010

2010-03-18T10:12:00.030-04:00

Friday March 12, 2010

In Memory of Dr. Samuel Wasson Siurua

In early February after the earthquake in Haiti Donna Lively Clark forwarded an e-mail to me regarding a project to replace instruments and other music materials lost by Holy Trinity Music School and Port au Prince, Haiti. The e-mail was from Dr. Jean Montes of Loyola University and the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra.

Below is an image of the plea from the website of the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra

In Dr. Montes' own words:

Dear Friends,

Words are not enough to thank you for the level of kindness

you have expressed toward Haiti in the past few weeks. This

enormous tragedy exposed the fragility of our human

existence. It has also helped us reassess the true meaning

of our own lives.

Today, I am reaching out to you and your friends to make a

contribution to the future of Haiti.

The Holy Trinity School of Music, the most well-established

music school in Haiti, which gave me and many others the

foundation we needed to be musicians and become valuable

contributors on the world stage, lies in ruin. But the

spirit of the school lives on. Now, more than ever, we can

work together to make a positive impact in the lives of

Haiti’s young musicians.

While we are making efforts to rebuild the school, which was

a cultural center for the performing arts in Haiti, we need

to do something immediately to save lives and heal wounded

souls through the power of music.

Therefore, in this first phase of our efforts and with the

generous support of the Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra

(a 501.c3 nonprofit organization), I am organizing a massive

effort to collect music instruments, as many as possible,

for the music students in Haiti who have lost everything.

We will be giving these students something tangible to hold

on to so they can continue to keep music in their lives.

Their new instruments will bring them comfort and support in

the wake of the earthquake in which most instruments and

supplies were lost.

In eight weeks, I will travel with a small group of

volunteers to Haiti for a three-day trip during which these

instruments will be distributed to the music students who

have survived the tragedy.

If, in the corner of your room or in your attic you have an

instrument that you would love to share with these children,

please send it to the GNOYO address on the attached flyer.

Place a legal-sized envelope with your name and address

inside the instrument’s case. We will take pictures of

each student with their new instrument and send the picture

to you.

The values and lessons I learned while growing up in Haiti

have made me the man, conductor, musician, and teacher I am

today. I have always been dedicated to giving back and

instilling hope in the youth of my homeland and I truly

understand the needs and struggles that the young people

encounter in the country. I believe that our efforts will

bring hope, joy, and relief to these students and will make

a valuable contribution toward a brighter future for the

people of Haiti.

Please share this with anyone you know who might be

interested in making a donation and help us spread the word

in various media outlets, such as the newspaper, radio, TV,

and the internet.

Thank you so much for your help. I will keep all of you

updated with the progress of our efforts.

Sincerely,

****************

Dr. Jean Montes

Director of Orchestral Studies and Coordinator of Strings

Associate Professor of Music

Loyola University New Orleans

College of Music & Fine Arts

6363 St. Charles Avenue

Campus Box 8

New Orleans, LA 70118

504-865-2167

Fax: 504-856-2852

jmontes@loyno.edu

With the passing of Dr Samuel W. Siurua on February 21, 2010 it seemed only fitting to assist this relief effort by donating a violin in his memory. A number of Sam's friends and my own including Diantha Degraw, Charles Hewitt, Leslie Kenny, and Joie Kipka contributed funds to this end. Luthier Benjamin Parrott agreed to quickly finish a good quality violin in the white and set it up with appropriate fittings under the auspices of Indianapolis Violins at cost. The deadline for delivery to New Orleans, March 22nd now rapidly approaches.

Below are pictures of Ben and the violin with the ground coats of varnish dried and the next coat being applied on March 12th.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Work Progresses on Local Haitian Youth Music Relief Collections and Sam's Violin

Donna Lively Clark, an Indianapolis based professional violist and teacher, has coordinated the collection of instruments in central Indiana for the Haitian Youth Music Relief effort. Donna has taught at the Holy Trinity Music School in Port au Prince on a regular basis and has a number of students who were impacted by the earthquake. This afternoon I picked up the last 2 of the 7 K. Holtz Model 30 Carbon Composite viola and violin bows from Frank's Violins.

Mark Kurkowski, General Manager, ordered the bows through Eastman Strings who deep discounted them because they were for the Haitian project. Mark passed along the hugh savings so that we could stretch our tight budget as far as possible. Unfortunately, 7 of the 12 violins and violas donated came without bows which were as essential to the students receiving them as the instruments themselves.

Below Mark is shown holding a purple K. Holtz Model 30 Viola bow just received at his new location, 6450 West 10th Street, Suite 6.

After thanking Mark I headed downtown to Indianapolis Violins to check on Ben's progress with Sam's violin.

As I mentioned before Benjamin is working with Ted Skreko and Chris Ulbricht who founded the Indianapolis Violins shop.

Below Ted and Chris stand holding the Jon Paul carbon fiber bow to go with Sam's violin which they generously provided at cost. Ted rehaired and restored this previously owned bow to near new condition.

I was delighted to see Ben's progress on Sam's violin today. Here you can see the violin with the clamps still in place holding on the finger board he had glued this morning.

Below now with the clamps removed Ben stands showing on the left the beautiful one piece maple back and on the right the fine spruce top. Ben says that he may be pulling an all-nighter tonight so that he can fine tune the finger board and finish and setup the bridge, sound post, the end post and pegs as well as stringing it up, all by tomorrow morning's deadline.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 2/21/2010

2010-02-22T09:20:00.003-05:00

Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sam Has Gone

At 5:02 P.M., Sunday, February 21, 2010, Dr. Samuel Wasson Siurua, age 93, passed away in his apartment home at Robin Run Village, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Sam was comfortable and passed quickly without pain.

Dr. Siurua born December 16, 1916 in Dallas, Texas grew up in Pecan, Miss.

Dr. Siurua was an accomplished man but even more importantly was a man who cared about the needs of his fellow man and lived his life with an utmost caring, tolerance and civility toward those around him, whether students, colleagues, family, friends or acquaintances.

He received degrees in Music Education and Violin from The Chicago Musical College. Later he received his Doctor of Music Education degree from Indiana University after compiling the only History of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

He served in the Army during WW II as a band musician and radio man.

He came to Indianapolis to teach instrumental music in the public schools retiring in 1982 after 30 years. He taught at schools number 60, 86, 90, 27, 32, 105 and 93. He directed the George Washington High School Orchestra and was head of the music department at Northwest High School.

He was Principal Violist or 2nd Violinist with the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra playing 10 seasons.

Dr. Siurua was a lifelong member of North United Methodist Church.

His funeral service will be in the Chapel at North United Methodist Church, 38th and Meridian Streets in Indianapolis at 2:30 P.M. on Friday February 26th. Calling will be in the Parlor before the service at 1:30 PM. Interment will be at Crown Hill Cemetery.

Sam will be greatly missed by his many friends and former students. He is survived by Sally Emily of Woodstock, Ga.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 2/16/2010

2010-02-16T16:53:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Playing-In the "Saint"

A day after I picked up the "Saint" from Ben Parrott I had some time to check with John Rihani about his offer to loan me a device that helped with the playing-in process. It is commonly held that violins and other string instruments that are new or have not been played for a long time experience improvement in their sound if they are played regularly for a significant period of time.

John is the String Manager at Encore Orchestral Strings a unit of Paige's Music. A few weeks ago I shared with him my interest in the ToneRite play-in device. John graciously offered to let me borrow their ToneRite device for a short period of time to see what I thought of its impact on my newly completed Benjamin Parrott violin.

