Luthiers are craftspeople skilled in making string instruments – guitars, violins, violas, cellos, double basses. Their hands carve, chisel, gouge, varnish, and fit together various types of inanimate pieces of wood and other materials so the finished instrument “sings” in the hands of the right musician.
It is an art that has evolved over centuries. From the simple plucked harp or lyre of ancient times to the many different sized and voiced instruments of the modern string family, luthiers have been honing their techniques based on the models and measurements of the great Austrian and Italian luthiers, such as Jacob Stainer, Nicola Amati, and Antonio Stradivari.
It is a profession that does not require great physical strength but has nevertheless been dominated by men and passed on from male masters to their apprentices. The famous luthier Antonio Stradivari learned the trade from the eminent Nicola Amati in the 17th century, who learned from his father, Hieronymus, and grandfather Andrea. Their work, measurements, and high standards remain the template for the modern instruments produced today, and their work began the great era of violin making based in Cremona, Italy.
Although there were women – wives, mothers, mistresses, and lovers – who could have been assistants in the famous luthiers’ workshops, James Warren, head of violin dealers Kenneth Warren & Son in Chicago, Illinois, whose grandfather founded the precursor to the Chicago School of Violin Making in 1975, points out that these women very likely contributed to shop operations but were not involved in the finishing stages.
“However,” Warren says, “since the founding of the Kenneth Warren & Son School of Violin Making in 1975, a significant number of women have graduated and now hold prominent positions in the field. Today, many successful women luthiers compete internationally, and regularly earn medals [for their work] in major competitions.”
Although their numbers are few, women luthiers are making their mark and providing skilled work in Israel. In preparation for this article, I spoke to master bow maker David Samuels, and luthier Yaakov Hai, whose workshops are in the Artists’ Compound in Ein Carmel near Haifa, who suggested speaking with several Israeli women luthiers whose work is highly regarded throughout the country.
Every luthier’s workshop is a very special place. Opening the door provides a multisensory experience. The visitor is greeted by pungent and fragrant smells, intriguing sights, and, of course, music.
SHANI BAR graciously opened her shop to the Magazine. She and her partner, Shay Noi, who is a musician and recording engineer, live, work, and record in a Templer building in the bucolic community of Beit Lehem Haglilit.
Bar related that she was born in Jerusalem, and her father worked for the Foreign Ministry. Travel was an established part of her childhood, although English was the language they used at home, no matter where her father’s work took him. At the age of eight, while the family was stationed in Spain for four years, she started to play cello, and as a child she made the decision to be a maker of instruments.
“I was very curious about how these pieces of different woods and strings fit together in a very efficient way to produce sound when touched by the player. I also was fascinated as a youngster how the shape of the body of the instrument enables it to be a very efficient carrier of sound vibrations. String instruments are strong yet flexible. The tops are made from a soft wood such as spruce from Europe, and the backs from a hard wood such as maple from Canada or Europe. The strings are stretched at high tension over a wooden bridge and carry the vibrations to the inner body of the instrument, to the sound post, the bass bar, and small blocks of wood fitted into the corners, all of which vibrate and produce the magic of sound,” she explained.
As an established violin maker, Bar goes to special artisans in Europe who cure wood for instrument makers. “I choose woods which not only are aesthetically beautiful but also possess a sort of ‘magic’ for me. I never buy wood without touching it first.”
She added, “I do not make instruments for specific individuals. People choose what is best for them.”
Bar said that her skills come from many years of learning in Italy. After high school, she took a carpentry course to learn how to use the tools she would need to make instruments. Then she studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she majored in physics and mathematics. Afterward, she applied to two violin making schools in Italy and was accepted to both: one in Cremona, and the Accademia Scrollavezza in Parma.
The prestigious Cremona violin making school asked her to make a fingerboard for an instrument before they accepted her as a student. At the Accademia Scrollavezza, which has deep roots in violin making, she just needed to be interviewed. The school accepts only 10 students per year for its five-year course, and she chose Parma.
“I felt I would benefit more from their workshop-based training. Two days a week, we had class instruction,” Bar said. “The rest of the time, the students were in the workshops, working on their own while under supervision.”
She added, “Whatever I choose to do, I do with my whole heart. In my thoughts, the secret is in the details, whether it is mathematics, physics, or violin making, and I have pleasure in working with details.”
In Italy, Bar met Nir Raviv and spoke highly of their friendship and of Raviv’s workmanship. “Nir is from the Gaza border communities and lost many friends and family in the Oct. 7 massacre. But that did not deter her from coming back to Israel to work in her trade.”
RAVIV WAS born on Kibbutz Revivim in the Negev, where her grandparents were among the founders. After attending the Israel Arts and Science Academy (IASA) in Jerusalem, where she studied and played violin, she did a year of community service and tried out different occupations. It was then that she decided to play again after a 10-year hiatus from the violin, and took her violin to a violin maker for refurbishment.
“After I saw the workshop, I had a ‘wow’ moment and decided this would be the occupation for my life,” she said.
“‘One does not do this overnight, and if you want to do it seriously, go to Italy and learn,’ I was told by violin makers. Therefore, I went, stayed, and studied at the Cremona school for three years, which was interrupted by a year off because of COVID. Nevertheless, I decided to go deeper into my studies and went to Milan, Italy, for an additional three years of study.
“The Milan Violin School was different, and I liked it very much. They offer several courses, which I found interesting and valuable, such as acoustics, chemistry of varnishes, photography, physics, and the use of computer, not only to learn from the masters but also as a tool for designing new instruments,” she explained.
