Marcel Gaston Fétique

Life

When Victor François Fétique started his own business in 1913, he took it upon himself to train his son. He had seen how things worked not only at Bazin but also at Caressa & Français. This apprenticeship occasionally caused tension between father and son, but Marcel learned the trade well. In the run-up to World War I, the situation deteriorated, and Victor struggled to make ends meet. He managed to do so by making inexpensive frames for other workshops at low prices. Consequently, he could not afford to hire employees; only his son contributed to production from an early age.

After 1918, France slowly began to recover, and the economic situation gradually allowed for increased spending. It was during this time that father and son began making bows with gold mounts for the first time. Both crafted fine bows, and starting in 1924, Victor sent the finest of them to exhibitions in Brussels, Livorno, London, and Paris. The luxurious finishes on their bows—such as tortoiseshell sleeves adorned with a gold fleur-de-lis, which they crafted for their finest bows—suggest that the following years were very successful for the workshop.

Around 1927, Jules Fétique and André Richaume joined them. Like Victor, Jules had been trained by Bazin, and André by Ouchard. Both had become outstanding bow makers. Marcel learned the finer points of the craft from these experienced craftsmen. Around that time, his father also brought in the German Paul Weidhaas. Paul was, at the time, a highly respected bow maker who had been trained in Markneukirchen and had worked in the finest European workshops, including that of Max Möller in Amsterdam, where he had learned to make bows based on the French model.

The studio gained attention when Victor Fétique was named one of the “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France.” It was a competition held only once every four years and featured a rigorous selection process. The medal was ceremoniously presented to Victor Fétique at the Sorbonne in Paris. The ceremony took place at the Élysée Palace. As a result, Victor Fétique’s workshop came to the attention not only of musicians but also of a broad audience.

Marcel married Eugénie Louise Herpson in 1930. That same year, he also started his own business. He divided his time between working for his father and running his own workshop, which he had just opened. He continued to do so until Victor Fétique died three years later, in 1933. Marcel took over the wood, the stock of bows, and his tools, and continued to run his father’s workshop—but at his own address.

After the crisis of ’33, World War II, and the subsequent Algerian uprising—which forced many young French men to join the army—material reconstruction took precedence over preserving a rich musical culture in the 1950s. Moreover, new technologies such as “talking” movies and LPs replaced concerts. Orchestras were disbanded, musicians lost their jobs en masse, and conservatories stood empty. This had a significant impact on violin makers and bow makers. Between 1950 and 1960, one violin-making and bow-making workshop after another closed; first in Mirecourt, then in major provincial cities, and finally, the downturn reached Paris as well.

Marcel Fétique survived the crisis, but he didn't make many bows after 1950. He devoted himself to restoration and the violin trade, where he earned a good reputation.

Work and Influence

It was customary for violin makers and bow makers to continue their apprenticeship with others after completing their initial training. Not so for Marcel Fétique; he was trained by his father and by no one else. He was influenced only by Jules Fétique, André Richaume, and Paul Weidhaas while working alongside them. Victor himself gave Marcel little leeway to develop his own model. And that never came to pass; he continued making them in the same style until the 1940s. After that, experts began to notice the influence of Emil Ouchard in his bows. After 1950, his bows became rarer and were usually made to order.

The number of bows he made was not very large, but they are highly prized by connoisseurs. With the exception of the finish on his bow cases, which did not always exhibit the highest degree of refinement, his bows came very close to those of his father. Throughout his life, he made bows of consistent quality. Marcel Fétique worked for several other workshops, including Bailly and Chanot & Chardon. He used only one brand mark: Mcel Fétique à Paris. His bows were often round and orange-brown, usually fitted with a silver mount.

Sources

Claudot-Hawad, H., 2012, *La lutherie se meurt*: An Epistolary Chronicle of the Crisis of the 1950s and 1960s. Hal.

Millant, B., Raffin, J.F., (2000) *L'Archet: French Bowmakers, 1750–1950*. Paris.

Vatelot, E. (1976), *Les Archets Français*. Nancy.

Jacquot, A., 1912, La Lutherie Lorraine et Française, Paris.

Tarisio; the Cozio archives, accessed in 2019.

Geneanet, accessed in 2019.

Archives Nationales de France, accessed in 2019.