According to FAQ's at the ToneRite website: "The play-in process is a scientific phenomenon that the quality and volume of sound from an acoustic system increases with consistent stimulation. The ToneRite^® works by efficiently and safely transferring energy into an instrument that allows the instrument to resonate freely thereby increasing its volume, tone, balance and playability. The secret behind the ToneRite^® is that a small high-g vibration can silently and for long periods of time excite the body of an instrument to de-dampen and allow the instrument to resonate as a whole."

The above statements and others I read really appealed to the technophile in me. As romantic as I am about violins I am still a child of the age of technology.

I connected the device and left it on my instrument for about three hours that afternoon before I took my instrument to the Play Ethic String Sinfonietta rehearsal. About an hour or so into the rehearsal it seemed to me that the violin was starting to resonate more. At break I played it a bit for several members who commented that it sounded very good and wondered how much better it would sound later given that it had only been fitted a day before.

That night when I got home I hooked up the device again and left it running on high setting until the next morning (about 12 hours). When I disconnected it and started to practice I was a bit disappointed that it did not seem to be as resonate as the evening before. However, I was playing it in a carpeted low ceiling apartment rather than the much more acoustically alive rehearsal room at Play Ethic.

Below is the "Saint" with the ToneRite device connected.

After practicing I hooked it back up until time to go to my violin lesson with David Rugger. David was very pleased with how evenly matched my Ben Parrott violin was to his Ben Parrott violin. Playing Vivaldi and Corelli duets together they seemed to play with lovely balanced voices.

Later I went to the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra rehearsal. Again, I was in a much more acoustically alive room and with very loud brass and woodwind instruments competing I was very happy that the volume under my ear was more than equal to them.

Back home I hooked the device up again and the next morning12 hours later took the "Saint" out to practice. This time even in my apartment there was a significant increase in resonance. As a simple test I had decided to play open strings and one octave higher harmonics listening for the quality of the reverberation and how long it lasted. At this point the D and A strings were very open. The G and E were resonate but not quite as much as the other two. Still I was very pleased with the improvement in only about 36 hours.

When I spoke with Benjamin I filled him in on the improvements in sound. I told him that I really loved the "Saint" and found this all to be an exciting adventure. It is as if you are gazing at a rosebud opening in slow motion. Out of curiosity, after Ben mentioned he had not made note of the air resonance pitch, I tested the violin by humming into the bass F hole until I found the pitch at which the entire instrument reverberated most energetically. Using my tuning meter I found that it was almost a perfect D.

Sunday morning after leaving the device hooked up still at maximum and now at 60 hours I practiced again and took note. At this point the 4 strings were very nearly evenly matched in resonance, the power seemed increased and the volume and tone quality across strings and in all positions was very pleasing.

As of today, Tuesday, I have applied the ToneRite treatment for over 100 hours. The sound seems to be stabilized but each time I play it seems to be somewhat more even. ToneRite FAQs recommend an initial 72 hour treatment at maximum level. With an additional 1-2 72 hours treatments other users seem to have found their instruments reach optimal treatment. I intend to try this out myself.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 2/10/2010

2010-02-11T10:32:00.001-05:00

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The "Saint" Delivered

I called Ben at the shop to see if we could arrange a time for me to pick up my violin. We spoke Tuesday evening about the backup plan since that the Otto Tempel fittings did not arrive that day and I hoped for delivery the following day, February 10th, by fortunate coincidence my birthday. Ben promised to set up the violin with temporary fitttings so that I would have it. He had to finish cutting the bridge to the proper height that evening and promised to call me the following day when everything was ready.

Because I promised my friend, Sam Siurua ,I would bring the "Saint" with me at 2:00 P.M. I was becoming a bit anxious. Ben said he could have it finished by 2:00 P.M. so I called Sam and Sto let everyone know I would be later than usual.

When I arrived at the shop everyone was very busy and Ben rather dispassionately told me my violin was hanging on the wire in the backroom.

When I walked in I was very surprised and quite happy. There was the "Saint", complete and ready for delivery. The beautiful hand carved, flamed boxwood fittings from Otto Tempel of Michelstadt, Germany had arrived 15 minutes before I called Ben and he needed the extra time to fit them on the "Saint".

With a nod to the pose Sam used to photograph his beloved Furber violin, I have photographed the "Saint" similarly.

Before Christmas Ben set up the instrument with only the ground applied to the wood. At that time the violin sounded powerful, resonant and even across all strings and positions. However, I was a bit concerned and did not mentioned to Ben that there was a certain quality to the sound. I could describe it as the sound of raw wood which of course it very nearly was. I told Ben only that I hoped for a more creamy tone when it was finished and perhaps for my ear I would be happier fitting it with gut strings rather than the Dominants he used.

Clearly, even from first few notes my bow drew out, the rawness was gone. The exact smooth creamy tone I hoped for was evident. And, this was using the same strings that had been fitted for the trial before Christmas.

Now the fun begins over the next few weeks as I have a chance to play in the "Saint". Surprising changes were discernible as it opened up after merely 15 minutes of playing.

Stayed tuned. A poor pun but the sounds are so amazing when all four strings are perfectly in tune. As I play it in tuning frequently I will added comments to the blog for those of you interested in that process.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 2/5/2010

2010-02-05T17:17:00.001-05:00

Friday, February 5, 2010

"The Saint" Nears Completion

Since the last posting Ben has applied the black oil-based pigment and a coat of amber varnish to the ribs, and back completing that treatment similar to the top shown in the last posting. The color is now evenly matched on all parts of the violin.

The finish completion entails French polishing (the application and rubbing in of shellac) the entire instrument. This is a final protective step which also smooths out any slight irregularities to the underlying varnish coats. Ben is still working on selected areas of the finish with the French polish.

The Top

The Back

The Base Side Ribs

The Treble Side Ribs

Detail of the Scroll Front

Detail of the Scroll Back

We are still waiting on the Otto Tempel fittings to arrive from Germany. Ben needs to make thebridge and usually does that last once the fittings are available and minor adjustments are made to the finger board. The sound post was completed before Christmas and is currently rattling around loose inside the violin.

I am hoping the fittings will be delivered by next Tuesday the 9th of February so that I can take "The Saint" home on my birthday, Wednesday, February 10th. It was extremely difficult to leave "The Saint" after seeing it so close to completion. I told my papillon, Noble, he was going to have to make room for "The Saint' in my bed. Hopefully, there will be room for both of them.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 1/25/2010

2010-01-25T14:56:00.001-05:00

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Saint's Top

Since last week Ben applied a coat with black pigment and just prior to shooting the photo below a coat of amber varnish to the Saint's top. This is very nearly the final color. The varnish glistens since it is still wet and this should be close to the appearance once the final clear coat has been applied. Note the finger board is clamped in place to more closely simulate the final appearance.

Similar treatments will be done to the back and sides once the top is dry.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 1/19/2010

2010-01-19T17:09:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, 1/19/2010

The "Saint"

Two Additional Coats of Varnish

Today's photos do not do the finish full justice as the colors are a bit richer.

Below the ribs, scroll and back are nearing completion in pigmented coats. Again, the color is not entirely faithful due to reflection of the flash.

The top shown below has fewer coats and is more orange. Ben is hoping the violin will be dry enough for an additional coat on the top this afternoon. The scroll in this photo appears richer in color than the side view with the ribs shown above but due to the lighting is actually darker than in reality.

