The Sound of Music
Mad'in Europe
The source of European professionals in fine & traditional crafts, and restoration of cultural heritage.
World Music Day,?set on the 21st of June 2023, the longest day of the year, is a celebration of the everlasting power of music as a human cultural bond. Not only are we able to hear it around us but let's also not forget to look at it. Musicians and artists would not be complete without the wonderful craftspeople that create their instruments and therefore their mean of expressing their art.
This newsletter is a tribute to the professionals of this sector managing to transcend national barriers and offering a universal good to the world. From France, to Belgium, Italy or Bulgaria, each instrument making tradition that you will discover is part of a rich European musical tradition that moves craftspeople from different countries and generations. All craft professions binding the music industry, should continue to attract youth and raise interest among them as reliable and much needed career paths. The sector is devoted to perpetuating different instrument building crafts in a sustainable and creative way!
Sounds of Heritage
Bells
”Beyond their religious significance, bells are an integral part of our sound heritage. They used to set the rhythm of life in villages” -?Julien Calcatera,?bell maker and manager of the Voegele Company, founded in 1908, specialised in the creation of monumental bells and restoration of ancient ones.
Find out more about the language of bells, their traditional manufacture and preservation on his interview.
Olivier Baudri?is the?only active bell restorer in the Wallonia region, in Belgium. His workshop and the small museum he created, tell the story of generations of bell-makers involved in keeping this heritage alive since 1832.
“The job of bell maker is a magical job; I get to admire bells that are over 200 years old. Knowing that I am going to be able to ring them again is more of a pleasure than a job for me."
Organ:
Victor Mangeol?is an?experienced organ-builder and restorer. As a musician, he will never stress enough the fact that?"an organ is not only an instrument of worship, it is a musical and cultural instrument above all."
His sensitivity and knowledge of music make him a remarkable organ restorer able to grasp the unique sound identity of each organ, from romantic harmonization to baroque-renaissance.
Luthiers
“We are very proud of our craft as the Spanish guitar is a symbol so deeply rooted in the culture of our country”?-?Flamenco lives in the chords of the Teodoro Pérez guitars.
His know-how has been cultivated and transmitted in the family for half a century. Their production is totally handmade, from the selection of the materials to the marquetry details that distinguish the high quality and durability of their musical instruments.
Luca Zerilli?is an?outstanding representative of Italian excellence in the lute making tradition."The luthier is to the musician what the engineer is to the pilot".
This young professional's passion for music led him to emancipate from his background in informatics and fully devote himself to the construction of string instruments of the violin family. He opened his workshop in 2019 in Udine, close to the Italian Alps, where he gets part of his local wood supply.
Not far from Luca Zerilli, in Udine, you can also meet?Marco Montina, another experimented luthier specialised in the construction of plucked string instruments.?"As a child I dreamed of being an inventor and today I invent, design and build guitars, concentrating all the knowledge that comes from my passions".
His expertise enabled him to patent an innovative rapid neck removal system for his ànemoi's guitar.
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"Bulgarian lute making is renowned for the excellence of the acoustic made possible thanks to a wide variety of woods"?-?Stepan Demirdjian, luthier specialized in violins and violas.
He repairs and restores all instruments of the violin family and their bows. He started at 22 years old by working in a violin making factory but was soon able to open his own workshop.
Sound of Harpsichord
"Working in the music field enables me to meet musicians (I happened to marry one!), music academies, museums, historic houses owners who need expertise, maintenance skills or to order new instruments!".
Jacques Magnette?perfectly reflects the extent and variety of the musical network celebrated on this day! As a craftsman specialised in harpsichord and virginals, he builds, renovates, maintains, and tunes plucked string instruments all over France and beyond. Today, he is determined to transmit the skills and gestures that he learned in a lifetime.
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