The Violin Blog of Dmitry Badiarov - violin-maker

The February 2012 modern violin

2012-02-10T07:09:00.002+09:00

Inspired by the beauty of music and by the nature of wood,

I just tried to interfere as little as I possibly could.

How to make a violoncello da spalla.

2012-02-08T04:23:00.003+09:00

This article is my response to the frequent question from the music lovers and violin-makers regarding the story behind the fascinating story of violoncello da spalla. It describes how I reconstructed the violoncello da spalla and demonstrates the essencial steps which would be needed in any similar endeavour.

So, how to make a violoncello da spalla or, indeed, how to re-create any other musical instrument - not only stringed - towards which the history was unjustly forgetful?
What does an instrument-maker do when a very famous musician asks him or her to do the work? A maker does what the players do when asked by an orchestra for a solo performance : study, practice and then perform. Simple. You really want to get it done well because there is rarely such a thing as "second chance" and because it's just natural for some of us to do things well.

Well, for that reason I could not have just said, "Of course I can make a violoncello da spalla, what's the problem!" when in 2002 Sigiswald Kuijken asked me if such a project is feasible at all and if I would like to try to make the first one for him.

Badiarov Violoncellos da spalla

Adventure is an important element in the alchemy of Early Music and I, feeling ready for the adventure and after thinking a moment (see the step 1 below) said it must be possible. The violoncello da spalla adventure was then launched.

Below are the steps I've taken in order to re-create the first violoncello da spalla.

This work was based on my earlier experience with the violins, and on the knowledge acquired from a whole range of different experience and influences. I feel it might have been more difficult without my background in music and life-long passion for fine arts, specially painting and lately photography, as well as sculpture regular lessons for which I was taking from the age of 7. At certain moment I almost ended up at Academy of Fine Arts in St.Petersburg on top or instead of St.Petersburg Conservatory as a modern violinist. I also graduated from Brussels Royal Conservatory where went to study to learn all about the origins of the violin and violinistic performance practices from their origins - under Sigiswald Kuijken.

It seems important to draw attention to the following words by the Japanese philosopher Kukai for they do still make sense!

Do not try to find the footprints of the ancestors, search for what they were searching for.

The steps described below are certainly not the best but they reflect certain time-honoured professional practices. Leonardo da Vinci warned against the copyism because he saw the art of painting declining and perishing in those painters who had no other source of inspiration than the painting already created. I think it is possible to replace "painters" with "violin-makers" and "paintings" with "violins". I trust surviving instruments are an important source of information but they are still the result of a much larger ambiance, their surrounding culture, of which it is necessary to be aware.

The 12 steps.

Think whether it is feasible or not. Brain-storm through whatever historical evidence, ideas, music. If the instrument existed in the past it may still be possible to make it come back today. Not always though...
If step 1 is OK with you then tell the client you will give it a try. Tell the work shall be completed in such and such month of such and such year. Make sure you took at least one or two months extra for the unforeseen circumstances or blame the varnish for not drying - it is a well known historical excuse - musicians love it and feel themselves Monteverdis waiting for their violins delayed because of non-drying varnish.
You want to prepare thoroughly. Invest a generous amount of time to the libraries, museums and perhaps undertake a few trips across Europe should it happen that some bits of important information are not available in your place. Familiarize yourself thoroughly with the music which shall be performed on the instrument. There can never be over-investment in your own education: should you fail - musicians will remember you as not such a good maker for the next ten years. Terrible! Unfair!.. but, so some say, c'est la vie. N.B. After all musicians do not need to know that producing an instrument is some sort of effort. Let them think it takes no more than one sunny afternoon. Sprezzatura.
Collect and systemize all that information in order to produce a credible model. That information and the model are your departure point.
Make sure you know what strings you will mount on your instrument and make sure that they are available or can be reproduced by someone with formidable expertise in that field. When the experts say you are crazy - don't panic, you are not crazy : it is normal that not every string-expert spent as much time as you thinking about the instrument you desire to produce. We had the luxurious position to resort to the expertise of Aquila Corde the maker of the first concert quality strings for the instrument. Now there are, naturally, many.
Produce a design like the one on the picture (taped to the door). Design is everything. "A work of art which lacks design lacks everything" -- Giorgio Vasari. Design is a necessity even in case of such "simple" things as violins, specially baroque violins or their minute details... Commercial solution: you can purchase commercially available instrument plans but I am yet to see those without large errors and approximations. In any case, it maybe hard to achievethe real integrity and completeness in the final result if it is not made after a design produced out of yourself.
Should the instrument be somewhat uncommon or totally unknown - make a real-size foam mock-up just like the one on the funny photograph. It may take an hour to build but it will potentially save fortune and months of work later. You will see and measure a few surviving specimen in museums but most of the time it is impossible to try their sound, playability etc. Regarding the size: mark the position of the notes otherwise you might later discover that the fingers are too short or the arms are too long, or the legs are too short, or - much worse - the errors much too common: the strings just can't be tuned to the desired pitch or the wood is less resistant than it has been hoped for! Think Nature.
Run through the points 1 to 7 to make sure nothing has been skipped, including the minute detail - this is where the god's fantasy for all sorts of traps is infinite.
Once all that stuff is clear in the head, put on the paper and models it will be easy to make it in wood and the result will be predictable and perfectly controllable, both esthetically and acoustically. Make it well!
Get the custom-made strings and string the instrument. Play it in. It will be a good idea to visit the string-maker and produce some more strings - better strings. Perhaps couple of visits to the string-maker will suffice but not visiting the string-maker at all is not serious. After all of the above effort such a visit may feel like a holiday, so, take a rest, enjoy the reward.
String the instrument with the best possible strings and play it in, if possible, for a few hours or days. You should know the sound of every note on the instrument. Invite the client for the grand-presentation. Take a note of every comment.
Watch constantly how the instrument evolves. If the instrument is novel, such as the case with the violoncello da spalla, every player will develop his or her own technique. Learn from these: they may affect the minute details of your future instruments. Ryo Terakado and Sigiswald Kuijken, for example, have developed different techniques of holding the instrument, and now Sergey Malov is developing his own - using special custom-made strings by Thomastic close in the feeling to their "Vision" strings for the violin. I am watching these developments closely since the moment of the first concert in 2004.

More on violoncello da spalla can be found on its own website and on its own FB fun page dedicated to the instrument and the people playing it. Its repertoire is limited to what one think of as a limit. Steps 3 and 4 are described in my scientific articles published by the Galpin Society, the links are somewhere on this blog or my website.

Come to The Hague to play one of my violoncellos da spalla or to try the violins, modern or baroque, as well as my historical bows which I make in the spare time, between making new instruments.

Dmitry Badiarov
http://badiarovviolins.com

Badiarov Violins

P.S. B&W photograph : Sigiswald Kuijken at my studio in Brussels

A.Stradivari violin from USSR state collection. View inside. Rare!

2012-02-05T20:32:00.001+09:00

Admittedly, this violin sounds like nothing on earth.

When prof. Marco Tiella sent me this picture and I saw, in 1997, what condition it was in - a recurring thought came back - all of these antique violins have something in common. I can hardly imagine any newly built violin wrecked like that and still sounding well.

Probably the myth
of italian varnish was born out of wrecked violins just like that poor Stradivari. However now it is also known that much of the miraculous "italian" varnish is mostly the result of now living repairmen or those of the 19th century.

As a teenager talking to my violin-making Master Yakimenko in St.Petersburg in 1988 I wondered what this mysterious "common thing" could have been as it had obviously nothing to do with the graduations, Khladni patterns, accurate thicknessing, varnish, tuning of plates, use of computers and all that obsession with vanitas vanitatum.

In the end, I wonder, if it's not just the right touch of the hand that makes all the difference - just like that in playing the violins. The magic of art?

Pictures of violin-making

2012-01-27T23:21:00.000+09:00

Photography - φῶς (photos) "light", γραφή (graphé) "drawing" - drawing with light. For me photography is “keeping the light in order to share”.

This light was captured between 2008 and 2011 in Tokyo, Mexico and The Hague : various steps in making instruments at my violin-making studio.

Recently I had the twelve prints matted and framed. Now they are hanging on the walls of my violin-making studio in The Hague.

☆円高による値下げ！☆

2012-01-23T08:56:00.003+09:00

もし日本にお住まいで、新しい楽器ご注文をお考えでしたら、とても良いお知らせがあります。

当工房はユーロでのお取り引きとなりますので、円高の影響を受けて、日本円での価格が大幅に低価格となっております！最もご注文の多いオプションBのヴァイオリンも、100万円を遥かに下っています。

また当工房では弓も製作しております。

どうぞこのチャンスを逃さずにご注文下さい！

パンフレットはこちら。

badiarovviolins.com
badiarov-violin.jp

フィクション、寓話、ヴァイオリン。

2012-01-23T08:05:00.001+09:00

"フィクションは、愉しまれるためには、見る者の眼に適う真実のようでなければならず、寓話は読む者の信頼を試しすぎてはならない” -- Horace, The Art of Poetry

画像は２台目となるグロテスク・スタイルのはめ込み細工装飾付きヴァイオリン No. 71です。ついに完成し、すでに弾き込まれています。

　この楽器の音は、今月27日にオランダのVoorschotenで行われるコンサートにて聴くことができます。

　ピゼンデル：ヴァイオリン協奏曲　他

　　ソリスト　三原朋絵

　　指揮　ペーター・ファン・ヘイヘン

　　デン・ハーグ王立音楽院オーケストラ

装飾模様から自体は楽器の音に何ら影響を与えませんが、
しかし視覚的に十分なスパイスとなって眼を愉しませてくれます。

　視覚的アピールの重要性は演奏家からも聴衆からも、吟遊詩人のいた頃から認識されていました。

その頃は現代のような慣習やコンソートの理論とは異なるアイディアで吟遊詩人は自分で自分の楽器を組み立てており、聞き手が音を聞く前から、すでにその見た目で魅了され、想像力がかき立てられるような楽器でした。同じ理由でモンテヴェルディも、イタリアのヴェニスで見つけたアラビアの楽器に大きな興味と関心を抱きました。

その楽器は外見が珍しかっただけでなく、"私たちのハーモニー (byモンテヴェルディ)"にも用いられていたかもしれません。

この楽器に私自身が描いたこの模様細工は、相当な長い期間広くヨーロッパ中に伝わり根強い人気のあったグロテスクのスタイルに由るものです。

このスタイルは15世紀にイタリアのGrotto(洞窟)で偶然発見されました。その洞窟は妖精、精霊、混種、変成奇形の不気味な生き物、動物と人間の合成体、植物、魚・・・等々、すべて自然から逸脱し、想像を超えるありとあらゆる生物の絵で埋め尽くされていました。この洞窟はDomus Aurea、かつてネロ皇帝(AD64ー68年)の住んでいた黄金の屋敷でした。

発見後すぐから画家達は挙って似たようなデザインを製作し始めます。その結果として、彼らのスタイルは　"Grotesque(グロテスク)"と呼ばれるようになり、理論書でも、どのように自然を元としながらも実際にはまだ存在しないような、見るものの想像力を強く働かせる生物を創り上げることができるかが取り上げられています。

模様細工はリュートやガンバではそれほど珍しいものではありません。細工には通常、指板全体を覆いやすい薄いベニヤが用いられます。フレット楽器に普及したのは、フレットの存在がはめ込み細工をほぼ無傷に守ってくれるためです。

フレット楽器でない、また6ー8年ごとに指板表面の補正が必要となるヴァイオリンに装飾を施すのは、かなりのチャレンジです。したがって装飾は滅多に触られない指板の上の方に施してあります。

いつかは行われる指板の補正は、この装飾部分にも必要となるかもしれません。ですので、補正に耐えられるよう細工は十分に厚くなければなりません。そのため、はめ込み細工と指板を覆うベニヤは、リュートやガンバに通常施されるものよりも遥かに厚いものとなっています。分厚いこのベニヤを削り出す作業は相当な難業です。あとから削ったラインが見えないよう、まず刃は十分に細くなければなりません。そしてベニヤはぴったり正確な角度で削らなければならないのです。もし少しでも削りすぎてしまうと裂け目ができてしまうし、少しでも削り足らないと後ではめ込むことができません。もちろん、完成してしまえば、どれだけベニヤが厚いものであったかは見ることはできません。が、少なくとも数回程度の指板補正はグロテスク生物の装飾にもたいした脅威とはならないでしょう。

　このヴァイオリンには一層のニスが塗られ、ほのかにアンティーク仕立て、そして部分的に異なるタイプのニスが加えられています。グロテスク模様と同様に、この楽器自体のモデルも塗装の方法も、17−18世紀ヨーロッパのバロック画家や工芸家たちによる伝統的原則に法っています。

　駒は黒色ですが黒檀ではありません。なぜ駒(Bridge) が Bridge(橋) と呼ばれるのかを知りたい方は、別の記事(現在英文のみ)をご覧下さい。

Fictions, Fables, and Violins...

2012-01-22T05:37:00.003+09:00

"Fictions, to please, like truths must meet the eye,
Nor must the Fable tax our faith too high"
-- Horace, The Art of Poetry

This is my second violin adorned with inlayed grotesque patterns. No. 71. It is just born and being played in. You might hear it in a
concert on the 27th of January, 2012, 20:15, at Dorpskerk in Voorschoten, The Netherlands. Violin concerto by Pisendel, performed by Tomoe Mihara and the baroque orchestra of The Hague Royal Conservatoire, conducted by Peter Van Heyghen.

The carved patterns may not add to or take anything from the sound, however
they do spice up the visual appeal of the instrument.

Importance of the visual appeal has been recognized by both players and listeners since the times of Minstrels who frequently built their own instruments: unconstrained by conventions of the modern times or consort principle, they created instruments which captured their listeners imaginations not just by their sound but by their look before the listeners heard any sound form it. For the same reason Claudio Monteverdi was excited about an arabic instrument he found somewhere in Venice because it was unusual by its looks but, according to his own words, could have been used "in our harmonies".

The inlay patterns on this violin, hand-drawn by myself, are based on the grotesque style wide spread in Europe for a fairly long time.

The style was indadvertedly discovered in the late 15th century, in Italy, in a grotta covered with designs of unimaginable creatures of all kinds, elves and nymphs, hybrids, metamorphic or teratomorphic (pathologic) creatures, half animals and half humans or plants or fishes or all sorts of deviations from the nature. The grotta is the imperial residence, the Domus Aurea, Nero's Golden House (AD 64-68). Soon after the discovery painters started producing similar designs. Consequently their style was referred to as "grotesque" and treatises were written about how to produce creatures based on nature yet not found in nature in such a way as they appear realistic, strike viewers imagination.

Inlayed patterns are not rare on lutes and viols. Usually performed from thin veneers it is relatively easy to cover an entire fingerboard. The presence of frets insures that the inlay will remain more or less intact.
The challenge with the violins that it is an unfretted instrument and the fingerboard needs to be resurfaced every 6-8 years. Therefore the inlay must be placed in the upper part of the fingerboard where it remains mostly untouched.

Eventual resurfacing may be needed at the end of the fingerboard as well. Therefore the inlay must be thick enough not to get damaged by resurfacing. For this reason both the inlay and the veneer covering the fingerboard are much thicker than it would have been normal on viols or lutes. Cutting through such a thick veneer is a challenge because the saw must be thin enough for the cut to be invisible, and the veneers should be cut at a very precise angle. A little too much and the cut will be a gapping hole, a little not enough and the decorative pattern will not fit into the opening cut for it in the main veneer. Of course, once the work is finished it is impossible to see how thick the veneer is, however, resurfacing this fingerboard a few times should not pose a serious threat to the survival of the grotesque creatures it carries.

One layer of varnish on this violin is lightly antiquated, that is partially retouched over with another type of varnish. Same as the grotesque patterns, the model itself, and our painting method are based on the baroque, traditional principles of european artists and craftsmen of the 17th - 18th centuries.

The bridge is black but it's not made of ebony. Read the next article if you want to know why the bridge is called bridge.

Don't hesitate to contact me to try this violins! My e-mail is bv_at_badiarovviolins.com

Why the Badiarov violin bridges are always black. What is bridge?

2012-01-15T23:09:00.004+09:00

In the late 90th I was studying violin design and then I happened to come across with a few designs of a lute which contained a vesica piscis (see below).

In one design, by Arnault de Zwolle (15th century), the entire body of the lute was inscribed into the mandorla - the figure formed by the two intersecting circles of the vesica piscis.

In the other design, the vesica piscis was in the lower part of the lute with the bridge connecting the centres of the two circles.

Then I happened to discover that meaning of the bridge. It is called bridge because it connects the centres of the vesica piscis : the figure symbolising the worlds of the Gods and of the Human. There is no reason to call it bridge otherwise.

vesica piscis

There is no vesica in the violin design. However the bridge got its name from the lute or a similar instrument centuries ago.

Many medieval and even renaissance paintings depict Christ or Madonna with Child inscribed into the vesica piscis or the mandorla even if in the later paintings the vescia is less obvious. Where else could they be inscribed? Madonna and Child were seen as the connecting link between the earth and the heaven.

One of the saints in the Portico de la Gloria in Santiago de Compostela (the left corner) adjusts the bridge on his fiddle : firstly, the saints build the bridge between the Earth and the Heaven; secondly, the bridge is a symbol of the link between the two worlds. It even carries the load of the strings: the Pythagorean heavenly harmony on its shoulders.

No wonder, the bridge attributed to Stradivari has two atlants carrying the Harmony of the Universe on their shoulders.

vesica piscis composition

So, the bridge is called bridge - el puente (es), il ponticello (it) - because it links the world of the humans with the world of the Harmony of Universe, the god.

The old Russian кобылка and the contemporary French chevalet - both words meaning a small horse - are related symbols.

Until development of photography it was believed that horses, when trotting, were floating between the earth and the sky and thus were seen as a link between the earth and the heaven. It was not before Eadward Muybridge, in 1878, produced series of photographs - in fact it is a world-famous photograph - to prove that horses were not flying. Pegasus is a different animal. It is a horse with wings. They would be flying even in photographs.

Despite the photographic proof that horses are not heavenly creatures, the french word for bridge - chevalet - did not change into something less meaningful but more pragmatic, such as in the modern Russian - подставка - that is, some utensil to use under some other object. Practical, but not beautiful.

Well, the bridge does not have to connect the humans and the gods but if it helped to connect humans it would already be good enough.

Series of unfortunate events some years ago caused me to start painting my bridges black. The event was a murder announced in a Japanese newspaper. Young mother's newborn baby was killed by a burglar in front of her. I thought, "God, I hope her relatives understand how she feels and will surround her with lots of care and attention or she might commit suicide". Three days later the same newspaper announced the mother committed suicide leaving a message, "I felt lonely". I usually did not tell this part of the story. It is personal.

Black bridges have an interesting effect. Not sound-wise, of course. The sound is just the same as that of the white bridges because my bridges are made of maple and painted black. Black bridges have a social effect while the white bridges do not.

Some automatically conclude they are made of ebony by some mentally sick violin-maker and ask no questions. In fact, they walk around your exhibition stand at a safe distance,
"oh... ebony bridges, what a ...".

Others ask why the bridges are black.