“Instruments have evolved over time,” she pointed out. “Hundreds of years ago, in the Baroque period, violins were different because the requirements of a solo instrument were different. Today’s music demands more power, more volume, different sounds, and violins and string instruments have evolved to accommodate them. In addition, I believe every musician wants different qualities from his or her instrument, and it is in the power of the violin maker/repairer to adjust the sounds to the performer’s wishes.”
Perhaps the challenging part of being a woman violin maker is that they are fewer in number, but Raviv counts herself as lucky. “My teacher in Cremona was a woman, and many of my classmates were women. Although there are fewer historical examples of women violin makers to inspire us, the quality instruction from our teachers gave us many rewards, as well as inspiration. Every small moment when something comes out as I imagined it are rewards in themselves.”
In Israel, Raviv works in the violin workshop of Shlomo Moyal in Aminadav near Jerusalem. “I am learning the art of restoration of instruments, which is new for me, and enjoying it very much. In addition, it is a source of joy to know you can work in the profession of violin making in Israel,” she said.
HAGIT GLUSKA is a bow maker and violin maker with a different story about her life before opening her workshop in Binyamina.
“I worked as a lawyer until the age of 30 in the Israel State Prosecutor’s Office in Jerusalem. During that time, I began studying to play the violin, until one day my violin broke, and I looked for a repairer in Jerusalem to fix the damage,” Gluska said. “From the moment I entered the shop, I felt, without a doubt, this was the profession I must pursue.”
Her impression of the shop was that it was a fascinating place filled with violins in various states of repair hanging from racks from the ceiling, tools and parts of violins spread throughout the shop, and the strong, pleasant scent of old wood. Gluska felt at home and ready to switch careers.
Violin makers told her that in order to do so, she must do two things: learn from the masters in Italy, and have a great deal of patience. Therefore, she bought a small book on how to speak Italian, applied and was accepted to the Stradivari International School of Violin Making in Cremona, and packed her bags and moved there for three years to study violin making and restoration.
“Restoring old violins became my passion, and at the end of my studies, I found employment in my new profession in Florence, Italy,” she recounted.
Afterward, she moved to South Korea, where she built violins and cellos that were played upon by the many talented South Korean instrumentalists. “I found a world of culture I was not aware of, and appreciation of classical music at a high level,” she explained. In South Korea, she also advanced her knowledge and skills of instrument making and restoration while learning from excellent teachers.
“During the interim period I took between Italy and South Korea, I had the pleasure and fine opportunity to increase my skills by learning how to make bows for string instruments with David Samuels in Ein Carmel,” Gluska said.
“Many people do not know this, but making bows for string instruments is a completely different profession. Bows require a delicate touch and techniques not found in violin making. It is almost like making jewelry, and I regard myself as very lucky to learn from him. Today, I have the knowledge to build, repair, and refurbish bows many people think are worthless.”
When asked what gives her the greatest pleasure in her work, she replied that the ability to return beautifully made but neglected violins and bows to their original state is a reward in itself. In addition, she finds happiness in seeing her clients rejoice when they come to collect their instruments returned in better condition. The connection between musicians and their instruments is very close.
YAEL ROSENBLUM entered violin making after a childhood of learning to play violin and viola on a professional level.
“I started as a musician who went to the excellent music academy in Jerusalem and played professionally in a chamber orchestra in my early 20s,” she said. “Even though I was a musician at quite a high level and music was a very important part of my life, the stage was never a passion for me. However, I was very passionate about drawing and many forms of manual arts.
“Therefore, when I graduated from the academy, I felt that becoming a maker and combining the knowledge of the violin I had as a player with my capability in manual arts was what I really wanted to spend my life doing. So I moved to Cremona in 1999 to attend the Stradivari International School of Violin Making, and later worked in Los Angeles with a restorer.
“After Los Angeles, I opened my own shop, which I had for 20 years, in the center of Cremona. Six years ago, I decided to make a change to a bigger city, and since then I have been based in Turin in northern Italy, making new instruments and restoring old ones.”
The women luthiers who contributed to this article have one common thread. They all have a passion for the profession of making musical instruments. Each is proud to be a luthier and did not let the fact that there are fewer women than men in the profession hold them back.
Shani Bar posited that choosing a violin maker or repairer is also a matter of trust. “As more women enter the luthier trade, patrons will gain confidence in their ability, and in the future we will see more women respected for their work and excellence.”■
The art of guitar building – including an avocado-shaped bass guitar
Luthier Sarah Weinberg was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. In 2009, she made aliyah and began learning the art of guitar building in 2015. She recounted her journey into this specialized realm as follows:
“I have always had a passion for music and have played many instruments from a very young age. At the age of nine, I started playing guitar. 2014 was a year of change for me, and I decided to leave graduate school and to learn to build guitars.
“In Tel Aviv, I met Eitan Bartal, an incredibly talented luthier who gave me my first opportunity to learn guitar building. Doors opened for me to continue learning and turn guitar making into a career. I had my own business repairing and building guitars in Tel Aviv, working alongside another great luthier, Kfir Ozdoba.
“Recently, I moved to New York, where I am building and repairing guitars. Right now, I am building an avocado-shaped bass guitar. My favorite kind of guitar is a parlor-sized, small body, steel string acoustic guitar, and I plan to build one in the near future.
“What I find most enjoyable is the art of building instruments – the attention to detail, the precision, the craft of honing one’s skills, and problem solving. I like being able to fix someone’s guitar and give it new life, making it more enjoyable to play. And I love working with wood – no two pieces are the same.” – S.H.