Secret d'instruments
27 January 2024/ France / Paris
The Musée de la Musique conserves the oldest known 7-string bass viol, made in 1683 by the great Parisian violin-maker Michel Collichon. It has come down to us in near-original condition, and is presented to the public dismantled, with the worm-eaten neck broken into 3 pieces.
In 2002, the museum commissioned a facsimile from luthier Tilman Muthesius, with a view to bringing such a precious instrument to the public. More than 20 years later, Florence Bolton, who regularly plays the instrument, and Judith Kraft, the viol-maker in charge of maintaining it, reveal the special qualities of Collichon's viols and their place in the great repertoire of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Collichon, Barbey, Bertrand: a comparison of three luthiers emblematic of the golden age of the viol in France.
- What's so special about Collichon's viols?
- Restoring a viol or making a copy?
In 2002, the museum commissioned a facsimile from luthier Tilman Muthesius, with a view to bringing such a precious instrument to the public. More than 20 years later, Florence Bolton, who regularly plays the instrument, and Judith Kraft, the viol-maker in charge of maintaining it, reveal the special qualities of Collichon's viols and their place in the great repertoire of the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Collichon, Barbey, Bertrand: a comparison of three luthiers emblematic of the golden age of the viol in France.
- What's so special about Collichon's viols?
- Restoring a viol or making a copy?
