French Bow Exhibition

french bow exhibition

©Linda Lespets

The performance and pedagogy of bowed string instruments Sydney Conservatorium March 16th-17th, 2012 In collaboration with Lespets & Camden Fine Violins www.lespetscamdenviolins.com.au presenting leading international bow expert Pierre Guillaume Foreword

The art of musical performance receives its life through a marriage of imagination and knowledge. A serious performer or teacher must seek the knowledge of the masters who build their bows and instruments. A master artisan must heed the imagination of the artist whose inspiration points the way. Bringing together musicians and makers in a place of learning, to share knowledge and to collaborate in making this unique bow exhibition and conference possible is central to the purpose of a University that includes a Conservatorium of Music among its faculties. I am very pleased to welcome you to this exhibition and to this search for the perfect bow, a search which will increase knowledge and must expand imagination. Goetz Richter, Sydney Conservatorium

“In the performance of music on the violin and the instruments similar to it, the bow stroke is of chief importance. Through it the sound is drawn from the instrument well or poorly, the notes receive their life, the Piano and Forte are expressed, the passions are aroused, and the melancholy is distinguished from the gay, the serious from the jocular, the sublime from the flattering, the modest from the bold. In a word, like the chest, tongue and lips on the flute, the bow-stroke provides the means for achieving the musical articulation and for varying a single idea in diverse ways. That the fingers must also contribute their share, and that you must have a good instrument and true strings, is self-evident. But since, even with all of these things, the execution may still be every defective, no matter how accurately and truly you stop the strings, how well the instrument sounds, or how good the strings are, it naturally follows that, with regard to execution, the bow-stroke is of central importance.”

Johann Joachim QUANTZ, Versuch..(Berlin 1752).

Translated by E.R. Reilly Pierre Guillaume

Pierre Guillaume learnt his craft following world-class masters, BAZIN, MORIZOT, OUCHARD and others, who passed on to him techniques reaching back several centuries. For his bows he uses only the best pernambuco and has been making periodic trips to Brazil since 1982 to select it in person. He has now accumulated a very large stock of wood enough to last him thirty years from which he can choose the most suitable for each bow. He is an active member of the IPCI, an associa- tion of professionals that strives to protect and promote sustainable use of pernambuco, the best wood for bow-making. Today, the name Guillaume is widely recognised as standing for commitment, bow-making of unequalled quality and authoritative appraisals of old bows. a short history of the modern bow

The modern bow first developed in France thanks to the genius of the Tourte family working in Paris during the second half of the 18th Century. The “Parisian bow” as it was called did not become well known in Germany and Austria until the first great concert tours given by French violinists after the Revolution. During the 18th Century, bows were often considered simply accessories, violin makers having them made by their employees, but by the end of the century when the stick had taken the form and di- mensions it still has today the bows were attributed to the craftsmen who made them. The evolution of the bow can be seen in this illustra- tion, initially convex, as in the Corelli bow the stick was straightened for Tartini, the tip was modernised for Cramer while for Viotti the camber is made concave. We cannot talk about Tourte’s bow innovations without saying a few words about the violinist Jean- Baptiste Viotti. Viotti was welcomed to Paris in 1782 now the capital of the violin, admired for his Francois Tourte virtuoso playing and the quality of his composi- tions. The concave bow that Viotti used –was apparently a novelty, it was of equal height at the frog and the point and allowed the same intense yet supple style over the whole length of the bow. Francois Tourte born 1748, a clock maker by trade turned bow maker, modified the bow to satisfy the demands of Viotti, adjusted the camber, determined the length of the bow, designed the metallic ring adapted to the heel, spread the hair of the bow flat and used exclusively pernambuco wood, all this to adapt to Viotti’s brand new playing style. With these innovations it is therefore attributed to Francois Tourte the creation of the modern bow and as is fitting, with the imput of Jean-Baptist Viotti the founder of the modern school of violin playing. Francois Xavier TOURTE (1748-1835)

Younger son of Nicolas Pierre TOURTE, brother of Nicolas Léonard TOURTE, Francois Xavier TOURTE is widely referred as the French “Stradivarius of the bow”, whose work is highly sought after in the musical world by the greatest professional performers and all knowledgeable collectors. From his close collaboration with violin virtuosi named Jean-Baptiste Viotti, he developed the ideas which would culminate in the creation of the modern bow, raised bow making to a new technical and artistic level, which, while it may have been equalled, has never been surpassed. Fran- çois TOURTE’s bow remains the obligatory reference, and the standard for bow makers of the present and the future. Dominique Peccatte (1810-1847)

Was born in Mirecourt in 1810. At the age of 16, he left Mirecourt to be apprenticed in the workshop of Jean- Baptiste Vuillaume in Paris. In 1838 he took over the workshop of Francois Lupot.

