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    <author>
        <name>Corilon violins</name>
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    <title>Blog/Atom feed</title>
    <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/?sRss=1</id>
    <updated>2026-04-29T06:23:08+02:00</updated>
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">About Pierre Guillaume, bow maker and bow expert (Maison Bernard)</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/pierre-guillaume-maison-bernard</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/pierre-guillaume-maison-bernard"/>
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                                            Biography and information about Pierre Guillaume and the Guillaume certificate for French violin bows
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                 Pierre Guillaume occupies a special place in the rich tradition of French bow making. As an internationally recognised master craftsman and expert, he combines precision craftsmanship, aesthetic sensitivity and scientifically sound expertise to create an exceptional profile. 
 Pierre Guillaume&#039;s origins and training 
 Born in Belgium in 1954, Pierre Guillaume discovered his passion for bow making and the tonal expressiveness of the bow at an early age. He was trained in the classical Mirecourt tradition – the school that has set the standards for French craftsmanship for generations. Guillaume learned from outstanding masters such as C. A. Bazin, Louis Morizot and Bernard Ouchard. This solid training gave him the tools to forge his own path without losing his roots in French tradition.&amp;nbsp;    
 Pierre Guillaume&#039;s workshop and professional career 
 Since the mid-1980s, Pierre Guillaume has been running his workshop and working as an expert in Brussels, where he is associated with the traditional Atelier Maison Bernard – a company that has stood for the highest level of expertise in the care and restoration of string instruments since 1868. 
 Here, Guillaume combines his work as a manufacturer of high-quality bow strings with his role as a&amp;nbsp; court-appointed expert &amp;nbsp;for French bows. His workshop is a meeting place between tradition and modern craftsmanship, where precision, knowledge of materials and sensitivity to sound come together. 
 Expertise and appraisal work by Pierre Guillaume 
 In addition to crafting fine new bows, Pierre Guillaume is internationally renowned as an&amp;nbsp; expert in the authentication and appraisal &amp;nbsp;of historical and modern bows. Guillaume certificates are regarded as the epitome of professional reliability in international trade, among musicians and collectors alike. He is also an expert witness for the Brussels Public Prosecutor&#039;s Office, a position that underscores the particular seriousness and credibility of his appraisal work. 
 Significance of the Guillaume certificate for collectors and musicians 
 For musicians and collectors, Pierre Guillaume forms an interface between&amp;nbsp; artisan bow making &amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp; scientifically documented expertise . A&amp;nbsp; Guillaume certificate &amp;nbsp;stands for the guaranteed origin, authenticity and quality of a bow – and is therefore not only a document of provenance, but also a guarantee of artistic value. 
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                            <updated>2025-11-10T00:00:00+01:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">“The finest approach to handling wood”: Hieronymus Köstler</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/the-finest-approach-to-handling-wood-hieronymus-koestler</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/the-finest-approach-to-handling-wood-hieronymus-koestler"/>
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                                            Notes on Hieronymus Köstler, expert for old stringed instruments, restorer and luthier, in Stuttgart, Germany
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                 Notes on Hieronymus Köstler, expert for old stringed instruments, restorer and luthier, in Stuttgart, Germany 
 One of the top addresses in the world of historic instruments is the Stuttgart atelier of  Hieronymus Köstler , where valuable violin-making masterpieces and  fine stringed instruments  have been restored, appraised and traded since 1982. Below is a brief portrait of the Stuttgart expert for historic stringed instruments. At the tender age of 16, Hieronymus Köstler left his home town of  Munich  to study at the highly acclaimed Violin-Making School of  Mittenwald  and to learn, as he put it, “no doubt the finest approach to handling wood.” After completing his training as the youngest of his class, he took up his trade and diligiently applied himself to becoming a master in restoring historic stringed instruments. Two years later he had become a journeyman under  Max Möller  in Amsterdam, and following that he took the plunge and went to London, one of the foremost cities for trading historic instruments. There he spent four years at the famous atelier of  J. &amp;amp; A. Beare Ltd.  
     
 Upon returning to Stuttgart, Hieronymus Köstler found the ideal environment for opening his own business. A mere four years after his studio was founded, there were ten journeymen in his employ, and he made his way into the small and exclusive circle of internationally renowned experts in restoring and appraising older stringed instruments. Köstler&#039;s appraisals enjoy the utmost confidence among musicians, collectors, merchants and investors around the world. It is obvious that violin expert Hieronymus Köstler&#039;s work as an appraiser is enhanced by the specialist knowledge and practical experience he gained as a  violin maker and restorer . But the inverse is true as well: his finely-honed sensitivity as an expert informs the hands-on work he does on instruments. One of his guiding principles is not to allow the original to be altered by the restoration. If original wood is present, none of it should be removed: this means that any corrective procedure can be reversed if it turns out not to be ideal. Such strict and carefully considered standards have not only benefited the valuable historic instruments that are restored in Hieronymus Köstler&#039;s atelier – they also serve the many journeymen well who perfect their craft there. 
  Hieronymus Köstler  · Hohenzollernstraße 16 · 70178 Stuttgart · GERMANY  Phone: +49 711 601 602 
  Related articles:  
  Contemporary violin makers  - the modern artisans 
  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  – on the Mt. Parnassus of the art of violin making 
 The  Mittenwald violin making competition  and other contests 
 How to select a violin, provenance, value and  violin appraisal  
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            </content>