The invoice for the hand carved Otto Tempel fittings arrived and funds were transferred to the maker this afternoon. The fittings were finished a couple of weeks ago and will be shipped from Germany as soon as the bank transfer is completed.

Below is an expunged copy of the invoice.

The boxwood fittings with gold inlay shown below are similar to the ones ordered for the "Saint".

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 1/11/2010

2010-01-11T20:07:00.000-05:00

Monday, January 11, 2010

"The Saint"
Three Coats of Varnish

Below are front and back shots of the "Saint" taken this afternoon. At this point Ben has applied about three coats of varnish to which he had added madder root, lamp black and orange pigments. These glaze or varnish coats have made a tremendous difference in the depth of color of the violin as compared to the previous photos taken two weeks ago with two coats of ground and two coats of clear dark amber varnish.

Below Ben is doing a trial application of a glaze mix made from a very old dark varnish to which he has directly added madder root pigment. Unfortunately, this varnish is no longer made. He is experimenting with the varnish adding additional oil and turpentine hoping to salvage the varnish for the "Saint". He needs to achieve a blend with the old varnish such that it will stay fluid long enough to spread a coat across the entire back or top and yet still dry in a reasonable amount of time. He has just applied a coat to the scroll here.The mix he is applying is from the splotch of color on the glass work surface (his palatte) to the right of the scroll.

To the left Ben is brushing on a coat to the top bout of the back. This was to give us an idea of the ultimate color to be achieved with this mix.

Below the trial application to the scroll and top bout of the back has yielded a very satisfying rich reddish brown color that is precisely what we were both after. Now Ben has to work out the problem with the old varnish and if that is not successful he will need to replicate this color balance with fresher varnish in order to apply two more glaze coats before the final clear coat that will finish the violin.

An interesting footnote from Chris in regard to the use of pigment such as madder root. Pigments are bonded with metal salts such as aluminum or magnesium sulfate in order to make them clear and light fixed when suspended in varnish.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 12/28/2009

2009-12-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 28, 2009

The Ground, Varnish, and Glaze

The set of photos below were taken after two coats of ground and two coats of dark amber violin varnish had been applied to the "Saint".

Below is a piece of poplar shaped to act as a cover for the neck of the violin while glaze and/or varnish is being applied.

I show this because it contrasts with the light spot on the second photograph. This neck cover shows the resultant darkening from up to 10 coats of dark amber violin varnish versus then underside which received no varnish.

Last week Ben hand rubbed two coats of a ground compound on to the violin. This compound was composed of dark amber violin varnish mixed with ground white pumice stone. Tom Robson of Violin Varnish, Ltd. Trumansburg, New York made the dark amber violin varnish that was used as the base. The varnish is made from powdered Baltic dark amber and linseed oil with a turpentine solvent. Baltic fossil amber is a resin from coniferous trees that grew and were buried under the Baltic sea floor over 24-40 million years ago. It is the hardest of resins and being nearly inert must be fused at high heat to make it soluble in linseed oil. It lends itself to a high polish and is an extremely protective violin finish.

The process of rubbing in the ground takes approximately 5-6 hours per coat. The pumice embeds in the wood pores sealing the wood and causing increased surface tension. This limits the amount of varnish that the wood can absorb. It is thought that the more varnish that is absorbed the greater the dampening of the tone of the instrument.

The prior Wednesday, Ben temporarily fitted the instrument so that I could try it out and experience its sound. The violin had a great deal of power and resonance and was uniform across all strings and all positions. These were specific qualities I had noticed in the other violins of Ben I had played and were qualities I had requested. At that point Ben had applied only the two coats of ground.

As of this morning he had finished spreading and drying two additional coats of dark amber varnish with no color pigment added.

Below Ben has removed the nut and is removing the finger board prior doing some finish work under the fingerboard and starting the color glazing

Here with the fingerboard removed you can see some build up of the pumice from the application of the ground done after the finder board was in place. It has been deduced from the condition of the finish under the fingerboards of many old Cremonese instruments that the fingerboard was probably in place prior to the finishing of the instruments. Ben has chosen to use that approach on the "Saint".

Below the thickness of the neck is seen with the fingerboard removed.

Below Ben has scraped some of the excess pumice from under the fingerboard.

Ben holds the nut and fingerboard he has removed.

Ben is using his finger tip to dab a small amount of varnish on to spots that were too thin.

Here Ben is demonstrating use of a brush technique to apply larger amounts of varnish

The neck cover is being glued in place prior to starting the glazing.

Here Ben has donned a glove to apply the glaze using his fingers. The glaze is a mix of black and rose madder pigments added to the dark amber varnish.

The glaze coats are applied and then allowed to dry 1-2 days prior to application of the next coat. Depending on the color desired 2 or many more coats may be applied. Below Ben holds up the "Saint" with the first glaze coat applied to the lower treble bout to show the color contrast between glazed and unglazed sides.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 12/21/2009

2009-12-29T12:43:00.000-05:00

Monday, December 21, 2009

Carving Done Wood Darkened

With the busy holiday schedule I was unable to take time to photograph the carving of the neck and assembly of the instrument. Ben pushed hard to ready my violin for a temporary setup just before Christmas.

Below in a lovely shot, Ben is showing the backside of the violin with finished neck and scroll assembled.

From this angle we can see the top with fingerboard temporarily in place.

Ben applied a single coat of a solution to enhance the darkening process. The weakened solution of potassium nitrate and water was applied, then the instrument was placed in an ultraviolet light box for twenty four hours. The result was a darkening from white to an aged/oxidized tan color which gives the wood a rich natural color very quickly. In the summer this color could be achieved simply by placing the violin in bright sun light for a number of days.

Below the arch is clearly shown with the beautiful flaming of the ribs.

The flaming of the neck and scroll is apparent in the picture below.

A Strad Inspired Violin - 12/16/2009

2009-12-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Dr. Samuel W. Siurua's 93rd Birthday Party

Dr. Samuel Wasson Siurua celebrating his 93d birthday (portraits taken by Clyde Hochstedler) .

To the left, above is a snapshot of Clyde Hochstedler taken by me yesterday. As is often the case photographers do not appear in the photos. So Clyde's image was added here along with credits. He contributed 6 of the photos shown including the portraits of Sam above.

Many of Sam's friends over the years gathered in the Lounge at Robin Run Village to celebrate his 93rd birthday. Below in the early arriving circle of guests are shown from left to right four of his musical friends Anne Duthie McCafferty, Dr. Robert L. Rudesill, and to the further right Diantha Degraw and Beth Lawrence.

Here to the left and above in the early arriving circle of friends are those from North Methodist Church and Robin Run Village as well as Sam's musical past. Pat Thorlton in the left foreground from church, Emma Lou Endres, a greeter from Robin Run, Susy Smith Watt daughter of Sam's great friend and luthier Tom Smith, Mr. Louie Cain from church and Robin Run, and again Ann Duthie McCafferty and Dr. Robert Rudesill.

Seated on Sam's lap is my ever vigilant canine, Noble, keeping an eye on me and the camera. In the center background stands a Robin Run staffer behind Ada Dunn, a friend of Sam's in blue.

Standing below Neil S. Handley is graciously thanking everyone for the celebration. To his left seated are Anne, Susy, Jerry, Bob and Joie Kipka who has gotten to know Sam through Susy, Jerry and Bob.

To the left stand some of Sam's later arriving friends from church and Robin Run including Harold Dove who will turn 93 in 2010. On the table in front of Sam is a pale green box in which Sam found a copy of his biography completed with written contributions from a number of his closest friends.