I reply then, "well, if it is not black then we have no chance to talk about why the bridge is called bridge in first place".

It takes a few minutes to convey the story going centuries back into the roots of our cultures but, after many years of telling this story again and again, I have never met a person who did not find this story inspiring.

Some musicians explicitly ask me to make sure their bridges are as black as possible. Then they tell the story to either their colleagues or their audiences, of course, given the musician is a soloist and has the chance to say a few words to their public about the music, instruments, composers...

Musician's work, like that of the saints, is to make bridges.

Black bridges help the work better than the ordinary white bridges. They also look more beautiful, between the black fingerboard and the black tailpiece. They also work definitely better than the baroque ornamented bridges, such as those by Stradivari. An ornamented bridge is just that : a nice ornamented bridge however it won't provoke for a meaningful talk.

Share! Build bridges!

Baroque violin and viola protective antislip chin-off pads

2012-01-09T01:55:00.005+09:00

Leather pads designed to protect baroque violins and violas from direct contact
with the skin and to prevent them from slipping off during performance.

High quality leather "chin-off" pads for baroque violinists and violists have been developed at my studio last September.

Playing the baroque violin without the chin-support wearing the modern hard-collar shirt and a suite and a neck-tie can be a miserable experience. I have seen musicians using chamoise leather for cleaning or the rubbery anti-slip mats designed for the dining table. These solutions, though not esthetically pleasing do work, however, with these pads we have made a step forward - firstly, they are beautiful. Secondly, their shape have been carefully designed so that they do not affect negatively the sound of the violin. In that respect, the red elk leather available from our supply in Germany has proven to be the best. When all has been carefully measured and materials chosen, we commissioned a special cutter to our blacksmith in England.

Red elk leather pad for baroque violins and violas

The chin-off pads can be used by ladies too because the pads are designed not just as anti-slip leather pads for gentlemen but also as protection against the direct contact with the skin which inevitably damages the varnish and can even melt the glue and loosen the joints between the ribs and the vibrating plates of the violin.

Available at this moment:

1. Sturdy, light coloured cow leather chin-off pads approximately 1.5mm thick come at the price of 10 EUR.

2. Superior red elk leather chin-off pads (on both pictures) approximately 2.5mm thick are extremely soft yet sturdy comes at the price of 19 EUR.

Money back guarantee if you do not like the pads, of course, in exchange for the unused pads.

How to use:

The endpin hole in the leather pad is small enough for the pad to fit tightly. Simply gently and slowly pull the pad over the endpin and leave it on the instrument at all times. The pad, specially the cow leather pad is rather stiff in the beginning but it will soften and acquire a nice shape in a few weeks. The same is true for the red elk pad, though the latter is much softer.

Both chin-off pads are quite invisible for the viewers as you can see on the picture of the player above.

Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to take contact via our website : http://badiarovviolins.com

The Best Team Ever: Success of the Action to Protect European String-Making Tradition

2012-01-09T00:56:00.001+09:00

Last year you have probably been watching closely on the developments in the field of european baroque string-making. The trouble had been caused by certain laws and important string-making companies ceasing production of such strings.

For this reason even I had no choice but play in December a concert on violoncello da spalla strung with three steel strings though I did ask a few string-makers in August to provide gut-strings for it. Helas, strings have never been supplied.

When yet another company stopped their production in November a group of musicians created an overwhelming action. The result was a success.

I would like to express my gratitude to the following persons who created the two online petitions, created and promoted the FB page "Salviamo Corde di Budello", and who were the best team ever:

Claudio Ronco - baroque cellist

Emanuela Vozza - baroque cellist

Maria Caruso - President at Silentia Luane, early music festival in Parma

Pietro Fabris - musician at Symphonisches Orchester Zürich

Silvia Scozzi - musician

Dario Luisi - baroque violinist

and

special thanks go to Mr. Matjaz Klemencic Sign (Policy Officer Animal health - European Commission, Health and Consumers, Direcktorate general), Martial Plantady (Legislative Officer - Food hygiene, Alert System and Training, European Commission health and consumers, Direcktorate general) Mimmo Peruffo (Stringmaker and researcher), Geert Robberechts (La Petite Band manager) and Saïd El Khadraoui (Belgian MEP) for their attention and complete understanding of the problem as well as professionalism in handling the issue at a meeting in Brussels on the 12th of December 2011.

and

all the persons who signed the petition and helped to lead the action to its successful end.

The result of the action is described by the administrators of the FB page. The complete text goes below:

"‎(ENGLISH TEXT)
Dear friends and signatories of European petition,

we finally received wonderful news from Brussels, with all the details that we want to tell you. Thanks to the interest by Parliament Members Rinaldi and Berlato, our petit...ion has resulted in two parliamentary questions which, together with the echo of the press and the action of important personalities of Early Music, had the effect of capturing the attention of senior officials of the European Union, in particular of Department of Food and Animal Health.

These officials gave their availability to establish urgently a Technical Commission, on the issue of safeguard of String Making Art with the firm intention to face and resolve once and for all the problem.

In the committee were present: Matjaz Klemencic Sign (Policy Officer Animal health - European Commission, Health and Consumers, Direcktorate general), Martial Plantady (Legislative Officer - Food hygiene, Alert System and Training, European Commission health and consumers, Direcktorate general) Mimmo Peruffo (Stringmaker and researcher), Dmitry Badiarov (Luthier and musician) Geert Robberechts (La Petite Band manager), Saïd El Khadraoui (Belgian MEP).

Thanks to these contacts with directly concerned law makers, we have been able to get strong and definitive supports which represent the first-ever recognition of the existence of String makers category at the European level and the first solid legislative protection of their work. Very briefly, the contents of measures which will be released in the coming months are the followings:

1) harmonization of rules governing the exchange and / or import of raw material for string-makers (beef gut in salted strips) inside and outside European Union;

2) establishment of a production unit of high quality raw material under EU protection in European territory. This unique center will provide raw material required to support the production of all string makers in Europe and will be supported by appropriate incentives, both economic and technical;

3) the resolution of a specific and simplified health regulation foreseen for European string making companies (which are still required to acquire the status of Authorized Technical Plant ).

As already done for the success of the petition in support of Italian string making, as administrators of this page, we feel very satisfied with the results obtained, we wish to thank you singularly for your active participation in promoting our petitions and we invite you once again to spread the culture of String Making Art promoting initiatives on the matter and freely signaling them in our facebook page or on newborn blog "Amor Cordis!" (http://amorcordis.blogspot.com/) that aims to be a virtual platform to collect any new cultural acquisition on historical gut strings.

http://amorcordis.blogspot.com/2011/12/amor-cordis-uno-spazio-culturale.html

European petition is therefore officially closed starting from today, Tuesday, December 13 at 22.45, with 2584 signatures.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!"

Badiarov Violins' Database of Violin Iconography again on-line

2012-01-08T03:20:00.000+09:00

Dmitry Badiarov's Database of Violin Iconography is again on-line as of today, the 7th of January.

Launched in 1995, when I was a student of baroque violin at Brussels Royal Conservatory under Sigiswald Kuijken, this Database was first made on A3 sheets of paper, and later, in 2001, transformed into an on-line research tool.

Partly written by myself in PHP and MySQL it was working like a swiss watch for about five years till the moment both PHP and MySQL were upgraded : the time by which I completely forgot the code and was unable to upgrade it on my own neither did I have the time for it.

By popular demand to make it available again and believing it completely impossible to share the code and the database containing nearly two thousands of users' details I got instructed by a programmist friend on how to de-bug the out-dated code. Surprisingly, it did not take me much time to make it fully operational again.

J.S.Bach, 6 Suites for Violoncello Solo performed by violin-maker Dmitry Badiarov

2011-12-20T22:44:00.013+09:00

J.S.Bach, 6 Suites for Violoncello Solo.

performed by Dmitry Badiarov

Violoncello da spalla by Dmitry Badiarov

Double CD -- 21 EUR (VAT may apply, shipping : 2.50 EUR)

"Like" our violoncello da spalla FB page and get a discounted price - 15 EUR (VAT may apply).

Farewell to the violin's remarkable anniversaries

2011-12-10T02:24:00.002+09:00

modern violin by
Dmitry Badiarov, 2011

In retrospective, recalling the events of 2006. The first mentioning of the violin with the modern tuning is that of Jambe de Fer, 1556 (Epitome musical...). Remarkable, isn't it?

3-stringed violins, or viole da braccio, existed before and after, and even mentioned in Cerone a few years after Monteverdi's Orfeo - the first fully fledged
baroque opera.

2006 was violin's 450 anniversary. Sorts of remarkable date in the history of sorts of a remarkable instrument. Surprised no one noticed.

Violin Festivals could roll around the globe for at least a year... Let's see what shall happen for the 500 anniversary. It might be better, but...

Let's see what happened this year - the year 2011.

In December 1511 Isabella d'Este commissioned the first set of viole da braccio - not exactly violins but certainly its predecessors. Her example was soon followed by most courts across Europe.

Violin bands quickly spread into Europe's remotest corner, as well as dance consort music commonly performed with violins.

Thus, 1511 was another remarkable year in the history of the violin, wasn't it? 500 years... and another date internationally but unintentionally missed...

In conclusion,

Let's say a happy farewell to the passing year 2011 and ponder a little about the significance of that tiny wooden box called the violin. It is ample enough to hold really a lot. Let us celebrate its future important years. There are really many.

PRESS-RELEASE : Mad Music Decease

2011-11-25T23:06:00.003+09:00

PRESS-RELEASE
for immediate release
The Hague, 25 November 2011
Contact: Dmitry Badiarov +31 6 1125 7695

###

Aquila Corde Armoniche Srl - one of the major producers of gut-strings closed the production on the 14th of November.

The Strad - the major magazine covering news related to the violin announced the news on their website on the 15th.

News quickly spread over the social networks and lead to the wave of panic calls from musicians worldwide trying to buy out whatever remaining stocks of gut strings available for sale. Hardly surprising - no strings, no music.

The cessation of production by Aquila was caused by the EU legislation restricting and effectively banning the use of raw gut materials on the territory of the EU due to BSE fears.

Aquila Corde tried to persuade the EU law-makers to review the law since 2006 and exempt the string-makers from the ban: if sausages have not been outlawed why should musical strings - which are not food - suffer? To this day EU ministries remained deaf.

Aquila is not the first to stop the production of gut strings. Sofracob, the French company which
was in business for 37 years closed in February 2010 for the same reason Aquila stopped the production earlier this month.

The closure of Sofracob was a massive loss, however the closure of Aquila's gut-string production will have the most disastrous consequences.

Firstly, Aquila strings were known for their extraordinary quality and adherence to the historical practices and research.

That research was published in a large number of articles and taught at a large number of conferences and master-classes Europe-wide. In this sense Aquila set the benchmark for other string-makers both in the EU and USA.

The gut-string is relatively a simple object. Essentially it consists of beef cerosa, that is, a few cow guts cleaned, stretched, twisted together, dried and polished. A variety of gut string types existed in the past. Some of these historical types of strings were available only from Aquila.

These include the half-wound strings as mentioned and described by Antonio Stradivari, the copper loaded strings for the repertoire of the 17th century as mentioned in a number of sources but reconstructed and brought to perfection only by Aquila Corde, the half-rectified strings introduced in 2004 and known for their extraordinary richness of tone and resistance which revitalised the sound of many a remarkable orchestras such as Ricercar Consort and La Petite Bande.

Aquila also created the first concert quality strings for the baroque violoncello da spalla and more. Aquila helped to rediscover a number of important details about both historical instrument making and historical performance practices (refer to the excerpts from two movies below to get an idea of what this historical practices are).

Secondly, Aquila was the only EU company capable of meeting the global demand for gut strings.

Their important output is now removed from the global Early Music market. It is difficult to believe that the few remaining EU-based tiny baroque gut string makers would be able to cope with the global or even local demand.

These small string makers might be unwilling to admit they have difficulties because they have nothing to offer but gut, however the reality is not extremely dangerous unless the EU laws are reviewed and changed.

Only this can save the Early Music and the remaining gut string-makers. Everyone would only benefit, if instead of ban, there would be free trade and availability of gut for music, not just for sausages... despite the BSE fears!

A few important musicians and early music groups are planning an action on the governmental level. To support this action an on-line petition was created on the 19th of November 2011.

These petitions are available here and here.

We would like to invite music lovers, musicians and everyone who cares about the culture, music, traditional crafts and quality of life to sign the petitions in order to support the planned action and share this among as many people as possible to avoid disaster and potentially irreversible loss.

### end of press-release ###

Contact information:
Dmitry Badiarov - violin-maker at Badiarov Violins
+31 6 1125 7695.

Feel free to translate and publish under my or your own name.

Background information:

The several laws causing the crisis:

in English: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AEN%3APDF

in Italian: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AIT%3APDF

in French: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AFR%3APDF

The above law in every other EU language can be found at eur-lex.europe.eu

The Strad news release of 15th November 2011

The Guardian news release of 2006

Sofracob closure in February 2010

What does Early Music sound like?

Some modern players rely on gut too.

Two petitions to the EU government urging to save the Early Music

2011-11-20T05:09:00.001+09:00

Baroque Violin string with Aquila Strings, including the
copper powder loaded string for the music of the 17th century
rediscovered and brought to perfection by Aquila Corde.

Two on-line petitions are published and are collecting signatures.

Follow the links, sign the petitions and share them with all your contacts now.

http://on.fb.me/save-early-music

Severe Early Music Crisis caused by the EU laws

2011-11-19T18:46:00.001+09:00

We are going through a severe Early Music crisis caused by the EU laws and the major producer of gut strings stopping production on the 15th of November.

The third day of panic phone calls from musicians : I regret to inform all gut-string players that our stock of Aquila gut strings is over. We have been trying to get gut strings from
other string-makers since three months but, not surprisingly, with the problems we are facing these string makers cannot supply strings to the makers, at least, not in a timely manner : they might eventually be able to sell one or two gut strings to the players, but not to the distributors asking for dozens or hundreds of strings at once.

The reason of the crisis are the EU laws causing severe shortage of raw gut - raw gut is outlawed on the territory of the EU due to BSE fears.

Miraculously, ministers say it is OK to produce sausages and consume them but it is not OK to produce musical strings even if they are not food.

Please, stay connected for there will be an online petition. As soon as we know it has been published we shall announce its URL through our social networks.

There are several laws causing the crisis. One of these laws can be found here:

in English: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AEN%3APDF

in Italian: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AIT%3APDF

in French: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ%3AL%3A2004%3A162%3A0062%3A0064%3AFR%3APDF

The law in every other EU language can be found at eur-lex.europe.eu

The current crisis should concern everyone, not only the string players using natural gut strings.

It is a problem for millions of audience, all early music festivals, all CD labels whose output focuses on Early Music, all makers of historical instruments, all educational institutions were gut-strung instruments are being taught. The crisis may cost thousands of jobs and the loss of the tradition - as well as everything connected with it. The loss may potentially have irreversible disastrous consequences.

Stay in touch and sign the petition even if you are not a musician.

As it is stated above, on the 15th of November the major producer of musical gut strings - Aquila Corde Armoniche Srl - stopped the production of gut strings. What does it mean for the other string-makers still in production?

Aquila was the only EU-based company capable to meet the global demand for baroque strings. With Aquila not producing gut strings anymore, the handful of tiny producers are likely to go bankrupt due to the flood of panic-orders and their inability to meet the demand and due to the impossibility to obtain the raw gut of high quality from outside of the EU.

Aquila will definitely survive the crisis thanks to their production of 15mln plastic strings for plucked instruments such as ukulele and guitars, but the tiny string-makers who produces only gut-strings may last only as long as their remaining stock of raw material lasts. The days are counted.

There is no gut on the territory of the EU other than that for the food industry. The two larger gut-string makers in the US are unlikely to meet the global demand if the production in the EU is not restored within a few weeks.

What does Early Music sound like?

These movies involved hundreds of staff and made millions of people happy. This is Early Music. This is what cannot exist without the gut-strings and not just gut-strings. These strings must be made exactly in the same manner as they were made at the time of Louis XIV.

The current EU legislation effectively kills this. Aquila Corde has been battling with this issue both in Rome and Brussels since 2006 trying to involve other string makers and important musicians but the ministers in charge remained deaf.

Without your input the crisis cannot be reversed.

Stay in touch, spread the word, sign the petition. The petition will be announced through the social networks. At this moment we are not informed about it's URL.

The Hague, 19th November 2011.

iPhone model for a baroque violoncello da spalla

2011-10-31T06:58:00.003+09:00

A few weeks ago I have been to a concert in Belgium.

Big orchestra, many soloists... In addition to the bass violin there was also a viola da spalla player.

After the concert I congratulated the spallist with her impressive playing and asked what was the source of her instrument.

It was newly built. It was big in the shoulders but extremely small in the bottom part.

The whole body was strangely elongated and the f-holes were barely bigger than violin f-holes...

I was intrigued!

I was sure it was based on some example which I have never seen before. Not, at least, among those 40+ examples which I know of.

I was burning from the desire to know.

However, her answer was something I did not expect to hear! She said, her instrument was based on... a Badiarov model! "Ah!"

The story suddenly took a peculiar turn. I realized she did not know whom she was talking to and I did not tell.

Well, well... she did not know I was the maker of the original. She still does not know. Both were very happy and enjoyed the conversation. After all, she is very happy with her "copy" and I did not want to disappoint her.

I wondered, "... based on a Badiarov... how interesting! Is it then a copy of a Badiarov model?"
"Yes", she said, "more or less..."
"Ah, really? This is very, very nice!"

After all the reverences with the spallist and all other musicians I returned to the hotel wondering how could that instrument be ever called a "copy of a Badiarov!"

I regret I did not take a picture of it with my iPhone!

However the moment I thought about the iPhone I realized that I might have indeed shared an iPhone picture of a viola da spalla either on blogger or on FB and the picture served as the sort of, well, "iconographic evidence" for the maker... (iConography... yeah, there you go...)

A picture taken with any lens gives distortions. Even the human eye lies! We are used to these lies and do not notice.

There are different types of lenses, so you can google a bit to find how the same object changes depending on type of lens. You will not believe your eyes!

So what can one expect from a picture taken with a very wide lens - such as an iPhone camera for example!

One stunning example of an iPhone picture can be seen here above. Huge neck, tiny body...

The maker was obviously not very experienced and was learning the craft by making mistakes.
Brilliant! Courage!

Ok, but why to use a picture? Because this is the most common method of making violins today.

Full-scale posters of violins can be bought from many shops but when a poster is not available then downloaded somewhere a picture can be digitally enlarged and used for making patterns.

Apparently the "copy" I have seen in Belgium was not a copy of an actual instrument but a "copy" of an iPhone picture posted somewhere on the web - I do not have any other camera with a wide lens so it must have been my iPhone (love it!). The "copy" looked suspiciously similar to the picture above.

It is an anecdotal story, a viola (da spalla) joke... but the bottom line is: I encourage learning how to create patterns!

It takes a bit of effort to learn, - perhaps a life-time, perhaps even a life-time somewhere in the middle of Europe or some related culture - but it is an incomparable joy to actually create those beautiful patterns, shape the sound and its character.