                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:54:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">W. E. Hill &amp; Sons: on the Mt Parnassus of the art of violin making</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/w-e-hill-sons-on-the-mt-parnassus-of-the-art-of-violin-making</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/w-e-hill-sons-on-the-mt-parnassus-of-the-art-of-violin-making"/>
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                                            W. E. Hill &amp; Sons: A London violin legend. On the history of the renowned Hill family, Stradivari experts and their workshop
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                  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons: A London violin legend. On the history of the renowned Stradivari experts and their workshop  
  W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  was one of the most renowned companies in the  history of violin making . It not only worked extensively in crafting and trading  fine stringed instruments , bows and accessories, it also established a legendary reputation with its expertise in historic stringed instruments. 
 W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons – Table of Contents 
 
  W. E. Hill’s roots in classic violin making  
  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons – at the pinnacle of the luthier’s art  
  A legend within the legend: The bow-making workshop at W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  
 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  W. E. Hill’s roots in classic violin making  
  William Ebsworth Hill  (1817-1895), son of an old and highly esteemed family of London violin makers, began pursuing the family trade at the age of 14 by working at the atelier operated by his father,  Henry Lockey Hill  (1774-1835), and brother. After his brother&#039;s death in 1837, he had a brief intermezzo as a violin maker employed in someone else&#039;s workshop before opening his own atelier the following year. This business allowed him to establish a solid name for himself as an outstanding repairer, but he also demonstrated universal knowledge in creating both stringed instruments and bows of exceptional quality (albeit in modest numbers). 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons – at the pinnacle of the luthier’s art  
 From 1887 onward, after his four sons had joined the company, Wiliam Ebsworth Hill was in a position to dedicate himself to his passion for the historic masterpieces of  Cremonese violin making , quickly becoming the leading Stradivari expert of his day. W. E. Hill created a highly successful business in trading valuable historic stringed instruments. In his work he drew upon his extensive experience as a violin maker; he was also incorruptible in his professional assessment and respected as an entrepreneur. &amp;nbsp;    W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons on London&#039;s New Bond Street advanced to become what William Henley called the “Mount Parnassus of the art of violin making,” an international venue where musicians, artists and collectors gathered. Around the turn of the century, the workshop had reached an early zenith, had been awarded numerous medals and appointed among the violin and bow makers of many European rulers including the kings of England, Italy and Portugal. 
  A legend within the legend: The bow-making workshop at W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  
 The success and enduring reputation of W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons was due in no small part not only to the atelier&#039;s trade in old Cremonese masterpieces; it also offered premium-quality violin bows and cello bows which had been produced by a long series of specialists who worked for the Hills. Some of these master craftsmen included the young  James Tubbs  (1835-1921) and William Charles Retfort (1875-1970), outstanding artists who set standards in the bow making of the 19th and 20th centuries. As masterpieces, bows by W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons were usually marked with symbols which indicate their maker; bows made by William C. Retfort, for example, have a dot on the head plate. Apparently, however, this was not the W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons&#039; custom from the outset, which is why many early James Tubbs bows feature not only the W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons mark but the name of its maker added at a later date. In 1992, the long history of W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons came to an end; its heirs include several independent smaller instrument brokerages which are run by members of the family. To this day, the Hills&#039; appraisals and publications remain a valid source and valuable reference for research on musical instruments, especially those on  Antonio Stradivari . 
 &amp;nbsp; 
   Related articles:   
  Nicolas Lupot  - the &quot;French Stradivarius&quot; 
 John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare,  Beares , London: expertise in changing times 
  Rembert Wurlitzer  and the travels of antique violins 
  Vatelot-Rampal : on the art of healing violins 
  Eric Blot , expert of Cremona 
  Jean-François Raffin : ten hours - and not a word 
  Le Canu-Millant , Paris: lutherie and expertise 
  Contemporary violin makers  - the modern artisans 
  International violin making competitions  -- an overview 
  Samuel Zygmuntowicz : understanding Stradivarius 
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:52:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Rembert Wurlitzer and the travels of antique violins</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/rembert-wurlitzer-and-the-travels-of-antique-violins</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/rembert-wurlitzer-and-the-travels-of-antique-violins"/>
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                                            Rembert Wurlitzer: a brief introduction to life and work of the famous US violin expert company Wurlitzer Inc.
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                 Rembert Wurlitzer: a brief introduction to life and work of the famous US violin expert 
 When one traces the paths of fine stringed instruments over time, one keeps coming across the same familiar names, almost as though there were safe harbours towards which an antique violin by Stradivari, Guarneri or  Vuillaume  would invariably steer—and not just once, but many times during the course of its long musical career, which could last far longer than a human life span. For about eighty years, the violin department of the  Wurlitzer Company  in the USA was just such a refuge, where the world’s most valuable stringed instruments arrived and were repaired, appraised and sold. Considering how infinitesimally short that period was in the great scheme of history, the name Wurlitzer appears with astonishing frequency in the “biographies” of  antique violins . It also appears in the biographies of many great experts and violin makers of the 20th century who spent decisive years with  Rembert Wurlitzer , each in their own way becoming one of his heirs. 
 Rembert Wurlitzer – Overview of contents: 
 
  Rudolph Wurlitzer – Saxonian family roots  
  Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer  
  Rembert Wurlitzer  
 