Anne insisted on taking a photo of me, Noble and Sam's cake for history's sake. If you look closely you will see the chocolate cake with dark fudge icing is decorated with a chocolate violin.
All concerned agreed the violin looked a bit more like a viol da gamba without the frets than a modern day violin.

While Sam begins cutting the cake, Beth Lawrence is looking over Sam's biography

Here Sam is cutting and serving the cake. Next To him are Diantha Degraw and Beth Lawrence looking over his biography and to the far right in a red vest is Dottie Gerner, Sam's friend from North Methodist Church. Seated by the windows are David Klingeman and Karl Patton.

Neil S. Handley, Sam's dear friend and Ann Duthie Mc Cafferty are assisting with the cake and ice cream while Suzy Smith Watt, Jerry Allen and Bob Rudesill look on.

While the cake was being served friends signed the tributes page of Sam's biography.

Starting at the top left hand corner working across and down I have transcribed their birthday greetings and signatures below.

"Sam, you are such a special person I'm happy to share your 93rd birthday." Love, Dottie Gerner.

"With love & gratitude for your ongoing inspiration to me! Happy 93rd" Anne Duthie McCafferty

"May God Bless You" - Mary Snell

"Congratulations on 93 years, you inspire us all." Louie Cain

David & Rhea Klingeman - Younkin Dr. Robin Run

"I'm proud to have had your acquaintance and to have had the rides you gave me to North church." Clyde Hochstedler

"And Many "More"" Joyce and Malcom Hults "Love & Blessings"

"Thanks for sharing your life, music & birthday with us." Susy Smith Watt

"YOU ARE THE MAN" Neil (Handley)

"Best wishes on your special day!" Karl & Jean Patton (Robin Run)

"Happy Birthday Sam." Randy (Russell) "Much love on your 93rd Birthday!" Donna (Lively Clark Russell)

"Sam, Thanks for 60+ years!!! of music & friendship." Diantha Degraw

"It has been a pleasure getting to know you through Jerry" - Joie Kipka

"Happy 93rd Birthday" Jerry Allen

"Happy Birthday, Sam! I have such happy memories of playing music with you & Martha." With Love, Beth Lawrence

"Keep it going." Bob Rudesill

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 12/1/2009

2009-12-05T09:58:00.001-05:00

Tuesday December 1, 2009

The Scroll Looks Like a Scroll

Ben called me Monday and told me he had continued carving over the weekend and thought I might like to come down to take photos. He said, "The scroll looks like a scroll."

I met Ben, Susy Smith Watt, and Donna Lively Clark at Indianapolis Violins, Tuesday at 10:00 A.M. Susy had borrowed a viola her father, Thomas Smith, made and needed Ben to adjust it before the Friday party in celebration of the 100th anniversary of her father's birth. Since Donna was to play the viola she joined Susy to see it, play it and recommend strings and adjustments.

Below is a photo of Thomas Smith taken in the late 1930's with one of his violins at about the same point of completion as the one Ben is working on for me.

This meeting also gave Susy and Donna an opportunity to see my new violin, 'The Saint', for the first time. In the photo below the carving to the treble side of the scroll done over the weekend is shown off.

Now the violin is beginning to look like a violin with the scroll taking shape.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 11/23/2009

2009-11-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

Monday, November 23, 2009

Carving the Scroll

The basic shapes of the neck and scroll were laid out in pencil using measurement and tracing rubbed on to the surface of the block of wood. The tracing was done from an accurate full size photo. The use of the tracing and rubbing techniques result in more accurate dimensions than use of a template. Using a band saw the shapes are cut out. The basic shape after sawing and tracing are shown in the photo below.

Before further carving of the scroll and peg box the center line must be determined, scribed very lightly and penciled onto the wood. Below Ben scribes the line.

Below, again using the photo from the Strad Medici as an accurate basis, dividers set at 26mm are used to mark the maximum width of the scroll around the center line and lines are applied in pencil.

In the next photo the shape of the back side of the scroll is clearly visible in pencil.

Below the lines of the peg box, top of the front, and treble side of the scroll are shown.

Next we can see the saw and saw cuts made on the bass side of the peg box and scroll and are perpendicular to the side. The wood has been clamped to the work table for greater ease of carving. These cuts are sawed down to the outside pencil line. This will also be done to the opposite/treble side once this side is carved.

Then the process of chiseling away the unneeded mass of the wood block begins.

Below the bass side of the peg box has been carved.

Using the sawing technique cuts are made tangential to curves around the lower spiral of the scroll. However these cuts are not an exact 90 degrees. Since Strad scrolls tend to be some of the closest ones to 90 degrees he will do that later in the finishing.

The process of chiseling begins.

Ben has unclamped the wood block and will hold it in his hand to allow more control to the finer cuts with gouges, chisels, and files.

Here having chiseled the rough shape Ben refines it with a file.

Ben shows the block as initially carved on the bass side. He observed that he was taught in school to finish the scroll in steps with each step completely finished before moving on to the next. However, he tends to work in a somewhat less methodical process working on it keeping in mind the whole piece rather than individual parts.

Before proceeding further with carving of the scroll Ben has measured and marked the points at which he will drill the peg holes. Although it is traditional to do otherwise, he prefers to drill these pilots hole early on before mass has been removed from the peg box. In his opinion there is less chance of splitting or splintering of the holes using this approach. There is a total distance of 52mm from top to bottom of the peg box. The holes have to be positioned so that when the pegs and strings are in place no strings rub across other pegs.

Below the pilot holes for the pegs are drilled using the drill press.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 11/10/2009

2009-11-10T15:38:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Dedication

A few weeks ago I spoke to Ben regarding dedicating my new violin to my long time childhood violin teacher, Dr. Samuel W. Siurua. We agreed that his name should be written on Ben's violin label. Because Ben had lost his original label file due to his computer failing, I volunteered to create a new file to Ben's specifications. This I did as a personal contribution to completion of this violin.

To the left Ben is cutting the new labels which he printed from my file on to a copper acid free parchment paper. The border motif was produced as Ben specified by scanning a copy of a Petrus Guarnerius of Venice label. The script, I selected to match as closely as possible that which Ben had originally used. It was 96 point Arabic typeset which I inserted and then reduced when the label was re sized to fit 10 labels per page.

Here is the label after Ben has written "To: Samuel W. Siurua" and positioned it roughly where it is to be glued.

Ben applies the glue.

The label is now glued in place, positioned so that it can be seen through the Bass side F hole after the top has been glued in place.

I drove up to Robin Run Village with these photos and uploaded them to my laptop for Sam to see the same afternoon. I told Sam that I was giving him naming rights to the violin since it was being dedicated to him. We discussed several options but rather than choosing one that included his name he settled on the expression that he had told me he used to refer to his violin teacher at at Chicago Musical College, Paul Stassevitch. Sam of course has always been a modest person so I could understand his reluctance to call it Samuel or Siurua or a variation thereof. However, I fully understand his reasoning in selecting the expression "The Saint". To Sam this choice recognizes the genius of Paul Stassevitch as both a teacher and violinist. Paul Stassevitch taught many wonderful violinists and chamber musicians including the great violinist, Ruggiero Ricci.

Paul was himself a student of the famous Hungarian violinist, Leopold Auer, who taught early on as head of the violin department at the St Petersburg Conservatory and later at the Curtis Institute having as pupils over the years such violin greats as Jascha Heifetz, Efrem Zimbalist and Mischa Elman.

