JAVS Fall 2002

107

John Newton

Violas and Violins

OJ courst I gunranul' my UJOrk agauur tkftm in mnur10ls and worknwmbip and 1 am happy to do long-unn mamtmana and adjrumunr. 1 will also rtpair or rl'build my instrotrtLitts sbould thry sufftr accidmsnl damagl'. Som~ playas might priftr a copy ofa sputjir onginn/ m.JSUr insmttrtL111, in mbtr modtrlt or &roque ronfiguratton !would bt happy to discusJ th~ possibilitin with JO"· .Aru1 of courst my u'Orkshop is opm w an_v crtstomtr who wuh~s to sa rluir fotu" imtrummt mulo con Struction. Somt rrutrummts a" usUilUy availabk

To play a srring insrrumem well is a lifelong challenge and discipline: we live with our insrrument:S in an imense, demanding way. They both insp ire and frustrate us. Every serious suing player is searching for the special insrrumem that p rovides music's deepest sans faction: the fullest realization of the unique, personal voice of the artist. To achieve this. an instrument must have many d i,•erse, even contradictory qualines: responsiveness, for ease of playing, combined wi th a solid ronal core; warmth and dariry ar both extremes of the insrrumenr's range, bur even and smooth overall; sensiriviry at pianis simo with reserves ofgreat volume when played hard; and the mysterious parmership of projec· cion with the abiliry to blend in an ensemble. All these th ings must be combined in a com fortable, light yet solidly built instrument that can ... ~thstand countless hours of practice and performance. There must also be the basic pleasing natural timbre ro which one can return over and over.

from swck for tria/loans. Pborogmphs and mtasti!YIMIIts can bl' provUkd on rtqum.

In addition, for viola players. the true deep alto votce must be found in an instrument whose dimensions are often dictated by the player's size and conformation. Violins and ~olas like this do exist-the classic Italians-- bur they are now so rare and expensive that even the most famous players now require syndicates of patrons ro pro,~de them! Th~ prows ofcommi.woning an rnm-ummt is ruk-fru and snti.ifjmg. Afur ~xun siu comu!tnrton to ~stnbbsh tMasurnnma and eksiud ftarur~~=• including wood. mmisb styk. and ekcomtton--n tkpostr ofI 0% umra th~ ord~r It tJ t/SunUy pombkfim ro =rmmt sirmlar o:ampks ofmy work and consult wttl> rhnr oumas. On complmon (ustU1Uy in tbru to four rrwnrhs), tbl' p/n.ft!r mnkl's a corpt! truJ[ and an_y nl'ass.rry adjusntunts a" dont. !Jtt is acupud tht balana tJ thm pa)·ab!t. !Jtht playtr is 1101 snm fod. I prifa to mak~ anothtr o:amp!t w prl'smt. !Jthar insmunmt should also bt found nor appro priau, I u•rU rptnd tht tkposrt tvtthm su-ry da_ys

Ulmruttt/y. objutivt ofrbt lurhrtr is thl' sntM m that ofrbt tbt playtr: to disapptar rnto tht musrc. Ptrbaps U't' rould r~acb thnt goal rogniJI'r.

-John Newton, Violin and Viola Maker

JOHNNEWfON RR #2, 056626 Cone. 12 Desboro, ON NOH lKO Canada (519) 934-2955 johnnewron@bmts.com