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A major
restoration in
Vienna

The Musical Instrument Fund not only ensures that musicians can play high-quality instruments, but also that these instruments remain in top condition. A few weeks ago, a Landolfi violin was restored. The Italian violin made its way to Vienna, where it ended up in the capable hands of Usa von Stietencron.

News
16 February 2023 by Geertje van der Linden

Extensive Restoration of the Landolfi Violin

The violin that Isobel Warmelink (27) currently plays has undergone extensive restoration. It is a violin with an eventful history, built by Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi in Milan in 1755. The Viennese violin maker Usa von Stietencron completed the work: “Isobel has since picked up the violin. We spent a few more hours together fine-tuning it, and her initial reactions are very promising!”

Difficult

Isobel has had the Landolfi on loan for five years and is currently studying in Salzburg. For some time, she had felt that the violin didn’t sound right and that playing it felt difficult. “I thought it was my fault, but I decided to go see a luthier anyway.” It turned out that the fingerboard had come slightly loose from the neck, causing the entire fingerboard to “sag” a bit. In the higher positions, the strings were higher relative to the fingerboard; that means the fingers have to work harder in the higher registers.

Take a look at the violin

Distorted

On the advice of the violin’s regular expert, Isobel was sent to Usa von Stietencron in Vienna for restoration. Until recently, Usa worked in Amsterdam at Andreas Post’s workshop. This presented an opportunity not only to replace the fingerboard but also to address several major issues at the same time: a less-than-ideal neck alignment, a warped pegbox, and a few small cracks.

Up to the task

Usa did a fantastic job. The photos show how the old truss rod box was widened, restored to its former glory, and attached to a new neck. He reinforced the walls of the truss rod box so it would be ready to withstand the test of time.

Making Millimeters

The new neck is positioned much higher and at a steeper angle. As a result, the violin now also has a higher bridge, which produces a richer sound. The distance between the strings and the fingerboard is now more than a millimeter shorter. Isobel: “This may seem like very little, but given the number of notes we violinists play, that’s still quite a few meters less that my fingers have to travel!”

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With over 500 instruments and 250 bows, the collection of the Musical Instrument Fund is one of the largest collections of musical instruments in Europe. With your support, the fund can keep this high-quality collection of instruments in top condition. Become a donor!

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