The violin will symbolically carry on the line of a kindly, understanding, and nonjudgmental interpersonal style that inspired both Sam in teaching and through Sam me in my career as a human services professional.

Sam and I agree this name recognizes and honors him and his teaching approach. When I pass the violin down to another person who loves the violin, hopefully, it will inspire in them love for music and the violin whether or not it remains in my family with a grand niece or goes outside of it.

I called Ben after meeting with Sam and asked him to write the Expression "The Saint" inside the violin in a position that could be seen. He agreed.

The next major step will be carving of the neck and scroll from the block of maple pictured here to the left.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 11/5/2009

2009-11-08T09:32:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 5, 2009
Shaping the Spruce Bass Bar

Prior to today's work session Ben completed graduation of the maple back as well as selected a piece of spruce comparable to that of the top for the bass bar and fitted and glued it to the top.

The bass bar supports the bass of the violin top. It is not intended to add mass but rather to provide length wise strength/stiffness to the top and support the bass side foot of the bridge. The treble side of the bridge is of course supported by the sound post. When the bass bar is finished the tap tone of the top is normally F to F#. The length of the bass bar is fitted to the individual instrument and usually will be about 40mm shorter on each end than the violin.

The rough shaped spruce bass bar as clamped and glued to the top

Here Ben begins the planing to shape the bass bar.

At this point Ben checks the rough height of the bass bar which will be planed down to about 14mm in the center.

Using dividers the bass bar is marked into 4 equal parts on each side of the center point.

On the left is a photo of Ben's notes showing the diagram of the the segments and the height he will plan to at each marked point. The bar is shaped into a beautiful symmetrical somewhat bell shaped curve with the center point being a maximum of 14mm gradually sloping downward to heights of 12.8mm, 10.2mm, 7.6mm, and at the very end 5mm.

Ben checks height measurements at each point as he shapes the bar.

Here Ben uses a finger plane to shape the downward slope at the bottom of the bar.

At this point the basic symmetrical curve is complete.

Now Ben is shaping the bar itself into a rounded top ( almost dowel like) with somewhat angled sides giving it a somewhat parabolic shape.

Here you can see the completed bass bar with the slight angled cut to the end of it.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 10/23/2009

2009-10-24T18:36:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 23, 2009

A Recital to Honor Dr. Samuel Wasson Siurua

Yesterday, Donna Lively Clark, Ruth Colbert, Dr. Lee H. Jones, Susy Smith Watt and I presented a recital in the lobby of the Robin Run Village apartment tower. The performance was honoring our much beloved and admired friend, music mentor and (for three of us) childhood instrumental teacher.

The program shown to the left details the billing which lasted approximately an hour. It began with an adaptation of the Jean Sibelius, Finlandia Hymn. This particular piece was chosen to recognize and celebrate Dr. Siurua's Finnish family ancestry. The program concluded with a flawless performance of Piazzolla's Tango Etude No. 4 and Bach's Sarabande from Suite No. 1 played on unaccompanied viola by Donna Lively Clark.

To the left is Dr. Siurua with Donna Lively Clark, his very accomplished former pupil on viola.

Here Donna is shown in the center performing the Tango Etude. To the left side is Dr. Siurua and standing behind slightly to the left of the piano in front of the door is Dr. Lee H. Jones. Susy Watt is looking on seated directly behind the piano. Susy and Lee performed a lovely Cambini duet on bassoon and cello.

After the recital friends and guests gathered in the Main Street Lounge for refreshments.

Among those attending the recital and/or reception in addition to the performers were Neil S. Handley, Diantha Degraw, Beth Lawrence, Betty and Daniel Tiebert, Joie Kipka, Dr. Robert Rudesill, Randy Russell, Ruth Lively Barker, Ann Crider, John Colbert, Catherine Norman, Bill (Liam) and Becky Smith, Charles Hewitt, Dotti Gerner, Dr. Sue Cardwell and Pat Thorlston.

Dr. Siurua had missed the Athenaeum Pops Orchestra concert at Robin Run the previous Friday where two lifetime recognition certificates were awarded to him for his work in music education and performance in the Indianapolis Philharmonic Orchestra. Therefore, Dr. Lee H. Jones did the honors presenting them to him in person before his gathered friends.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 10/21/2009

2009-10-24T18:14:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Images After Refinements to the Top and Back

Ben called me to let me know he had finished the spruce top with both F holes complete. Further he had not been completely satisfied with the maple back arching and had therefore made refinements to it prior to starting on the its interior carving and gradation.

To the left is the completed top with both bass and treble side F holes finished.

In this photo the gorgeous flamed maple grain is now revealed much as it will appear in the finished violin.

This photo more clearly shows the finished top arching from the treble side.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 10/15/2009

2009-10-17T17:34:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Carving the Inside of the Spruce Top to Graduate the Thickness
And Cutting the F Holes

To the right is shown the drill press with dowel stop used in drilling the pilot holes for carving the inside of the top and back of the violin. The press is set with a guage to 4mm.

In this photo carving of the top has begun using a finger plane and pilot holes guiding the graduation process are visible.

Here further progress has been made in planing the inside down to the 4 mm thickness. Ultimately the top thickness will vary from approximately 2.4 mm to 3.5 mm depending on the location and flexibility of the particular piece of wood being used.

Here you can see significant carving has been done.

Ben checks the graduation with calipers before going further.

The top is seen to the left with the F Holes drawn with a template as shown in a previous update. Now that cutting must begin further measurements will be done.

To the left is a modern hole cutting tool which at least in theory is believed to be like that used by Cremonese luthiers. Shown are the 9.5 mm diameter blade for the bottom eyes and the 6.5 mm blade for the two upper eyes.

Here Ben is using a circle template to aid in locating the center point of each eye.

The small depression Ben is pressing into the wood at the center point is the guide for the hole cutter tool.

Here the initial cut begins normally first from the outside of the top and then from the inside to ensure a clean cut with no splintering. When cut cleanly from both sides the circular pellet comes loose fairly easily.

Here Ben shows the angle at which the holes are drilled which is not perpendicular to the horizontal plane. The hole being cut is the upper treble side hole which is usually cut slightly higher than the bass one. The two upper eyes are cut symmetrically with the center line, 42 mm apart.

To the left is an original Stradavari template for the eyes of the F holes.

The Cremonese templates for the F holes had only the curved part as shown to the left because the curves and eyes were cut separately.

Here the top is pictured with all four eyes cut.

Ben has inserted the fret or coping saw and has made the initial cut starting at the lower eye cutting the inside line first to ensure maximum support on the wing and crucial areas.

This method minimizes vibration and allows for a cleaner cut.

Here an F Hole initial cut is complete but further refinement will be needed.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/28/09

2009-09-29T08:47:00.000-04:00

Monday, September 28, 2009
Final Arching and F Holes Drawn

I stopped by Indianapolis Violins to photograph the progress Ben had made on the top and back arches. Also, Dr. Samuel Siurua's friend, Neil Handley, was to drop off Sam's Mathew Furber 1830's violin for any new fittings and adjustments it might need.

Above Ben is holding the top of my violin so that the arching is clearly visible against the contrasting background of Sam's violin case.

This second shot gives a clearer view of the height of the top arch.

Here Ben displays the maple back to show the beautiful flaming .

The shape and height of the back arch are more clearly seen in this photo.

