Opus # 16 "Fiat Pulchra Musica" (let there be beautiful music)
This violin was begun April 11, 2003 and completed July 18, 2003.
...It was commissioned and the young lady (and family) helped pick out the wood for the plates and the color photographs which were to be used as guides for the staining and varnishing.
...As is my policy with commissions, no money is paid during construction and only when the instrument is completed and Customer is pleased do I accept payment. If for any reason the instrument does not please, there is no further committment.
...This violin was immediately successful, from the first minute it was strung up for the first time, producing a tone that captivates an audience with that special 'something', that can make a violin memorable.
...The young lady mentioned purchased it when complete!
...The back is French maple and the top is Engleman spruce from a 300 year old tree from northern British Columbia, Canada. This tree had been standing in place dead for 10 to 15 years before being cut down in 1998. (Log # 87... the owners of Mountain Voice Soundwoods tell me that they have had good reports of instruments made from this tree; and I have a good supply of additional top plate wood from this log for future violins.)
...As with all my full sized violins, the pattern
is a Stradivari violin made in 1714 and documented by Herrin-Allen in his famous violin making book of about 1890.
...The color scheme was chosen by purchaser and carried out with five layers of permanent water stain followed by five color coats of instrument oil varnish and finally covered by two clear coats of varnish.
...The body length is 14 1/8", the same as the origional insturment. Plates have Guarnari 'del Gesu' plate graduations, Vigrodchik final plate tuning, and the rib structrue and bass bar are tuned to match the plates. Even the fingerboard, bridge and tailpiece are carefully tuned as well as neck and end-button.
...The top plate has slightly angled top grain to give better sound. The wood nearest my hand in the upper left hand bout area grew in 1690, while that diagonally opposite in 1990.
...During its opening concert, my violin teacher, Ron Kilde, who was playing, commented, "... this is a $ 10,000 violin!"