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Rudolph Wurlitzer – Saxonian family roots 
 The history of the Wurlitzer family extends far back in the European, or more precisely,  Saxonian instrument-making tradition . Towns in the Vogtland region such as Wernitzgrün, Erlbach and Schöneck were the seat of many branches of the family that specialized in making different kinds of musical instruments. The Wurlitzer family connections are convoluted, but their roots can definitely be traced back to the 16th century. In 1853  Rudolph Wurlitzer , an instrument maker who was born in Schöneck in 1831, left his home and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, thus laying the cornerstone of one of the most multifaceted and successful music businesses ever seen in the USA. Rudolph Wurlitzer’s ascent was greatly facilitated by the outbreak of the American Civil War, when his company became one of the leading suppliers of brass instruments and drums and rapidly began to expand. The company reached its long-lasting heyday at the turn of the 20th century under the direction of  Howard Eugene Wurlitzer , Rudolph Wurlitzer’s eldest son; his keen entrepreneurial instincts led him to invest in automatic musical instruments, which were hugely popular at the time. The company soon began to make entertainment history by manufacturing theatre organs, versatile instruments that were the perfect accompaniment to silent movies.    
 Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer 
 The company’s impressive economic success made it possible for Rudolph’s second son,  Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer , to be sent to Berlin in 1891 to study the violin, music history, acoustics and violin making under Emanuel Wirth, Oskar Fleischer, Hermann von Helmholtz and August Riechers, all leading experts of the era. Armed with this expertise, upon his return to the USA he proved that the Wurlitzers could hold their own in the highest echelons of the musical instrument business. By the end of the First World War, more than 200 valuable antique stringed instruments had found their way to Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer, among them some of the greatest masterpieces in the history of violin making. 
     
 Rembert Wurlitzer 
 In 1930 Rudolph Henry Wurlitzer’s son  Rembert Wurlitzer  joined the company after having learnt his trade at the most prestigious places in Europe. His travels led him to  Mirecourt,  where he studied at Amédée Dieudonné’s atelier, the same workshop where  Bernard Millant  and  Etienne Vatelot  would receive their training 22 years later—before perfecting their knowledge in New York under Rembert Wurlitzer, who by then had long since become a leading, world-renowned authority. 
 After spending a further year in London as Alfred Hill’s guest at  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons,  Rembert Wurlitzer returned to America and assumed the direction of the violin department at the Wurlitzer Company. In 1937 he moved the department to New York and in 1949 detached it from the family enterprise altogether, running it as his own business until his death in 1963. Within those comparatively few years, Rembert Wurlitzer acquired an international reputation as an  violin expert  whose appraisals, certificates and photos rank among the most significant records pertaining to antique stringed instruments to this day. Beyond his expertise, Rembert Wurlitzer earned a lasting place in the annals of music history as a friend and patron of great musicians, including such illustrious names as Kreisler, Oistrach and Stern, and as a trusted consultant to owners of precious instruments. More than half of the documented Stradivari instruments are said to have passed through his shop and atelier. After 1963, his widow  Anna Lee Wurlitzer  continued to run the business together with  Fernando Sacconi . Their acquisition of the  Hottinger Collection  in 1965 marked a final sensational episode in the history of the dealership before it closed its doors in 1974. 
 Bibliographical references: Cynthia Adams Hoover, Wurlitzer, 1. History of the Company. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Vol. 27, pp. 592; Charles Beare, Wurlitzer, Rembert. l.c., p. 594f. 
  Related articles:  
  J. &amp;amp; A. Beare: Expertise in changing times  
  “The finest approach to handling wood”: Stuttgart expert Hieronymus Köstler  
  Jean-François Raffin : ten hours - and not a word 
  Eric Blot , expert of Cremona and Italian violin making 
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                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:12:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">J. &amp; A. Beares and Beares: expertise during changing times</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/j-a-beares-and-beares-expertise-during-changing-times</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/j-a-beares-and-beares-expertise-during-changing-times"/>
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                                            About the history of Beares, the J. &amp; A. Beare company, and about life and work of Charles Beare
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                 About the history of Beares, the J. &amp;amp; A. Beare company, London, and about life and work of Charles Beare 
 The history of the Beare family of London is an object lesson in the art of playing second fiddle: during their first one hundred years in the trade, the Beares were eclipsed by the legendary house of  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  — only to emerge victorious in the 21st century by virtue of their business acumen and globally recognized expertise. Today the names  Beare &amp;amp; Son  and  Beares  stand for the best traditions of the British stringed instrument business, epitomizing values that reach far back into the 19th century. 
     
 Beares, Beare &amp;amp; Son, J. &amp;amp; A. Beare, Charles Beare – Overview of contents: 
 
  Early years: from Beare &amp;amp; Son to Beare, Goodwin &amp;amp; Co. all the way to John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare  
  Charles Beare – Expert, businessman and patron of great musicians  
  Beare today  
 