Viva iPhone and enjoy learning during the winter time! -- definitely the most productive season in the year.

badiarovviolins.com

The unpublished violins

2011-10-26T11:06:00.000+09:00

The unpublished earlier baroque violin no.62 and the ornamented violin both made in 2009.

No.62

Very unfortunately, earlier in my career I never paid enough attention to documenting my work photographically so pictures of a large number of instruments are not available. Additionally, many of the earliest violins were even not properly labeled.

The latest violins: baroque and modern

2011-10-26T06:07:00.001+09:00

Some of the most recent violins and the violoncello da spalla from my studio

No.73

No. 74

Modern violin no.75

Violoncello da spalla no.70

VIDEO: Setting the sound-post into the new violin

2011-10-20T02:11:00.000+09:00

Rainy day, birds singing in the park outside the studio, no apprentice in the studio today and only a few clients visited during the day.

Strung this brand new "modern" violin (no.74) with gut strings "Tricolore" g and d', and synthetic and metal "Evah" a' and e''. It sounds well, however my varnish - although it is only one very thin layer - takes about a year to dry. The instrument can be used immediately - for example, Ryo Terakado used one of his two Badiarov violins, the brand new then a violin with the grotesque ornament in one of his recordings, however the sound will ripen gradually, as the varnish gets drier and the instrument get's played-in.

I will certainly play it in for a few days from now on and make the necessary adjustments, if any.

It is almost always rainy or stormy when I string a new violin. Feels like the last days of autumn, soon - no birds singing till the spring.

badiarovviolins.com

VIDEO: Viola da spalla - difficult made easy

2011-10-19T19:26:00.005+09:00

The muses of Musicology and Performance practice do not like to cross the roads. They are too different. When they meet they are rarely happy. Both are busy. There is time either for one or for another but rarely for both. When I wrote my 40 pages article about the viola da spalla for the Galpin Society Journal I knew this. Actually I wrote it for myself however I still wanted the message get through to a larger group of performing musicians, not to just musicologists. After all, violin-makers do not make instruments for musicologists (sorry!)

So, some time after the article was published, I thought about a 5 minutes entertaining video (here it is below)

which would summarise the 40 pages scientific article which even I did not read after it has been published. If you are not a musicologist or instrument-maker specialised in historical instruments it may seem unbearably boring: tones of dates, and names, and names, and names and none of that stuff has anything to do with the music. So, when this movie has been made I still worked in Japan, hence the Japanese subtitles... not to mention my deep connections with the Japanese culture. The point is that there was the time when the cello was a "modern" instrument not widely known, not readily accepted by players and, specially, not by the publishers - who would buy music written for an unknown thing? Would you? The funny thing, is that the re-discovered version of this instrument is experiencing exactly the same situation as it did in the end of the 17th century: "what the hell is that!?"

violadaspalla.com

Learning the craft of violin-making

2011-10-05T08:20:00.004+09:00

While my website needs much more time and work for the updates I decided to publish a quick note to reflect the changes which took place in my apprenticeship program during last year. Please, subscribe if you want to receive an update when the website will be renewed too.

Training in any craft was traditionally acquired through apprenticeship to a master. This was the time-honoured tradition before the invention of formal training as it is known today and is still the norm with the majority of living crafts. In my personal experience, apprenticeship was the perfect school.

A little of my own background

You can, naturally, skip this section and go straight to the available options described below or read on.

When I turned 11, I apprenticed to an instrument maker, Vladimir Oiberman. He did not make violins. He conducted an ethnomusicological research and in the course of five years created enough instruments for two folkloric orchestras. Through his efforts, the traditional instrumental music was resurrected from the complete oblivion. There was a sense of renaissance among the people living in that South Russian republic. Oiberman was my hero and I was sure I wanted to become an instrument maker. He taught me how to fix my violin, how to fix the violin of my brother, and how to make chin-rests which I sold to the musicians form the local philharmonic. At Oiberman’s workshop I have seen how much can be done from nothing, and how much happiness this can produce. “We use sources, but we use fantasy too when there are no other sources. There you find everything you need”.

At the age of 15 I moved to St.Petersburg and Oiberman advised me to continue violin-making under the guidance of a master in St.Petersburg. It took me 6 years to find such a master. Nobody would take me: “why should I teach you? You will take my job!” If you searched for an apprenticeship, than the chances are you have already heard similar answers. In Russia there are no schools of violin-making where teachers teach how to make violins but sometimes openly admit, “This is the way I teach, but this is not the way I make”. At last I apprenticed to Vladimir Yakimenko, a remarkable violin-maker and pedagogue in St. Petersburg. He is the only maker in St.Petersburg with a studio full of pupils. I worked for him three years in exchange for professional training. The modest results of my labour were used in his violins so I was sure I was learning the real craft. There were no secrets. “Use your brain, don’t just cut, and cut and cut!”... I was fired after I heard this phrase but re-admitted two weeks later. “Life can be ugly at times, but you should never stop creating beauty”. This is when the profound connection between the life and what I was doing in violin-making was established once and for ever.

In 1994 I moved to Brussels in order to study violin history, aesthetics of baroque music, historical violin-playing techniques under Sigiswald Kuijken. I was inspired by his approach and decided to move my violin-making principles onto the same track, that of analyse, critical reassessment, questioning, research in the primary sources. I abandoned everything I learned and started reinventing the violin as if it still did not exist. Belgium and The Netherlands is the richest place in Europe, and perhaps in the world, when it comes to the tradition of historically, culturally informed approach to anything connected with the music. It was the best place to learn the violin-making anew. One of my favourite citations from Sigiswald’s rich repertoire, “It is the artistic idea that develops the right technique, not vice versa”.

A bit of recent story

From 2005 to 2010 I lived in Tokyo. Daikanyama Academy of Music invited me to teach violin-making. I accepted the offer because I wanted to teach in order to learn.

This experience developed my passion for teaching violin-making and lead me to the conclusion that:

I must to teach and pass the more ethical, more responsible attitude I inherited from H.I.P. musicians and instrument makers working in their circle.
Assist the young violin-makers to learn the craft when or if they do not want to go through the formal training.
To help my own workflow.

I may sound strongly biased towards H.I.P or Early Music, but, in fact, I am not. I am strongly biased towards the primary sources and the idea that the violin is an object of cultural value and should not be taken off its roots.

Available choices

There are three options.

Assistants

I employ assistants on per-job or per-hour basis. Assistants get paid for doing most of the rough work at my studio, sweeping the dust, preparing the moulds etc. This is a very basic work, which does not mean it is simple. I do not necessarily teach them as there is no time for that. There is a try-out period during which we figure out whether or not we can work together. Both the attitude and craftsmanship must be good and you have to be registered at a Dutch or EU KvK (Chamber of Commerce).

2. Apprentice-assistants

Apprentice-assistants learn the trade-secrets in exchange for their work. Naturally, their skills must be good indeed as well as there is a need for a good personal communication.

3. Ordinary apprentices

Currently there are three ordinary apprenticeship programs to choose from:

A. Make a copy of a Stradivari or some other violin from a poster using the common standard violin-making methods. Advantage: these methods are followed around the globe, East, West, North, South. No need in the advanced designing course because all you need is a poster and measurements. No advanced carving techniques, much of the work can be finished with scrapers and polished using modern materials and techniques. Alcohol based varnish similar to the varnish used in repair work. Such copies cannot be sold through my studio or with the mentioning in the label of “Badiarov Violins”, only the name of the apprentice.
B. Make a violin after my original model and keep it for yourself or sell on your own. Included: designing course in order to understand the model, advanced carving techniques (no use of the modern appliances which did not exist in the baroque period), oil based varnish. Such violins cannot be sold through my studio or with the mentioning in the label of the name “Badiarov Violins”, only the name of the apprentice.
C. Make two violins after my original model, keep one in the personal collection and sell one through my studio at a determined entry-price. Added value: designing course, advanced carving, oil based varnish, opportunity to continue making violins at my studio and the opportunity to earn back part or all cost of the training. Such violins must really be fine in order to earn the right to use the name “Badiarov Violins” in the label and sell them through my studio (a small commission for the use of Badiarov Violins will apply).

Admission and trial periods

Experience shows that more than half of the candidates drop out in the first two weeks or even less. I have no time to waste and I shall not waste the time and money of others. Please, do not hesitate to contact me for more details and the costs of the options A, B, and C.

General requirements for assistants and apprentices

They are expected to possess and develop the following qualities:

To have passion for music and violin.
To have interest in history of music, violin and art.
To be able to communicate his or her interest and passion.
To have good communication skills.
To have a good discipline and ability to work hard.
To take initiative in personal development towards becoming a better craftsman/craftswoman.
An ability to understand the tasks and work without constant supervision.
An ability to ask questions.
To think analytically.
To develop an ability to conduct their own research.
To develop awareness that the violin is not a consumer product but an object of cultural value.
To have the desire to master every aspect of craft and bring its technical and artistic aspects to the highest possible level.

Number of places is very limited. At this moment one or maximum two apprentices could be taken in.

Language

At this moment Russian, Italian, Spanish, French and Japanese are possible but the main language is English.

Pictures by:

What does it take to make a violin?

2011-10-01T05:38:00.003+09:00

What does it take to make a violin?

Alberto Bachman, in Encyclopaedia of the Violin (1st ed.1925), wrote that the surest way to make a fine violin is to trace a master's model. Perhaps for the world as it was in 1929 it was the surest way indeed, but the knowledge unearthed since then would be wasted if not used.

Making violins require a creative mindset with a subtle swing of fantasy and order, precision and spontaneity: one needs to know the rules, where and why they come from, how to enjoy bending these rules or even - why not - break them if it gives an extra spice to the design and the sound of the violin, an extra inspiration to the musicians and the audiences.

It also requires a complete command of tools, knowledge of wood and acoustics, specially as the latter was addressed by the european predecessors, violin-makers from the end of the 16th century till the end of the 18th century. I do not believe in computers, sophisticated software or hi-tech which anyway did not exist in the period when the violin was born - the Baroque period. I believe in fairly simple hardware, time-tested intelligence

expressed in every living craft and human passion for one’s métier.

The last, but perhaps the most important, violin-making requires an inquisitive and humble mind in order to study and absorb - at least a tiny bit of it - the mother culture which created the violin - the occidental culture thousands of years of age. We are tiny and insignificant in comparison with that culture and even with the violin - this culture’s heritage, not just another “consumer product”.

What makes violin a fine violin?

I am not saying I am making "fine violins" - it's not up to me to decide whether my violins are fine or not and I don't care whether they are fine or not. What I care about is to know and assimilate about the violin as much as I can in my lifetime. Fine instruments are born from the delicate balance of the opposites - the godly nature of wood and proportions on one side and, on the other side, the human nature - expression contained in the violin's outlines, in the chisel marks and brush strokes - all of which can be influenced by a myriad of human factors, classical music and, of course, by the life itself. So what? Fine violins are born from an Idea, like all of the rest is, and let us hope there are more good ideas than the bad ones in this world. Some violin-makers, but not all, might agree with the above, but I am talking only for myself - not for others as other might have different values and experience.

Going back to Bachman with whom I started this note, I am wondering why is it music - and everything related - which suffered the most? Everyone and everything went through the French Revolution and wars and famine but no one ever said the surest way to make, say, a sculpture is to copy Michelangelo's David or Rodin's Kiss. It looks as if music is the least cataclysm-resistant and once the "bridge" is burned there is hardly a way of restoring it.

All this blah-blah aside, the rest is really simple - just do it and do it well.

This blog is periodically replenished with new pictures (and now they are rather professionally done!), so subscribe to my Newsletter if you want to receive updates on my violin-making and anything new I, we discover on the way.

A little essai on violin-making

2011-09-26T08:19:00.006+09:00

My 72nd and 73rd violins,
The Hague, September 2011

2012 will see my 20th anniversary in violin-making. While thinking of making something special for this occasion, I thought to share a few words about the secret craft shroud in mystery. The craft, or rather its object - the violin - have been the source of inspiration to writers and poets, painters and movie directors. However, what was the source of inspiration for the makers who created the first violins some time in the 16th century? What is the source of inspiration for making new violins apart from music and violins already created?

There are many ways to make a fine violin and it finally is the matter of personal choice from which sources to draw one’s inspiration. Obviously, the sources can be the violins themselves. One problem is that original Stradivaris are not generally accessible consequently posters of Strads (or Guarneri) became the practical source of inspiration. Another problem is the fact the old instruments are no longer in their original state. The wood has shrunk or got naturally worn out, original parts such as necks, fingerboards, bridges, tailpieces, sound-posts and strings have been replaced by the more modern counterparts. Yet another problem is the fact that attribution and integrity - that is whether all parts of any given old violin are made by the same maker or not - in many cases can be notoriously difficult to ascertain. In this respect, 19th century luthiers such as Jean-Baptist Vuillaume were in a privileged position: they had access to the famous italian violins which at that time were barely 100 years old or a little older and many were mostly in their original state. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Those 19th century luthiers modernized most of the 17th-18th century instruments without leaving any documentation whatsoever. Violas and cellos suffered the most and not much remain intact of original violins either. This, making copies is very much a colloquial expression. In reality, a successful "copy" relies on a huge amount of memorized statistical data about surviving instruments and years of practical experience. In fact, some makers do not call their instruments "copies", but "inspired by Guarneri" or something of this sort.

Violoncello piccolo (aka viola pomposa)
made for Sergey Malov,
September 2011, The Hague

Being aware of the problems described above I chose the way which, I believe, is closer to the sources which nourished the cultural foundations of European civilisation. I mean the primary sources which inspired many European artists, musicians, music instrument makers, composers, painters, architects, philosophers - for thousands of years - till the French Revolution. These sources are a strange mix of ancient Arab, Roman, Christian, and above all, the Greek ideas. This mix actually made the European culture distinct from other cultures and it also created its music and musical instruments including the violin. The influence of these source can be seen, felt, experienced in the surviving culture around us and in classical music. I do not exclude the violins from my list of sources because they are a cultural heritage too, but I do not limit my source of inspiration and information by violins alone - no matter how remarkable they are. Instead, I try to see the violin with the eyes of a craftsman of the 17th-18th century, from beneath, rather than from the top. Thus, it is the different vantage point that I chose. Why? I trust the cultural foundations of European art and music and music instruments merit to be aware of, merit a study, mastering and practical use in the craft of violin-making. This vantage point can be easily understood by most artists working with the visual media as it is not uncommon for them to assimilate the history of art in order to place their creativity in the context, but it is also the artistic foundation for many a remarkable musicians. I am happy to see a few luthiers working on the same path. Of course, this path may not be the main-stream but when it draws the attention of young luthiers to the sources of culture rather than just to its product - the violin - it is a desired outcome.

Why and How?
It is easy to say, “I chose a different vantage point!” WHY I do this is probably clear. All of the philosophy apart, it simply helps to create better instruments. Another question is HOW
can one shift the vantage point in practice?

In my opinion, it can not be achieved without addressing the primary sources. These sources on the other hand cannot be learned once and forever. The mysterious thing about them is the fact every time you read them, they reveal something new. Thus there is no arrival point but only the work in progress. Being surrounded for the past 17 years by a group of creative musical minds and brilliant performers I followed their wholly inspiring example: I absorbed and made my own the historical evidence on baroque art, music and period instrument making surviving in ancient treatises, instruments, iconography and printed music. I practiced and assimilated the varieties of historical violinistic techniques existing in the past five centuries in order to understand the different stages in violin history and the interaction between the violin and the music. I re-constructed and made it my own the baroque principles of designing violins from the idea in the head - like the original creators may have done. My direction in violin-making may well be called “historically inspired” because it is based on the same principles as the “historically inspired” performance. If you are not yet familiar with such performance consider listening to the performances of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Jordi Savall, Sigiwald Kuijken, Philippe Pierlot, Frans Bruggen, Gustav Leonhardt, Francois Fernandez and the young generation of players Rachel Barton-Pine, Sergey Malov, Pierre Hantai, Luis Otavio Santos, Benjamin Alard and many others, naturally, not only the violinists. Perhaps, consider watching some beautiful movies: “Tous les matins du monde”, “Le Roy Dance”, “The Full Monteverdi” and decide for yourself if the different vantage point is worth the effort. It may well happen that this experience will shift your vantage point and open a new space for your creativity.

At last, my violins (almost forgot to mention!)
I am proud to announce that Badiarov Violins will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2012, so, please stay in touch to find out more. Do not forget to bookmark this blog for you future reference and do subscribe to our newsletter.

Violin-making: copying VS making originals

2011-08-26T09:03:00.182+09:00

This article describes the two existing today general methods of making violins, compares the two and addresses the issues.
The two methods are: 1. Making copies. 2. Making originals.

You have certainly heard expressions such as "made after a Stradivari model", "copy of a Stradivari violin", "copy of a Guarneri",
"copy of an Amati"... This mean that a violin represents a copy of either an original violin actually made by Stradivari, Guarneri or Amati or a copy of the original violin in a poster, that is, it's photograph. 19th century makers used the original violins, the 20th and 21st century makers usually use the posters. Copying is the common method of making violins from the 19th century onward and is still the pre-dominant method. Maker's usually go with the demand, and as there is a demand for copies - just in case a player can't afford an original Stradivari - there is an ample supply.

Another method of making violin is producing originals. There is a handful of makers who actually know - or attempt to know - why the violin has this and not another shape. Some of these makers produce their own patterns, change them at their will and make great instruments. Players love these violins for their character as well as for their tonal and other qualities.

Making original violins, in order to be successful and serve a better purpose, needs to be based on the primary sources and on the surviving masters' instruments but not only on the surviving instruments because these are mostly modified. Primary sources related to violin-making are extremely scarse and insufficient, so we are talking here about sources on everything connected with European art and crafts. This knowledge preserves the original culture and produces good instruments. Consequently, such makers do a good service to the culture of violin-making and, we could say so, to the culture as a whole because this knowledge preserves the culture, not just its product - the violin. IMHO, that culture is worthy of preservation. Actors reviving and performing theatrical pieces in the manner they were performed when Moliere was alive are doing a valuable work. Musicians performing Middle Age, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic music in the manner this music was heard in its respective epochs are doing a valuable work. You might disagree, but violin-making put on the same track is a better, more responsible violin-making : both, toward the culture and towards the craft of making violins on the soil where it originated and evolved.

So some say, "culture is not inherited, it is acquired", however it takes one's lifetime to acquire that culture. It can be difficult to become aware of that culture for a person who never lived in a country with a different culture but - speaking for myself only! - moving to Japan helped me to become aware of my inherited culture of which I was not fully aware before going to the far Far East.

The violin is striped of its cultural status (which it probably never had but this is another problem - the problem of sync between the fast pace of globalization and the slow adaptation of the human psych), a copy can be produced anywhere and today most factories are placed in the cheap Far East which makes it very difficult for the young European violin-makers to even start their careers as violin-makers. At least, more than a few violin-makers told me this.

I am not criticising the copyist approach but I do communicate to the younger violin-makers that they better be aware. An alternative to copying is tough but it is not impossible and is worth the effort. It may take time to learn the underlying tissue of european cultural influences and traditions, absorb them and transform into something usable in violin-making. European languages skills, tons of patience, ability to travel to museums and libraries across Europe, analytic mind, eager desire to learn, organizational skills, ability to work fast, courage to undertake experiments and readiness to learn from mistakes, an ability to play instruments and knowledge of music are indispensable skills, plus - craftsmanship, craftsmanship, craftsmanship.

