Shattering The Mold
Modern Makers Revolutionize the Violin
Of the myriad tools that humans have invented to extend their creative reach, few have attained the level of perfection that renders change unnecessary, especially over the course of 200 years. Though we think of think of the violin as a rarity that has achieved this ideal, closer examination tells us that even our beloved box is not exempt from change; after all, necks have been lengthened and tilted back, bass bars have been extended, bridges raised. These, however, are subtle functional differences that have nevertheless left the overall look and feel unchanged, leading to a general perception of the various violin family members as unimprovable objects.
That perception, like the Antarctic ice sheet, is beginning to break up. As string players delve into different styles of music, some of us may desire an instrument that reflects a nontraditional musical approach. Some of us may want a different sort of sound, without settling for an electric sound. Some of us might fall in love with unique handmade objects that reflect an original point of view. And some of us may find we're damaging our bodies trying to get sounds out of traditional instruments that don't fit us.
A group of instrument makers, individualists and fellow artists, are thinking about all these issues and acting on them, creating bowed instruments that inspire, surprise, and possibly frighten. I've been lucky to know and and talk with five of these people recently, and they are a fascinating, passionate bunch. Surprisingly, only three were aware of each other's existence, and these, Guy Rabutm David Rivinus and Christophe Landon, are what we might characterize as “insiders”. They are individuals who deal comfortably and successfully with mainstream instruments as well as their own creations, though for different reasons. The other two, Suzy Norris and Danny Ferrington, have attained success in their field by not catering to the traditional violin market at all. Norris builds her original instruments in her relatively remote shop in the Santa Cruz mountains of California, sharing her business with her partner, guitar maker Fred Carlson. Ferrington is a star in the electric and acoustic custom-built guitar world, having made wildly creative guitars for just about everyone famous who plays guitar.
A common theme emerged in conversations with the builders and players of these instruments: an affirming attitude toward exploratory creative expression. All five makers have strong ideas about their art, a trait that is obviously a necessity when bucking on a tradition with the kind of heft the violin world carries. And each maker is as distinctly individual as his or her original designs, and each has a unique story to tell. […]
Heavy Player
“If you're going to do an article on weird violins, then you should really include Christophe Landon.” After I'd heard this sentiment from three different sources, I was convinced and tracked him down by phone. Not a difficult task, for Landon runs a well-known shop across the avenue from New York's Lincoln Center.
“I'm really busy all the time; I always try to do too much.” After emigrating from France in 1984, Landon was able to set up a thriving business in a short time and make it in one of the most competitive cities in the world. Even over the telephone, he exudes knowledge and blunt confidence. He knew from the time he started building that he wasn't interested in only re-creating the old designs. In 1975, at the age of 18 an after studying in Mirecourt for only three years, he had built his first asymmetrical, tricolored violin, made to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution. “That's why it's blue, red and white, for the colors of the French flag.”
He also sells fine old instruments and makes copies. “Of course I have to make those,” he says. “The people playing my modern instruments are really crazy about them, but most players are orchestral violinists. When I make a Guarneri copy, it makes them happy”.
Landon describes his own instruments as “spectacular” and “wild.” “But of course, building an acoustic violin or cello is really restrictive in some ways, even if you don't have the usual limitations,” he adds.
Todd Reynolds of Manhattan plays Christophe Landon's blue asymmetrical violin on a permanent loan. “The low end is very deep, and the high end is mellow,” he says. “It's very loud and projective. I do mostly jazz right now, and I love the sound and haven't had anyone tell me anything bad about it. Christophe just gave it to me a few years back, when I didn't have a good instrument. It's really solid and had has mellowed beautifully.” […]