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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Bruno Stefanini, Master Violin Maker, Bologna





We spent a lovely morning enraptured by Bruno Stefanini's explanation of how he makes violins. Violins are made of very dry maple (a hardwood) and very dry spruce (a softwood). The spruce makes the top piece, is flexible and vibrates easily. The maple wood gives strength and support to the whole violin.

Each violin he makes, is sold for about 15, 000 to 20,000 euros. The process requires expertise and experience. Bruno Stefanini spent 10 years learning how to make violins before he was judged ready to become a violin master. 

People normally go to Cremona to see violin making. Cremona violins are better known. There are the Amatis, the Rugeris, the Guarneris and the Stradivariuses. All 4 were famous luthier families. A luthier is someone who makes stringed instruments.

There is a collection of Stradivarius violins housed in Cremona. The highest price paid for a Stradivarius violin is USD 16 million. There are only 650 Stradivarius violins in the world and no more will ever be made since Antonio Stradivari died in 1737. We had no time to travel to Cremona so I was thrilled to bits to find Bruno Stefanini's workshop in Bologna.

This is a real life violin master who receives violin commissions from all over the world by musicians who play the violin for a living.

Most violins nowadays are made in factories. Machines churn out instruments by template and technical specifications. Little attention is paid to different wood quality and whether a client prefers a darker or a brighter tone. Bruno adjusts his work to each piece of wood. Is it dryer? Is it more brittle? Is it softer? The nature of the wood and client preferences determine how he will craft the instrument. This is bespoke violin making and only for people who play well and can appreciate the exacting standards of a well-crafted hand made violin.

This means none of us because we are all musical idiots. Still, it was an instructive morning to hear about bass bars, sound posts, scroll bars and the science behind the violin's F shaped holes. See HERE for a scientific study on how the F shaped holes add acoustic value and power to the violin.



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