Welcome

Beautiful music demands fine instruments.

A truth known to most musicians. And a fine instrument is not only well-made but should also be taken care of in the right way. Bowed instruments in particular are delicate: build from of wood which is a living material, exposed to high string pressure and constructed after complicated acoustical principles. Therefore there is a great difference from one violin to another – the same rule accurse to the other instruments. This is familiar to everyone who plays a bow-instrument.

Ether bow-instruments nor the knowledge about them knows any national boarders. The instruments within a string ensemble can be constructed in different countries, but still sound good together. In a similar way should the skills and knowledge of a violin maker be equal to his foreign colleagues. Regulations and tests linked to the Journeyman and Master Diplomas guarantee that the knowledge and skills of a violin maker are equal to international standards. Many of the violin makers with a Journeyman or Master Diploma have through the internationalization taken the opportunity and studied abroad.

The educated violin makers in Sweden have always been an exclusive group which been dedicated to new making and repairs with the highest expectations. This is still true today.

Gunnar Ternhag
Docent vid Institutionen för musikvetenskap
Uppsala universitet