A legacy of STRAD Magazines graces the shelves of the violinmaking school at The Chimneys, Boiling Springs, PA–more than half a century of the “Bible” of the violin world! STRAD has a long history of chronicling the art–and occasionally–the science of the craft; violin lore and the violin market; advice to the player; and contradictions and controversies that have characterized the violin world since Tarisio collected his first fiddle!...
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Nelson Steffy, The Chimneys Violin Shop, Boiling Springs, PA, in is fiddle library that remains the legacy of founder Ed Campbell....
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Fiddles in the rafters! Fiddles on the walls. And a library that goes back half a century at The Chimneys Violin Shop, boing Springs, PA. What a thrill to be able to visit a shop to share the story of pioneering luthier Carleen Hutchins with a luthier Nelson Steffy–who, along with his mentor Ed Campbell, founder of The Chimneys, not only read and valued the acoustical work of Hutchins and Saunders, they developed their own set of violinmaking manuals that incorporate the acoustics of tuning plates and other methods that apply science to the art of violinmaking....
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Fiddles–and fields and fields of corn! The Chimneys Violin Shop, Boiling Springs, PA, is nestled in the Mennonite/Amish countryside, where it has upheld a long tradition of more than half a century in teaching violinmaking to aspiring luthiers, utilizing the acoustical methods made famous by Carleen Hutchins. Though founder Ed passed this year, the luthier’s legacy lives on in the house he donated to the cause, and in the teaching methods of his student Nelson P. Steffy....
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Such a pig as this! This sweet snout greets visitors to the Brandywine Museum in Chads ford, PA, home to the studios of N.C. Wyeth, celebrated illustrator and creator of the ethereal painting e inentitled “The Giant” that sits a place of prominence in my home office–and his son Andrew Wyeth, celebrated watercolorist. If not for such a pig as this–really just a piglet–named Susie, which comes from the Latin word for pig SUS–Carleen might never have carved that first viola–just one of nearly 500 stringed instruments....
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While walking the hallowed halls on the first floor of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building, I did not expect my worlds to collide! But as I stared at the stunningly beautiful granite walls, I fell back into my first book Hidden History of New Hampshire–and the story of the building of the Library of Congress, constructed with granite mined from seven quarries in New Hampshire–the Granite State! Theses halls also lead me to my current world and my new book American Luthier, ForeEdge, 2016. In walking these halls last thursday June 2, I found the conference room and meeting place ...
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What a thrill to visit the Jefferson Building, the very first building of the Library of Congress built with granite mined from seven quarries in and around Concord, New Hampshire–also home of the famous Concord Coach. For both stories, see my first book Hidden History of New Hampshire. Thanks to Janice Ruth, of the Manuscripts Division, of the Library of Congress, I was delighted to be invited to present a talk about American Luthier: Carleen Hutchins–the Art and Science of the Violin to the Women’s History Discussion Group of the Library of Congress. Such a knowledgeable crew of librarians ...
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“New Life Violin Series” is the label inside one of Bob Murphy’s ole fiddles made new. By using acoustical techniques he taught himself–methods very similar to the “ditching” techniques used a half century ago by pioneering luthier Carleen Hutchins–Bob transforms a mediocre fiddle into one that SINGS! Thanks, Bob, for hosting Hutchins’ biographer Quincy Whitney last week to talk about American Luthier, the new, groundbreaking story of the 20th century American female luthier whose Harvard physicist mentor asked of her–“What is the feminine of Stradivari?”...
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Bridges, bridges everywhere!–behold the back wall of the workshop of Long Island luthier Bob Murphy, when he hosted biographer Quincy Whitney and her new book American Luthier. For colorful and eccentric bridges of a different sort that tell the story of the violin and the violin world, visit the fugue section of my website....
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This photo is a just one example of the strong community spirit that characterizes Murphys Music, Melville, NY. Rob Murphy, who helps his father Bob Murphy run their lutherie shop, is also, in his other life, a professional tenor. When the earthquake hit Haiti several years ago, Rob gave a benefit concert and Murphys Music donated instruments to these children in Haiti who are seen here in performance....
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