Philip Ihle:
Making copies - a moving target:
DNA Strad
Philip Ihle: Making copies - a moving target: DNA Strad
Over the years, I have followed different approaches of violin making. The journey was led by opportunities presented by clients, but I mainly followed my curiosity to understand and recreate Cremonese beauty. I will show pictures of three very different examples and show a few workshop tricks that work for all.
Bench copy of the Brensi Viola: When making a bench copy – the ideal scenario is, that the client will not recognise which instrument is his own and which is the copy. It is a very similar challenge to when replacing a missing front or scroll on a fine antique instrument.
Lord Wilton del Gesu as it left the workshop in 1744: When a client loves you and has strong and has pure aesthetic ideals, he might ask you to build a copy and simply leave the varnish pristine, off the brush.
The 1713 PG Strad – what I appreciate about a golden period Strad built on the PG mould.
In a practical example of applied Cremonese DNA I will show how I lay out f-holes on all my Cremonese models.
Philip Ihle trained in Cremona and worked for seven years in repair and set-up at Wilhelm Geigenbau in Switzerland and for five years at Florian Leonhard’s focussing on making true copies and replacement parts for fine old instruments. In 2013, he established his own workshop in an active primary school in central London. With the help of an assistant violin maker, he builds bespoke concert violins, violas, and cellos, as well as replacement parts. His instruments have won prestigious awards for tone and workmanship and are played by musicians across Europe, the United States and Asia.