Musicians Tell Their Stories:
Choosing
a Violin
Violinist Kine Håndlykken (35) has recently been in the process of searching for a new violin. The musical jack-of-all-trades needed a violin that could handle a wider range of music than her old one. “I didn’t think I qualified; in my mind, this was only for musicians with a formal classical training.” Through her teacher, Coosje Wijzenbeek, she ended up at Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds and embarked on this exciting adventure—with one additional complicating factor: the coronavirus pandemic.
The Run-Up
Kine grew up in Trondheim, Norway, where she studied at the conservatory. She has been playing a violin from that region her entire life. Kine gradually moved from classical music to all kinds of other musical styles. “I have very eclectic tastes. So, from Balkan music from Eastern Europe to tango, but also swing jazz with the violin. I really love jazz music.” Then she reached a point where the sound of the violin no longer appealed to her as much as it used to. It seemed as if she had to work harder to get the sound she wanted out of it. The instrument held Kine back in her growth, and the love between the two faded away...
At first, Kine didn’t think she’d be eligible for a violin from the fund, because she isn’t your typical classical musician. As part of the musical comedy duo Maartje & Kine, she performed a tribute to Janine Jansen on Podium Witteman a few years ago. Coosje Wijzenbeek was also present as Janine’s former teacher. That’s where the connection between Kine and Coosje began. Coosje ultimately encouraged her to reach out to the foundation. “You need a new violin—you simply need a better violin. This one doesn’t do what you want it to,” Coosje said. As the Musical Instrument Fund, we are, of course, very happy to help musicians who dare to venture off the beaten path.
The Search
"For me, this was truly a huge adventure. I thought I'd be done in an hour, but I ended up spending four hours in a room full of violins from the collection!"” It reminded Kine a little of the moment when Harry Potter discovered his wand in the wandmaker’s shop, “where the wand chooses the wizard.” Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, she was all alone in the small instrument room.
“I had this romantic image in my head: the moment I played the right violin, I’d know right away, ‘This is the one!’ And that’s partly true. With some violins, I immediately felt that technical passages came easily and that the sound really stood out. But others took a little more time. It was sort of love at second sight."
After four hours, there were still four violins left. She was allowed to continue trying them out at home. What makes the search difficult is that Kine uses the violin for an incredibly wide variety of musical styles. Some violins will sound better in the high register, others in the low register. One violin is softer than another. And then there’s the amplification of the violin during performances: that requires yet another set of characteristics.
“I play all styles, so it had to be a bit of an all-around violin.”
She enlisted Coosje's help. It didn't take long for the most suitable violin to emerge: a Josef Vedral from The Hague, 1940.
“For me, this was truly a positive experience during this crazy COVID-19 period full of cancellations and performances that couldn’t take place. It really gave me a new burst of energy. This violin challenges me to use different techniques and motivates me to take myself more seriously as a violinist. I’m still discovering all the things I can do with it. I’m in love all over again!”
The “winner”
The violin was modeled after a 1757 Guadagnini. Years ago, it was seriously damaged. The player, with the violin case on her back, fell backward from a chair while reaching for a book and hit an oak table.
“You can’t really tell from the outside, but the inside seems to be made up of thousands of tiny pieces of wood glued together. It’s almost poetic: perfect on the outside and broken on the inside. And that’s also inspiring—I’m currently working on a love song for my violin, on the violin itself. The metaphor is easy to make, of course—a broken heart and a broken body; who knows."
And now: the performance
You can now catch the musical comedy duo Maartje & Kine on stage! The show Speelbeesten runs through June 2021, for an audience of 30 people (you can find the schedule). The quest and the violin play a special role in this show! The show Hoge Noot will be in theaters starting in September 2021, and of course it will feature the Vedral as well.