The luthier, an operator of souls

It is difficult to find an object whose process and building materials have been virtually identical over the centuries. Any attempt of alteration in the measures, the proportions, the shape or materials of string instruments has inevitably concluded with the return of the canons that were established between the 16th and 17TH centuries. Showcases of Casa Parramon, the workshop of ancient luthería of Spain, founded in 1897 and dedicated to the sale and restoration of violins, violas, cellos and double basses, are home to a collection of these instruments of capricious forms, which never passed thata mere whim. "You can match or improve it a little in some respects, but the essence is already fixed." All the tests that have been made are in glass cases; "for some thing will be", says Jordi Pinto, current director of Casa Parramon.

In addition, an instrument from the middle of the well preserved 16th century, sounds perfectly in our days. "The only thing that has changed since the 16th century is the sound level of demand, i.e. in the 17TH and 18th centuries is playing chamber music." "The required power to the instrument is not expected to fill an auditorium". For this reason, at the end of the 18th and 19th century changes a few "subtle" which allows them to play in larger spaces such as the large auditoriums.

Another thing happens with arches, as or more important than his own instrument. They are the work of the arqueteros, different but complementary to the luthier trade, "the one without the other is not going anywhere" says Jordi Pinto. The manufacture of arches that evolved most of the instruments, especially in the field of new materials. Traditionally the arches were in pernambuco, a tropical wood in the eponymous region of Brazil hard and flexible. Lately is being tested carbon fiber, that allows to obtain "arches ' battle' of high quality, but they can not compare with the quality of the wood." "Even if the material can evolve, how is unbeatable."

The centenary workshop

113 years and three generations of luthiers summarized the history of Casa Parramon. Founded by Ramon Parramon, who later joined the brothers Pinto, Jacint and Àngel, this House lived their splendour Builder - more than 400 instruments - during the 20 and 30 of the last century. But came the Civil war and also ravaged in the activity of Casa Parramon. The demand for instruments ceased at once due to the war and the long postwar. Since then, the business was reoriented towards the restoration: musicians are could not purchase new instruments, but yes could repair and maintain those who already had.

During the 1960s the second generation took over at Casa Parramon workshop with the children of Angel Pinto: Ramon and Josep Maria. While the latter was head of the workshop, updating it with current techniques and more precise tools, Ramon Pinto replaced Ramon Parramon and his father in the direction of the store. Ramon expanded horizons and looked to Europe to see how to reorient and upgrade the store. He and his wife Maria Rosa traveled around the world and are the architects of the collection of classical, ethnic and folk instruments which can be seen in the display cabinets and walls of Casa Parramon. Ramon Pinto is also the author of 'History of the violin' (1973), 'The Spanish luthiers' embryo (1987), first and currently only book on the luthería Spanish from 1,700. Two years later he published 'Manual of the luthier', the unique in its genre written in Castilian.

At the end of the 1970s the third generation of professionals is incorporated into the House: Àlex Canals, nephew of Ramon, and Jordi Pinto, son of Josep Maria. The workshop was strengthened with the incorporation of Jordi Térmens, in 1998, and Ignasi Flo, in 2003.

In the workshop of Casa Parramon, as close to the hustle and bustle of the Ramblas, it breathes calm. But it's an apparent calm. Many musicians depend on these craftsmen to be able to exercise their craft, so it must be much adjust delivery schedules and work fast and with great precision with instruments of 200 or 300 years old. For example, during our visit they had a hand a violin of 1835 and the other from 1739, and many others waiting their turn hung on the walls and the ceiling of the room.

In the workshop, there is no much technology, they say. Gouge, brushes, chisels, typical tools of any work related to the wood, are aligned in the Workbench of the workshop. Some of them are specific to the job, as a small brush made to the extent of the violins, and the almero, a skewer which is placed the small cylinder in the interior of the instrument. In addition, must be fitted with measurement tools such as the compass of thick, with which the thick of the wood with great precision is calculated with tenths of a millimeter. It must be borne in mind that the contact surface of the instrument when it closes is a thick minimum and should be uniform so that it fits perfectly.

