Michael Purcell

Yoni Dreilbate plays an interesting cello on loan to him from Temple – where he is a grad student of Jeff Solow. It was made by Joseph Condax in Rochester in the early 1960’s. He was a cellist and an amateur maker- this example is a charming Montagnana -esque work – shorter body length -nice breadth ….the start of a good sounding cello. The problem has been that it is languishing with a low neck angle that just doesn’t give it the tension it needs to project all power and color that it has to give. In this case the fingerboard was very thin – so with a new fingerboard that is fashioned to heighten the neck angle – which then makes possible a higher Belgian bridge  and fitting a new soundpost and the cello is now much bigger and bolder sounding….perfect for a talented,vigorous player. In fact Yoni won the principal job of the Annapolis Symphony on the cello before the major improvement – a testimony to his ability to make even a poorly adjusted cello sound good.

I am also about to start a major restoration on a fine Italian cello belonging to Temple- I would guess its their most valuable cello. It needs a press out of the top’s arching – neck reset – soundpost patch on the back….etc

I have greatly enjoyed working on the fine cellos owned by Jeff Solow – and appreciate the passionate intensity that he brings to the performance of his instruments and the demands he places on them. He is more intimately involved in the performance and subtle, fluctuating qualities of sound in his cellos than anyone I know – and his pursuit of the best is relentless.

I also appreciate his belief in me to bring the same passion and intensity to the instruments that will be used by his promising students.

Paul Bailley (pronounced By-Ee) has wonderful violin pedigree.  He was born in Mirecourt in the mid 19th century and grew to study with Galliard – later with N F Vuilluame in Brussels – and his illustrious brother J B  Vuilluame in Paris. He had a peripatetic working life – moving all over France,London, briefly in America, back to London and finally to Paris for the final chapter of a long,prolific life of making fine instruments.His best work was done on the Stradivari model – this example shows working in a bold,free way …but with deep understanding. It is a robust Strad copy for which he is justly famous. This fine violin is being offered for sale.

Its always a treat to spend some long evenings with a fine cello from this great master. This particular instrument is played by the principal cellist of the Philly Pops.

Necks are under the constant strain of the immense string tension needed to bring things up to pitch….old instruments now and then need to have the neck reset to keep them performing at the high level they exist in.

Bryan Lee and Joel Link are the violinists of the rising, young Dover Quartet. Formed while they were at Curtis, they have  been launched to a higher level by winning last years Banff International Competition and travel the world… bringing their fine,old, temperamental violins with them.

I have done a lot of work on Bryan’s beautiful Antoniazzi – both inside and out ….and have lately done work on Joel’s fine Brothers Gagliano. Its always a fun challenge to try to maximize the sound /power and clarity on these great fiddles by adjusting soundpost,bridge,tailpiece and anything else that can happen in a short time  frame – since they always have a plane to catch!

Miguel Rojas – principal cellist of the San Juan Symphony and cello professor at the Conservatory had an upcoming solo performance of Don Quixote with his orchestra and he was struggling mightily with an unresponsive cello. He called and invited me down and graciously put me up and let me work in his office. He plays a big,broad Montagnana model cello by a Venezualan maker – the problem was that the neck angle was too low and not exerting enough tension on the top- therefore the cello didn’t have the punch and projection needed to fill the hall in a solo role. It seemed to me that the best way to improve this situation – (with the challenge of working not in my shop – and having to bring my tools etc on an airplane)… I decided to put on a new fingerboard – knowing that the one on his cello was thin. I worked the fingerboard carefully to get the maximum height of neck angle -( knowing that in my experience the bigger,broader cellos of the Montagnana model like higher neck angles & more string tension). When this was done I cut a new Belgian bridge and fit a new soundpost. The cello sounded great….much bigger,powerful and alive! Talking to Miguel after his performance (sadly,I couldn’t stay for it) he mentioned that he received a standing ovation! I am going to flatter myself that I played a small part in the nights concert.

While working at the Conservatorio I also had the pleasure of working on the violin of the  concertmaster of the S J Symphony – a beaiutiful Joannes Tononi that he had bought from Wurlitzers in th early 1960’s

I also got to meet and work on the viola of the principal of the S J Symphony – a nice,big 17′ made by Hiroshi Iizuka- who i know from the Philadelphia area ( Hiroshi would often bring his instruments in to us at Moennigs for us to look at – talk about) In this case I needed to raise the neck angle and cut a new, higher bridge. The climate of Puerto Rico is very difficult on string instruments – the heat and especially the high humidity cause havoc with glue seams and joints – and often result in neck angles coming down.

My stay lasted longer than I had forseen – once finished with teachers instruments there were the instruments of the students….so 2 1/2 weeks later I left for the frozen landscape of Philadelphia

A vivid image in this post is from the balcony just off my work room – it looks over la Laguna to the fancy beaches and hotels of Condado to the bluest ocean I’ve ever seen – (where I luckily had a few opportunities to enjoy)

I would enjoy many a latte while admiring this view – knowing that it would exist Oz-like in my mind once I was back in the frozen landscape of home

Simon Gollo and Carlos Rubio stopped by before the quartet leaves for a tour taking them to  North Carolina, Texas and other places in the south.