Sometimes people suspiciously ask, "why do I care?" Visit my website to learn why. If the reader happen to be that violin-maker I am referring to above, do not hesitate to provide a feed-back.

Picture: a 10 minutes sketch of a violin scroll. Free-hand drawing on hand-coated, hand-tinted paper.

Violoncello da spalla for Sergey Malov

2011-08-10T23:36:00.009+09:00

THE HAGUE -- August 10, 2011, I have carried out the last adjustments to the sound and setup of my 70th instrument - the 10th violoncello da spalla made for Sergey Malov - violinist, violist and now also a violoncellist da spalla. He will play this instrument at Nikkei's Muse Salon, International Mozart Competition Winners Concert 2011 in Japan on the 21st of September 2011. In the modern jargon,
it will be varnished in the few following days. In the old jargon, it will be tempered with varnish; the varnish will be incorporated into the whole until it becomes a unity. That is why I take into consideration all parts of an instrument from the very beginning, starting with its sound and ending with the varnish, even though all I might have at that stage of work is a few chunks of raw wood.

You can find more information on this instrument in my Galpin Society Journal Article which, with the kind permission from the editor, can be downloaded from this website. The article was written a few years ago however it does still contain a lot of new information for violinists, violists and cellists alike. Written for experts, the article may seem intimidating to an untrained reader. In short: a lot of baroque cello repertoire can be performed on such or similar instrument and, perhaps, it might soon be heard in romantic and contemporary music.

Like all other instruments from the Badiarov Violins studio this instrument too is not a copy. It is an original. Violin-making is art - or craft, whatever one prefers to call it - and for me it is inseparable from life itself. The life, the nature and the culture - at least, the Historically Inspired approach to the latter - offer a lot more ideas and inspiration than antique instruments alone do, still less - posters of those instruments - the basis of modern violin-making. Nope, each instrument is a story, much like a good painting, sculpture, concert. Apart from purely aesthetic special features and character, however this model includes all necessary tiny details: exacting proportions, refined shapes of the neck, fingerboard, tailpiece, curvature of the bridge, correct string pressure and response etc etc etc.

N.B. Recorded with equipment great for all things other than sound and video hence the dreadful quality. Indeed, come to listen this instrument in concerts by Sergey!

Masaaki Suzuki and three cellists: Ryo Terakado, Dmitry Badiarov, Francois Fernandez.

2011-07-11T11:44:00.002+09:00

This almost a vintage photo was taken several years ago in Tokyo during the preparation for the five concerts and a recording session with Bach Collegium Japan. Program: J.S.Bach, Six Brandenburg Concertos.

BCJ's 1st version of the Concertos was recorded over a decade ago with the ordinary violoncellos. The 2nd version, the new version, has been recorded with violoncellos da spalla only a few years ago. Violoncello da spalla was the type of cello on which Bach was a skillful player. This is the type of cello which apparently Bach had in mind when - though extremely rare - he called for "violoncello" in his scores.

As the maker of these instruments I am very happy for BCJ and La Petite Bande both recording the Brandenburg Concertos twice. The list of CDs with violoncellos da spalla and violins from my studio can be found on my updated website. Click.

Picture, from left to write: Masaaki Suzuki (conductor), Ryo Terakado (violinist, cellist), Dmitry Badiarov (luthier), Francois Fernanez (violinist, cellist).

Qu'est-ce qui distingue une «œuvre d'art»?

2011-07-09T18:37:00.000+09:00

Cher amis,

Cette brochure est une invitation à une découverte approfondie dans le monde des Badiarov Violins, des instruments évocateurs des siècles passés et de la vie contemporaine, incitant les musiciens à créer à la hauteur de leurs idées.

Qu'est-ce qui distingue une «œuvre d'art»? Ce n'est pas seulement la qualité élevée de l'artisanat. C'est l'Idée artistique, prenant source dans une véritable connaissance des sources primaires ainsi que de la culture. Une Idée peut résoudre certains problèmes, raconter une histoire véritable, informer, éduquer, inspirer ou ouvrir les portes d'une autre dimension. Une Idée fait d'un Picasso un Picasso, d'un Stradivarius un Stradivarius, d'un Guarneri del Jesu un del Jesu et d'un Rembrandt un Rembrandt. Cette Idée
artistique est également à l'origine de leurs techniques. Les œuvres d'art peuvent être copiées mais la copie d'objets ne peut pas conserver, reproduire, enrichir ou régénérer la culture d'origine. Mon objectif est de garder la lutherie à ses racines originelles issues de la culture occidentale, de l'époque des Grecs et des Romains à la Renaissance et au Baroque, ainsi que créer des œuvres originales, fondées sur la culture et la tradition qui existaient avant la Révolution française.

L'Idée artistique est le chemin vers ce que nous voulons exprimer. Pour les musiciens, il se trouve dans leur musique. Pour moi, il se trouve dans mes violons. A la recherche de ce chemin, j'ai absorbé la culture qui a donné naissance au violon et construit des instruments selon le modèle des grands luthiers de l'époque Baroque. Je crois que la culture n'est pas héréditaire, mais acquise. Ainsi, la culture Baroque peut être acquise par une étude devouée des œuvres d'art, de l'architecture, de la musique, des instruments d'époque, de l'esthétique etc. En tant que diplômé des Conservatoires de Saint-Pétersbourg et de Bruxelles, j'ai assimilé une grande variété de techniques violonistiques historiques, techniques qui ont été développées au cours des cinq derniers siècles. J'ai également fait partie de La Petite Bande en tant qu'instrumentiste. Cela me permet d'évaluer chaque instrument d'après un point de vue de musicien sans quitter mon studio, ou parfois même dans les situations de concerts.

Après avoir construit mon premier violon et après avoir remporté le Diplôme d'Honneur du Concours National de Lutherie à Moscou en 1992, j'ai décidé de ne plus participer à des Concours mais d'étudier l'histoire et l'esthétique du Baroque. Malgré le niveau élevé de ces concours, je ne retrouvais pas la sensibilité que nous apporte les instruments historiques de l'époque baroque. Cela m'a conduit à développer ma propre idée artistique, ainsi qu'à créer des normes techniques prenant source dans la culture de cette époque.

Mon style se décrit comme "Lutherie Historiquement Informée" car basé sur les mêmes principes que l'Interprétation Historique, plus connue sous le nom de Musique Ancienne. Je ne copie pas Stradivari ou Guarneri, mais mes principes esthétiques et philosophiques ainsi que mes techniques tirent de la même source d'inspiration que celles des artisans-créateurs de l'époque baroque.

Les Pays-Bas possèdent une riche tradition de l'interprétation historique, c'est donc l'endroit idéal que j'ai choisi pour installer mon studio. Je construis également des archets historiques personnalisés. N'hésitez pas à me contacter pour de plus amples informations sur les prix, les garanties ainsi que des conseils pour vous accompagner dans votre commande.

An antique article about very modern instrument: baroque violoncello on the shoulder

2011-06-28T12:21:00.002+09:00

This article was written already a few years ago, after a few violoncellos da spalla were already on the hands of actively performing musicians: Sigiswald Kuijken, Ryo Terakado and Samantha Montgomery. Six months of library and museum research, as well as research into the strings conducted by Aquila Corde preceded the five weeks of actually making the first instrument for Sigiswald Kuijken. However that initial research had not been abandoned after the first instrument was completed and a few years later its results had been published by the Galpin Society. Players can get familiar with it from the article made readily available with the kind permission from the Editor of Galpin Society Journal.

Despite the fact it mainly focuses on the use of shoulder-held small violoncello in the works of J.S.Bach, its repertoire is not restricted to the works of Bach and indeed it has been recently used in the works by Vivaldi, Leo, Geminiani, Haendel, Gabrielli, Corelli and many other composers.

Click on one of the above links to download the article.

What Baroque music is all about? Read this!

2011-06-27T02:28:00.009+09:00

If you did not know - then this and other movies mentioned below might be just the right way for you to discover and enjoy Baroque music and historically informed performance practice.

So, what is it?
In short, baroque music is centered neither on the perceived Genius of a composer nor on performers' feelings. Baroque music is really much simpler. It is about steering and moving motions in You - the listener - and telling you - the listener - some meaningful story. It is almost like Pop, jazz or folk. A baroque performer places the God above all, the listener next, and himself or herself - last. By contrast, Romantic performer is the God. He believes his listeners, for some reason, must be deeply interested in his feelings, and if they are not, well, then - at their best - they become simply irrelevant to the performer. Such a performer might later be sanctified and tagged a Genius who lived ahead of his time and for this reason was not understood by his contemporaries.

Baroque performer is a doctor for whom it is more important whether or not his cure had the desired effect. Romantic performer is interested in how his cure was prepared rather than whether or not it had any effect. In fact, all of Baroque music was written for a specific purpose, which, no matter what it had to serve. Baroque performer is a craftsman, Romantic is an Artist with a very, very big capital A. Baroque performer finds its best if the composer is alive because he or she can ask the composer should any ambiguity arise around the piece. Things are very different with a Romantic performer for whom the best composer is the dead composer because the performer can safely claim to be the Genius who understands the composer's idea or even claim - why not? - to have had direct contact with the dead via some supernatural channel.

Well, this might sound strongly biased toward Baroque but I am not saying that one is better than another. These are very different musical languages and epochs in our culture. Baroque approach is by far less known today because it is the Romantic approach that is being taught in most institutions and it is automatically applied to the Baroque music. There is however an exception from this rule: the Early Music Movement also known as Historically Informed Performance Practice - about which you might wish to discover on your Baroque journey.

Let this journey start with the trailer from this beautiful movie and go past 14 of July 1789 - the date of the French Revolution when everything abruptly came to an end.

“If you love Monteverdi, get this. If you think you might like his music, get it. If you’ve tried to listen to Monteverdi, but haven’t quite managed to get into it, get it. If you’ve never heard Monteverdi, get it.” --American Record Review

http://thefullmonteverdi.wordpress.com/

www.polyphonicfilms.com/store

Luckily for us, some creative minds use the technology and means of communication adapted to the 21st century - the cinematograph (the first motion picture was recorded in 1878 by an English photographer Eadweard Muybridge). Cinema, like opera, includes in itself many other forms of art: music, photography, literature, theater etc and is a natural evolution of opera though, while in cinema you are watching a story recorded on film or digital, in opera you are watching everything life, from the actors on stage and musicians in the orchestra pit, to the work of costumers, stylists, painters, sculptors, light-team, stage directors, dancers, choirs etc etc etc. Opera was born in the early Baroque period with Claudio Monteverdi being the first composer to write a full-fledged opera L'Orfeo in 1607 in Mantua. L'Orfeo is an ancient Greek story of Orpheus' descent to Hades and his attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to life and is still one of the most performed masterpieces of the Baroque! No wonder! What a story and music!

After watching the trailer of "The Full Monteverdi" you might wish to see it whole, as well as see some older equally exhilarating movies such as Tous les matins du monde with Gérard Depardieu and music performed and directed by Jordi Saval (viola da gamba), and Le Roy Danse by Gérard Corbiau with the music performed by Musica Antiqua Koln (Reinhard Goebel).

You might be surprised to discover how familiar and direct Baroque music is, even if you never heard it before or avoided the so called Classical, or "serious" music all together. Actually, baroque is not necessarily "serious", but it may become a very serious experience if, say, dance music is performed not for dancing but for listening being sitted for an hour and a half! Shame on programmers but not on music!

Music-lovers, as well as modern players and instrument-makers might be interested to know that there is plenty of specialized literature for string-players, wind-players, keyboard-players, instrument-makers, primary sources on musical practices and works on every aspect of Baroque life and before. This is an on-going research on the craft side of Early Music performance as well as making appropriate instruments in a proper baroque style. It is conducted by people who went to Hades and Heavens to search and experiment, reconstruct, test and re-test, be booed for failures and hailed for successes. These are the people that bring back to life the vital sources of our culture and not just on stage. Amateur home-salon music making is popular in countries such as The Netherlands or UK. While it might be rather difficult for an amateur to enjoy a Wieniawski violin concerto or equally difficult to bring to perfection a John Dowland viol consort, it is possible to fully enjoy the immense baroque repertoire either solo or in family consorts of viols, violins, recorders or voices etc. Is there a good reason not to give music to kids and their parents?

Naturally, there are no gods among the modern baroqueurs so, do not hesitate to ask for guidance and do not fear to search and find on your own. One day you might absorb it all, wish to reject it all or bring about a change: this is something baroqueurs of all times did and left an inspiring page in this never ending story.

P.S. バロック音楽について日本語でどうぞお聞きになって下さい。

Badiarov Violinsへようこそ。

2011-06-23T21:10:00.003+09:00

数世紀過去から現在の想像力をかき立てる楽器、Badiarov Violinsへようこそ。
約２０年に渡って、音楽家たちに霊感を与えてきました。

”芸術作品”とは決して精巧な職人技によるものだけではありません。それらは常に原点資料からくる知識と、現在まで引き継がれている伝統に基づいた、芸術的な理念・思想によるものなのです。芸術的アイディアは常に問題点を解決し、有意義に語り、知らせ、霊感を与え、教育を発展させるとともに視野を広げます。これらがピカソをピカソにし、
ストラディヴァリをストラディヴァリとさせ、グァルネリをグァルネリとならしめレンブラントはレンブラントとなった原動力なのです。

芸術作品はコピー、模倣されることがありますが、しかし模倣品は模倣品でしかなく、本来の持つ意味はそこにはもはや存在せず、文化そのものは豊かに再現され得ません。私のヴァイオリン制作の目的はまさに文化の根底ールネッサンス、バロック時代を通じて影響を与え続けた古代ギリシャ・ローマによる西洋文化ーに近づくこと、そしてフランス革命以前までに存在した文化・伝統の持つ思想と根底を同じくする、私独自の作品を制作することにあります。

芸術的アイディア・理念は究極の表現方法です。音楽家にとってはそれが音楽であり、私にとってヴァイオリンがそれなのです。現在に至るまで私は、ヴァイオリンが創られ、バロック時代の偉大なヴァイオリン制作家たちのスタイルで楽器の作られたこの文化に夢中になって学びました。

文化は遺伝子によってのみ受け継がれるものではなく、習得によるものであると、私は信じています。バロック文化はその時代の芸術、建築、音楽、楽器制作、美学等々の偉作を学ぶことに打ち込むによって習得することができます。

サンクトペテルブルク音楽院、ブリュッセル王立音楽院を経て、またラ・プティット・バンド等アンサンブルのメンバーとしての演奏を通じて、過去５世紀に存在した歴史的な多種多様なヴァイオリン・テクニックを理解し吸収してきました。自分で演奏できることによって、プロの音楽家による見解、そして時には実際にコンサートで使用することによって楽器を鑑定することができます。

最初に制作したヴァイオリンでモスクワ国際ヴァイオリン制作コンクール1992年で名誉賞を獲得して以来、コンクールに勝つことよりもバロック楽器製作の歴史と美学について追求することに焦点を移しました。というのも、コンクールで見た他の楽器たちー素晴らしい技術と高い水準で制作されながらしかしバロック美学の意味が何も伝わってこない楽器を目の当たりにしたのです。この経験が私独自のアイディアと、バロック文化に基づいた独自のスタンダードを築く礎となりました。それはHistorically Informed Performance Practice と同じ理念に基づくものであり、Historically Informed Violin-Making と呼ぶにふさわしいでしょう。私はストラディヴァリやグァルネリのコピーは作りません。私の美学と哲学的理念はバロック時代の制作家たちが得たであろうインスピレーションの源となったものと同じ理念を受け継いでいます。

古楽運動Historically Informed Performance Practiceの盛んなオランダは私の工房にぴったりな場所です。楽器だけでなく弓の制作もしております。

価格についてや楽器の調整、注文等、いつでもどうぞお気軽にお尋ねください。
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Una invitación al mundo de Badiarov Violins

2011-06-23T21:06:00.004+09:00

Querido lector:

Este folleto es una invitación al mundo de Badiarov Violins™, instrumentos evocadores de tiempos pasados y de la vida contemporánea. Hemos estado inspirando a músicos por casi ya dos décadas.

¿Qué es lo que distingue a una obra de arte? No sólo es el dominio absoluto del oficio, sino la idea artística basada en el conocimiento de las fuentes primarias y la cultura. Una idea puede resolver obstáculos, contar una parábola, informar, educar, inspirar, o abrir las puertas de otra dimensión. Fue una idea la que hizo de Picasso un Picasso, de Stradivari un Stradivari, de Guarneri del Gesù un del Gesù y a Rembrandt un Rembrandt, y lo que también dio origen a sus métodos. Las obras de arte pueden ser copiadas, pero la imitación no preserva ni reproduce ni enriquece, y aún menos rejuvenece la cultura original. Mi objetivo es mantener, tanto como sea posible, la lutheria cerca de sus raíces occidentales, desde la Época Clásica hasta el Renacimiento y el Barroco, y crear con ello obras originales basadas en la cultura y la tradición existentes de antes de la Revolución Francesa.

En última instancia la idea artística es el camino hacia lo que deseamos expresar. Para los músicos es su música; para mí son mis violines, y en la búsqueda de este camino he absorbido la cultura de la que surgieron el violín y los demás instrumentos de los grandes luthieres barrocos: estoy convencido de que la cultura no se hereda genéticamente, se gana, y uno puede apoderarse de la barroca en particular a través del estudio devoto tanto de sus obras maestras en pintura, arquitectura, música, luthería, etc., como de su estética. Así mismo, como graduado de los conservatorios de Sant Petersburgo y de Bruselas y ejecutante regular de La Petite Bande y demás grupos, he asimilado una amplia gama las de técnicas violinísticas desarrolladas en el transcurso de los cinco siglos anteriores, las mismas que me permiten evaluar cada instrumento desde la óptica de un intérprete, ya sea haciéndolos sonar para mí mismo, ya sea utilizándolos en concierto.

Después de haber terminado mi primer violín y con él ganar en 1992 el Diploma de Honor del Concurso Nacional de Luthería en Moscú, decidí hacer a un lado todo tipo de competiciones y estudiar mejor la historia y la estética del Barroco, pues a pesar de su gran calidad, en ninguno de los otros instrumentos presentados al concurso pude hallar la chispa única de aquellos provenientes de la época barroca. Esto me condujo a la concepción de mi propia idea artística y de mi propio credo, la «luthería históricamente informada», que comparte exactamente los misma visión de la interpretación históricamente informada: yo no copio ni Stradivaris ni Guarneris, pero mis principios estéticos y filosóficos, así como mi técnica, emanan directamente de la misma fuente de inspiración de los artífices del Barroco.

Los Países Bajos con su rica tradición en la interpretación históricamente informada son naturalmente el mejor lugar para mi estudio. Además de instrumentos también hago arcos históricos. No dude usted en contactarme para obtener mayor información sobre precios, garantías y servicios, así como para procedimientos de encargo.

Making gut strings: a video from Aquila Corde, Vicenza (Italy).

