15 3/4 inch (40cm) viola based on Maggini |
return to work in progress February 2008 This viola model is based on a Maggini violin that I was fortunate to measure a few years ago. The original violin is quite large and dark in tone quality, so it worked well to enlarge the dimensions to make a smallish viola that fits easily in the player's hands. Paolo Maggini worked in Brescia, northern Italy, at the end of the 16th century, and was a pupil of one of the very first violin makers, Gasparo da Salo. I'm a big fan of Brescian work, particularly of the violas, which have a wonderful balance of darkness and projection, and a real viola quality of sound. It's usually to Brescia that I look for viola models.
March 2008
|
I've
started by making the ribs for the viola. These are made from
strips of maple planed to just over 1mm thick, and bent round a mould.
While
the glue dries on the rib joints, I've been working on the scroll.
When I've made this viola before I've used the head of the original
violin as a model. However, I've been coming to the conclusion
that this is in fact a later Brescian head, not by Maggini (a lot of
these very early instruments have lost their original heads and been
given replacements) so this time I'm using a pattern of a head
that I'm sure is a Maggini, from a larger viola, so I've shrunk it in
size to keep down the weight. The head is carved from a block of
maple, and the picture shows one of the early stages.
The
back is made from a block of maple, and the picture shows the initial
work of roughing out the arching shape using a large gouge.
The
arching of the back and front is nearly finished, and the outlines have
been shaped to follow the line of the ribs. The front is made from
a nice piece of spruce bought in France, and the back is a good,
well-figured piece of slab-sawn maple from the same woodyard. 
Maggini's
instruments were often double-purfled, for decorative effect, and so is
this one.
I've
now finished the arching of the viola. I've used shapes that are
authentic to original Maggini violas; high and full, which I think
contributes to the dark, warm sound of the finished instruments.
The
next stage is to hollow out the inside of the back and front, and to
reduce them to the final thickness. I give consideration to the
weight and flexibility of the back and front to reach what I think is an
optimal balance to give a responsive viola with an even , balanced
sound. I've also bored the circular holes that start the
soundholes.
The
soundholes are cut. I think they have an appealing, somewhat
hangdog look.
I've
now finished the front - the bass bar is fitted to the inside. The
back is glued to the ribs, and I'm ready to close the body.
The
body of the viola is assembled; this is one of the nicest stages of
making an instrument, when the individual parts begin to become a whole.
I've
fitted the neck to the viola and shaped it carefully so that it's slim
and comfortable for the player. The viola is now finished "in
the white", ready for the varnishing process.
The
varnishing has gone w
ell
- the viola is now a warm reddy-brown colour. I've set it up using
high-quality handmade pegs, tailpiece and chinrest, and a carefully cut
bridge and soundpost. It's very resonant and powerful, with a
strong C and a warm A.