To my surprise Ben decided to layout the F holes. He began by locating and drawing a horizontal line extending across the top from immediately under the bottom of the purfling at the point the corners turn up. Next he carefully located the center line along the line of the seam where the two pieces of wood were originally joined. Finally checking the photographs and measurement of the Medici and Cremonese Strads he decided on the closest measurement from the two violins that fit the proportion and look of my top. At that point using both a ruler and the calipers he marked and the drew in the two vertical lines against which he will lay the Strad F hole template.

To the left Ben locates the template with the horizontal and vertical lines and begins drawing the outline in pencil. The outside of the top eye lays against the vertical line and the top of the lower eye lays underneath and against the horizontal line.

The left F hole outline is drawn.

Both F holes having been drawn are clearly seen in this photo.

The violin begins to have a life of it own. Ben has clamped the pieces together in a mock up so we can see the progress and the pieces won't be lonely at night.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/22/09

2009-09-27T19:25:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Inlaying the Purfling

To the left is a photo showing various knives, gouges, finger planes, and the purfling marker used in this stage of marking, incising and inlaying the purfling.

Below Ben is carefully incising purfling groove in the lower right C Bout corner on the Spruce top. his is a tedious process due to the nature of the wood grain in the corners. It is very easy for the wood between where the corner grooves meet to splinter off either during the carving process or afterward during the fitting of the purfling into the groove.

In order to create a smooth and level bottom to the groove a small gouge may be used as seen below.

Continued incising on the next corner. After finishing each corner Ben applies a light coat of glue to the corner area to strengthen the wood and prevent splintering during the final stages of fitting and inlaying the purfling.

Below the top corners are shown after incising.

Below is a strip of purfling a sandwich of maple with the outside pieces dyed ebony black.

Here pieces of purfling have been cut and bended to fit in the right lower C bout corner. For purling pieces to fit properly at the corner joints they must be cut diagonally like a mitre cut. This way the shorter inside of the corner has black meeting black as does the outside.

Below you can see the purfling fitted on the lower bout of the top before final gluing.

Here the maple back is shown with all purfling glued and dry.

The next phase includes final carving of the outside arches followed by drawing and cutting of the F holes on the top.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/14/09 to 9/15/09

2009-09-15T20:46:00.000-04:00

Monday and Tuesday (9/14-9/15/09)

Marking and Incising the Purfling Groove

Comparing the photographs from the previous entry it is possible to see the refinements Ben has made in shaping the arch and groove of the violin back. At this point is the preferable time to mark the purfling groove and cut it before inlaying it.

Below Ben is marking a side of the groove with a purfling marker tool. Often the sides are marked one at a time with single bladed markers.

After the initial markings the side must be cut deeper with a knife making a couple of passes to the proper depth of 1.5 to 2 mm depending on the purfling material and the level of completion of the violin channel surrounding the arch.

Finally the groove itself is cut out between the two incised sides with a knife.

When all of this hand work is completed on the top and back the actual gluing of the purfling into the groove can be done.

While the spruce top yields fairly easily to the knife the hard maple back can be a slow and arduous task.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 9/1/09 to 9/3/09

2009-09-07T14:12:00.000-04:00

Shaping the Outside of the Top and Back

Tuesday September 1, 2009

After two weeks in England I entered the reception area of Indianapolis Violins very excited that work was about to begin on the top and back of the violin. Before departing Ben had completed all work on the ribs and linings.

I glanced at the audition room as I walked toward the shop area.

A few steps further and I entered the workshop.

Although Ben had told me he had not worked further on the violin after I left he had a surprise for me.

He had in fact drawn the outline of the Medici model on the top and back and rough cut both of them to the their fiddle shape using his band saw.

To begin the carving process on the Spruce top Ben first scribed the thickness with an additional millimeter to spare on the edge of the top.

Now ready to begin rough cutting he clamped the top to the workbench with the outside up.

He then began rough gouging the piece at a 45 degree angle to the grain and sometimes working with the grain.

Working this way leaves the wood looking the nicest. He works around the violin top clockwise.

After completing the rough gouging he begins using various size small planes and finger planes to smooth the surface and sculpt the arch.

He has to plane the thickness down a bit and leave a smooth flat surface on the top of the arch so that it easier to carve the inside of the top when is is turned over.

Ben checks the arch against the template.

The whole process from tracing, and rough gouging to finger planing takes about an hour.

Wednesday September 2, 2009

The Maple back is much harder wood the the Spruce top. Ben rough cuts it with an ArborTech wood grinder. This saves a great deal of physical effort and time.

This grinding gives overall shape and thickness to the outside of the back before finishing.

The back is now ready to be finger planed and is clamped to a flat surface.

Finger planing is done using similar technique on both the top and back.

Further work needs to be done to the C Bout outline and corners. A spindle grinder is used for this. This step includes cutting the shape carefully all of the way back to the pencil outline.

Here you can see the top and bottom both with basic shape and arches applied to the ribs. the violin is now really taking shape.

Thursday September 3, 2009

Today Ben continues finger planing, grinding, fine filing and sanding the outline of the body.
As well he carefully matches the shape of the C Bout corners to the full size photograph of the Strad Medici.

Welwyn Garden City, England Vacation - 8/10/09 - 8/25/09

2009-09-07T12:49:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the interruption in progress on my violin blog. I needed to travel to Welwyn Garden City in England to see my niece Leslie and her family and offer a helping hand with their move and unpacking. Welwyn Garden City was a planned city begun after WWI and is Northwest of London. The urban plan was to provide integrated green spaces with commercial and residential areas. Industrial parks were limited to separate quadrants. The planning prevented the development of urban blight, slums and overcrowding.

Below is a view of their new home taken from the garden bench at the rear of the house.
The center of the house was originally constructed in the 1920"s. Wings were later added at both ends and the Dining room was extended forward toward the Garden.

Below is the store front of Hill and Company String Shop in The Very Old Village of Welwyn. In 2008 I had visited my niece in St. Albans and had learned of this string shop.

I was very curious about it since the name Hill in my mind was associated with the famous William E. Hill and Sons of London. The rosin I have had since childhood was under their label. I later learned of their fame for expertise in restoring and appraising great violins. As well they made fine string instruments and bows. Furthermore, they had donated the great collection of 16th and 17th century string instruments including the oldest Amati and the Strad Messiah to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

W.E. Hill and Sons ceased to exist in 1992. Last year I looked up their original location at 140 New Bond Street and discovered that their business address and facade no longer existed. So I was curious as to whether or not this Hill and Co. was in any way related.

Above is the front counter at Hill and Company String Shop in Welwyn Village
On the cabinet next to the violin in a cast metal stand are early 1900's photos of the famous Mirecourt Violin district in Paris.

Below are Charlotte, Marguerite, and Leslie at Hill's. This was a trip to further inspire 4 year old Charlotte's interest in the violin. Hill's had a lovely sounding 1/8th size violin that was much better than the 1/16th size violin Charlotte was using. Leslie rented the new one on this trip.

While we were their I had the chance to meet the proprietor, Howard Hill. I learned that while he and his father who started the string shop were not related to W. E. Hill he had worked for them 12 years and acquired a great deal of his knowledge on restoration from that experience. Restoration is his primary focus rather than making violins.

Above is a framed 1976 poster commemorating Siegbert Reinhard's Paper Sculpture Titled "Rehearsal" of a string quartet. (I have a cutout art piece of this at home. Small world isn't it.)