2011-06-21T17:37:00.003+09:00

P.S. Mimmo Peruffo's twisting gut strings and myself - in the background - holding their ends. This is how musical strings were
made till recently, perhaps even not 30 years ago though the pure-metal strings were introduced around the time of the 1st WW because all gut went to the military for surgeries.

A picture taken in February 2009 in Aquila Corde factory. It is in this room the first violoncello da spalla strings suitable for concerts and recordings were made.

BAROQUE: Equal Tension stringing results in Unequal Feel: things you want to avoid or at least know about (another calculator)

2011-06-19T09:02:00.005+09:00

This is the same violin as in the calculation published earlier but this time the violin is strung with Equal Tension strings. See that while the longitudinal tension is equal it results in extremely unequal and unbalanced string pressure and consequently "unequal feel". If the downward pressure of strings is not equal they will not feel equally tense for the bow or the
fingers.

Mersenne, Mozart, De Colco have probably forgotten to add that Equal Tension - the idea taken from the lute and proportional relationships - can not be applied to instruments with round bridges and this you can see in these two calculators (Feel free to click "Click to Edit" if you want to try other pitches or string gauges - your changes won't be saved). N.B. The e"-string chosen for this calculation is the thinnest you can get with three ribbons of gut - the number of guts used in the Baroque period to make the e"-string, that is minimum ca 0.66

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Equal Feel string calculator can be found here.

Modern strings made of plastic or metal and calculated to yield the right tension/pressure at 440Hz and have a very low response latitude: that is, they will not sound right at the pitch much higher or much lower than 440Hz. On the contrary, natural gut strings have a very wide latitude and will sound right and provide reasonable resistance to the pressure of the bow at a variety of pitches: +1 or even +2, or -1 or even -2 semitones. This mean you can use much thicker strings for very low pitches and much thicker strings for high pitches, but the average is the one which had been so common: e"-70-73, a' 85-88, d' 116-120, g - silver wound thin a'-string (for the music from the concerto period or with lots of double and tripple stops, metal powder loaded g-string equivalent of ca220 for the sonata period or just plain gut equivalent 200-220. This will work just fine in 392 or 465, and of course, will be perfect for 400-430Hz.

The point of this calculator is to demonstrate that Equal Tension stringing does not result in Equal Feel. These two things are incompatible on instruments with round bridges. Of course, one can match the angles and gauges in such a manner as to minimize the differences in longitudinal tension and downward pressure between the strings but levelling those differences flat will inevitably result in a more equalized acoustic performance - with rather anti-baroque consequences, something perhaps suitable for the period of "liberté, égalité, fraternité ou la mort" and later.

Equal Feel calculator - why the sources are not wrong. Response to a private message.

2011-06-18T22:59:00.002+09:00

Reply to a private message raising doubts about correctness of the proposed stringing solution. My calculator is not only correct, but is extremely correct and tested during good 5-6 years of concert performances, though, of course, not by everyone.

Indeed, one observation was very
good. A and D strings have slightly different tension but equal pressure because all of the numbers are rounded. That is, string gauges are not given in thousands of a millimeter, but in hundreds. However, such precision is already bordering on non-sense: half-rectified gut can never be measured with such precision because there is no modern kind of precision in historical guts. Thus, calculation of realistic values (precision to a tenth of a millimeter) is completely impracticable because figures always show unequal tension/feeling. It does not matter though because our fingers and bows do not really detect those small differences, plus we may require them for artistic purposes, for example, specific sound-colour or character of articulation or imitation of syllables, or just the matter of taste... "Historically informed" taste, of course.

The purpose of this calculator is to show that historically documented gauges give:
1. "equal feel"
2. resulting pressure/resistance in Kg really depends on instrument setup: shape of the bridge, finberboard, tailpiece, saddle, neck angle.
3. the flatter the angle - the better for the thicker gauges. "Mersenne" strings have been tested in a concert situation too with the e"-string envelope gauge 82 (stretches to ca0.76 at a'=465Hz), but the breaking angles pre-programmed in the calculator were even smaller! The sound was not acid-thin - inevitable kind of sound in the case with strings such as 0.58-0.64 - but beautiful, round, warm though, indeed, very high-pitched.

Recommended default stringing (415-430Hz): violin - 70-73,85-88,116-128,200-220, viola - 85-88,116-124,190-200,280-320. (Gs, Ds and Cs given in equivalent gut values). Choose thicker strings for 384-392Hz.

Do not hesitate to take contact for more precise advice on historically informed setup. Clicking on the image will take you to our contact info page.

Original bass-bar and other interesting details in a Violin by David Christian Hopf, musicus, 1760

2011-06-17T01:31:00.002+09:00

Though I have been making new instruments in the past ten years I made an exception for the violin described in this record.

The violin labelled "David Christian Hopf, musicus" and dated 1760 was recently restored at my studio. The maker belongs to the dynasty of makers originating in Klingenthal and founded by Caspar Hopf (born in 1650 in Graslitz, Czech republic). The dynasty consisted of about 42 makers with
David Chirstian the young being the most sought after (1734-1803). Hopf makers were active well into the 19th century.

The model is remarkably square and somewhat clumsy and was apparently assembled without the use of mold - the practice generally followed in the more southern regions of Germany, such as Füssen.

The instrument was accidentally dropped on the floor which resulted in two bass-bar cracks at a distance of approximately 3 mm one from another, with one of the cracks extending to the eye of the f-hole and another ending near the end of the tailpiece. The ribs at the lower block came loose from the block, three of the four corners came loose with the ribs partly detaching from the blocks, and most of the old cracks, totalling ca.30cm went open as a result of the accident.

Restoration work lasted about 100 hours and involved bleaching old cracks with various chemical solutions (hydrogene peroxide and chlorine bleach, oxalic acid - with consequent neutralising by sodium bicarbonate and sodium percarbonate), levelling one of the bass-bar cracks - the longest one, gluing cracks and fixing them with cleats, doubling the areas of the upper and the lower blocks where the wood was fractured and lost as a result of previous openings of the instrument (probably two openings). The cracks which showed some loss of wood along the edges have been filled with sandarac filler and retouched with clear varnish which successfully rendered them virtually invisible. The area under the bridge was cleaned with soapy alcohol/water mixture to remove the thick build up of rosin. N.B. If you are a player, it is unlikely that you understand the processes described here above or have enough experience. It is not recommended for to you to try any of these out on your instruments.

The violin had still it's probably original bass-bar. Dimensions of the bass-bar are 281.5 x 5.2 x 12 mm with the ends rather strong and thick. The heaviness of the bass-bar appears logical given the excessively thin plates: less than 1 mm along the edges of the upper table, almost as thin as 0.5mm in the area of the label which is why it was patched, probably by the maker himself (there is a patch under the label).

Given the fact that original bass-bars are extremely rare and represent valuable information on the practices of violin-making in the 18th century - in Germany in this case - I considered it important to preserve it and glue the bass-bar cracks without removing the bass-bar.

You can probably note the darkened area in the left lower bouts. Staining was caused by greasy or waxy cleaning liquid which seeped through the cracks which were not tightly closed. De-greasing this area in order to glue the cracks and fit the cleats was an unpleasant complication and could have been easily avoided if musicians would rather use dry soft cloth to wipe the instrument clean rather than any of the "safe" commercial cleaning liquids.

The neck and the upper block are not original. The nails and the baroque neck were nicely made by someone whose name I do not know in the more recent years. The block area shows another curious detail: the flat area protruding from under the modern block proves that the neck was made from one piece of wood with the block, as this was customary with the Flemish and South German violin-makers in the 17th-18th centuries and with the Hopfs of course.

The instrument has a nice sound though it is not particularly big. The body has serious overal deformations obviously due to the extreme thinness of the plates.

“...Straunge Soundes” - "Equal Feel" string calculator online

2011-06-16T23:48:00.003+09:00

Strings is the source of sound. Violins are built in such a manner as to amplify that sound in a particular manner. No wonder, there have been much discussion among the period-instrument players. Some advocate Equal Tension and some advocate Equal Feel and both base their arguments in historical documents from the 17th-18th centuries. However, writers in the 17th-18th century did not agree on this topic. Consequently it looks like we are left without much chance to come to any agreement.

Let me stress once again that longitudinally equal tension can not result in equal pressure unless the bridge is flat, and if the pressure is not equal, there can never be such as thing as "equal feel". It is also
understandable that you do not want to end up with excessively thick g- or c-strings because of inhamonicity effect and for this reason would rather choose excessively thin e" and a' strings. This however does not fit into historical data showing that e" and a'-strings were made from 3-4 and 5 ribbons of raw gut, resulting in the range of 65-75 for e"-strings and 85-91 or so for the a'-strings.

You might have to measure the angles on your violin or viol in order to measure the pressure but this string calculator demonstrates why so many sources, most notably Galeazzi, suggest string-gauges that never lead to equal tension. Nonetheless, they do probably lead to the "Equal Feel" and here is why this happens:

"EQUAL FEELING" CALCULATOR and explanation tool. Click "Edit", enter the pitch, the gauges as they are written on the envelopes and angles (you might need a piece of paper and pencil to mark the angles and a protractor). The angles given herewith are taken from one of Badiarov baroque Violins.

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Gut-strings’ history consists of 4 periods each with a corresponding change in the history of music and instruments.

Do-it-yourself - Classical Antiquity to Middle Ages
From antiquity to the Middle Ages, strings and instruments were
often made by the players themselves. Consort music and consort instruments did not exist yet. Medieval fiddles were strung with plain gut or silk strings at the discretion of the player, physical properties of strings, size of the instrument and such pragmatic considerations.

Renaissance - from 1450 to 1550 - “Mynstrelles with Straunge Soundes”
String-making became a profession. String-making centers emerged in Barcelona, Munich, Bruxelles, Firenze, Venezia, Nuremberg and Lyon. Music was revolutionized in many ways and composers started to create very “modern” music - consorts in 3, 4 and later 5 parts. Dance music shifted from the forms based on cantus firmus to binary forms (AABB) which allowed endless repetition and improvisation. Advance in string-making quality and volume of production lead to several important changes: 1. creation of consort-instruments both wind and stringed made after identical or similar pattern and organized by their ranges inspired by the natural differences between human voices: alto, tenor, bass and, finally, treble. 2. Previously 5-stringed lute and viol were redesigned to accommodate the 6th string below the 5th. 3. Controversially, bass-bar and soundpost was introduced during this period. This is the period of Pierre Attaignant (1494-ca.1550), Thoinot Arbeau (1520-95); 'violons de la bande françoise' (1529), Jacques Moderne (fl.1526-1560), Josquin Desprez and others. You will use exclusively plain gut strings with their “straunge soundes”, though use of brass strings is also mentioned even though it has never became the norm.

3. Early baroque - from 1550 to 1650
This period corresponds another dramatic change in the history of string-making. In order to decrease vibrating-string lengths and increase the response of the thick lower strings, such as g and c on violas, G and C on the basses etc, string-makers successfully introduced the technique of loading gut with metal powder. Thus lute was redesigned into a 7-stringed instrument, with the 7th-course added below the 6th, without making the lute bigger in order to accommodate the extra low string. Success of these ultra-modern bass-strings loaded with metal powder was such that it lead to the development of a modern musical form - the sonata - in Italy: Gabrieli, Sonata pian'e forte, 1597; G.P.Cima, Concerti ecclesiastici (six sonatas) 1610; Monteverdi, Buonamente, Fontana, Castello, Uccellini etc.) This was also the period when the violin tuned gd’a’e” often joined the more archaic viole da braccio. This is also apparently the period when the idea of choosing thinner strings and smaller instruments for solo parts was born. You will use plain guts for the upper strings, catlines or plan guts for the middle range strings, and loaded strings for the basses. You might consider choosing thinner strings for solo parts and thicker strings/bigger instruments for the accompaniment.

4. Baroque - from ca. 1659 to this day “String of guts done about with silver wyer makes a very sweet musick”

Technologically challenging method of powder-loading was eventually replaced by metal wire winding, a much simpler method of making bass-strings thinner and shorter. This invention lead to the creation of the French 7-stringed viol with the 7th course added below the 6th, again without making the instrument particularly bigger as this was successfully achieved on the 7-course lute in the previous period. This also inspired the birth of all forms of smaller basses such as violoncellos. The method of winding gut core with metal wire increased the sound of bass-strings as well as the overall resonance of bowed instruments and inspired development of the Concerto form in Italy, elaborate double and triple stopping, such as in the works by Corelli and his immense following, by the German violin-virtuosos, and, notably, by J.S.Bach. The idea of thin-core and metal-winding has been introduced in 1659 and to this day no other technology was proposed to replace this ages-old system. You will use plain guts for the upper three strings, or for the upper two strings on violas and cellos, specially in solo parts, however it has still been fairly common to use exclusively plain guts both in solo and accompaniment parts throughout the 18th century.

Feel free to subscribe to our newsletter for more top topics on the matters pertaining to the culture and tradition of violin-playing-making.

Badiarov Violins website hosted on a wind-powered server

2011-05-17T02:30:00.007+09:00

It is nothing but a natural move. It is something, in my opinion, every owner of a website can do. Green energy - despite what the politicians and nuke/coal companies tell - become a tangible reality. It has been noted even by CNN: "Portugal shifted its electrical grid from 15% to 45% renewables in the space of just 5 years..." (cited from : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/04/04/nuclear.debate/index.html).

The moment I heard about GreenGeeks.com from a friend I made my mind up and made my studio greener. I plan to move all of my domain names and websites to GGs.

There is no great reason to continue the use of nuke-powered hosting for publicising a violin-making atelier, so why not electric wind-mills? Fresh breeze feels great. And it is even greater without iodine, cesium and other lethal stuff that every now and then, sooner or later, spills into the nature.

I am definitely a fun of GG. Never did I think of affiliate programs, but this time I do: to raise funds for some good cause - educational or cultural: a festival? a music band? - while spreading word about the GGs. Check them out.

Wishing you all plenty of fresh air.

Badiarov Violins

EmbarOquement immédiat: J.S.Bach Suites for shouldered violoncello, Dmitry Badiarov

2011-05-07T05:50:00.000+09:00

Dmitry Badiarov shall perform Suites for Violoncello (da spalla) Solo nos.1, 2 and 3 at the 5th festival EmbarOquement immédiat in Sebourg, France. The concert takes place the coming Sunday, the 8th of May, at 11:00am, at Eglise St.Martin, a church built in the beginning of the 12th century.

Luthier Dmitry Badiarov who re-constructed the violoncello da spalla is also a player himself. Apart from the reconstruction of the instrument he also reconstructed the technique of playing. He performed and recorded with La Petite Bande and Bach Collegium Japan. He recorded the Six Suites for Violoncello da spalla solo by J.S.Bach in 2009. The CD has been released in 2010 and received four awards: Diapason Decouverte (2010), German Critics Award (2011), Record Geijitsu Special Recommendation (2010) and Prelude Classical Music Award 2011.

Dmitry Badiarov's scientific article about the history of violoncello in J.S.Bach's context and about what it offers to both traditional cellists and the cellists alla moderna, that is da spalla (using B.Bismantova's words, 1697) can be downloaded here. A list of CDs on which the violoncello da spalla can be heard in various settings can be found here.

Sebourg, Eglise St.Martin, 8th of May (Sun), at 11:00. J.S.Bach, Suites for unaccompanied violoncello solo nos. 1, 2 and 3. Click on the Location link for driving directions. Festival page can be accessed by clicking on the above picture.

Badiarov Violins microfiber cleaning cloth for bowed instruments and bows

2011-05-05T22:31:00.004+09:00

Badiarov Violins
microfiber cleaning cloth

Arrived today from our factory, this high-quality microfiber cleaning cloth is a high-tech option for safely keeping your musical instruments clean. It is now available from my shop, 5.00 EUR (+19% Dutch VAT; FREE shipping). Size: 28x28cm, colour: ivory. Order one now.

What is the benefit?

It lifts dirt, oily film, grease, leaves no scratches or lint on the varnish or bows, it does not require any cleaning liquids and can be washed unlimited number of times. You can wipe your precious violins and bows until holes appear in the cloth but it will not damage your instruments. It's dust-wiping capacity is 30 times that of the ordinary cloth so you will not have to rub until the holes appear in it like in your handkerchief or gaze. It is a safe, conservative method of caring for your instruments.

Get if free

However, before you decide to get a cloth - free or for a price - I would like to tell a few words about cleaning.

Baroque violin no 67,
by Dmitry Badiarov

Should you clean your instruments?

Yes, you should. Different parts of the world have different opinions about hygiene and also about cleanness of your professional equipment. I have seen valuable violins with fat, grease, dust built-up dozens of years worth. Varnish on these violins reacted to the generally not very innocent chemical compounds found in sweat and fat and deteriorated badly. It is therefore not the "safest" option not to clean your instruments.

Dos and do nots

Most players wipe their instruments clean after each use with a handkerchief. They eventually clean their instruments with the help of commercially available cleaners or even solvents such as eau de cologne. It should be repeated that agressive solvents should never be used unless by qualified personel. Soapy water is also often used and is the cheapest and safest option, however, solvents and liquids are potentially destructive. Even if they do not remove the varnish, they can soften both the dirt and the varnish and cause the dirt incorporate into the varnish. Additional danger are the cracks. If there are any cracks, cleaners can sip through those cracks and sometimes render them almost unrepairable, at least, not without major intervention. The so called "safe" commercial cleaners will perhaps not physically dissolve the varnish and this is why they are called "safe", however organic chemistry of varnishes is delicate and unstable. No matter how old it is, varnish continues to react with the chemicals that come in contact and so it may react to the chemicals, both organic and non-organic, found in the cleaning products. I have seen a violin so shiny and oily because it was literally soaked in some kind of commercial polish to the extent that the wood in the soundpost area was all grease and there was no way to stabilise the sound-post - it would move into some other place in just a few days. There were also some opened cracks soaked in polish. I am happy I did not have to glue those cracks!

So, yes or no?

It is advisable to have your instrument professionally cleaned once in a few years, but this is typically not the kind of operation an untrained musician should risk to undertake. Therefore the micro-fiber cleaning cloth is the best option for the valuable delicate surfaces of your bowed instruments and can be used daily, safely.

Free

You can get one tiny piece of MF cloth for free at any optician with your new eye-glasses. It is typically of a such tiny size that renders it nearly useless for violins or larger instruments.

For a cost

You can buy one at any good photography shop. It will be excellent for your violins even though photographic micro-fiber cloth is optimized for lenses. You can buy one from my shop. The Badiarov Violins microfiber cloth is ideal for varnish, also on antique instruments where the varnish may have some marks of wear and tear. The surface of my micro-fiber cloth is extra soft and can clean effectively antique varnishes and surfaces that are not very smooth. Come to think of how many applications there are apart from your instruments: your computer, cameras, glasses.

28x28cm, 5.00 EUR (+VAT; FREE shipping), Color: ivory. Pick it up at my studio or have it shipped to your home address. Badiarov Violins studio website or email.

PRESS-RELEASE: New official distributor of Aquila Strings in The Netherlands

2011-05-05T07:18:00.002+09:00

THE HAGUE, May 5th 2011 -- Badiarov Violins - studio for historically informed violin and bow-making - has become an official distributor of Aquila strings in The Netherlands.