Templates and moulds, where they work with toothpaste are also used. "They were formerly made of plaster, but when it dries it shrinks and we always had differences in the measures." The toothpaste dries more quickly and more accurately. "Is one of the many things we have learned from professionals from abroad", says Jordi Pinto. And it is that for years, Casa Parramon invests in research, development and continuous training of its members. Regularly organize 'stage' intensive bringing fellow luthiers in other countries to its facilities to learn the latest techniques in restoration of instruments.

Major damage that often have these instruments are due to the use, atmospheric phenomena or transport. "The violin is like an architectural Vault" - has Pinto - a vault supported by pressure. "The four strings by pressing, in the case of the violin, are 10 to 12 kilograms of constant pressure on the lid, and the tension of the extremes is about 25 kg." If we have that this pressure and tension are on an area of 1, 5-2 mm, the minimum that there is a bit of heat and humidity, the violin can be desencolar, pressure relents and can reach warp wood.

In addition to the desencoladuras, instruments may suffer dislocations in the sound, the Assembly and the setting. "The string vibrates;" "bridge, the sound becomes the lid and the soul transmits it to the Fund." In this way, with the soul of the violin, the lid and the bottom of the instrument vibrate equally in phase. Without a soul, it vibrates in inverse and the sound goes out of control. "The placement of the soul is very important, and often, both playing the instrument or move it in travel, desajusta".

Also, wear for use should be regularly amended. The wooden dowel is a friction constant with the head and the time it desajusta and you have to readjust it. Incidents are also often produced in the instrument by strokes or falls, causing cracks. To repair them, should loosen the tension of the strings and open the tool, disassemble it and amend the crack to level, reinforcing it with a few small cubes inside and varnish on the exterior.

The forgotten instruments in some attic may also experience the attacks of liable, whose damage is very difficult to remedy. "The bad are not external damage of the instrument, which are only the tip of the iceberg, but when open it and see all affected which is the wood on the inside". Then we need to ask is whether the recovery is worthwhile. "It must calculate whether the instrument is the effort and money invested in its restoration."

As in any industry, musical instruments with a wide range of qualities can be found on the market. Jordi Pinto told us that we can distinguish roughly three different types of instruments. On the one hand, the instrument more industrialized, simple, done in large series, with some - "every day better" - quality and reasonably priced. They are tools designed for students. Then, there is a type of traditional instrument made way serial by several hands. "It continues to be a work made in chain or ceases to be done by hand, with what gets an instrument not very high priced, high quality". Finally, is completely handmade instrument. The Builder chooses the wood, the short-cut, makes the entire process to the varnishing. The instrument is made by a single craftsman, so the quality is exceptional. They tend to be very personal work, built to measure of the musician. "Let us not forget that the instrument is the tool of the musician, and each musician demands different things to his instrument". Luthier must rise to the challenge of these subtleties, that not only are objective characteristics of the instrument, "as if the sound is clean or if you hear a little noise, or decompensation between treble, middle and serious", but there is also much psychological component: "No matter what you're hearing, you must adapt it wants the musician".

But, as in any industry, the construction of instruments is also suffering a galloping delocalización. Increasingly, European, particularly German companies are making large investments and set up their factories in countries such as China. "The German builders form to Chinese workers in their own way, control the product with a very reasonable price, so 80% of Chinese production is going to Germany". Despite having timber species native with similar qualities, since China buys European wood of high quality and manufactured there, with a very cheap but highly skilled workforce. "The salary of a Chinese building instruments is 5% of a German." I believe that the majority of European products are no longer competitive nor price and quality. Europe, aware of this, manufacturers have run to relocate, so of the 12 basic qualities with which we work, we have passed to have 12 European 10 Chinese and 2 European. "And that taking into account that there are European and American capital behind."

But before the globalization of the last few decades, during the 60-70s of the last century, who broke into the market was Japan, and did so on two fronts. On the one hand, the Suzuki company began producing instruments of comparable quality to what could be found in Germany and with a similar price. But the second front was the Suzuki method of learning, with which they taught to children 'playing' and also provided the instrument. After Japan, appeared the Koreans, with qualitatively lower products and at half price to the Japanese. Korea raised their standard of living and their prices, and they were no longer as competitive. "Then broke China, so they own Koreans say 'do want Korean instruments made in China or made in Korea?', because the Korean product made in China is 20% cheaper than the built in Korea".

