For a number of years, the shop had been investing its time in
locating world class contemporary makers from abroad such as Italy or
Germany. However, it seems like the boss recently has had an interest
in the up and coming makers of Eastern Europe like Poland, Czech
Republic, or Romania. If you've kept tabs on my Twitter account,
you may have heard about the arrival of some new instruments. Two of
these will be the topic of today's entry as I show off some nice photos
of the makers, talk more about their background, and a bit of history
on Polish violin making.
Jan Szlachtowski was Born in 1951 in Nowry Targ,
Poland. In 1970 he finished school in violin making in Zakopane where
he worked under one of the old Polish Masters Jozef Bartoszek. From
1987 to 1988, he worked at W.H. Lee firm in Chicago. In 1988 he
returned home to his birth city where he opened up shop and can still
be found working today. His main area of work is cello which have
established quite a reputation amongst dealers in the U.S.
The workshop of Master Jarek Koscielny in Czetochowa, the town of the famous Black Madonna
which is frequently visited by Catholic tourists and pilgrimages. His
violins are made in the Stradivari and Guarneri patterns with an
antiqued varnish look.
The
Cracovia Workshop was established about 6 years ago in Southern Poland.
Polish Master Ryszard Florek runs the shop with 4 assistants in the
town of Bielsko-Biala. All the instruments are "aged", antiqued, and treated in spirit varnish.
As
you can see, some of the best contemporary makers are coming from
Eastern Europe. You may think that violin making in these countries are
a relatively new cultural phenomenon but not so! According to an article in the the Warsaw Voice,
a majority of the Polish violin makers are members of the-oldest, after
Italy's, organization of violin makers in Europe. The Association of
Polish Artists Violin Makers (ZPAL) is reported to have 113 members and
is celebrating its 54th anniversary this May.
In fact, Poland
has had a richer history of violin making that dates as far back as the
16th century. The first great makers of that era, Marcin Groblicz I
(1530-1609) and Baltazar Dankwart (mid-16th century - 1622), started
two dynasties of outstanding violin makers which lasted until the 18th
century. Some scholars even believe that the prototype of the violin
originated in Poland. Relics such as a primitive fiddle from the 11th
century, a five-string instrument from the 12th century and a
six-string instrument in 15th-century serve as some of the strongest
evidences for their case. A collection of these instruments can be
found at the Museum of Musical Instruments in Poznań.
Many
of today's Polish makers go through secondary school whose curricula
include the art of violin making. There are currently two in the Poland
that offer such programs: High School of Fine Arts in Zakopane and High
School of Music in Poznań. These schools' graduates have an opportunity
to continue their studies at the Violin Making Department of Poznań's
Music Academy. This means that Poland is the only country in the world
where violin makers can receive a university-level education.
After
years of training and apprenticeships, many of them have established
their workshop in the mountainous region of Poland. Due to the low cost
of labor in Eastern Europe, a favorable currency exchange rate for the
US Dollar, and a tradition of highly trained makers, these instruments
can be compared with others that are worth two or more times their
market price.
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