PECCATTE’s work is marked with intuition and spontane- ity although no two of his bow are the same they are rec- ognisable by the same dexterity , rapidity and strength in character, it is extremely rare to hear that a PECCATTE bow does not play well. His very extensive production is much sought after in our time. Through the new and powerful style which made him famous Dominique PECCATTE was a major influence on French bow making as early as 1840. The very men- tion of his name inspires thoughts of beauty and playing security in the minds of artists, thus both soloists and collectors are pleased to possess an example of the work of this celebrated man. Francois - Nicolas VOIRIN (1833-1885)

F.N. VOIRIN started working for his cousin J.-B. Vuillaume when he was twenty years old, first as a piece worker. He then went on to become a leader of a generation of bow makers whose work was the perfect transition between the Peccatte school, with its square, powerful model, occasionally a little heavy, and the Vuillaume school, of the second half of the 19th century, with its more “feminine” models. The precision and the quality of his work, as well as the elegance of his style, which he gradually refined until he reached the remarkable elegance, and grace of his most famous gold-mounted models, were legendary. The whole of his work is highly appreciated by artists, and sought after by collectors. Eugene Sartory (1871-1946)

Eugene Nicolas SARTORY, son of Eustache Sartory bow maker, was born in 1871 in Mirecourt. After a short appren- ticeship with his father, he left for Paris to perfect his art under Charles Peccatte. From early on he was known for his rapidity and steady hand and at the very young age of 18 set up his own workshop in Paris. SARTORY’s bows were always very well balanced and are usually of the ideal weight. SARTORY is considered as one of the greatest bow makers of the 20th century ; his work is highly appreciated by artists, violin and bow makers and collectors. In 1929, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium personally wrote to Sar- tory to commission a bow for one of the greatest Belgium violinists Eugene Ysaye; this gold and tortoiseshell bow with special inscription from the Queen to Ysaye, is one of his most beautiful masterpiece. This bow features in this French Bow Exhibition along with a copy of the letter sent by the Queen to SARTORY. Etienne Pajeot (1791-1849)

Born in Mirecourt in 1791, son of Louis Simon Pajeot, Bow maker, he was first apprenticed in his fathers workshop. Although ambitious he never worked in Paris but he presented his work there as an exhibition in 1891. His business flourished and he employed several workers in his workshop including the celebrated bowmakers Nicolas Maire and Claude-Joseph Fonclause. Being very careful of the quality of his wood, his sticks are sometimes thin but react well and have excel- lent sound quality. Etienne PAJEOT is recognised as one of those who did some of the most beautiful work of his time, and far from the great masters as he was, it remains a mystery as to where he drew his inspiration. He was perhaps a genius. Joseph HENRY (1823 – 1870)

Joseph HENRY first started working for Georges Chanot firm before joining Dominique Peccatte, with whom he perfected his skill, and where his bows may first be distinguished, although he often worked in collaboration with his employer. In 1851, he set up his own workshop, 5 numbers away from Vuillaume’s building, this is when he made his most beautiful bows, mainly in pernambuco and mounted in silver, but there are some mounted in ivory or tortoiseshell and gold, which are truly magnificent. It was probably at this time that HENRY worked for Vuillaume, and made some of his most remarkable creations for him. HENRY’s bows are much sought after by musicians for their playing qualities, and some of them are appreciated as much as those by D. Peccatte. Nicolas Rémy MAIRE (1800-1878)

MAIRE worked for Étiennne Pajeot, he used very similar models to Pajeot. MAIRE produced a great many well made bows of good quality. They are much sought after today by musicians and collectors, who sometimes as- sociate them with the work of some great craftsmen of the 19th century.

Jean-Baptiste VUILLAUME (1798-1875)

Known as one of the greatest French violin maker, J.-B. VUILLAUME enjoyed a close friendship with Paganini. VUIL- LAUME also ran a successful business where he employed some of the greatest French bow makers of his time: Jean Pierre Marie Persoit, Dominique Peccatte, Claude-Joseph Fonclause, Nicolas Maline, Jean Grand-Adam, Pierre Simon, Franςois Peccatte, Nicolas Maire, François Nico- las Voirin, Charles Peccatte, Jean Joseph Martin, Charles Claude Husson and many others. J.-B. VUILLAUME must have dominated the whole of the French market to attract to his workshop all the great Masters of the time, whom he directed, guided and ad- vised. In 1835, VUILLAUME took out a patent for the self- rehairing bow, which was a useful invention for musicians who travelled a lot. From 1845, VUILLAUME wanted to take absolute control, and created the frog known as the “Vuillaume”frog, with rounded ferrule, these frogs are often decorated with the world’s first micro-photos (1mm by 0.5mm), with three different portraits of J.-B.V. or of performers like Paganini, Alard or Sarasate. They are placed in the centre of the pearl eyes, on either side of the frog.

reference: “L’A r c h e t ” B. Millant, J.-F. Raffin, B. Gaudfroy, L. Le Canu, L’ARCHET EDITIONS Paris, 2000 the exhibition of bows will continue at Lespets & Camden Fine Violins, private appointments available, please contact us on 02 9663 4938 M 0400 6880308

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