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Early years: from Beare &amp;amp; Son to Beare, Goodwin &amp;amp; Co. all the way to John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare 
 When  John Beare , not quite 20 years old, established himself as a dealer of instruments in 1865, William Ebsworth Hill, who was 30 years his senior, had already been a luthier for half of his working life. Young John Beare made a name for himself as a canny businessman in a variety of areas. He is said to have been the first wholesaler of musical instruments, and in the 1880s he even ventured into publishing to issue some of the first compositions by his friend Edward Elgar — a significant episode in the history of music. In 1892, five years after W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons was founded, John Beare recognized the growing interest in antique instruments and split his business into two branches, both of which are still in existence.  Beare &amp;amp; Son  moved to Rathbone Place, London and mainly concentrated on making and selling new instruments;  Beare, Goodwin &amp;amp; Co.  opened its doors in Wardour Street, specializing in antique instruments of the violin family. The latter firm’s name changed to  John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare  after the turn of the century.&amp;nbsp; 
 Each company influenced the music world in its own way.  Beare &amp;amp; Son , which at first was headed by John Beare’s eldest son Walter Beare, remains a thriving dealership to this day, selling stringed instruments as well as a wide range of materials and parts for luthiers and restorers. By introducing new labels such as “François Barzoni” and “Giuseppe Maravelli”, Beare &amp;amp; Son was so successful at bringing French and German factory-made violins to the market that even prestigious auction houses and distinguished authorities sometimes mistook the well-sounding names for Italian master violin makers—an error that serves as a good indication of the quality of the best instruments offered by Beare &amp;amp; Son. 
  John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare, the second company , quickly became established, profiting from the good reputation that  Arthur Beare  had acquired among famous virtuosos due to his work as a restorer and tone regulator. His son William Arthur Beare learned the art of violin making under  Marc Laberte  in  Mirecourt  and later very capably headed the company until 1945. In 1961  Charles Beare  joined the company after learning his trade at the Mittenwald school of violin making and under  Rembert Wurlitzer  in New York. Charles Beare grew to be an eminent authority on antique instruments. That the company survived the turbulent 20th century is due in part to his outstanding expertise. 
     
 Charles Beare – Expert, businessman and patron of great musicians 
 The changes that took place in the world of stringed instruments during that period were radical in the extreme: When Charles Beare embarked on his career, a good orchestra musician could generally manage to afford an old Italian master violin; by the end of the millennium, such instruments had become objects of speculation, and their prices had increased by a factor of 150 to 200, as Charles Beare recounted in an interview with &quot;The Strad&quot; in 1997. Whilst his company undeniably benefited from this development, he long observed with concern that the best historical instruments were increasingly unavailable to modern musicians. In many instances, Charles Beare has helped to overcome this problem by facilitating unusual instrument sponsorships for outstanding soloists, including such great names as Jacqueline du Pré, Nigel Kennedy and Yo-Yo Ma. 
 Charles Beare‘s high repute as an author is significant too in the context of the highly speculative market for stringed instruments. Experts who have personally examined authentic original violins made by great luthiers have always been something of an exception; today they are even more of a rarity now that such instruments have become financial assets which seldom change hands. Inspecting historic violins at first hand, an indispensable means of cultivating true expertise, is even less possible today than it was when Charles Beare completed his training. In his famous book on the forty-four instruments shown at the great Stradivari exhibition in  Cremona  in 1987, and in his many contributions to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Charles Beare imparted some of his extensive knowledge to the interested public. 
 Beare today 
    The latest chapter in the  history of John &amp;amp; Arthur Beare  began in 1998 when the venerable firm incorporated Morris &amp;amp; Smith, a violin dealership in London, to become what is now known simply as  Beares . Many areas of expertise are covered by the present Beares management, which includes cellist Simon Morris, violinist Steven Smith, Frances Gillham, the former director of Christie’s — as well as Charles Beare and his son Peter, the youngest Beare at Beares, who learned his trade at the Violin-Making School of America in Salt Lake City. Upon his return to the Beare family business Peter Beare worked as a restorer, and he later deepened his knowledge during stays with  Etienne Vatelot in Paris , with  Premysl and Jan Spidlen in Prague  and with Carl Becker in Chicago. Peter Beare turned his focus to making new violins, an important activity at Beare’s led by  Christoph Götting  since the late 1980s. With his first-rate, internationally acclaimed instruments Peter Beare continues to write the success story of his family’s business &quot;Beares&quot;, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Useful links:  
  Library - text about the history of stringed instruments  
  Online catalogue - fine stringed instruments and bows  
  Corilon&#039;s trade-in programme  
  Sell your old stringed instrument through Corilon violins  
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:10:00+02:00</updated>
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        <entry>
            <title type="text">Roland Baumgartner, Basel: an expert dedicated to antique violins</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/roland-baumgartner-basel-an-expert-dedicated-to-antique-violins</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/roland-baumgartner-basel-an-expert-dedicated-to-antique-violins"/>
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                                            About Roland Baumgartner: violin maker, restorer and renowned expert in Basel, Switzerland
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                  About Roland Baumgartner: violin maker, restorer and renowned expert in Basel, Switzerland  
 The world of Swiss violin making is young and rather circumscribed, at least in comparison with traditional European centers of the art — small perhaps, but not to be ignored, as the example of  Roland Baumgartner , a noted master violin maker and  violin expert  in Basel, Switzerland clearly shows. Roland Baumgartner represents the third generation in his family to head the workshop founded by his grandfather, Fritz Baumgartner, Sr., in 1920. That is where both Roland Baumgartner and his brother Michael received their training. Roland Baumgartner further developed his expertise and skills by working and studying under major violin makers in France, England, Germany, Italy and the USA — thus gaining considerable experience to round off the comprehensive instruction given by his father, Fritz Baumgartner, Jr. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Roland Baumgartner and Fritz Baumgartner – Overview: 
 