Ramon Pinto, of the second generation in Casa Parramon, following its firm intention of know how worked the foreign luthiers, contacted the best workshops in Europe, where it released. Thanks to his work, he became the first Spanish in forming part of the Entente Internationale des Maitres Luthiers et Archetuers d'Art, the International Association of luthería. "The French had been 50 years partners and the Germans have been held since the 100th anniversary of their partnership... take us much advantage", says Jordi Pinto, nephew of Ramon. The Spanish Association of Luthiers and Arqueteros professionals, whose headquarters was located in the own workshop Parramon, Carme, 8 Street, in the old part of Barcelona founded in 1987 in his image. Later, "for reasons of differences in the ways of doing and incompatibility of character," the Association was subdivided in 2. Currently, Jordi remains in AELAP, split, born in February 2003, after the dissolution of the former AEML/ALAE. "Some of the members of this former Association still had the concern of forming a group or collective that it could give an image of unity and coherence in the work and professional ethics in front of the musicians and interested general public". Among the goals of AELAP are the promote the contemporary luthería and modern classical, musicians giving much information about its members, the seriousness and honesty offered each of them in their work. It will also encourage dialogue and exchange with other luthiers and associations of other countries, for so enrich our work and knowledge, both in the restoration and repair and construction of instruments and bows.

Also, AELAP want to combat the intrusion in the luthería, abuse and practices little honest and also offers advice to who so requests to defend themselves against such acts. "The main problem - has Jordi - is there an official College of luthería, which anyone can ride a 'bar', whether legal or not". A type of intrusion is that burst the market working in black. "There also is the typical ready conductor that makes bungling that could irreversibly damage instruments of 200 or 300 years, and then to true restaurateurs, giving us three times the work fixing his blunder". Musicians are often not aware of the sensitivity that is working with instruments and chooses "to pay less, without taking into account the guarantee and after-sales service that offers you a good Restorer". Similarly, there is the same kind of "trapicheo" with the purchase of instruments. Often, and also for economic reasons, are purchased instruments other musicians with no guarantee. "The luthiers offer advice on purchases of this type, but not everyone wants to hear the truth about the instrument that has been bought," jokes Jordi.

Paneveggio, the forest of the violins

Depending on which side of the instrument are talking about, is made of wood or another: Maple in the Balkans for the part of the head and the bridge; ebony to whisk; Brazilian rosewood, ebony or box for mounting (plugs, cordal and mentonera). For the cover and all internal reinforcements, is often used FIR. "The best wood of spruce is the forest of Paneveggio, in the Dolomites", says Jordi Pinto. Located to the North of Venice, the Foresta dei Violini, the forest of the violins, is a vast forest of red spruce (Picea abies excelsa), with exemplary Centennials over 40 metres in height. Paneveggio are true specialists in wood for string instruments. They control their quality already from the tree, scrupulously to monitor times of logging depending on the moons. Once cut, is measured the density, the ability of vibration and sound transmission, thus identifying the quality of the wood.

In large part, the forest of the violins he owes his fame to Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737), the most celebrated Builder of stringed instruments - Stradivarius-prominent for his unique sound. Stradivari came from Cremona, a town near Paneveggio where still remains one of the most important schools of luthería of the world. Much has been said of the extraordinary qualities of the Stradivarius - drying, aging, wood, varnish with secret formulas... - Although recent scientific studies have shown that the time in which he lived Stradivari coincided with the 'Maunder Minimum', the period between 1645 to 1745, which was, apparently, extremely cold. The rigorous winters and cool summers made that fir trees grow more slowly and give a more dense and rigid, wood is the that used the famous Builder to their instruments.

On this last theory, Jordi Pinto has a clear opinion: "There is not a clear or direct causal." Moreover, if so, all the instruments at the same time, they were who they were, they would be just as good as the Stradivari, which it obviously is not well. "If we consider only factor Maunder and no other, we are underestimating the most decisive factor: the master". On this subject, Pinto clarifies many questions in an interesting post on his blog: http://einafustalletrainota.blogspot.com/2008/07/el-secreto-de-stradivari-2-parte-versin.html