cello bow

This bow, along with a cello by Daniel Royé, was donated to the Musical Instrument Fund by a talented amateur cellist. The gentleman was a cellist; he donated his cello and bow to the Musical Instrument Fund when he could no longer play them himself.
“I’ve always loved listening to music; until 1945, that meant the radio and the Pathé phonograph.
After the war, many new recordings on vinyl quickly became available, which greatly enriched my knowledge of the repertoire.
Starting around 1968, I regularly went with my family to the Concertgebouw to hear both symphonic and chamber music.

The rise of the authentic performance practice in the 1960s and 1970s was a defining influence for me, with concerts by Frans Brüggen and Gustav Leonhardt, among others.
After initially playing the recorder (alto) myself, I switched to the cello in 1975—a very fortunate choice.

After 10 years, in 1985, I decided to ask Daniël Royé to build an instrument and a bow for me because I so appreciated the warm and clear sound of his instruments.

With this instrument—which has a 7/8 scale length—I took great pleasure in playing a lot of chamber music in all kinds of ensembles until 2017.
Because I believe this instrument deserves a good home, I donated it to the Musical Instrument Fund in June 2021.

I hope that those who play this cello, now and in the future, will do so with at least as much pleasure as I have.
“A beautiful instrument is happiness.”
Since November 2025, Maria Inês Simas has been the lucky player of the Amsterdam bow.