  Fritz Baumgartner Sr. and Jr.  
  Roland Baumgartner  
 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Fritz Baumgartner Sr. and Jr.  
 Looking beyond Swiss borders had already been characteristic of  Fritz Baumgartner, Sr. , the founder of the violin-making family, who studied in Liestal under August Meinel of  Markneukirchen . At that time, Meinel was an instructor and entrepreneur who greatly influenced Swiss violin making. From 1913 until World War I began, Baumgartner went to Markneukirchen himself to learn the art of bow making under  August Rau . At his own atelier in Basel from 1920 onwards, he made bowed and plucked stringed instruments with increasing success, deftly selecting models from among the wealth of styles created by great European master violin makers. Fritz Baumgartner Sr., who had first trained to be a watch-crystal cutter, also  invented the electric rib-bending iron , a significant contribution to the technological development of his craft. 
 After 1950, Fritz Baumgartner, Jr. continued the work of his father, soon earning awards at international competitions. His instruments, which were mainly fashioned after the works of Italian master violin makers, are not very numerous, but they remain well-esteemed to this day, as are his Tourte-style bows. Roland Baumgartner returned to Basel from his journeys in 1974, quickly establishing a good name for himself as a violin maker. Like many excellent masters of his trade, the bulk of the work in his atelier soon consisted of repair orders. As his experience in restoring antique stringed instruments grew, so did his reputation as a violin expert. Roland Baumgartners certificates are now recognized worldwide. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Roland Baumgartner  
 Since 1988 Roland Baumgartner’s atelier in Basel has been reinforced by luthier Gertrud Reuter, and he has again become a world traveler in the cause of violin making: as a sought-after violin expert attending great exhibitions, as a jury member in international competitions, as a consultant, lecturer, author and appraiser in Cremona, Paris, Freiburg, Mittenwald and the USA. An active member of several national and international violin-makers’ associations, Roland Baumgartner hardly has time nowadays to make new instruments. However, his good contacts all over the world are a source of inspiration, knowledge and experience that shape the work that takes place in his atelier—and make Basel a world-class center of the art of violin-making. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
   Related articles:   
  Beare London : expertise in changing times 
  Eric Blot , expert of Cremona and Italian violin making 
  Jean-François Raffin : ten hours - and not a word 
  Le Canu-Millant : Le Canu-Millant, Paris: lutherie and expertise 
  Vatelot-Rampal : on the art of healing violins 
  Contemporary violin makers - the modern artisans  
  The Mittenwald violin making competition  and other contests 
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                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:09:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Vatelot-Rampal: on the art of healing violins</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/vatelot-rampal-on-the-art-of-healing-violins</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/vatelot-rampal-on-the-art-of-healing-violins"/>
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                                            Vatelot-Rampal, Paris: About Etienne Vatelot and Jean-Jacques Rampal, Paris
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                 Vatelot-Rampal, Paris: About Etienne Vatelot and Jean-Jacques Rampal, Paris 
 One could quickly name the top addresses of the violin-making world, those select few experts who specialize in the finest and most valuable instruments and who enjoy unreserved recognition. Two such addresses are in Paris, their doors just a five-minute walk apart: that is how close the workshop of renowned bow-making expert  J. F. Raffin  (68 Rue de Rome) is to  &quot;Maison Vatelot-Rampal&quot;  (11 Rue Portalis), an atelier which has been sought out by world-class soloists for decades. 
 Etienne Vatelot and Jean-Jacques Rampal – Overview of contents: 
 
  Marcel Vatelot  
  Etienne Vatelot  
  Jean-Jacques Rampal  
 
 &amp;nbsp; 
 Marcel Vatelot 
 The workshop founded by  Marcel Vatelot  in 1909 has stood in the same spot for more than a century. As with many great French violin-making dynasties, the roots of the Vatelot family extend back to  Mirecourt, the heart of French instrument building  in the Vosges Mountains. There in the town from whence many of his ancestors came is where Marcel Vatelot received his training, in apprenticeship to Eugène Poirson and Gustave Bazin. In Paris he rose to become a highly esteemed expert and consultant, not least through the good contacts to musicians that he gained through his wife Jeanne, daughter of cellist André Hekking. 
     
 Violin maker and expert Etienne Vatelot 
 Despite his father’s success,  Etienne Vatelot , Marcel’s son (born in 1925), first aspired to be an actor or a pilot. Thanks to his father’s affectionate persistence, he finally yielded and – like  Bernard Millant , who is just a few years younger – went to Mirecourt in 1946 to begin an apprenticeship under Amédée Dieudonné. After a short stint with  Rembert Wurlitzer in New York , he returned to Paris to join his family’s atelier. 
 Although the 1950s were a difficult period for musicians and violin makers in France, Maison Vatelot Rampal became a rendezvous for the greatest international string musicians. Names such as Pablo Casals, Yehudi Menuhin, Slava Rostropowitsch, Yo-Yo Ma and Anne-Sophie Mutter left their indelible mark on the extraordinary history of this atelier. Etienne Vatelot’s highly developed instinct for the sound of string instruments may be credited as the key to this success. An avid concert-goer, he likes to describe himself as a doctor whose job is to diagnose what ails a violin – in order to heal it. His self-conception easily explains why so many eminent musicians have returned to Etienne Vatelot over and over again: people remain loyal to a doctor whom they trust. 
 Jean-Jacques Rampal 
 After Etienne Vatelot took over its direction in 1959, the Rue Portalis atelier became a training centre for 50 outstanding violin makers and restorers. His most important staff member was  Jean-Jacques Rampal , son of Jean-Pierre Rampal, a famous flute player. Jean-Jacques Rampal (born in 1954) joined the atelier in 1983. He had also received his training in Mirecourt, in apprenticeship to Jean-Jacques Pages, after which he worked in London under  Charles Beare in London  before returning to France.    Working closely with Etienne Vatelot, J. J. Rampal became an expert of equal rank and was appointed as a consultant to the Court of Appeal. Jean-Jacques Rampal became Vatelot’s successor in 1998 and has headed Maison  Vatelot-Rampal  ever since. However much the world of violin making may have changed over the course of Etienne Vatelot’s long career, the elderly master simply wishes to keep returning to his workshop till the end of his days, just as his father did – to see old violins be restored with great care as though by a good doctor, now through the hands of Jean-Jacques Rampal. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Related articles:  
  Eric Blot , expert of Cremona and Italian violin making 
  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  – on the Mt. Parnassus of the art of violin making 
  The &quot;Concours Etienne Vatelot&quot;  
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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            </content>

