violin
Joseph Hel
built in Small in 1889
A violin built by Joseph Hel in Lille in 1889. The back and sides are made of “bird’s-eye maple.”
Current player
Olga Göschel
from Joseph Hel
History of this instrument
In 1991, this violin, built by Joseph Hel, was loaned to the Musical Instrument Fund. Yvonne Smullers was the first to play it, and she was succeeded by many violinists. Anne-Marie Volten, Amarins Wierdsma, and Samuel Tamari Otero were enthusiastic players. In 2009, the violin was returned to its owner, but to our delight, the lender’s children decided in 2018 to make the violin available again to violinists from the Musical Instrument Fund. Currently, Olga Göschel is the player of this French violin.
About the builder Joseph Hel
Joseph Hel began his career as a violin maker at a time when the Second Industrial Revolution had begun and traditional craftsmanship was under threat from all sides. Hel, born in 1842, also observed—after completing his training in...
