Filenews 31 January 2021 - by Giorgos Christoforou
The secrets of violin making are many and have their roots deep back in time, with the leading of the species Antonio Stradivari dominating almost every story of a handmade violin maker. What stands out is his different taste, the knowledge he acquires along the way, his perception, his skills and the different construction system.
Violin may be an integral part of our musical tradition, but folk instrumental players do not seem to have invested financially in buying a good handmade violin. The violin manufacturers in our country are infinitesimal. One of them is the young Marios Pavlos. An excellent violinist, in my opinion, who particularly loved music, but was won over by construction. After the first courses in Cyprus, he leaves abroad to study and work. He has now returned to establish his base in our country and when conditions permit, to continue the journey of continuous learning of new techniques with trips to workshops and seminars abroad.
I met Mario Pavlou a few years ago, in a music scene in Nicosia, as the violinist of the band. A very young child, very low-key, who had just come of age, but knew very well what his course would be. He'd already made up his mind. Watching him on stage unfold his talent in music, it seemed a one-way street to engage in music. However, for him, the road to the construction of the violin had already been illuminated. His first contact with music was from a very young age. He always had a place in school musical ensembles. In high school he started violin lessons and along the way played violin in bands, events and concerts. Today, he holds very well the knowledge held by a violinist to test the violins he manufactures and plays selected with fellow musicians in certain jobs.
At the age of 16 he became interested in the construction of the violin and began amateurly to make changes to his violin. He then met violin maker Stefanos Sultanian, with whom he took manufacturing courses for two years in Cyprus. He then went abroad to study in England and then to work in Germany. In these two stations he learned and stood out a lot. He was fortunate enough to see up close authentic violins, learned techniques, created his own violins under the guidance of some of the best of the genre.
He explains that it's very different to have an original 1700 violin in front of you and be able to copy it. See the direction of the tools, the finish, the cracks of time and other damage. A journey of valuable knowledge and experience and a huge legacy for the future.
In the last year, Marios returned to Cyprus and created his own space in his kingdom to create violins, violas and cellos. He hosted us for a while in his own world and gave us the opportunity to see some of the manufacturing process. A process that looks more like... ritual to reach the desired result. Why... Everyone can make a violin... But how many can make a violin that "lives" the soul that "hides" in it?
He explained to us everything about the wood used to make a violin. This is dry, European-sourced timber. Maple on the back and neck and sides of the violin and fir on the front of the violin, the lid. These woods are mainly selected for their sound and durability while their quality also plays a role. An experienced manufacturer who knows about wood, can observe the density, the waters of the wood, the quality. The creation of a small timber "warehouse" for this work, was for Mario a few years of work and fundraising, either from musical performances or from the construction of violin, as the cost is quite high. The same with the dozens of tools and products it uses to manufacture it.
Explaining the process, he unfolds in front of us large posters of violin models, which he uses for modelling, depending on what the customer will ask for. It will first fix the ribs and then the back of the violin and the lid. Along the way, several steps are taken until it reaches the desired result while explaining the usefulness of each piece of violin and how it works to activate its "soul" and make a nice sound.
The wooden construction of the violin takes about 120-150 hours, while the varnish process takes from two weeks to three months. A good violin is distinguished by its careful construction, by the quality of materials and of course in the end a good sound. The cost of a handmade violin is determined by the name of the manufacturer and his reputation, the history of the violin, its date, its condition and the working hours it devotes.
Usually the handmade violins of a manufacturer who is in the early stages of his career are costed according to material, knowledge, construction time. In Germany, where he worked, he made copies of the original violins which were priced at fairly high prices.
Being a violinist himself, he used until recently a mass-produced violin which, during his studies, gave him the opportunity to observe the details and differences with a handmade violin. A handmade violin, as he tells us, has a nice balance in its construction, in its varnish, in its hue.
It offers comfort to the player when he holds it while he can observe the response and the violin, when the dox crosses the strings does not escape often. It has a balance of frequencies and colors and sounds loud. Surely no violinist wants an instrument that doesn't sound and it's just a "stuffed" box. A good violin construction includes a good look and a nice sound and feel.
The first violin dedicated to Grandpa
So far he has built about 15 violins as, despite his young age he has worked in violin manufacturing workshops. What stands out, however, is the first violin he sold, which is in the hands of a violinist from Belgium.
He had met her at the Royal Academy in London where he had taken three handmade violins of his own making and accidentally chose the violin dedicated to his grandfather. In the end, it was sold exactly a year after Grandpa's death. We couldn't help but ask him why he didn't keep it for his own collection, with him telling us that life is flowing and the same should be the case with the objects we create. They change hands and come to life!
Can someone get over Stradivari?
Today we all talk about the school of Cremona, we talk about Antonio Stradivari or Stradivarius and his secrets. For a manufacturer today they are no longer secrets. He's got it all in front of him to study, to work on. Indeed, in the 1700s, without any particular development of technology, it was a great thing to make a violin from scratch, with the help of one's mind. Today, as Marios explains, with the new techniques and knowledge available to a manufacturer, he can build a much stronger instrument. But it certainly won't have the same glamour and maturity. But he will have the respect for the story that Antonio Stradivari has carved out.
In the European market for violin making, there are very good replicators. Sometimes it's hard to tell visually unless you do a biopsy and tree-dating of the wood. Surely a connoisseur of the history of the violin can stand out by observing the exact details of each manufacturer and various other details.
As he explains the similarities and differences, he takes two violins which he has constructed himself. One looks old, about 200 years old. It gives this approach since if you look at it it looks scratched and old which was done by various methods of construction aging of wood. However, it is a new and healthy violin. It lets us compare with a new violin and we notice the differences. Today, authentic violins are bought by very rich collectors in the form of an investment, since they are now historical relics whose value goes up year after year.
Sustainable profession of violin making?
It enchants the construction of a musical instrument, but what is the future that a violin manufacturer can have in our country. Marios, having as an important legacy the professional experience abroad, considers that abroad it is easier to keep a road. In Cyprus to survive you must be able to serve all the needs from construction to maintenance, repair and so-called "koutsodouli".
An important issue is the confidence shown by Cypriots in organ manufacturers. The musical tradition and culture has a Byzantine and folk-like character in contrast to the musical tradition in Europe where the violin usually holds a dominant position, different data but also treatment by the instrumental players. Classical musicians choose a good and healthy instrument that plays well. In Cyprus, the purchase of an industrially manufactured violin does not bother the musician. Usually in the handmade violin market, professionals, musicians of the Symphony Orchestra and students who follow violin studies turn.
He opened his horizons abroad.
The coronavirus pandemic, among the brakes it put on, was also in music in all countries, since concerts and musical performances no longer take place, which also had an impact on organ manufacturers. However, Marios, despite his young age, is not afraid and does not stop setting goals for the follow-up. He always hopes for better days on new trips, in meetings with other manufacturers in seminars and workshops around the world to share knowledge and experiences. With the return to normality, he would like to have his base in Cyprus and continue to travel collecting experiences.
If in the future he has a good professional proposal he will evaluate it and do so. But although young, he has already opened his horizons in foreign markets, in America, England and Germany, where he has already made contacts while working abroad and using the internet maintains them to this day. Clearly the profession he chose is one of those that very few people around the world choose, and what he confesses is that although a musician believes that construction has more depth and is a particularly creative and practical direction. And as he says, even a Stradivari model who makes all his life will never stop learning new things.