                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:08:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Bernard Millant and Le Canu-Millant, Paris: lutherie and expertise</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/bernard-millant-and-le-canu-millant-paris-lutherie-and-expertise</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/bernard-millant-and-le-canu-millant-paris-lutherie-and-expertise"/>
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                                            About Bernard Millant, the renowned expert and great master violin and bow maker, and his successors Loïc and Verena Le Canu
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                <![CDATA[
                 About Bernard Millant, the renowned expert and great master violin and bow maker, and his successors Loïc and Verena Le Canu 
 The French violin maker and expert Bernard Millant 
 Making his first violin at the tender age of 13 marked the beginning of Bernard Millant’s career. Then again, it may have started even earlier, for  Bernard Millant  presumably spent a great deal of time in his father’s workshop from his early childhood on, as befitted a scion of one of the oldest and most venerated French violin-making dynasties. Born in 1929 to Max Stanislas Millant and Suzanne Lardon, Bernard Millant’s roots extend back to  Mirecourt , where his grandfather Sébastien-Auguste Deroux and his family had become well-established violin makers by the mid-18th century. 
  Content overview:  
 
  Bernard Millant  
  Stringed instruments and bows by Bernard Millant  
  Verena and Loic Le Canu  
 
 Bernard Millant returned to his place of ancestry when he began his apprenticeship under  Amédée Dieudonné  in Mirecourt in 1946. He stayed there until 1949, simultaneously learning the art of bow making at the  Morizot Frères ’ atelier. After his apprenticeship, Bernard Millant worked for Lazare Rudié in New York where he met  Rembert Wurlitzer , an encounter that sparked his further vocation as a valuator and expert. In 1950 Millant returned to Paris and set up shop in 56 Rue de Rome, just a few doors away from the workshop owned by his father Max and his uncle Roger, and not far from the building where Millant’s greatest apprentice,  J.-F. Raffin , would later establish his atelier. 
 Stringed instruments and bows by Bernard Millant 
 Millant invented his own bow design by studying a collection of antique bows that was in his family’s possession. His model was an interesting and ingenious synthesis of elements from the Peccatte school, which influenced the style of the head, and from the English bow-making tradition, particularly the frog with its Hill-style underslide. Despite his concentration on bow making, Bernard Millant never abandoned his origins. He rose to be a multitalented master, as evidenced by his first great success, when he was awarded two certificates of honour at the International String Quartet competition in Liège in 1954, one for a quartet of instruments and the other for a quartet of bows. Upon winning a gold medal in Ascoli Piceno in 1959, Bernard Millant began one of the most productive and successful phases of his career. The sought-after bow maker and restorer went on to become a valuator of international repute, whose expertise and powers of discernment are respected to this day. Perhaps it was Millant’s critical, expert eye that inspired him not only to stamp his bows with the words  BERNARD MILLANT PARIS , but also to inscribe the year of origin on the underslide, for he knew well what a difficult and complex task it could be to appraise a bow of unknown provenance. All products of his own workmanship bear the name Millant in lasting tribute to their maker, who ranks among the great masters of the French bow-making tradition, and are highly esteemed by professional musicians. 
 Verena and Loic Le Canu 
 In 1989 Bernard Millant passed his business on to Loïc Le Canu. From 1996 to 2000 he collaborated with his former apprentice J.-F. Raffin on writing the monumental two-volume work L’Archet, a history of French bow making. This achievement firmly established Bernard Millant as a great authority. Millant found worthy successors in Loïc and Verena Le Canu. Both worked for Max Möller—who, like Millant, apprenticed under Amédée Dieudonné—at his renowned atelier in Amsterdam. Before that, both had pursued their training at several major international ateliers, including that of André and René Morizot, the last of the famous Morizot frères, in Mirecourt. The Le Canu-Millant atelier continues on in the spirit of Bernard Millant, who still regularly visits his old workshop and remains active as an expert, as the new owners carry on the business of violin making, restoration, consultation and scholarship in the tradition of their great predecessor. 
    
  Related articles:  
  Jean-François Raffin : ten hours - and not a word 
  Vatelot-Rampal : on the art of healing violins 
  Eric Blot , expert of Cremona and Italian violin making 
  Beares  , London: expertise in changing times  
  W. E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons  – on the Mt. Parnassus of the art of violin making 
  Mirecourt&#039;s new masters: contemporary violin makers in Mirecourt  
 The  Concours Etienne Vatelot, Paris  
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            </content>

                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:07:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Eric Blot and Italian violin making</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/eric-blot-and-italian-violin-making</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/eric-blot-and-italian-violin-making"/>
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                                            On Eric Blot, the Cremona-based restorer, violin maker and expert on Italian stringed instruments
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                 Eric Blot, the Cremona-based restorer, violin maker and expert on Italian stringed instruments 
 The  Italian violin maker , restorer, expert and researcher  Eric Blot  is a cosmopolitan figure in the world of historic Italian master violins and ranks among the world&#039;s leading experts in the field of violin making in Italy. Born 10 January 1955 in Paris, Eric Blot completed his training at the highly esteemed violin-making school of Cremona in 1974. From very early on, he was particularly interested in restoring  fine stringed instruments , which led him back to his home city in 1978 so he could perfect his skills under the tutelage of various specialist masters. 
 Eric Blots French intermezzo lasted only three years, and then the young master settled in Italy and opened his own workshop in Perugia. As a restorer in demand across the country, Eric Blot acquired comprehensive knowledge of the different regional traditions of Italian violin making. He also developed solid practical expertise which soon bore other fruit: his publications eventually gave rise to his major work, &quot;Liuteria Italiana”, the 5th edition of which is currently being prepared. 
   
