christian bayon

6 years as technician working with fighters planes in the French Navy on aircraft carrier then………50 years as a violin maker.

French, Mirecourt around 1830, Lob probably up to 360mm and short stop, around 190mm. Original tail piece. nice violin.

A viola I made some years ago in the beautiful solo of the "Pas de deux” from Giselle ( viola solo Naomi Peters) https://youtu.be/-w7vPLNcsZI?is=hyhV8j6bd8RhV_PY

Unfortunately, this problem happen in many instruments, modern ( included top makers) and old ( included Stradivari and Amati, Cremonese XVII century have often the top very thin around the neck block. The popularity of the Strad Posters with modern makers copying the thickness of old instruments, without understanding of the whole architecture is the cause.

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Just on time, I finished my copy of the Domenico Busan "ex Giuranna" I have been dreaming for 45 years to copy this beast but always scared by the dimensions and the playability. But i decided it was time to go for it

IMG_0593.mov IMG_0593.mov Very interesting project with the French association Aladfi, 15 makers will copy the same violin, the 1739 Guarneri "ex Menuhin-Ebersolt" with a lot of informations, CT Scan, photos, impressions 3D, thickness…… it’s for me my first collective project, better later than never!. the instrument can be a baroque looking completely new, or a modern set up in facsimile. My instrument is not complete yet, unfortunately I’m at the hospital again fighting leukaemia but they let us to try it here with my wife. The original and my unfinished copy with video of the sound after 2 days with strings.

Yes

Probably after the first concert of Viotti in Paris ( at the "Concert spirituel " in 1782), the Parisian makers , so impressed by his Stradivari, started to copy that maker. For me the first one was Leopold Renaudin, soon followed by all of them.

Yes!

I’ll try to go near, arching is extreme on the top, but the original sounds beautifully, so, let’s take more risks, I’m 70

Starting my copy of the viola by Domenico Busan "ex Giuranna” Venice 1781. Meeting with the original for the first time since 1995 and 1979.

I always wondered if it was makeup or fragments of the wiring of the strings, because I found it too on violin plaid by men.

My dear master and mentor would have been 100. https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemusique/podcasts/les-essentiels/centenaire-du-luthier-etienne-vatelot-de-yehudi-menuhin-a-mstislav-rostropovitch-2021843