This is the collection of string instrument for sale in the audition room

Below I am trying out a 1746 violin by French luthier Pierre Saint-Paul(1728-1746). He worked in Paris on Rue St. Andre. This was a remarkably powerful and resonant instrument. The G and D strings had warmth and power. I later deduced that this was probably an example of one of his smaller Amati models. I had some difficulty with intonation since it was smaller than the Strad model my current German violin is based on.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 8/7/09

2009-08-08T19:33:00.000-04:00

Friday, August 7, 2009

Gluing the Rib Linings

Below Ben is preparing to glue the rib linings for the lower bout on the backside of the violin. The two C bouts and upper bout are already glued.

The glue is applied to the lining with a brush.

The lining is sandwiched between a plastic inner strip and an outer strip to which pressure is applied using 19mm clamps.

The lower bouts require about a dozen and a half clamps spaced tightly together to keep the lining tightly shaped to the original rib curve.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 8/3/09

2009-08-05T08:23:00.000-04:00

Monday, August 3, 2009

Preparing the Rib Linings

The edges of the willow piece must be trued using the shooting plane prior to the final measurement and cut.

The trued willow has been planed and sanded to a thickness of 2 mm and is ready for cutting into strips.

The first strip to be cut has been measured and is being scribed to a width of 8 mm prior to hand cutting.

Ben skillfully cuts the strip using his small finger as a guide placed against the outer edge of the willow piece.

Ben trimmed the blocks to fit flush against the linings. He also wet the blocks before planing them flush with th eribs. The wet block is easier to plane and feels like "cutting a wet carrot". Below Ben is cutting a mortise in a C bout corner block. The rib lining strip will be inserted into the two opposite corner mortises to prevent it from later losing its C curve.

Photo below shows finished mortise. A custom chisel made by Ted from a knife blade blank is the required thickness and pops the wood out after initial incising by a sharp knife. Note that the lining is overcut 1 mm so it is inserted with pressure to allow for shrinkage with a change in humidity.

Below the C Bout lining after bending on the electric iron is fitted to ready for gluing. Note that the linings need to be bent as close to the shape of the ribs as possible otherwise when the linings are glued to the ribs the shape of the ribs could be distorted.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 7/27/09 and 7/28/09

2009-07-29T10:48:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 27, 2009

Gluing the Upper and Lower Bout Ribs

Monday I arrived later in the day with my excited Papillon, Noble. Noble seems to be surveying things and thinking how cool to be in the inner sanctum of Indianapolis Violins with three new friends, the wonderful luthiers Ben, Chris and Ted.

Saturday, Ben cut and shaped the 3 pieces comprising the upper and lower bout ribs. By the time I arrived Monday he had the one piece upper bout glued and was ready for me to photograph the two piece lower bout being glued. Below you can see the upper rib glued and clamped to the neck block with cauls clamped against the glued corner blocks to apply pressure to the curved corners. As well, The two piece lower bout ribs are taped together overlapping with masking tape.

Once the glue is applied to the end block and the two rib pieces, the caul and clamps press against the rib pieces sliding them end to end to make a tight joint with the end block, no longer over lapping.

Because the final gluing of the lower bout will require that the rib pieces are pulled tightly to clamp on the corner blocks the end block joint must be allowed to dry for several hours. Ben did the final gluing before leaving the shop for the day.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Trimming the C Bout Corners and Preparing Willow for Linings

Below Ben carefully trims one of the C Bout corners to the finished point.

Thin pieces of black willow need to be cut from the larger remnant.

The thin strips then are hand planned to remove saw marks and will later be sanded to proper thickness and smoothness before being cut into strips for preparation of the linings which will reinforce the top and bottom edges of the ribs.

Below is the finished rib structure still with the form in place and prior to applying the linings.

A Strad Inspired Violin - Log 7/23/09 and 7/24/09

2009-07-29T08:51:00.001-04:00

Thursday July 23, 2009

Bending the C Bout Ribs

The electric bending iron must be heated to the point that water droplets will dance on the surface literally exploding. This may take up to an hour.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the time final truing of the rib edges is done using the shooting board and plane.

Prior to the final selection and cutting of the rib pieces for the CBout ribs the thickness is checked down to the tenth of a millimeter with the micro thickness calipers.

The piece selected is from a section with clear flaming rather than the area where the flaming fades away. The bottom of the strip and side out is marked lightly with a penciled arrow. After the final measurements the cutting line is scribed and cut nearly through the wood then snapped apart.

The rib pieces must be wet during the bending process. They could be dipped in water or in this case sprayed with water using a mister bottle. The wood strip is placed between the hot bending iron surface and a flexible metal or fabric strip that can be easily manipulated. The bending irons are shaped with curve surfaces similar to curves on the luthier's instruments. When bending repeted touch up may be needed to ensure the bend is correct and the strip is flat vertically.

When C bout is shaped the ends of the strip may need to be shortened and adjustments made to the angle of the planes on trapezoidal step blocks. This is to ensure that the rib does not break or chip once the clamps are applied.

Here the fitting is done of the clamp, rib and step block. The C bout ribs will be allowed to dry for several hours prior to gluing.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Gluing the C Bout Ribs

Below is a view of the clamping fter glue has been applied to the C Bout corner blocks and ribs. Occasionally, in addition to the Step blocks being clamped to apply uniform pressure to the entire rib piece an additional small clamp may be applied to the corner joint.

2009-07-02T22:32:00.001-04:00

The Inspiration

I knew in 2007 when I anticipated my retirement, that returning to music and my love of the violin was a necessity. I did not realize at the time what would unfold over the next two years.

I knew it would be challenging. I had neglected my instrument. I had rarely played it for nearly forty years. My first thought, like so many amateur violinists was to find a new and wonderful sounding instrument. If that wouldn't improve my sound it would at least motivate me to work hard recovering the skills I had lost. Soon I was overwhelmed by the variety and cost of instruments available and decided to have my old student violin brought to its best.

Luckily with the work of skilled luthiers my $200 German shop violin (Anton Schroetter, Mittenwald) from the 1950's was reworked with new soundpost, bridge, great strings and a reshaped finger board. The sound was surprisingly resonant and powerful.

I started lessons and began practicing and in the Fall of 2008 joined two orchestras playing regularly with the Indianapolis Philharmonic and the Athenaeum Pops Orchestras.

The summer of 2008 my family invited me for a visit with them to Florence, Italy and St. Albans, England On my trip I read Toby Faber's, "Stradivari's Genius'. I soon became determined to see any Stadivari violins possible while I was in Italy and the U.K.

On the day before I was to leave Tuscany I wanted to do some traditional last minute sightseeing. In particular I had decided to go to the Galleria dell' Accademia in Florence to see Michelangelo's David.

What a happy surprise. Upon first entering the gallery I was very fortunate to come across the exhibit of the Department of Musical Instruments of the Conservatorio "Luigi Cherubini". In this collection I was able to view a number of instruments of both the Amati and Stradvari families.

From the Faber book I had learned of the Hill collection of historical instruments located at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England . On the return to England the final week of the trip I asked my niece, Leslie if she could drive me and my grand niece Charlotte to the Ashmolean Museum the afternoon we were in Old Headington, Oxford, visiting with her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Nancy and Tony.

That afternoon on July 15th, 2008 would be a turning point in my violin odyssey. There were two instruments I wanted to view. The most important I had thought would be the oldest violin in existence, the 1654 Andrea Amati. This violin was part of a commission for Charles the IX of France and was an historical must see.