 Eric Blot was once quoted as saying “time and love” were needed to become a good violin maker. And in the meantime he himself does not often have time to work on his own instruments, since it is his love of the field that frequently takes him to multiple congresses and exhibitions around the world. The atelier in  Cremona  where Eric Blot set up shop over 30 years ago has become a dynamic venue of the art of violin making. It is a place where young, talented violin makers and restorers work and learn – including Eric Blots&#039;s son Maël Blot, who has created his own approach to the Cremonese tradition. Maël&#039;s craftsmanship has brought about the workshop&#039;s new and faithful interpretations of  Antonio Stradivari &amp;nbsp;orientated instruments. These pieces are the manifestations and the product of the father and son&#039;s common focus on their great role model.&amp;nbsp; 
  ERIC BLOT S.r.l  · Via Ceresole 16 · 26100 CREMONA - ITALY  Phone: +39 0372 801706 · Fax: +39 0372 801708 
 &amp;nbsp;     
  Related articles:  
 Cremona experts and restorers  Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann (Carlson &amp;amp; Neumann)  
 Stradivari&#039;s heirs:  contemporary violin makers in Cremona  
  Ente Triennale Cremona and other international violin making competitions  
  Contemporary violin makers  - the modern artisans 
  J. &amp;amp; A. Beare, Beare&#039;s : expertise in changing times 
  W.E. Hill &amp;amp; Sons : on the Mt. Parnassus of the art of violin making 
  How to select a violin, provenance, value and violin appraisal  
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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                            <updated>2019-08-09T16:00:00+02:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Jean-François Raffin: ten hours - and not a word</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/jean-francois-raffin-ten-hours-and-not-a-word</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/jean-francois-raffin-ten-hours-and-not-a-word"/>
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                                            Notes on Jean-François Raffin (*1947), one of the leading experts for French violin bows worldwide
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                 Notes on Jean-François Raffin, one of the leading experts for French violin bows worldwide 
  Jean-François Raffin  ranks among the most highly regarded experts for French bows, and together with his teacher, Bernard Georges Louis Millant, he published the reference work “L&#039;Archet.” Born in Paris on 20 May 1947,  J.F. Raffin  began his career during a period in which French violin and bow making was undergoing profound changes. After World War II, France&#039;s musical history experienced a long phase of stagnation in which many instrument makers could not re-attain their previous greatness. One example of this is the history of the prominent  Bazin family of bow makers . Their story also serves as an illustration of how the artisan trade reoriented in the 1950s to 1970s, an epoch which shaped the path of Jean-Francois Raffin. In 1968, as a young man, Raffin travelled to  Mirecourt  to begin his apprenticeship under Jean Eulry (28 June 1910-5&amp;nbsp;May 1986), the great master teacher in modern violin making. As Raffin later described in “L&#039;Archet,” his training there was entirely in keeping with the old French craftsman tradition: “ten hours straight at the bench and ... «not a word».” In 1970 the National School of Violin Making was founded, and by the time J.F. Raffin graduated in 1971 as one of the first ever to complete the program, a new period had already dawned. 
     
 JF Raffin initially worked as a journeyman for  Etienne Vatelot  (b. 13 November 1925), the founder of the Mirecourt violin-making school, but within short order he was hired by  Bernard Millant  (b.&amp;nbsp;13&amp;nbsp;May 1929) in Paris in 1972. There he learned the art of making bows, which would emerge as his true calling. In the seventeen years he spent under Millant, Raffin studied the old masters of bow making; he later opened his own shop in 1989 in Rue de Rome No. 68, remaining right in Bernard Millant&#039;s neighbourhood. His wide-ranging knowledge of French bow making helped J.F. Raffin quickly become a sought-after expert, so much so that his own work, which was patterned after the classics of the 19th century, faded into the background. In 1996 he was appointed an appraiser at the appellate court. The highlights of Raffin&#039;s lifetime oeuvre include his appraisals and restorations of historic master bows, as well as his extensive two-volume work “L&#039;Archet,” which was written from 1996-2000. As a teacher, he also influenced many important bow makers of the younger generation. A look at Raffin&#039;s website give readers a glance at the current projects of a man who remains active even in retirement. 
  Jean-François Raffin  · 10 Rue de Constantinople · 78008 Paris · FRANCE  Phone: +33 1 55 30 01 47 · info@jfraffin.fr 
    Related articles:  
  Eugène Nicolas Sartory : the modern classic of bow making 
  François Nicolas Voirin  and the new French violin bow 
  Joseph Alfred Lamy père : a key figure in modern bow making 
  Morizot , père et frères: the short history of a great family of bow makers 
  François Xavier Tourte , founding father of the modern violin bow 
  The Ouchard dynasty of bow makers  
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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            </content>

                            <updated>2019-03-22T16:58:00+01:00</updated>
                    </entry>

    
    
        <entry>
            <title type="text">Carlson &amp; Neumann, Cremona - Portrait of Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann</title>
            <id>https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/carlson-neumann-cremona</id>
            <link href="https://www.corilon.com/gb/library/experts/carlson-neumann-cremona"/>
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                                            Carlson &amp; Neumann Cremona – Portrait of the workshop of Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann – luthiers and restorers
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                 The story of Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann involves finding Stradivari in the midst of the Pacific and how their internationally renowned workshop was linked to World War One. 
 Carlson &amp;amp; Neumann Cremona at a glance 
 