Aquila strings are hand-made from raw gut, produced according to the historical manufacturing process and historical standard meticulously studied, re-constructed and refined by Mimmo Peruffo, the creator of Aquila company, specialist and writer on the history of strings, as well as craftsman string-maker with skills from the realm of art rather than just craft.

Aquila strings are among the most widely used on baroque and classical violins, violas, cellos, viole da gamba as well as
plucked instruments such as lutes, theorbos, guitars etc. Badiarov Violins have been an official distributor of Aquila strings in Belgium selling hundreds of strings each month to the baroque players across Europe, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and Japan, as well as to almost all historical players residing in Belgium, members of La Petite Bande, Il Fondamento, Ricercar Consort, Les Agremens, Anima Aeterna. A lot of experimentation with historical stringing practices have been carried out in La Petite Bande with strings produced by Aquila. Return of the violoncello da spalla on the concert stage would not have been possible without Mimmo Peruffo, without whose strings the instrument would still be living in the domain of musicologists, historians and amateur fanatics of H.I.P.

Mimmo Peruffo at work
making historical gut
strings, Vicenza,
Feb.2010.

I have had the chance of knowing Mimmo Peruffo since 1994, when I moved to Belgium from St.Petersburg and, influenced by Sigiswald Kuijken, undertook my research in historical violins: styles, setups, playing techniques, historical designing and manufacturing techniques, baroque acoustics. I was fascinated by Mimmo Peruffo's articles on strings. Soon after my settling in Brussels I went to Italy to meet him personally. After that our deep personal friendship has developed and it lasts to this day.

Ever since, I have been visiting Italy every year and meeting Mimmo Peruffo has been often the only reason for the trip. Watching him making strings, talking to him about string-history and what this history meant to both music and music instruments have always been an exquisite treat. Without his expertise and the sheer volume of produced strings (gut string production have been recently quadrupled) H.I.P. would have been in a very place, and this is not to mention millions of strings for plucked instruments, shipped globally each year and the production is constantly growing.

Baroque Violin by Dmitry Badiarov

I am amused by rumours spread by some string-makers and dealers and even musicians that Aquila strings are not produced by Aquila. This makes me laugh because nothing could be further from the truth. Not only Aquila is a very large producer, but Aquila also sets the standards in terms of faithful adherence to historicity and attention to minute detail, research, innovation, volume of production, guidance to both musicians and instrument-makers willing to research, revive and preserve the highest standards of baroque and classical music making, to preserve its culture.

Aquila strings are now available from my shop Badiarov Violins in The Hague. Strings can be purchased directly at my studio, or ordered by mail and phone 06 1125 7695, 9:00 - 18:00 (GMT+1). At this moment our web-shop is in development and shall be opened soon. Credit cards and direct banking shall be offered as payment methods. Students and professionals welcome to my studio for string-testing and help with strings-choice. Students, as usual, get 50% discount for the service and today, the 4th of May, a member of Elisabeth Wallfish band was offered such a stringing assistance.

More info on historical strings can be downloaded from this blog, however, if you are not adept at historical stringing already, you might be confused by lots of unexpected information. You are welcome to visit my studio for assistance :)

Contact:

Dmitry Badiarov at Badiarov Violins

Violin no68

2011-04-21T08:14:00.018+09:00

The Hague, 20 Apr 2011 - The violin no.68 was made to order for Ms Miwa Ogino of Japan and delivered about a month ago, just a couple of days before the earthquake. I travelled to Japan to deliver it, meet the client, see her reaction, answer her questions on the spot, give some advice. "Thank you for your violin", - wrote Ms Ogino a few days later, - "I'm playing with pleasure, joyfully!" The day after the monstrous earthquake
shook Japan I returned to The Netherlands. Tokyo was almost as orderly as usual, except that it took 4 hours to get to the airport instead of the usual 37 minutes.

The first violin made after this model, no.33, was made for Maartje Geris of Belgium. Since then, over a dozen of violins were made around the same mold. Among those are the violins for the Spanish baroque violinist Blai Justo, for the Japanese violinist Kaoru Ouchiyama and the South Korean SeungRok Baek, as well as the decorated violin for Ryo Terakado, concertmaster of La Petite Bande and professor of baroque violin at Toho University of Tokyo and The Hague Royal Conservatoire.

The next violin, no.69, for Harumi Koike of Japan as well as the viola no.70 for Mr Mikio Tsunoda were also built after this same model and now both are being varnished at Badiarov Violins studio in the center of The Hague.

PRESS-RELEASE: Historically Informed Violin-Making & Bow-making Course at Badiarov Violins™ in The Hague

2011-04-20T02:43:00.003+09:00

For immediate release
19/04/2011

###

THE HAGUE, 19th April 2011 -- Violin and bow-maker Dmitry Badiarov launched his course for Historically Informed Violin-making© in The Hague and gave the first hours of the 200 hours curriculum to his first student. The course Syllabus consists of historical documentation and
aesthetics, workshop procedures, safety and maintenance, historical setup and stringing, string-history, music theory and history in relation of these to the instruments of the violin-family, plus the basic playing techniques. Individual teacher-to-student course given to maximum of two students in a group. It takes place at Badiarov Violins™ studio in the centre of The Hague.

The Netherlands and Flanders was the birth cradle of the Historically Informed Performance movement since the second half of the 20th century and is still home to many a living legends: Gustav and Maria Leonhard, violin-maker Fred Lindeman, Sigiswald and Marleen Thiers, Frans Bruggen, Jaap Schröder, Wieland and Barthold Kuijken, Jaap Ter Linded, Anner Bylsma and many, many others. Thus the Netherlands is naturally the ideal place for such a Course - the Historically Informed Violin-Making course. Historical bow-making course is also offered separately from the violin-making course.

Dmitry Badiarov's studio was founded in St.Petersburg in 1990. It was active in Brussels and Tokyo. In August 2010 he moved from Japan back to Europe, to The Hague, The Netherlands. Badiarov Violins™ has also a seasonal studio in Queretaro, Mexico, situated in the convent of the Museo de la Ciudad de Queretaro. Dmitry Badiarov has taught violin-making at Daikanyama Academy of Music in Tokyo between 2007 and 2009 as well as he was a guest lecturer on History of Baroque Violin at The National University of Fine Arts and Music in Tokyo between 2006 and 2009. He was also a core member of La Petite Bande among others since 1994.

More information about the studio and the Course for Historically Informed Violin-Making can be found via Badiarov Violins™ website.

###

PR Contact information:
Dmitry Badiarov
Mob. 06 1125 7695
Email: bv at badiarovviolins dot com

[Dutch translation available upon request]

Free mini-lecture: Cello della Terra e del Cielo

2011-02-22T20:21:00.007+09:00

THE HAGUE - Free mini-lecture: "Free mini-lecture: Cello della Terra e del Cielo", Sat 2nd of April, 2011 at 17:15 at Badiarov Violins™ studio in The Hague.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding on the part of traditional violoncellists in regard of
the violoncello da spalla re-created at my studio, that is, the shoulder-held baroque cello. The main problem is not their concern with historical evidence - because this can not be refuted - but purely aesthetic: it just does not fit into the modern idea of baroque violoncello. Well, it is in exactly the same manner everything less familiar must be inevitably refuted, however the offered here mini-lecture (with free drinks and life-music) shows what the new baroque violoncello has to offer to both the traditional cellists and the new-cellists da spalla. Obviously, one can not exist without another. This is historical fact, a musical fact, in fact.

Join us on Saturday 2nd of April 2011 at 17:15 at my studio. Space is very limited so I will appreciate you letting me know your attendance at my third mini-lecture: "Free mini-lecture: Cello della Terra e del Cielo ". Bring your big and huge cellos. We can not go ahead without these. The title of the lecture mean to say that one does not exist without another. Bring some violoncello scores too.

Dmitry

Photograph: Anton Ataulfo playing violoncello da spalla - cello del celo - made by me at my Mexico studio in July 2010.

Free mini-lecture: "BAROQUE BOW: How Much of Outward Curvature?"

2011-02-22T08:29:00.003+09:00

THE HAGUE -- Free, 1-hour mini-lecture for string players dedicated to a single but with multiple consequences an issue: "Baroque bow: how much of outward curvature?". It shall take place at my studio in The Hague on Sunday the 27th of February at 17:00 and on Sunday the 6th of March, at 17:00.

Someone recently asked me in a private message, "How much outward curvature should a baroque bow have?"
I would say, as much as one can handle but beware that what looks outward sometimes is simply straight. Iconography is fairly informative in this respect, as it seems more bows have survived in pictures than in real specimen.

Inward curvature contributes into more equalized sound and articulation which is maybe ideal for the modern style, but this is what you want to avoid in the Baroque style. Outward curvature is optimal for rhetorical music, that is, the style which was predominant till the French Revolution. Outward curvature is ideal for the "speaking style" of playing. It inspires more inequalities, more colours as well as more dynamics. These are achievable with the inward curve but they are not in the nature of the inwardly curved bows. Plenty of colours, dynamic and other contrasts, consonants, syllables and very fast changes of these is what you seek in a good baroque bow. This is what makes it Baroque. We shall also address the two fundamental systems - clip-in and screw - and discuss they aesthetic differences.

Completely free, short - only one hour - lecture-discussion of baroque bows shall take place at my studio in The Hague. Baroque players and modern players interested in Historically Informed Performance style are welcome. Please, bring your cellos, violas, violins and viols too. Some scores, perhaps, too so we can play together. Accompanied by drinks. I will appreciate if you let me know in advance about your participation.

This kind of mini-lectures shall be a new tradition at my studio as an addition to the traditional long workshops. Stay in tune for more information.

Dmitry

Critics award "Quarterly Best" for J.S.Bach, Violoncello da spalla Suites CD

2011-02-16T07:01:00.004+09:00

February 15, Bonn - The Association of German Record Critics honors J.S.Bach Cello Suites double CD (Dmitry Badiarov - violoncello da spalla) released by Ramee (RAM1003) with the "German Record Critics' Award" as a Recording of Exceptional Artistry an selects it as one of the "Quarterly Best" of new Released for the First Quarter 2011.

This was really an unexpected award to receive as a luthier,
though, indeed I did my best to make a good demonstration of the resurrected type of baroque violoncello as a player.

The reconstructed type of baroque violoncello da spalla opens a new chapter in the story of baroque violoncello. It also inevitably reminds of C.P.E.Bach words, who wrote that his father knew perfectly the properties of each musical instrument. Indeed, J.S.Bach certainly knew the properties of the violoncello in his days. You can hear it reconstructed at my studio for Historically Informed Violin-Making© in The Hague on this CD, also awarded Diapason Decouverte in November 2010 and "The Record Geijutsu Special Recommendation" (Japan) in January 2011.

Happy listening!

Dmitry

Paris -- Stolen Instruments by Dmitry Badiarov, an anonymous Italian baroque viola and several bows.

2011-02-04T04:31:00.003+09:00

Following a burglary at Samantha Montgomery's home in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Paris) on the 31st of January, three instruments with four bows were stolen. They include:

1. a baroque viola (anonymous original, Italian 18thC) restored by Claire Ryder -in a black case, with a baroque viola bow by Daniel Latour and a gamba bow by Craig Ryder.
2. a violoncello da spalla (Dmitry Badiarov, 2003) in an aluminium case with brown leather cover , with a classical viola bow by Daniel Latour;
3. a baroque violin (Dmitry Badiarov, 1997/98?) in a blue case, with a baroque violin bow by Daniel Latour

I have not been able to locate pictures of the violin because some of my old backup CDs are no longer readable for technical reasons.

Pictures of the violoncello da spalla, labelled Dmitry Badiarov, 2004. N.B. Taken with a cheap pocket camera there is a pronounced close-up deformation, specially evident in the picture of the top of the instrument. Otherwise these pictures are sufficiently informative.

Pictures of the viola and bows:

Please, contact me if you see anything alike these items.
My mobile phone number is +31 6 1125 7695
E-mail: dmitrybadiarov@gmail.com

The owner can be reached at:
samanthamontgomery@orange.fr
+33 (0)1 4866 3403 home
+33 (0)6 6489 2999 mobile

I hope this story has the happy end soon and the instruments come back to their owner.

Dmitry

Violin-making: Teachers fear their Students but don't Quit Teaching Jobs

2011-01-18T02:47:00.001+09:00

Violin-making students whom I met in the last two or three years in Italy, Japan and Mexico complained to me on their teachers "hiding too many secrets" from their students. I think this is true and I think this is sad.

It puzzled me every time I heard this story. If the fears of those teachers are unbearable why don't they quit teaching or ask a psychologist? Do they teach NOT for the passion of teaching but rather for the monthly paycheck? Is education of their students somewhere at the end of their list of priorities? I think, today it's not a good idea to put education at the end.

My apologies to the honest and responsible teachers! I do not want to hurt anyone! Mine were honest and responsible both towards the future of their apprentices and to the reputations of their own shops. But the less ethical teachers do exist and something needs to be done about it.

The chances are the schools won't be able to tackle this problem effectively. In any case, not overnight. However there is something each student in violin-making - and not only in violin-making - have fully under one's control and can start any time. This control is called self-education.

Self-education through:
1. libraries
2. access to the museums
3. access to the private collections
4. access to the musicians and researchers
5. practice and experimentation
6. setting goals
7. achieving goals
8. verification against the set ideals
9. setting new goals
10. repeating the cycle

If you happen to take onto the path of self-education your secretive teachers or colleagues might label you a "researcher", "an amateur", and the whole hoard of not very pleasing nicknames. If this happen - and it is very likely to happen - thank them and do not turn you away from your path. Before you realize it, you will find yourself standing in front of your goal.

The above list is what I was doing myself. I am doing it today and I will do it in the future. Of course I do not know if I will actually achieve them but it does not matter.

May your creative spirit thrive!

Dmitry

P.S. This blog-post is a part of my private message to a student in violin-making.

The difference between baroque and modern violins

2011-01-16T02:21:00.004+09:00

This is a reply to a private message by a friend of mine Amin Pour Feizi.
I felt urged to re-post my response on my blog as well, specially because I had published my opinion some time ago in a video which I incidentally deleted from my youtube channel.

Here it goes:
"Thanks, Amin, I know the video and this kind of videos make me sad or even angry sometimes. You know well, Amin, that the difference is not in those few millimeters here and there. Let me ask, who would ever bother about baroque violin and the early music as a whole if the whole thing was about millimeters, necks, keys etc? The true and really huge but unmeasurable difference is
in the heart/head of the performer/maker. A modern player will never be able to play in baroque style even on the best baroque violin without the proper education and experience. A modern violin-maker will never be able to make a fine baroque violin if all he knows is the difference in millimeters but knows nothing about Baroque, history of the violin, music styles, playing techniques etc. It takes a little more to become a good baroque player - not just owning the baroque violin. Equally, it takes a little more to become a good baroque-violin-maker, don't you agree?

May your creative spirit thrive! Wishing you all a brilliant year. Dmitry B."

J.SBach - Violoncello da Spalla solo Suites

2011-01-05T17:38:00.000+09:00

Makes me happy to recall how the whole thing started and was done from a perfect zero, including even the playing technique. Makes me even more happy to see how it all evolves ever since. Thought you might enjoy this video with a track from my CD and photographs from my violin-making studio in The Hague, though many of the pictures were taken at my mexican studio in Queretaro and some in Brussels.
Enjoy,
Dmitry B.

Tokyo -- 2011 January, The Record Geijutsu Special Recommendation of the J.S.Bach Cello da spalla Suites integral CD.

2010-12-30T13:33:00.003+09:00

Tokyo -- 2011 January, The Record Geijutsu Special Recommendation

Review
Tadashi Yamanouchi

"Fast passages [performed] with ease and [energy], and can be heard with clarity - which is the [distinctive] character of this instrument. The open strings have a rich airy character adding to the richness of the harmonics."

Jiro Hamada
"... Overflown with spirit, his quick-witted performance is motivated by freedom of creativity (based on his deep knowledge of Historically Informed Performance Practice). He puts the suites in their original order, giving each suite its distinct character and placing the entire album above criticism... This album should be payed attention to by everyone".

Tsutomu Nasuda
"He is not only luthier but also
a baroque violinist who often performed with Sigiswald and his orchestra La Petite Bande in concerts and CDs (for ex. the Seasons CD published by Accent)... Badiarov completed several such instruments for real performances in 2004. At present there are only three musicians in the world: Badiarov, Terakado and Kuijken who are professionally performing with this instrument. Of course, all of these instruments have been made by Badiarov...
As a rule, Badiarov's performance on the violoncello da spalla is passionate, emotional, impromptu,
and treating the natural flow of music with utmost care in all of the Cello Suites by J.S. Bach".

From myself I would like to add that recording session has been a very enjoyable experience thanks to the excellence of Rainer Arndt, the founder of the label, who guided me through the recording session of five days. So some say, the best leader is not the best person in the group, but the person who inspires the best in others. Rainer have certainly been such a person for me during the entire recording session and I would definitely want to record more with him and if the next time it would happen to be an orchestra, the whole orchestra would certainly be using Badiarov instruments.

Review of BadiarovViolins 1st violoncello da spalla solo CD in Japan

2010-12-26T00:46:00.000+09:00

Tokyo -- January 2011 issue of classical music CD review published a large article about my CD recorded on my 4th violoncello da spalla. I don't know yet if the review is positive, negative or neutral as my knowledge of the Chinese characters is far too limited for this sort of text. Earlier this year the CD received a Diapason Découverte prize in France.

The purpose of this recording was to demonstrate the standards of craftsmanship and fidelity to the historical research established at BadiarovViolins - my Studio for the Historically Informed Violin and Bow Making© and the use of these standards to the wider community of professionals as well as music lovers in the field of Historically Informed Performance Practice, aka Early Music.

The CD is available from my shop as well as from most of online and off-line CD shops out there. This very moment, being in Japan, I discovered that everybody here wants it signed! Therefore I will probably sign all my copies when I return to my studio in The Hague.

You can buy your singed copy on-line: from this blog, from my website (you can choose between English, Russian and 日本語 translations) or from BadiarovViolins FB shop. There is a number of CDs by other performers using the same kind of instrument from my studio. The list if these CDs, in three languages, can be found on BadiarovViolins website.

Happy shopping!

Seasonal Greetings and Musicians' Money for Free

2010-12-20T00:32:00.002+09:00

Here we are: at the end of the 1st decade of the 21st century!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011! Happy New Decade too!

Most of my readers are music lovers and amateur players, professional string-players, some are visual or other kind of artists and nearly all involved in HIP aka "Early Music". So some say, EM died. Here you can look it up: Bruce Haynes! A thoroughly recommended reading!

EM perhaps died but HIP did not and the problems/opportunities which the young and starting musicians will face will be the same. I've spoken to many of these musicians and got excited about their projects! The problem is that some this must be solved with a help of many non-musicians, that is, professionals in other areas such as marketing and finance. I believe the rest of this message will be of practical value to these musicians with big plans.

1. Marketing Your Music Projects - Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Design, Music and Dance.
This page is available in a number of languages, and there is even an online marketing-coach specifically for musicians.

