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Monthly Article This
month's article features the making of a scroll. One Saturday afternoon one of Violin-World's makers sat quietly designing a scroll for a new cello he had just been commissioned to make. Craftsmen find a particular pleasure in making their wares to order and the violinmaker enjoyed thinking about the new cello that would be used by Phillip Green in the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The cello had already been discussed the cello in detail - the shape of the scroll, the kind of purfling and what the corners would be like, the sound for which Phillip was searching (and had already found in another cello that had been made for the violinmaker's wife), the kind and colour of the varnish, the kind of pegs, tailpiece and bridge. Phillip is principal cellist of the symphony and the new cello would need to be dependable, responding well to either situation - solo or orchestra playing. It would need to be arched so that the sound would be clear and carry well. Special pegs had been decided upon to provide ease of tuning with a minimum of fuss and hardware. An ebony tailpiece would match the colour and style of the Gilbert pegs. The new scroll would be larger and more masculine than the last cello scroll made. Later, after 26 hours of work (see accompanying photographs), it would remind one of a beautiful sea horse with arched neck.
The violinmaker finished the design and took the wood from the shelf which he and Phillip had chosen for the scroll. In the silence, one could hear the birth of a new cello. |
