Philippe Devanneaux, violin maker in Cremona since 1991
So, who are you? I am French, born in Paris. I lived in Sevran, in the Paris suburbs, where I studied musicology
until the age of twenty-one. Later I had the chance to meet a violin maker who worked in Cremona.
He offered to show me the trade. Then, going round other workshops, I found other masters willing to show me the building
technique and to share a little of their experience.
Experience has no price, it is the secret of a whole lifetime. It lets us understand at first glance
whether the wood will have the right grain and how the thicknesses will have to be worked, for example. Experience is
the only way to properly absorb the vast amount of knowledge you need to be a good
violin maker.
For four years I learned violin making thanks to the generosity of several violin makers. For two
years I followed a professional training course in restoration techniques with very capable Masters, through which
I learned to carry out some very interesting repairs and to improve the quality of the fittings, a detail
that is essential for the sound of the instrument and for the comfort of the musician.
Finally, I attended another training course on bow making.