2. Once you completed the steps described above you will need some money. There are several organisations to rely on:

Funds in The Netherlands listed on the website of The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Design, Music and Dance. I copied some of the links just in case the page disappears in the future. Here they are:
Elise Mathilde Fund - purchase a professional quality concert instrument and other funding.
Fondsenboek - find an appropriate fund to finance your projects.
Triodos Bank - funding of culture and music projects or purchase of a professional concert instrument.

The above funds are active mainly in the Benelux area and The Netherlands. You might want to check similar funds and banks in your country.

The past success of Badiarov Violins - Studio for Historically Informed Violin and Bow Making depended on the success of musicians, and so, the future success will also depend on the musicians' success.

Wishing you lots of success in 2011!

Dmitry

P.S. By the way, here is what happened at Badiarov Violins in the first decade.

What did we do between 2000 and 2010?

2010-12-20T00:30:00.005+09:00

I was making the planning for the next year when this suddenly occurred to me: we just celebrated 2000 and yet the 1st decade of the new century has already gone!

What was accomplished during the 1st 10 years?

Here is a summary of what we did at Badiarov Violins - my Studio for Historically Informed Violin and Bow Making:

1. Development of the Badiarov baroque violin models based on surviving instruments and written historical documents, rather than - as it is the case with modern violin-making - copying of posters of fine violins. To these I added the understanding of various playing techniques and national styles, because these affected the violin setup and its changes until and beyond the French Revolution.

2. Defining of the style and philosophy of Historically Informed Violin Making and development of a stylistically appropriate craftsmanship. This was accomplished in collaboration with Ryo Terakado and Sigiswald Kuijken and the colleagues around me: a number of makers of other historical instruments and researchers such as Marco Tiella.

3. Development of fine(r) gut strings in collaboration with Mimmo Peruffo of Aquila Corde Armoniche S.a.S. This was accompanied by the gradual re-stringing of all violins in groups such as La Petite Bande thanks to the interest of the players in this experimentation.

4. Re-construction of the violoncello piccolo da spalla with Sigiswald Kuijken and re-construction of the first concert-quality spalla strings in collaboration with Mimmo Peruffo. Now there are several recordings by a number of musicians and at least two groups - La Petite Bande and Bach Collegium Japan. There is even a CD by a luthier - that is my own record of J.S.Bach 6 Suites for unaccompanied violoncello solo.

5. Development of Half-Rectified strings with Mimmo Peruffo was a by-product of working on the strings for the violoncello da spalla.

6. Re-construction of an early-baroque set of germanic violins for La Petite Bande to perform a large pre-Bach repertoire. Accomplished with the support from La Petite Bande and Mr Harm Vellguth.

7. Development of the Badiarov baroque and classical bow models based on Iconography and surviving examples.

8. Publication of a number of articles on the matters of Historically Informed Violin and Bow Making in Italy, England and Japan.

9. Teaching the principles of the Historically Informed Violin Making in Japan in 2007-2009, and teaching some aspects of it in Italy at Scuola di Artigianato Artistico di Pieve di Cento (FE/BO).

10. Building the Database of Violin Iconography in collaboration with Marco Tiella.

11. Creation of the website Badiarov Violins and of its social networks: T F and In

12. The last, the above work have been noticed in a media such as reviews, newspapers and TV programs. I have not paid much attention to these, so the bits of newspapers must be collected and digitized, lost files recovered from dusty backup CDs and put on a Blogger page.

13. Almost forgot what I had to start with. I made some:
- 57-58 instruments (today making my 67th and 68th baroque violins. These instruments include:
- ten violoncellos da spalla
- several violas
- two viola d'amore
- four early-baroque violins in germanic style
- probably about a hundred or two hundreds of bows - these I never counted, there could be a lot more.
The number is a proof that something in the field of HIP-making, that is the above points 1 and 2, has been done right and that is my way and conviction and nothing in the world would turn me back to the modern way of making violins (or playing them).

14. Co-created "Baroque je t'aime Club" together with Culture International Club in Tokyo to promote HIP in Japan. With the primary focus on amateurs and children, organisation provided 24 monthly short concert-lectures in the last two years (ca.30min of performance, ca.30 minutes of talk and a reception party with the listeners) given by the most respected Japanese professionals in the field. The club has filled the plan for 2011 and beyond.

There is a lot to come in the next decade, may god bless us. The best way to keep in touch is to join one of BadiarovViolins social networks listed above. Particularly my FaceBook page is kept fairly updated because and some musicians prefer to contact me via FaceBook rather than by email or phone.

Wishing you all a brilliant 2011!

Dmitry

The technique of playing on violoncello da spalla and what "da spalla" stands for

2010-12-18T13:48:00.000+09:00

Violoncello da spalla stands for a shoulder-violoncello. Shoulder-violoncello does not necessarily stand for an all together another violoncello except that it must have been almost invariably smaller than the modern violoncello. To mention just two out of many sources, Hawkins in the end of the 18th century noted that what was called violoncello in his time was called violone in the first half of the 18th century. This evidence, apart from other evidence mentioned in my Galpin SJ article, suggests that baroque violoncello was smaller than the modern violoncello. While the matters are a lot more complex than that (meaning the history of the violone) there is a great deal of truth in Hawkins' words. My article also mentions a small number of violoncello drawings attributed to A.Stradivari and signed as models for violoncellos, presumably, by Stradivari's own hand. It would be a valuable study to investigate the authenticity of the hand-writing and that of the ink and paper. To my knowledge there was no such a study undertaken so far. However even their authenticity would not eliminate the da spalla phase and its importance in the history of the baroque violoncello. More theoretical info can be found in D.Badiarov in the Galpin SJ, G.Barnett in AMIS, M.Vanscheeuwijck in Early Music, L.Smit and others. The sound and information on playing technique can be found in the videos below.

It would be necessary to mention that my playing technique is not the only solution but just one of many. Several violoncello da spalla pioneers such as Sigiswald Kuijken, Samantha Montgomery, Ryo Terakado, Francois Fernandez, Carlos Albuisech, Diana Roche, Jesenka Balic Zunic, Makoto Akatsu and others all have a slightly different playing technique though it invariably comes to supporting the instrument with a belt against the right shoulder.

(recorded a few years ago in Mexico)

(Excerpts from a few CDs recorded with Bach Collegium Japan)

Bach Cello Suites are also available on a CD shown on this blog as well as on my website. This CD was prepared during the spare moments of "free-time" after full-time days of violin and bow-making at Badiarov Violins.

Workshop: Violoncello da spalla - science or fiction?

2010-12-12T20:36:00.000+09:00

THE 3rd Workshop
VIOLONCELLO DA SPALLA
Science or Fiction?

2011 September 19th, 15:00-18:00
at Badiarov Violins Studio

We shall talk about the true history of the baroque violoncello, the instrument and repertoire still to be pioneered into on this new historical instrument.

Cost: students - 50 EUR, professionals and amateurs - 75 EUR.

Upon reservation.

The place, date and time subject to change. Contact to re-confirm.

Workshop: Practical History of Gut Strings

2010-12-12T20:33:00.000+09:00

THE 2nd Workshop
PRACTICAL HISTORY OF GUT STRINGS
2011 May 16th, 15:00-19:00
at Badiarov Violins Studio

We shall organize the gut string history into easy to understand and remember periods, see what were the corresponding changes in music and instrument styles and what provoked or stipulated those changes. The workshop will be focused on practical application of knowledge rather than just useless theory.

Cost: students - 50 EUR, professionals and amateurs - 75 EUR.

Upon reservation.

The place, date and time subject to change. Contact to re-confirm.

Workshop: Dealing with Emergencies for Travelling String-players

2010-12-06T06:52:00.002+09:00

January 19th, 13:00-15:30
At Badiarov Violins in The Hague.

- re-setting fallen or moved sound-post
- adjusting failing pegs
- replacing broken tailpiece gut
- removing dirt or grease from the bow-hair

Cost: students 50 EUR, professionals 75 EUR

Upon reservation.

Stringing help - Historical String Gauges for Violins

2010-11-20T11:44:00.002+09:00

Download and print this Stringing Chart (original size A3, printable on A4).

Information in this table come partly from Mimmo Peruffo's string history and manufacturing techniques research, partly from my own experience and research. Such is the explanation of Equal Tension VS Equal Feel in function with the bridge angles and downward pressure which is, in fact, Equal Feel. Remember, Equal Tension rarely results in Equal Pressure, therefor rarely results in Equal Feel.

The historical data in the table will perhaps work quite imperfectly on your violin. The reasons maybe your technique (these strings typically require slower bowing) or the specifics of your instrument or, the last but not least, the choice of a string-maker: strings made to the modern standards won't work.

Through your own experience this data will undoubtedly become your stringing intelligence indispensable in many projects. You are welcome to visit my studio in The Hague to fine-tune the setup of your instrument. Typically there is no charge for unsatisfactory work at Badiarov Violins. Thus to avoid the costs of unsatisfactory work I do the work well.

High res download link for printing. (For the low resolution click the poster)

Equal Tension - a critical view on Speer, De Colco and Mozart's stringing advice

2010-10-28T23:00:00.015+09:00

Equal Tension (ET) stringing is an historically informed idea which has been gaining in popularity among the followers of HIP since over 15 years by now. Several sources such as Mersene, De Colco, Mozart, Speer and others talk about equal-tension stringing in terms of equal kilograms exerted on the string longitudinally. Dowland, Mace and several other well known sources however talk about Equal Feel, that is not tension per se but how the strings "feel" when downward pressure of the bow or the fingers is exerted on them.

EF stringing can be established empirically, by trial and error, with reliance on the known historical gauges from the 17th to the 19th centuries and one's feeling. There is but little chance for error.

ET stringing is however based on some sort of calculus: modern HIP players inspired by the idea of ET and lead by Mozart&Co rely on an algebraic formula rather then equal weights.

Tension = ((Hz² x l_string² x ⌀²) x 1.3) / 3183

Naturally, their practical results are identical with those historical. The problem is that the sources on ET rather than EF are wrong from the viewpoint of EF! Here is what happens.

ET stringing on instruments with rounded bridges almost inevitably result in unequal pressure. In turn, unequal pressure results in an unequal feel (EF) and this is what the more practical Baroque sources warned about. They say: the strings must feel the same. We shall analyze the downward string-pressure on instruments with rounded bridges in detail below, but first let us make clear what we mean by the word "feel".

When we play violins and the like instruments, we press against the strings - with the fingers and the bow - in a downward fashion. The strings naturally resist to the pressure. If there is not enough resistance, then we have strings that are too slack. When there is too much resistance, then the strings are too tight. Longitudinal tension of strings expressed in Kgs and their resistance to the downward pressure are related, but when you are playing, you are interacting with the strings in the downward fashion, not in the longitudinal.Therefore, the downward resistance of the strings is much more important than their longitudinal tension.

There are several reasons for the confusion between ET and EF, and the modern HIP players are not to be blamed for it because the confusion apparently originates in the 17th century:

1. Terminology: what we mean by tension, feel, pressure and how these are related, the types of strings etc.

2. Baroque artists' addiction to the proportions because the God, in their opinion, created the world according to the musical proportions, and much of European artworks are created in accordance with such proportions. This is why string-gauges are expected to have the relation of 2:3 on instruments tuned in pure fifths, or, as in De Colco-Mozart, the strings should form pure fifths (2:3) if equal weights attached to them. This is ET, and the physical realization of their much cherished vision of the Universe - Harmonia Mundi.

3. The principle of EF was first mentioned in relation to the Lute - an instrument with a flat bridge. Indeed, if there is no breaking angle over the bridge, the resistance of strings to the pressure of the fingers will be theoretically equal - as long as the longitudinal tension is equal*.

It is unclear how could the lute principle be directly applied to the instruments with rounded bridges (viols, violins) but that's what De Colco and Mozart explicitly do: see the picture from De Colco (Serafino Di Colco: "Lettera. prima...", Venice 1690.)

With all the respect to the sources and venerable Leopold Mozart, I feel urged to explain, that ET does not result in EF on violins and instruments with rounded bridges, and even less on instruments with more than four strings! Rounded bridges are always higher in the middle, hence the breaking angles are not the same but more acute on the middle strings. This difference in angles is further aggravated, apparently on purpose, by the use of mismatching baroque tailpieces: they are usually quite flat in comparison to the bridges.

Now, let us leave the "feeling" alone and see what the math tells.

Pressure = Tension x sin(α₁ x π/180) + Tension x sin(α₂ x π/180).

This simple trigonometric calculation shows that the difference in breaking angles can be tiny, but their influence on the pressure/feel can be dramatic. What we see on historical flat tailpieces is that the difference in angles is very big.

Now we can go back to the sources on string gauges actually in use (see works by Barbieri-Peruffo for the details).

The 18th and 19th century sources on string-gauges indicate heavy e" and g (wound g made from an a'-string instead of e''-string as is the case with the modern strings), and often surprisingly light a' and d'. Why?

Obviously, the choice of seemingly too thin middle strings is directly related with the idea of EF (see the mathematical expression above). Let us make it clear: there is no ET in case of historical gauges mentioned by a large number of players specially from the 19th century. Yet the notion of EF was still very much in vogue. Here we are dealing with a very fine balance between string-gauges and the flatness of historical tailpieces.

Observe the flatness of the tailpiece attributed to Andrea Amati's viola. Given that the bridge is rounder than the tailpiece, it inevitably results in an acuter angle on the middle strings. This in turn allows to reduce the gauges of the middle strings - a' and d' - putting our choice of strings in line with historical gauges.

Proportioning the strings as 2:3 is the worst method because it does not consider that the thinner strings loose up to 6% of it's original gauge after they have been stretched and played-in. To avoid this error one must choose top strings at least 6% thicker than the "calculated" diameters. For example, if your calculated diameter is 0.69, you should opt for 0.73-75. Thicker strings, such as d' and g-strings on violins do not thin down quite as much as the e''-strings do, at least not in a few days or even weeks.

Some HIP players who uses ET-stringing choose the first string much thinner than the gauge commonly used in the 18th-19th century (ca.70+). 17th century sources on gauges are virtually nonexistent, but Mersenne indicated that the violin e''-string has the same size as the Lute's fourth, which is roughly similar to its 18th century counterpart (though it could go up to as thick as ca.80, and I have tested 0.82 in a concert. N.B! An e''-string of 0.82 after two days of stretching at A-465Hz becomes ca0.76 and stays as such for over a month).

One of the main points of this article is clear by now: finding out the correct diameters for ET strings may result a well balanced instrument in terms of longitudinal tension but not in terms of downward pressure, that is not in terms of EF!

Let us examine what happens on your instrument when the tension is equal and when it is unequal.

The above ET results in the following downward pressure on the bridge:

e'' - 1.93Kgs
a'- 2.61Kgs
d' - 2.61Kgs
g - 1,87Kgs

This is very far from anything that one can feel or call an equal resistance! Naturally, it can be be called EF. On my own violin the differences are not as big as usually found on the violins of others due to the minute variations in the setup.

Now let us bring the string gauges in line with the equal downward pressure, that is EF:

Now the downward pressure of each string on the bridge is 1.93 Kgs, while the longitudinal tension is unequal. This is what one can call EF stringing. These above gauges look more like the historical ones, except that the historical e'' is usually above 0.70. Typically I use e'' 70+, and adjust the gauges depending on circumstances.

The effect of the angles have been described first by Higgins, and then, more recently by Mimmo Peruffo of Aquila Corde. )WILLIAM HUGGINS: "On the function of the sound-post and the proportional thickness of the strings on the violin", Royal Society proceeding, XXXV 1883, pp. 241- 8: 247.)

In order to balance the instrument in both the longitudinal tension and the downward pressure, the middle strings must be thinner and the outer strings must be thicker. If player, however, wants to use thicker middle strings, the tailpiece must be rounder, perhaps as round as the modern tailpiece, nearly matching the curvature of the bridge. This is rarely the case with the surviving tailpieces. Additionally, most of the healthy, robustly built or well preserved instruments are not that capricious and accept little deviations from the "optimal setup" in terms of Kgs - be it tension or pressure.

Though I did my best to be thoroughly informed, this is just a quick note, not a scientific article. Its goal is rather practical: to explain how ET works on instruments with rounded bridges and to help the HIP string-community to understand more clearly what the 17th-18th and 19th century authors had in mind when dealing with stringing issues, where they were correct and where they erred. References to the sources on stringing and historical gauges, surviving tailpieces etc are left out intentionally because they are well known to the HIP players.

* Even this is not entirely correct because if the diameter of the strings is not the same, then there can be no "equal feel" if the downward pressure is equal. This is because the pressure of the bow or of the fingers is being spread on a larger contact-area on the thicker strings (Giordano Riccati ‘Delle Corde…’, Bologna 1767). The contact area also naturally depends on whether you are playing forte or piano. Here we leave this consideration out - for the sake of clarity - and because it is of little practical importance to either luthier or musician.

The two lower pictures are downloaded from aquilacorde.com, the above picture is one of my technical drawings.

2 and 9 September 2010: two Interviews for the radio station France Musique

2010-09-10T08:00:00.011+09:00

2nd September 2010 (1 hours 30 minutes ca)

9th September 2010 (1 hours 30 minutes ca)

J.SBach - Violoncello da Spalla Suites

2010-08-29T21:15:00.014+09:00

THE SIX SUITES FOR VIOLONCELLO

For which instrument did Bach actually write his Cello suites –violoncello, violoncello piccolo, or "viola pomposa"?

The myth of Bach's invention of the viola pom- posa, recurring from the late eighteenth century until the present day is likely – despite substantially docu- mented refutations – to impress the minds of music- lovers for a long time to come. Unfortunately, no source from Bach's immediate circle or period proving that he was the inventor of this instrument is known to survive, nor is there any music from Bach's hand con- taining such a designation. There are mid-eighteenth century compositions for "viola pomposa o violino" by Georg Philip Telemann, Johann Georg Pisendel, Christian Joseph Lidarti and Johann Gottlieb Graun. These compositions are for an instrument with five strings, tuned as the viola with an additional e''-string. However, according to Johann Nikolaus Forkel (Musikalischer Almanach, 1782) and Johann Adam Hiller (Lebensbeschreibungen, 1784), Bach's viola pomposa was tuned in the cello range: C-G-d-a-e'. In his scores Bach invariably chose the formal name "violoncello piccolo"– "viola pomposa" is probably a collo- quial name for the instrument. If everything seems so clear, where do the confusion of terms and our uncer- tainty with the terminology and the use of instruments come from?In the end, it seems we are trying to draw a distinction where there was never any clear line. When we take a closer look at contemporary encyclopaedias, we notice that in the Baroque period the term "violon- cello" did not necessarily refer to the type of instru- ment as we know and play it today, but to one which could take several forms and names, and could be played in several ways. Gottfried Walther says in his Praecepta der musicalischen Composition (1708): "The Violoncello is an Italian bass instrument resembling a Viol; it is played like a violin, i.e. it is partly supported by the left hand and the strings are stopped by the fin- gers of the left hand, partly however, owing to its weight, it is attached to the button of the frockcoat". Johann Mattheson describes it in Das neu-eröffnete Orchestre (1713) as follows: "The excellent Violoncello, the Bassa Viola, and the Viola di Spala are small bass violins in comparison with the larger ones, with five or six strings, upon which one can play all manner of rapid things, variations, and ornaments with less work than on the larger machines. Additionally, the Viola di Spala, or Shoulder-Viola produces a great effect when accompanying because it cuts through strongly and can express the notes clearly. A bass [line] cannot be brought out more distinctly and clearly than on this instrument. It is attached by a band to the chest and thrown at the same time on the right shoulder, and thus has nothing that in the least holds back or pre- vents its resonance." The Vocabulario degli Accademici della Crusca (1612) defined the violone as "a large low-pitched viola, which is also called basso di viola, and violoncello when of smaller size". Pictures, written documents, and about 40 surviving instruments show that early violoncellos were made in different sizes, ranging from the size of a large viola to the modern full-sized violoncello. Unlike the present day, when small instruments are made only for the use of chil- dren, these smaller instruments were played by profes- sionals.