  Bruce Carlson  
  Bernard Neumann  
  Carlson &amp;amp; Neumann Cremona today  
 
 Bruce Carlson 
 The history of the violin-making workshop of Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann – one of the most highly esteemed businesses in Cremona, Italy, the cradle of the modern violin – began in the middle of the Pacific. A 20-year-old from Flint, Michigan stationed at the US naval base in Guam, Carlson was at the army library when he came across a book that would change his life: the Hill brothers’ standard classic about  Antonio Stradivari . Enthusiastically he began to use his free time on attempts at violin making, and he continued these efforts back in his home town in 1971 under the guidance of Felix Wickstrom. In 1972 Carlson commenced his training at the violin-making school of Cremona even though – as he himself said – before that time he barely could find Italy on a map. During an intermezzo with Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles, he further honed his knowledge of restoration work between 1974 and 1977, whereupon he promptly returned to Lombardy to complete his degree in Cremona in 1978. It was there that he also started a family and opened a workshop. 
     
 Perhaps it is because of his thoroughly un-Italian name that Bruce Carlson began focusing his work on restoration early on instead of trying to establish a profile for himself with new instruments. After all, as he correctly assumed, international clients come to Cremona in search of  truly Italian violins , and despite all of the faithfulness to historic Italian principles of violin making which Carlson feels bound to, having a Swedish-American name requires some explanation if nothing else. That said, working under an Italian&amp;nbsp; nom de plume &amp;nbsp;– a well-established tradition in the history of violin making – was never something he saw as an option, but over time Carlson ultimately became an expert who is highly esteemed in Italian and international professional circles, and he did so under his own birth name. He has created a lasting legacy in research and held many important roles: he helped shape the juries of major international violin exhibitions as a member of the scientific committee for the exhibition in honour of the 250th anniversary of Antonio Stradivari’s death, served as  Charles Beare ’s assistant in writing his famous Stradivari book, and worked as a member of the scientific committee for the major Guarneri exhibition in 1995. In his work at the Museo Stradivariano in Cremona, he has successfully restored numerous top-tier historic instruments, including the famous “Cannone” by  Guarneri del Gesù ; multiple generations of young luthiers have been influenced by his restoration courses. 
 Bernard Neumann 
 Bernard Neumann, Bruce Carlson’s professional partner, also had quite a journey from his home country of Canada to his adopted home of Cremona, and the journey began with his grandfather’s tales of being stationed in Brescia as a soldier in the First World War. His grandfather had the opportunity to explore Cremona as the birthplace of the great Antonio Stradivari’s work. In addition to the romantic vision of the distant Italian town, Neumann cites another early influence which gave his work more humble roots: he regularly did woodworking thanks to the encouragement of his father, who tirelessly built on and around his family’s house. After countless hours of increasingly detailed woodworking, Neumann gradually made his way to studying at the Cremona violin-making school, where he met Bruce Carlson. The two have worked together since 1986 and founded Carlson Cacciatori Neumann &amp;amp; C. in 1991. 
  Even though both masters certainly had many points in common because of their training and their decades of working together, important differences can nevertheless be seen in their approaches to violin making – an artistic tension which has certainly had a positive impact on the major international success of their workshop. Unlike Carlson, Bernard Neumann came to violin making via playing the instrument, and he discovered that being at the workbench allowed him to explore opportunities in artistic expression which suited him best. As a result, Neumann emphasizes that the work of a luthier is defined not only by multi-facetted artisanry but also by a constant shift between phases of withdrawing to engage in contemplative work and an exchange of ideas with musicians, colleagues and experts. Correspondingly, Bernard Neumann interprets making a violin as a process in which each step is designed and implemented by one and the same person. It starts with the development of a musical idea based on both a luthier’s previous work and on the artistic discussions they participate in; it continues into the process of selecting the woods and ranges all the way to the final varnishing. And here Neumann primarily works “for himself” in the sense that he makes all of his decisions solely in the context of his own oeuvre and does not accept commissions. He regards it as a source of great joy when an instrument he crafted becomes a major figure in a musician’s life. 
 Carlson &amp;amp; Neumann Cremona 
    In keeping with their different and complementary interests, talents and experiences, Bruce Carlson and Bernard Neumann’s jointly run workshop has become an international point of contact for musicians; there clients find luthier and restoration services offered at the highest standards as well as interesting newly crafted instruments. In addition to the classic canon of restoration methods, Carlson and Neumann also work with scientific approaches such as UV light and x-ray analyses. With the help of dendrochronological and nuanced endoscopic research, the two masters have a solid foundation for planning complex restoration and conservation work. In doing so, they can draw upon their outstanding training and extensive experience in classic techniques, and nowhere is this tradition as much at home as it is in Cremona. 
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Related information:  
  Eric Blot  and Italian violin making 
  Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume  
 On the life of the&amp;nbsp; Tyrolean violin maker Jakob Stainer  
  Jérôme Thibouville-Lamy – J.T.L.&amp;nbsp;  
 &amp;nbsp; 
  Useful links:  
  Library - text about the history of stringed instruments  
  Online catalogue &amp;nbsp;| Premium violins, violas, cellos and bows (audio sound samples)&amp;nbsp; 
 Originally published by Corilon violins. 
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                            <updated>2019-03-22T08:00:00+01:00</updated>
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