I have a real soft spot for this model, the first of Stradivari’s violas. It’s an outlier amongst his output in a number of ways; the model is a little broader than the later violas, the back is poplar rather than the more usual maple. The original is played by Antoine Tamestit, and in his hands the sound quality is immediately arresting and compelling.
It’s been in my mind for a while that it could be an interesting project to reduce the viola from its original 16 1/4 inches to a smaller size. I’m often asked for 15 1/2 inch violas, so that seemed a sensible option. As the customers for my next commissioned instruments weren’t ready to go ahead just yet, I thought that this would be an ideal project.
So here we are. First up is making the mould. It’s a treat of recent years to use walnut, as indeed did Stradivari, instead of modern plywood. Walnut is very stable and a lot nicer to work with, plus looks beautiful. Indeed I have to stop myself seeing the mould as the end product, not just a step on the way to the finished instrument. I’ve then bent the ribs and glued them around the mould. The final stage is to glue in the linings which reinforce the eventual gluing area against the back and front. I use these cheerful gold cramps for that task.
While working on the ribs, I’ve made the scroll. The original Stradivari scroll has cello-like shoulders which I don’t like for viola players; they can feel a little bulky and get in the way of the left hand. So I had already redrawn and slightly reduced the scroll when I made the viola before. For this viola I’ve reduced the size even more and I’m very happy with the result, which has to my eye a little more delicacy.
It really feels like the viola is under way when I start work on the back and the front. For the back I’m using poplar, the same wood choice as the original viola. I’ve used this quite a lot and found that it gives a fast response and a good combination of warmth and brightness. Poplar is a very variable wood; there are lots of different varieties, and the density can range hugely. I’ve mostly used quite light wood, but this is a new venture, a heavier poplar quite similar to maple in weight, but with more open pores. The piece I’ve chosen has a lovely soft understated figure, a little like crumpled silk or the patterns in the sand when the tide has gone out. I’m keen to see how it works and how it sounds.
The wood for the front is spruce, a nice piece from a woodyard in Switzerland. I’ve started by roughing out the arching, then finalised the outlines working an even margin around the ribs.
Next up is the purfling, the black/white/black wooden strip that enhances the edges of the back and front. I start by cutting a channel, then bend, trim and glue the purfling in place. Next I cut through the edge of the plates to establish the final depth of the fluting, the area where the edgework leads into the gentle curve of the arching.
Then I finalise the arching, working with templates taken from the original instrument which help guide me to the shape. I work with small planes then scrapers to get the final finish.
It’s been interesting thicknessing this viola. The process is the same as for arching; removing wood with increasingly fine tools till I’m happy with the result. I’m looking for a good balance between the physical measurements – thick enough to be strong, thin enough to vibrate, the stiffness when I flex it, the sound it makes when tapped and the actual weight of the plates. It was really interesting working on this poplar, which was surprisingly stiff in comparison to its density. So I was able to make it relatively thin and light (other things being equal, a good thing) whilst retaining sufficient strength and stiffness. Can’t wait to hear how it sounds! The front, being a lovely piece of spruce from a source I’ve used often, popped into place more easily.
And that done, I cut the f-holes.
Everything starts to come together quite quickly now. I’ve fitted the bass bar, which reinforces the lower register of the viola and helps support the pressure of the strings. I like to use the style developed by Christian Bayon, which gives extra resonance and tonal colours to the viola. Then I can take the ribs off the mould, finish the internal shapes and glue them to the back.
Then I glue the front to the ribs and fit and shape the neck. Neck shaping is actually one of my favourite parts; it’s critical to the comfort of the player and the feel of the instrument. I like to keep it slender, with an asymmetrical profile that is flatter on the thumb side. And now we have the viola finished ‘in the white’, ready for varnishing.