Carlos is considering a beautiful Leon Mougenot Paris 1930 which I have done a lot of work on inside & out….and is owned by a Philadelphia Orchestra member. This is the first time I’ve had the chance to adjust the post etc with him and we are working on getting the violin clear and focused for his upcoming concerts. I want him to push Simon with this great fiddle!

Simon plays on a fine violin by Claude Miremont that dates from the mid 1860 -1870 ‘s. Sadly it no longer has its original label. The instrument has a stunning one piece back. I had to remove the top to repair a long crack on the top a month and a bulging rib at the chinrest area  or two ago. While he was here I tightened the post on Simon’s violin as well ….so now they will both be filling the halls with their great sound…..and holding their with Adriana and Jesus …who generate a lot of sound in the bottom half of the quartet!

This is a stunning Nicolo Gagliano from the 1760’s. Its a marvel of sculptural power and subtle craftsmanship with a timeless feel of  human hands …both those that made it and those that have used it.

Nicolo , son of Alessandro, is the pinnacle of Neapolitan violin making. He passed on the tradition to his four sons – Ferdinand, Joseph being the most prominent makers of his next generation. Giuseppe (Joseph) passed the tradition onto his sons Raffaelle and Antonio – often called “the brothers nGagliano” and they brought the fine story to a close in the second half of the 19th century.

This violin, though small in size at 35.2 cm body length, has great power and clear focus. It is also quite dazzling with its luminous varnish over a shimmering ground.

It justly commands the stage at the concert master position of a mid-western orchestra

My wife Rachel’s uncle is the noted American composer Ned Rorem and we will often make a visit in the summer to his charming home on Nantucket.

Nantucket is a fascinating mixture of a meticulously clipped, old village spatchcocked onto a wild island 40 miles out in the Atlantic. A typical day involves a bike adventure out to a remote beach – where you are left with the fascinating choice of the placid,Sound side – or the tumultuous ocean side. Either way there is plenty of room to let the frenetic density of  city-living dissolve.

Ned is  a thought provoking host …and another fascinating mixture. He is both a eloquent,incisive author of diaries , essays on music ,art  and many other topics and a moving composer of art songs,operas,  chamber music and many other genres of music.

All his linguistic ability and creative spirit can all  come together  to produce  a daring and scintillating game of Scrabble on a quiet summer night.

This violin performs in the Pittsburgh Symphony. Its owner had been increasingly frustrated by the sound and performance of it over the years and decided to give it to me to do all it needed to become all it can be. It needed a higher neck angle (and in this case a new fingerboard) to exert more tension down on the top – along with opening up the violin -replacing the bass bar and some subtle adjustments to the thicknesses of the plates. Its always a challenge to work on a  great violin that has been played by a great player for a long time and make it bolder-bigger – and more resonant and deliver all you promise.

A fascinating aspect of this violin is the question as to who made it. It is labelled Stefano Scarampella – the great Italian master who worked in Mantova in the late 19th and early 20th century. He is known for work of great rugged charm and is capable of great (somewhat rough hewn) beauty. During his working life Scarampella took on an apprentice named Gaetano Gadda. Gadda worked  with him over many years and obviously absorbed the masters ideas and working habits. One of the great challenges of authenticating instruments is this master/apprentice working model. When you have seen many Scarampella instruments over the years you begin to see the subtle (and not so subtle) differences….and begin to appreciate the difference between a total Scarampella- a fascinating mixture of their both being involved – and the later work which is entirely Gadda. This can be  difficult because Gadda has the same working methods – same varnish -wood-etc …and he often uses thew masters labels – and in this violin he uses the makers S.S. brand on the button of the back. Obviously it was in their financial interest to sell these as the masters work – and in some ways it is an instrument deeply tied to Scarampella…..but the market place values them  very differently. Regrettably,value-wise,  this violin is entirely the hand of Gadda

Interestingly Gadda’s work is in some ways “cleaner” than Scarampella’s – maybe more refined …..though it lacks the power,charm and personality of the master. Gadda’s instruments have an antiseptic quality next to the master’s vibrant aura…….That is always the deepest mystery……why and how are some artists able to infuse themselves into an artistic object more deeply than others. That seems to be the quality that the market place justly values at the highest heights

I was invited this year to be part of an artistic, electronic percussion  performance by the ensemble  (So) Percussion. I worked on cellos for their large scale -“to be seen in the back row ” so to speak…..working on new making and older instruments

It was exciting to be surrounded by such vibrant,exotic sounds pulsing at decibels even Beethoven couldn’t match!….all the while I worked steadily (and as rhythmically)I could. It was great fun to bring my work self out on a stage and I was really enjoying the stark contrast between my quiet,slow,timeless,precious way of working and the music that I serve – and the loud,pulsing,brash,in-the-moment, and oh-so-electronic way they went about their work.

A great experience