Growing can be a pain, especially when you’re a violinist.
Napier Central School’s Olivia Unac, 10, is rapidly outgrowing her three quarter sized violin, and needs a much larger replacement if she’s to reach her lofty goals as a musician.”My arms are getting too long,” Olivia, who has been learning the violin for three years, said.

“They get so crunched up, the bow can only move about a little bit.”

The result, she said, was often a less than inspiring sound: “Sometimes the bow touches the violin and it squeaks.”

But not for much longer – one of 10 Napier City Council youth development fund scholarship recipients, Olivia received $200 towards a full-size violin at an awards ceremony attended by mayor Barbara Arnott last Friday. full article

This small exctract from the local papers could cheer the superficial reader but the deeper glance at the musical education makes me feel sad. The best place to start the topic is to realize what type of art is music.

“Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through time. Elements of sound as used in music are pitch (including melody and harmony), rhythm (including tempo and meter), and sonic qualities of timbre, articulation, dynamics, and texture.

The creation, performance, significance and even the definition of music, varies according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions and performances to improvisational or aleatoric forms. For purposes of discussion and exploration of the topic, music is divided into genres and sub-genres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often unclear and/or controversial. Within “the arts”, music can be classified as a performing art, a fine art, or an auditory art form.

Music may also involve generative forms in time through the construction of patterns and combinations of natural stimuli, principally sound. Music may be used for artistic or aesthetic, communicative, entertainment, ceremonial or religious purposes and by many composers purely as an academic instrument for study.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music

So it is becoming a bit complicated. Well what do we need to enable music to thrive in the society – cultural, political, social and economical background. Coming back to the extract from local papers (Napier, New Zealand) I think the education system, surroundings and community is not able to produce the outstanding musicians. Just try figure out what is necessary to produce a good musician.
- cultural background (probably family tradition)
- affordable and accessible educational system (highly skilled teachers)
- community supporting the art and artists (musicians need to be able to make decent living)
- instruments for making the musical sounds (quality instruments can not be produced for $200)

Other excerpt about what was called Russian school of music (also from local magazine “Soundpost” 2004 N9).

Each week, all children in these schools have two one-hour lesson on the main instrument, a one-hour piano lesson, one hour of theory and aural, a one-hour musicianship lesson, two hours of orchestra, and one-hour ensemble practice. In every term the student has to play one movement of a concerto, two movements of a sonata, two contrasted pieces and a separate technical exam (scales and two studies). That is the minimum for the student.

I want to add that such schedule is not for Academy students but just for intermediate school and College students.

Fingers crossed?

Birute

Over the years I had heard rumors of poor working conditions in China. This is certainly not the case at the two facilities I visited. The Eastman building was originally a clothing factory. The rooms are huge with large windows running the entire length of the walls. Workers, wearing identical Eastman String jackets or aprons to protect street clothes (the women sport high-heeled toe-crunching shoes, fake Versace, Gucci and Armani handbags resting on the floor), sit at individual tables or desks with additional lighting from low hanging florescent fixtures. The rooms are airy, sunny and overlook courtyards where willow trees and blooming roses grow. Though there are 40-50 workers in the room there was total silence; yet a feeling of cooperative camaraderie along with concentration prevailed. What was shocking was the incredible speed and precision with which the makers worked. I watched a woman cut a violin f-hole in 10 minutes! Friedgood smiles: ‘The work ethic here is really scary. Our people come in early and leave late. Even though Saturday is optional most are here six days a week.’ Employees are paid by the piece and the better the craftsmanship the more they are paid. Wages are between $150 and $200 per month. This seems very low, but the cost of living in China is far below that of the West. (In Xi’an we had a fabulous 16-course meal in the restaurant’s private dining room for eight. The bill was about $25.)

I am surprised to learn that many of the workers come from rural areas. Master violin makers are responsible for teaching each part of instrument making. Family members come to apprentice. ‘These are carved by a master who has made only scrolls for fifteen years.’ Xue points to a cello scroll with inlaid ebony. ‘He has three apprentices who work under his guidance for one or two years. I prefer training youngsters and teach them the correct way from the beginning. In China often families can’t afford for their children to attend high school. I give them a craft and they can earn good money.’ Picking up a bow I tune a cello, sit on a nearby stool and play a movement of a Bach Suite. A dozen or so apron-clad workers gather around and applaud with genuine appreciation. I am left with the impression this is the first time they have ever heard the instrument they spend thousands of hours creating. The wood has a magnificent flame, the tone is big, rich and responsive and the price was right, so I bought it.

Laurinel Owen

China definitely has power to change the lifestyle Western countries used to, the power to overload the world with goods which traditionally belonged to other cultures. I agree that there will be new Stradivarius born and bread in China. Statistics speaks for itself. From its 40-some factories, a violin rolls off human assembly lines on average of one a minute, every day, every week — more than 600,000 a year.

Just wanted to remind you that it is impossible to craft fine violin knowing perfectly well but only one fragment of the whole process. Though the violin is compiled from less than 60 parts it is a very complicated vibrating system. I understand that only master violin maker who is in charge of the whole process and has the goal of creating ideal sound can eventually collect enough experience and reach the task.

Birute

A committee headed by Mark O’Connor presented the award to the 12-year-old bluegrass and Americana fiddler at his Strings Conference in San Diego, California on July 27.

The violin was made by Jonathan Cooper of Maine in memory of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reported murdered in 2002.