However, the one that took my breath away was the 1716 Antonio Stradavari violin referred to as the 'Messiah'. This is known to be one of the most pristine violins credited to him. It was acquired by Count Cozio di Salabue from Paolo Stradavari around 1775 and then passed from the Count's collection to Luigi Tarisio after 1823. It was eventually sold around 1855 to Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume of Mirecourt the great 19th Century Parisian luthier. From 1843 onward the Messiah was admired and copied. By 1872 it had acquired a cult following.

After the trip I could not stop obsessing on the Messiah and at the suggestion of my violin teacher I began considering commissioning a local luthier to make a violin for me inspired by the 'Messiah'. I began researching technical information about the science of violin making in earnest after reading "The Violin Maker" by John Marchese.

A couple of months into 2009 I began talking to folks about the possibility of commissioning a violin based on the Strad "Messiah". I finally approached Benjamin Parrot an emerging local talented luthier trained with a degree in Stringed Instrument Technology from Indiana University's Jacob's Music School. Ben is shown below with a top he carved.

Benjamin did fine work on my Shroetter violin. I had had the opportunity to play two of his violins and a viola all of which impressed me very much. Benjamin suggested that I look at the information he had on the 1716 Medici and 1715 Cremonese violins for which he already had a form. See images below. After further research it appeared that they were very close in construction to the "Messiah".

The body measurements in millimetres of the Messiah, Medici, and Cremonese are listed below respectively:

Total Length of Instrument - 593, 587, 587; Body Length - 356, 356, 355.5; Width, Upper Bouts - 168, 166.8, 167.2; Width, C Bouts - 112, 109.4, 110; Width, Lower Bouts - 213, 206.6, 205.5; Depth of Sides - 29 to 32, 27.5 to 30.7, 29.5 to 32.2; String Length - 330, 331, 329

An article I came across verified that thickness graduation of the 3 instruments front and back had similar characteristics. As well, there was little question raised as to the authenticity of the Medici and Cremonese Strads.

With this information I seriously discussed the commission with Benjamin. I decided to go with his proposal to use the Medici mold he had used on previous violins. I felt that the similarity of the three instruments and the fact that his skill and sensitivity increased as he produced more instruments with the same form would result in the best instrument. We reached an agreement that I would be able to audit and document the process as it unfolded. The result is the journal I am keeping and posting to this blog or perhaps I should refer to it as a Vlog since it is in fact a Violin Log.

The Violin Journal Begins

April, 2009

Friday April 17, 2009

I decided to have Benjamin use wood he had selected and aged 9-10 years ago.

Top - 2 piece

European spruce (probably Bosnian) aged 10 years, light, perfect run out, reflective.

Back - 2 piece
European Maple (Bosnian) aged 9 years, reflective, straight. Piece not as square as top and requires more leveling/flattening.

Leveling and Squaring Halves for the Back and Top

1. INCA power jointer plane used for first stage of leveling and squaring the pieces as well as making the sides to face toward the inside of the violin flat to be joined for the top and back.

2. Ben hand planed the pieces for the remaining leveling and joining to make both halves so perfectly straight/square there will actually be suction taking them a part.

3. After checking the joining for perfect fit no further hand planing will be done until after gluing the halves.

Monday April 20,2009

Gluing the Top and Back Halves

Ben joins the back and top halves using the clamping method rather than the traditional"rubbed joint". The edge of the wood is heated so that glue does not gel up. The heated glue is applied to the back pieces and they are clamped first. Glue is put on from the other side to ensure swelling the joint tighter in case missed on initial glue. The top was glued next. Photos below show the glued back and front from the side that will face outward on the finished violin.

Friday April 24, 2009

Preparing the Corner Blocks: The Classical (Italian) Inside Mold

Ben prepares the the mold/form initially gluing on 4 spacers rather than screws. I have opted to have Ben use the form he created previously based on the Medici Strad. This is based on the Stadavari G short for Grande mold.

Next he must prepare the blocks. Ben uses Canadian Black Willow. Willow was used by both Stainer and Stradavari. The willow does have frequency dampening effects and being very light brings out the human voice quality in the violin.

He splits and then planes to make flat surfaces. He will get only corner blocks from the piece and depends on fracture lines after the initial two splits.

Run out was uneven in the willow piece he started from. It was necessary to use the spindle sander to smooth the sawed edge. Then planing was required to get the right angle surface.

Next smoothing/cleaning was done to remove leftover glue and wood bits from the last violin made with the Medici form. Thickness of the form is exactly the space between the linings. Spacers raise the form enough for blocks to extend down.

Measure height to make blocks 33mm. Height needed to be cut down to measurement on the band saw. The blocks will be smoothed and glued to plates as well as ribs. Chamfer: level to fit better. A lot of time was spent getting block roughs fitted. Surfaces had to be planed to fit form but angle so it would not bind when form has to be knocked away.

Final task for the day was gluing blocks to the form.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Ben and I took a hiatus from work on the violin and are just picking up for the first time since April.

Shaping the C Bout Blocks and Leveling the Inside Back and Top Surfaces

The first job this morning was to shape the 4 C bout blocks with a scribing gouge. Ben has moved most of his workshop to a new location with Indianapolis Violins in downtown Indianapolis. Since he doesn't have all of his sanding drums he could only complete the chiseling this morning.

Next on the list was leveling the inside surfaces of the violin back and top. The rough preparation was done in April on a sanding machine but now the inside facing surfaces have to be perfectly leveled by hand planing.

Ben inserted a bench dog in the workbench to hold the the back and top pieces while he did the planing.

He leveled the back first and the the top. He noticed slight drop offs from the sanding machine work. He planed down the surface to eliminate the irregularities. Interestingly, the wood grain began to display its beautiful flaming and reflective qualities as the surface became level and smooth. Throughout the process it was necessary for Ben to check for imperfections by laying a straight edge on the surfaces of checking horizontally, vertically and diagonally.

Finally, Ben went back over the surfaces with a scrapper which does an even finer cut removing any planing irregularities.

Ben worked skillfully. The leveling process for the inside surfaces was at times made challenging by the wedge shapes of the outside facing surfaces of the top and back. As the plane and scrapper were applied the pieces had a tendency to rock when working across the grain.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Thinning the Rib Wood and Shaping the C Bout Blocks

The maple rib wood Ben has matched to the violin back so that it is beautifully flamed similar to the two pieces shown above joined for the back of my violin. He prefers to select rib wood from pieces that could actually be used for a back so that the ribs are of equal beauty to the backs of his violins.

The fours strips to be used on my violin ribs he sanded down to approximately 1.2mm in thickness. The final thickness of 1 mm is reached by careful scraping,

Throughout the process he periodically checks the thickness with thickness calipers of varying sensitivity. An individual shaving is usually no more than one hundredth of a millimeter. This final thinning with a scrapper also removes all traces of sanding marks and reveals the grain.

After the final thinning Ben identifies the rib pieces and portions of the pieces that have the most regular flaming with lengths of about 140 to 143 mm that will be cut for the C bout sections. As with masny of the Strads in the old days Ben will match the flaming around the instrument to run in the same direction.

Today Ben also finished the shaping of the 4 C bout corner blocks using an oscillating spindle sander and carefully sanding down to the penciled outline from the form. This required great skill and care as he overlaid the blocks with the form itself for the finish work.

The final activity was cutting of a black willow piece for the violin end block.

The next session is planned for Thursday July 23. At that time the C Bout rib pieces should be cut shaped and glued. As well, the final block for the violin neck should be cut.