There were several other terms in use for that type of small bass instrument: "Viola di fagotto" or "Fagottgeige" was used for instruments probably mounted with double-wound strings to which they owed their bassoon-like sound. In Italy, "viola da braccio" generally referred to any member of the violin family, but in Venice after 1620, it meant more specif- ically an alto, tenor or bass violin. "Viola da collo" was yet another colloquial term for a small arm-held bass instrument. However, "violoncello" was the most common and formal term used by the publishers and composers after the new instrument was generally accepted. Before that, publishers preferred the designation "violone" or "bassoon" or some other bass instrument already in vogue. In fact, publishers' resistance was so strong that the violoncellist Giovanni Battista Vitali never used the term violoncello in any of his publications! Some composers were even forced to accept designations such as "violoncello se piace" despite the importance of the violoncello part, or to write "violone" on the title page and "violoncello" in
the parts! As we have seen above, the late 18th century sources stated that Bach's viola pomposa had been tuned in the normal cello range. However, many later researchers rejected this possibility and assumed that the instrument had to be tuned in another way – higher than was given in the primary sources. Though some scholars accepted the tuning found in historical sources, why did many others reject it, considering the sources to be erroneous?

The reason is the strings: the vibrating string lengths of the surviving instruments classified as violas pomposa or violoncellos piccolo are only half those of modern cellos. In order to sound at the same pitch they must have approximately the same weight, and this poses a physical problem. Moreover, no original strings have survived. This may explain the researchers' mistrust of the sources. Consequently, for the reconstruction of the instrument such strings had to be conceived from scratch. So it was clear that the strings would be a major obstacle when making the first violoncello piccolo for Sigiswald Kuijken in 2002-3.

The technique of winding gut strings with metal wire (mostly silver) was discovered in the second half of the seventeenth century. The winding allowed shorter low-sounding strings to be produced, which furthered the fabrication of smaller bass instruments: depending on the proportion between the gut core and amount of silver, violoncellos could be made in all possible sizes. Several trial sets were tested on a common viola whose bridge I placed closer to the tailpiece in order to obtain the necessary string-length of 42.8-43cm. That viola was definitely not an optimal tool to match the physical characteristics of the strings, however it permitted development of double-wound strings necessary for the violoncello piccolo: because of the double silver winding they weigh about the same as common cello strings. Of the many string makers I contacted for the production of these strings, only a few found effective solutions, and only after a discour- aging number of unsuccessful trials. Some string makers declined even to try, believing such strings were physically impossible to make and denying the existence of instruments that required it in the past. However, I could count on the tremendous expertise of Mimmo Peruffo, the string-maker and researcher at Aquila Corde Armoniche, who reconstructed the first strings of the right type for the instrument, closely fol- lowed by Damian Dlugolecki, and by Daniel Larson at Gamut, the latter actually using the technical specifica- tions kindly provided by Aquila. The modern strings for the use on a Baritone violin of the Violin Octet family were developed by John Cavanaugh of Super- Sensitive. Nicholas Baldock of Cathedral Strings also makes baroque strings for the instrument.

It is apparent from pictures and from playing instructions that the technique of playing bowed string instruments was not standardised in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Judy Tarling (Baroque String Playing for Ingenious Learners, 2001) writes: "There is no area where the 'methods of practitioners' differ more than in the manner of holding the instrument", citing no less than eighteen sources between 1556 and 1761 which are far from consistent. Ulrich Drüner (Bach-Jahrbuch 73) draws attention to the fact that a modern violin and viola are expected to be held on the arm, while a violoncello is invariably held between the legs. This expectation, however, did not exist until the middle of the eighteenth century. As late as 1756, Leopold Mozart stated in his Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule: "In our days, also the Violoncello is played between the legs." Baroque composers, including Bach, never seemed to concern themselves with the ways instruments should be held. The acoustic properties of instruments and their tessitura were given absolute priority over the way the players handled them, which was left up to their personal pref- erences. For example, Giuseppe Jacchini played the violoncello da gamba, while his pupil Carlo Buffagnotti played it da spalla, across the chest.

Due to the variable sizes and playing techniques, bass instruments were held in at least three distinct ways:
1. Suspended vertically with the aid of a belt, scarf or a rope;

2. Supported vertically against the floor, or a stool, near or between the legs with or without a spike or an end pin;
3. Suspended horizontally against the shoulder or across the chest, usually with an aid of belts, buttons or other devices, though these devices are not always mentioned.

While cellists or gamba players were generally unable to play a bass instrument da spalla, violinists or viola players could do it immediately or with only lim- ited practice. On the other hand, violinists and viola players are generally incapable of playing the same instrument da gamba without a great deal of practice.

There are two ways to approach the repertoire that is appropriate for the violoncello da spalla:
1. Focus exclusively on works which specify 'violoncello piccolo'. Using this method the repertoire is restricted to the few masterpieces by Bach – the nine cantatas BWV 6, 41, 49, 68, 85, 115, 175, 180 and 183, and the six suites for unaccompanied violoncello BWV 1007-1012;

2. The second approach is more complex, reflecting the fact that baroque performers enjoyed considerable freedom in choosing the medium for their performance. The above-mentioned resemblance of an instrument strung in this way to the sound of a bassoon not only explains the colloquial terms "viola di fagotto" and "Fagottgeige", but also suggests that the many seventeenth century Italian publications which call for either violoncello or bassoon, may call, in effect, for a small shoulder- or leg-held violoncello of suitable size: somewhat larger for bigger ensembles and simple parts, tutti and continuo, or somewhat smaller for smaller ensembles and more elaborate solo parts or continuo in chamber settings. The evidence and analysis collected so far suggests that much of the »cello« repertoire, from the second half of the seven- teenth century until the first half of the eighteenth cen- tury, can effectively be performed by violists or violin- ists on an arm-held instrument. Performers and musi- cologists can explore whether these instruments are practical, musically convincing and historically justifi- able. The appropriate size of instrument can be chosen by the players according to the technical and acoustic demands of the piece. The list of possible composers is not limited to those who worked within the da spalla tradition: Giovanni Battista Vitali, Domenico Gabrielli, Giuseppe Jacchini, Antonio Caldara, and Giovanni and Antonio Maria Bononcini. There are numerous duets for violin and cello (without con- tinuo) from the late 1680s and 1690s that treat the cello as an equal partner to the violin, as well as several other pieces which contain obbligato cello passages, such as Arcangelo Corelli's op.5, just to mention one famous example. This satisfies the definition Mattheson gives to the instrument.

In regard to Bach, we know that the composer possessed violoncellos piccolo with both four and five strings. Instruments of this nature were made by Johann Christian Hoffmann, a contemporary of Bach in Leipzig, and by several other instrument makers from all over 17th-18th century Europe. The majority of such instruments have been lost, while others were rebuilt into violas or into violoncellos for children. Nonetheless the scarcity of surviving examples does not imply they never existed! Surviving examples of violoncellos piccolo made by Hoffmann, which were the departure points for my work, are to be found in the Brussels Instruments Museum and in the Leipzig University Music Instrument Museum. An anony- mous mid-eighteenth century instrument very similar to the Hoffmann instruments is shown in the Bach Museum at Eisenach, and some forty other instru- ments are preserved in collections around the world. Practical experiments show that Bach solos, even the relatively simple ones in cantatas, are not playable on an arm-held instrument with a string-length longer than those of Hoffmann-type instruments (c43cm- 51cm), and in any case, not using the diatonic (violin) fingering given by Bartolomeo Bismantova in his Compendio Musicale in 1694. So we can suppose that Bach's violoncello piccolo / viola pomposa was a Hoffmann-type instrument.

Analysing the notation and performance mate- rials of several cantatas, we also see that the violoncello piccolo parts in cantatas BWV 41, 49 and 85 are notated in the treble G (violin) clef, and were probably played by the first violinist rather than by a violoncel- list. Even more convincing is the example of cantata BWV 6, where the violoncello piccolo part was first written in the first violin part, and only later given to the viola. Of course, we should not exclude a da gamba performance as one of the possibilities.

Due to the loss of the autograph, Anna Magdalena Bach's copy is one of the most important
sources for the cello suites. Many modern violoncel- lists use a violoncello piccolo for the last suite, although Anna Magdalena did not use the term "pic- colo", but wrote "à cinq cordes". Johann Sebastian Bach never used this French term in any of his works, so it is possible that Anna Magdalena is entirely responsible for it, just as the use of a smaller violoncello in the sixth suite is the choice of modern players. Besides the pos- sibility of input from Anna Magdalena, it is feasible that all six suites were meant for the violoncello pic- colo. Lambert Smit, who played an important part in reconstructing the violoncello piccolo da spalla, combined a traditional analysis of original sources with practical study of Bach's music, concluding that the number of unavoidable shifts is no more than average for baroque music, whereas the execution on a full-size instrument requires ceaseless shifting. Historical evidence suggests that Johann Sebastian, being proficient on both the violin and viola (nothing is known about him as a violoncellist da gamba), would then have been the first to play the Suites for an unaccompanied vio- loncello on his own violoncello piccolo, played on the arm: the Suites I to V on a four-stringed and Suite VI on a five-stringed instrument.

New and enriching aspects of music by Johann Sebastian Bach are revealed by the use of this instrument which was known in Bach's circle, and for which he obviously wrote. Any violinist or violist can rapidly become accustomed to the fingering almost identical to that of the violin. The right-hand technique is more challenging: it requires the avoidance of the near-ver- tical movement for up- and down-bows in which the weight of neither the arm nor the bow are in balance with the rest of the player's movements. The particularly large amount of silver in violoncello piccolo da spalla strings gives them their characteristic sound, similar to male voices or viols, especially apparent when playing messa di voce or full-bodied chords. Their tension is about half of that of common cello strings, their core is thin, and they are extremely reactive to changes in bowing. The response of the instrument's small body is fast and accurate. The dynamic range is greater than that of a large violoncello, especially at the piano end although, while the instrument is capable of powerful forte, it is not absolutely as loud as a large violoncello.

DEDICATION

Over the course of more than a decade Sigiswald Kuijken has encouraged me to pursue the study of baroque violin-making and playing - both as a luthier at my violin-making studio and as a member of La Petite Bande. His musicianship, artistic philosophy and personal example have inspired me in what has now evolved into an historically informed violin- making practice. It has also enabled me to pay tribute to the supreme and sublime music of J.S.Bach on the violoncello da spalla – the instrument for which Bach composed the cello suites. Without Sigiswald Kuijken’s highly constructive influence neither this recording nor many other things dear to my heart would have ever been possible. To him this recording is wholeheartedly dedicated.

On sale from Badiarov Violins FB fun page! Double CD, 25 EUR (inclusive VAT). 10% OFF for clicking the "Like" button and FREE shipping worldwide.

(French and German text in the CD brochure)
Prize "Diapason Découverte" Novembre 2010, Read the review.

Pictures from a violin-maker's studio

2010-08-29T21:07:00.003+09:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Baarnsekurrant, May 2009

2009-05-29T21:45:00.001+09:00

Cellosuites van Bach op de arm vertolkt door Dmitry Badiarov

2009-05-07T15:28:00.002+09:00

SOON: a concert in Holland

Corelli op.5 - forthcoming concerts in the summer

2009-04-23T20:56:00.004+09:00

1 July 15:00 and 19:00 - Tokyo Opera City, Omi Gakudo, Tokyo.

5 July 14:00 - Ichikawa, Chiba

2 August 15:30 Matsukawamura, Nagano

Downloand the poster for more information (Japanese)

Violoncello da spalla: an interview with Sigiswald Kuijken

2009-03-23T18:21:00.006+09:00

An interview with Sigiswald Kuijken (in Dutch).
This is the second violoncello da spalla I made for Sigiswald roughly a year ago. The instrument can be heard on this CD.

Carlos Albuisech - violoncellist da spalla in Spain

2009-03-15T13:02:00.006+09:00

Carlos Albuisech just informed me that his concert on violoncello da spalla.

Review in Spanish 1
& 2

Archaic violins for the pre-Bach German repertoire

2009-01-08T11:22:00.014+09:00

Four of such instruments - violino primo, violino secondo, viola alto (terzo violino) and viola tenore (quarto violino) were built at my studio recently. La Petite Bande on tour with these instruments:

Violoncello da spalla on a CD: Sigiswald Kuijken

2009-01-07T00:45:00.005+09:00

Interview for Nihon Keizai newspaper, Japan.

2008-09-29T11:29:00.004+09:00

Nihon Keizai newspaper dedicated an article to my way in violin-making: Historically Informed Violin-Making Practice. It is shares its philosophy and working principles with the Historically Informed Performance Practice, more widely known as Early Music.

Bach Collegium Japan, vol.36

2008-07-03T10:54:00.007+09:00

Here is a couple of reviews on my first CD with Bach Collegium Japan (volume 36).

Ryo Terakado plays violoncello da spalla by Dmitry Badiarov

2008-05-25T18:57:00.003+09:00

寺神戸亮の3年ぶりのDENONアリアーレ・シリーズへの新アルバムを、何の情報もなく手にした方は「おや？」と思うはずです。「バロック・ヴァイオリンのスペシャリスト寺神戸が、バッハのチェロ組曲を？」　そして、見慣れない楽器を持つ寺神戸の写真をみて、疑問は更に膨らみます。「・・・この見たことのない楽器は、いったい何！？」　未知なる物への、このわくわくする好奇心は、この楽器、ヴィオロンチェロ・ダ・スパッラを初めて見た寺神戸も同じであったに違いありません。さあ、チェロとバッハをめぐるミステリーの旅の始まりです。ご一緒に、音楽史上の「ミッシング・リンク」をたどる旅へ！次->
***
ディミトリー・バディアロフのホームページ

This article is available only in Japanese.

Interview for Ongakunotomo: three violoncellos da spalla in Bach Collegium Japan

2008-05-21T16:40:00.005+09:00

The interview shall be published in anticipation of the concert series and a recording by Bach Collegium Japan of the Six Brandenburg Concertos by J.S.Bach. All violoncello parts shall be played on violoncellos da spalla. For this occasion Bach Collegium Japan engages three players on violoncellos da spalla: Ryo Terakado, Francois Fernandez and myself. All three violoncellos da spalla have been made by me during the past three years.

More information on violoncello da spalla can be found in my Galpin Society Journal articles Vols 60 and 61 and on this blog.

Bach, Brandenburg Concertos and Violoncello da spalla: a lecture in Fukuoka

2008-05-19T21:49:00.004+09:00

18.05.2008 - The lecture took place in a large conference room and was attended by some 280 people. Masaaki Suzuki gave a general introduction into western music, Bach's life and work and Brandenburg Concertos. I spoke about the general situation with stringed and bass instruments before and during Bach's lifetime. The talk was illustrated by the demonstration of paintings containing violoncellos da spalla, as well as by the performance of a Prelude from the cello suite No.6 and two movements from a Geminiani Sonata for violoncello and basso continuo. Another lecture if this kind shall take on the 11th of June in Kawasaki (Tokyo). The tickets on all five concerts are sold out.

Concert at Toppan Hall, Tokyo

2008-05-09T10:28:00.007+09:00

Concert with Dan Laurin at Toppan Hall in Tokyo.
Info: blog, Alquimista and Mejiro Ba-Rock websites (only Japanese).

Mejiro Ba-Rock Festival in June 2008

2008-05-06T21:25:00.004+09:00

I shall perform on the 2nd, 4th and 10th of June 2008 in Tokyo. Click on the picture for more information (oinly in Japanese)

Early Music Festival in Fukuoka 2008

2008-05-06T18:24:00.004+09:00

Early Music Festival in Fukuoka is one of the oldest International Early Music festivals in Japan. This time the special guests are the brothers Kuijken.

I will join them as one of the three performers on violoncello da spalla. Click on the picture for more information (only in Japanese)

New publication in Galpin Society Journal - violoncello da spalla in Italian pictures and music

2008-05-01T10:53:00.004+09:00

Galpin Society Journal No.61 has published an addition to my previous article which appeared in volume no.60.
It includes some extra information which has not been included in the article in volume 60, as well as description of my experiments with violoncello da spalla of a much larger size, with the string length of 55- 67cm.

Interview for The Record Geijutsu magazine

2008-04-21T15:45:00.006+09:00

This interview is due to appear in The Record Geijutsu magazine, a magazine dedicated to the music and CD-market.
The editor was impressed by the performance of J.S.Bach Cello suites by Ryo Terakado. Consequently she was interested in knowing about the instrument more. The story covers the personalia involved in this project - Sigiwald Kuijken, Samantha Montgomery, Mimmo Peruffo, Lambert Smit, Ryo Terakado, Gregory Barnett and Brent Wissick as well as the short coverage about how I came to making such instruments.

Marco Tiella in Tokyo

2008-04-16T09:39:00.005+09:00

We met about 15 years ago when I still lived in St.Petersburg, Russia. At that time I was a member of the Fellowship of Makers and Researchers of Historical Instruments in Oxford. Marco found me on the list of members and sent me a message requesting some information from St.Petersburg Museum of Music Instruments. The message was written in a flawless archaic Russian. Since then our personal friendship developed.

Marco created one of the most famous schools of violin making in the world: La Scuola Civica di Liuteria del Commune di Milano. He was one of the organizers of the school of violin repair and restoration near Ferrara, and one of the organizers of IROR - Istituto per la Ricerca Organologica e Restauro in Milan. He was a president of Triennale - the violin making competition in Cremona for some ten years. He is an author of countless publications, and an organizer of competitions, symposiums in Italy and worldwide.

Photographed at my studio in Tokyo, 10.04.2008.

Diario de Queretaro, 2007

2007-12-28T21:53:00.001+09:00

Classic FM, December 2007

2007-12-28T21:42:00.001+09:00

Diapason, November 2007

2007-11-30T21:44:00.001+09:00

Noticias, Queretaro, October 17, 2007

2007-10-17T21:56:00.001+09:00

Tokyo MX

2007-06-23T07:06:00.005+09:00

Violoncello da spalla re-created by Dmitry Badiarov in Brussels in 2004 on Tokyo MX TV.

Ongakunotomo, July 2006

2006-07-28T21:47:00.001+09:00

Yomiuri newspaper, 23 May 2006

2006-05-28T21:49:00.001+09:00

Cronaca di Rovereto, 3 June 1998

2006-01-28T21:51:00.001+09:00

Sankei newspaper, 6 January 2006

2006-01-06T21:50:00.001+09:00