Pearl was an accomplished violinist and ardent music lover who had dreams of becoming a violinist before studying at Stanford University. He later played in fiddle bands, once leading an Atlanta-based group that opened for the The Kinks in 1993, and performed Bach at his wedding.

“He was always a music man,” the Journal proclaimed on the day after his death was announced.

The award, established in 2003, is given annually to two rising young musicians, and grants its recipients use of Cooper’s specially made violin for one year.

“By passing the instrument through so many hands and playing past musical borders, we hope that the beautiful sound of these violins will help inspire listeners to live in harmony, on a peaceful planet,” says the luthier on his website.

Smith, who plans on giving many concerts on the Pearl Violin, is in the midst of a burgeoning career.

At age 10, she became the youngest fiddler invited to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Some prominent bluegrass musicians with whom she has collaborated include Jim Brock, Carl Jackson, Jesse McReynolds, James Monroe, Snider, Marty Stuart and Rhonda Vincent.

“I am speechless. I can only hope I can give through my music a little of what Daniel Pearl gave through his life,” said Smith on receiving the award.

“This year will be a great opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than I am.”* * *

Thousands of musicians in 37 countries are performing concerts this week in honor of late journalist Daniel Pearl, who was also an accomplished musician. In 2002, Pearl, a Wall Street Journal correspondent, was kidnapped and killed by terrorists in Pakistan.

In his memory, the Pearl family has established Daniel Pearl Music Day. His mother, commentator Ruth Pearl, recalls her son’s love of music and shares family recordings of Daniel playing the violin.

Birute

Why strive to be an artist? In this brief conspectus I will try to answer the question concerning the art of the violin making and the art of “crafting” the sound. Every violin carries with it something of the soul of the creator – luthier – through the application of his experience, understanding of the best “possible” sound creating rules, personal artistic eye. Therefore lutherie is an art and manufacture of violins in factories can never surpass the artist – violin maker. A production line with standardized process makes the cost of the instrument to be very much affordable to “beginners” but they do not and cannot achieve the tonal quality of the instrument. A violin made in a factory by many workmen will lack the soul of luthier – the creative spirit which carries us away in lutherie just as sculpture, painting and all other art.

So why strive to be an artist? There are certainly easier ways to make a living, and there are better ways to spend your time. The snappish talker will add that you can buy “a truck” of violins made in Asia and you will have eventually to resign from what is not “economical” and “profitable”. The “golden” age of violin making has left the modern violin maker struggling with “antique rivals” who are according to instrument dealers are always better even when they are worse. The auditorium of the classical music became dauntingly thin and to fill the hall with enthusiastic classical music connoisseurs became a challenge for the orchestra managers. So the question stands for every artisan: can you support your passion and sacrifice comfort by letting yourself follow the passion of creating when the end results of the effort are not at all satisfying? Why on earth would anyone want to do this? Why does someone continue with an activity or profession when a sense of failure or disappointment with the outcome is so common? I do think that there is only one reason that we preserve in our efforts: we love the feeling that the process of creating instills within us. It is the travel and not the destination that we love. Professional makers or people just doing it as a hobby feel the same inner reward when we are in the process of creating the value which in the hands of proficient will produce other miracle – music.

Birute

He will play on the violoncello piccolo da spalla recently reconstructed by himself on the basis of several historical documents.

The conclusions based on the recent study have led him to the hypothesis that all six suites for the Violoncello solo were composed for the violoncello piccolo of the smallest size, and were intended for the person who performed the Sonatas and Partitas for the Violino solo, most likely for J.S.Bach himself . . .

. . . Like his baroque predecessors Pietro Guarneri of Mantua and Gasparo da Salo, Dmitry Badiarov is both violin-and-bow maker and a performer on the instruments of the violin family. Enjoying the recognition of leading musicians, his work is based on tradition and creative thinking, on the innovative application of baroque principles of acoustics and aesthetics in violin making, and on the performance practice.

Due to the spontaneous carving which enhances the natural almost hypnotizing beauty of the wood, further emphasized by the colourful varnishing, his instruments have an expressive, vivid appearance. The character of the sound, composition of the model, the choice of the wood, the style of carving and varnish painting represent the various features of his artwork, put together in an attempt to express a range of feelings and ideas, like this is the case with original instruments or any piece of Art. Despite the busy concert agenda, his instrument-making agenda is as busy, resulting in a number of soloist-class instruments every year . . .

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Not every violin maker is so gifted as Mr. Dmitry Badiarov. Apart of creating violin family musical instruments, he also makes bows and well plays. Impressive!

We both – my wife Birute and I – only make traditional violin family instruments. People are different . . .

Dr. Czes Kul, violin maker

Pau brasil is among dozens of plants and animals threatened with extinction that are on the agenda of the 171-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, which opens its meeting Sunday. About 7,000 animals and 32,000 plant families now are regulated, including more than 800 species which are banned completely from commerce.

Bows from brazilwood, also known as Pernambuco, have been coveted by musicians since Mozart’s time in the mid-1700s for their sound quality, density, rich color and strength in holding a curve.

Brazil has tried to halt the decline of the tree’s coastal habitat, delineating 189 national forests and protected areas as it works to fend off the encroachments of sugar and coffee plantations, gold miners, timber merchants and cattlemen.

It takes a lot of wood to make a violin bow – of every 3,300 pounds (1,497 kilograms), only 220 to 440 pounds (100 to 200 kilograms) are usable, experts say, and 80 percent of that is wasted in carving the bow. The tree has a trunk only about 15 feet (4.5 meters) long, meaning a single tree can produce only a few bows.

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