Andrea Frandsen - Dans l'atelier d'un luthier / in a luthier's workshop

I'm Andrea Frandsen. I studied violin-making in Newark, England. I then worked in Germany, where I studied Italian instruments from the classical period. I moved to Angers in 1988, where I mostly made instruments for string quartets. Because I used to play musical instruments, including the violin, I naturally evolved towards making violins and violas. I draw my inspiration from existing instruments that I like for their sound or their form. Violin-making itself hasn't changed since its early days in the 16th century. The tools you can see on this panel are hand tools: planes, gouges, chisels, knives, scrapers, etc. One main stage is selecting the wood, which is usually maple and spruce. We start by designing the outline and making a mould that will be used to bend the ribs and give the violin its form. Then we make the back, the belly, do the arching and hollowing, all the small details, the pegbox, the scroll... Once the instrument is ready, it's time to varnish and put it together: the pegs, the bridge, the sound post and the strings. It takes me about 5-6 weeks to make a violin. The musicians who come to see me mainly do so because they like the sound my instruments make. This is something that can't be explained. Luthiers all use the same type of template and similar wood, but each violin's sound is unique. I insist on seeing the instruments regularly in the first few years, at least once a year, so I can adjust them to ensure their optimum performance. It's nice to see the instruments again. It's a bit like when your children leave home, you like to see them come back from time to time. They need lots of love. Mécénat Musical Société Générale has commissioned a violin from Andrea Frandsen for its lending contest. The contest will select 6 violinists who will each be lent a contemporary violin.