Viol Maker's Day
Part 2 - Wood for Bows and Lewis 1703 Viol
This is a continuation of the blog about the Viol Makers Day held at West Dean on October 4th, 2024. See https://paulfremantleluthier.substack.com/p/viol-making-day-at-west-dean for the previous post.
The next talk was by Nelly Poidevin, discussing the use of alternative European and tropical woods for bow making. Nelly is an expert in historic bows, and she explained how her allergy to Pernambuco has led to a lifetime of exploring different woods for bows. Taking us from the earliest extant bow, through the medieval, renaissance, baroque and into the classical era, Nelly identified the wide varieties of woods used before Pernambuco became so prevalent. Details on the physical composition of wood and the impact on the resulting bows led into a deep dive into specific attributes of numerous wood types.
Nelly in action
Nelly finished by showing her scientific approach to recording the properties of different woods and bows that she uses in her making. I was left feeling that Nelly had only just scratched the surface of the data and knowledge she has collected in many years of investigation and experimentation.
We strolled across the grounds to the main house where we had lunch in the Oak Hall, which enabled all the participants to chat and compare notes. In fact, many people identified the breaks as being one of the most important parts of the day.
After lunch, Jane Julier and Henrik Persson gave a detailed presentation of a viol by Edward Lewis, 1703. Jane described how the instrument had been handed over to luthier John Topham in a bag, in terrible condition. During lockdown, John decided to restore the instrument. As he started to take it apart to repair it, he ended up with even more pieces – the front ended up as 6 pieces. The painstaking restoration was beautifully documented in photos, interspersed with Henrik playing period music on the instrument.
Jane and Henrik took us back to St Paul’s Alley where Lewis worked, explaining the historical and social context. Finally, Jane drew some interesting parallels between sacred geometry and Lewis’s purfling patterns. Her theory that these might protect the instrument in unknown ways divided the audience: I personally found it both fascinating and engaging.
Jane Julier and Henrik Persson
I will post more about the rest of the day soon.
The website is available at:
and the recordings of the streaming are available. Please contact paul@fremantle.org for the password.