JAVS Spring 2007

workmanship and became one of only three makers to receive higher scores in workmanship than David Burgess in competition. (In 1983, at the German competition at Kassel, Iizuka finished fourth and Burgess returned the favor with the Gold Medal.) Instrument inspiration has often come during walks in the Japanese gardens surrounding his home in Narbeth , PA. In such peaceful surroundings Iizuka contemplates the harmony of nature, transfer ring his ideas and thoughts to the needs of the violist who must derive the equivalent balance from an msrrument. With so much success and a wait ing list of one to rwo years, where will the next challenge come from? Iizuka says it "is now on the draw ing board-a 15" viola that really sounds." Stay tuned. -A founder and current Board mmz ber of th~ Violin Soci~ty ofAmerica, Eric Chapman owns Eric Chapman Violins, Inc. in Chicago and serves as Vu~ Pmidmt of th~ Chicago School ofViolin Making. H~ has bun com mendedfor distinguish~d s~rvice by both th~ AVS and th~ VSA.

lizuka at work.

closer together to increase power and response. With the f holes clos er, the bass bar and post placement would be favorably altered. By 1986, limka turned his atten tion to weight reduction, redesigned the scroll and removed the center area of the volute. Even a slight decrease in scroll weight would increase player comfort, and also has some perceptible impact on sound production as weight is removed for a vibrating surface. lizuka's credentials go beyond his blue ribbon training. At the Violin ociery of America international competition at

positions. fizuka searched for a viola model that incorporated the lessons already learned in guitar making and happened upon an original, ornate viola d'amore. He then altered the model to meet the needs for a modern set up and a conventional neck set. The next step was to create "buns" on the lower lobe similar to those on the great Linerollira da braccio made at Venice in 1563 and now in resi dence at the hrine to Music Museum in Vermillion, outh Dakota. Creating small "humps" or shoulders on both sides of the neck simulated the reference point for 4th position and above. The resultant loss of air volume was compensated for by increasing the lower bout width. So far, so good. Next step? Go after the dark, rich timbre ofsound that he thought would be most desirable. To accomplish this, Iizuka again slightly altered the design. The lower bout was recon figured to further increase air vol ume and the f holes were brought

Philadelphia in 1976, he was awarded both a Gold Medal and a Certificate of Merit. Two years later he won another Certificate, and in the 1982 VSA in Salt Lake City, he received rwo certificates for

]Ql.!R.Nf\L QF TH~ AM.~RJCAN VIQ~ ~Q~IJ;TY 42