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Peer Review and Editorial Board

Quartet, Vida Simon, 2008

A call for papers was issued in 2002 to 7,000 institutions, repair and restoration shops, schools, and makers around the world. In response we received over 250 proposals for articles from craftspeople and scholars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Korea, and Australia. A thorough peer review process, followed by targeted commissioning of articles to fill in gaps, has resulted in a collection of 150 articles by an international roster of 122 prominent contributors.

An editorial board of recognized expert craftspeople and conservators specializing in either instruments or bows was formed, and prospective authors were asked to prepare an abstract of the article they wished to submit for consideration. The abstracts could be submitted in any language and were translated as required. Abstracts were put through a blind peer review by panels consisting of four craftspeople and one conservator with the relevant specialization, all of whom were drawn from the editorial board. Each panel member, or referee, provided a written response to the submission, with a recommendation to accept, accept with reservations, or reject.

Without precluding innovative techniques, products, or ideas, the referees gave strong consideration to conservative methods that demonstrate a concern for the physical and musical integrity of the instrument or bow.

Several members of the editorial board, as well as editor Tom Wilder and many contributors, apprenticed with leading restorer Hans Weisshaar before and during the period when he was producing The Manual for Violin Restoration (1988), which has long been the standard reference work in the field.

The Editorial Board

For articles dealing with bows:

For articles dealing with instruments:

Technical Review of Manuscript

In August 2007 all of the technical articles were reviewed for accuracy by Paul Siefried, Joe Grubaugh, and Sigrun Seifert. Editing is being finalized in accordance with their queries and comments.

Notes on Editorial Board Members

For articles dealing with bows:

Tim Baker graduated with distinction from the Newark School of Violin Making in the UK before training further as a bow maker and restorer at London’s W.E. Hill & Sons. In 1984 he joined the renowned workshop J&A Beare Ltd, where his time was divided between bow making, restoration, and the study of old bows, specifically English bows from 1750 onwards. Mr. Baker lectures internationally and is a frequent juror for bow-making competitions around the world. Having been involved with Oberlin College’s instrument restoration workshops in Ohio, he worked to establish a similar professional development course at West Dean College in the UK. He has made bows for soloists, orchestral and chamber musicians, and a number of teachers in leading conservatories. Mr. Baker was a major contributor to The British Violin (2000), published by the British Violin Making Association (BVMA).

Joseph Grubaugh received a music degree from the University of the Pacific in 1972 before apprenticing in violin making with Albert C. Muller in Sacramento, California, and in restoration techniques with the renowned Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles. He established his own workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Sigrun Seifert, in 1979. Mr. Grubaugh has been a staff member for the Oberlin summer workshops in violin making and served has as a judge in Violin Society of America competitions. The couple have won numerous awards for their new instrument making, including five gold and four silver medals at Violin Society of America competitions and were consequently declared Hors Concours by the VSA in 1988. They are members of both the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM) and the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers D’Art (EILA), and they have frequently been guest lecturers for the VSA and AFVBM. Their co-authored articles have appeared in the Strad, Strings, Journal of the Violin Society of America, and the Journal of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. In 1993 and 1994, under the sponsorship of the AFVBM and with the aim of fostering better communication between the artisan and conservation communities, they organized a workshop at the Smithsonian’s Conservation and Analytical Laboratory outside Washington DC.

Klaus Grünke studied bow making in Germany under his father, Richard Grünke, and under renowned restorer Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles, focusing on restoration techniques and the copying of master bows. After returning to Germany, he made and restored bows in his father’s shop, and in 1996, became co-owner of Richard Grünke & Söhne in Langensendelbach. Mr. Grünke was awarded two gold medals in the 1980 Violin Society of America’s competition in New York, and a silver medal at the 1983 Louis Spohr competition in Germany. Since then, he has served on the jury of several international bow-making competitions in Paris, Manchester, Albuquerque, and Mittenwald. Together With Hans Karl Schmidt and Wolfgang Zunterer, he is co-author of the two-volume study German Bow Makers, 1783-2000 (2000).

André Lavoye received a degree in aeronautics before starting a 26-year long career in violin and bow making. He has studied under Pierre Guillaume in Brussels, Sandra Wagstaff in Hong Kong, and Francois Varcin in Paris. Mr. Lavoye taught violin making at the École de lutherie artistique du Noroît in Quebec City in the mid-1990s. He now works and lives in Montreal.

Peter Oxley is a leading British bow maker based in Headington, Oxford. A graduate of the Leeds College of Jazz, he is also a jazz guitarist and composer. He is a member of the British Violin Makers Association (BVMA) and a frequent contributor of articles to its Newsletter, as well as to Strad magazine. His violin and cello bows have won numerous prizes, including the Grand Prize of the City of Paris in 1999.

Jean-François Raffin first studied violin making at Mirecourt in 1969. He mastered bow making under Bernard Millant, the world’s leading connoisseur of fine bows, and was Mr. Millant’s first assistant for over 17 years before opening his own workshop in 1989. He received the Silver Medal of the "Meilleurs ouvriers de France" in 1979, has received the Prix de la Couronne Française, and was named “Expert près de la Cour d’Appel de Paris” in 1996. Mr. Raffin lectures and teaches internationally, is a member of both the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art (EILA) and the Groupement des Luthiers et Archetiers d'Art de France (GLAAF), and, with Bernard Millant, is co-author of L’Archet: Les Tourte et les Archetiers Français de 1750-1950 (2000).

Douglas Raguse has been a bow maker and restorer for more than three decades and has made nearly a thousand bows to date. He studied violin with George Zazofsky and Louis Krasner at the University of Miami’s School of Music before he was introduced to bow making by Lloyd Liu and the influential restorer and teacher William Salchow. Mr. Raguse maintained a bow-making studio in Chicago for 20 years and later established a studio on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula where he continues to make and restore bows. Mr. Raguse has judged international bow-making competitions for the Violin Society of America (VSA) and the International Society of Bassists, and has won a total of twelve awards for excellence in bow making, including a Gold Medal from the VSA and a First Prize from the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM).

Paul Martin Siefried is a leading, internationally recognized bow maker and restorer. He trained with renowned restorer Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles before opening his own workshop in 1984. After winning seven gold medals in international competitions, Mr. Siefried was declared Hors Concours in 1982 by the Violin Society of America (VSA). He received masters’ certificates in bow making, restoration, and expertise in 1989 and, in 1991, established a bow-making centre in Port Townsend, Washington. He has served as a jury member for the VSA competition, the Strad competition, and the Concours Internationaux de la Ville de Paris. Mr. Siefried is a founding member, board member, and past treasurer of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM). He is also a member of the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art (EILA), Les Luthiers du Monde, and a past director of the VSA. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative (IPCI-USA).

Michael Vann trained in New York City in the shop of master bow maker and influential teacher William Salchow. Since the beginning of his career in 1975, Mr. Vann has won numerous international awards. He has also produced bows for the Royal House of Denmark and counts such notables as Pinchas Zukerman among his many clients. In addition to making bows, Mr. Vann currently serves as Luthier in Residence at the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Victoria, British Columbia, where he teaches bow making and restoration. He is a member of the Violin Society of America (VSA) and the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM).

For articles dealing with instruments:

Charles Beare is recognized as the world’s leading connoisseur of fine violins. He studied violin making at the Staatliche Geigenbauschule in Mittenwald in the late 1950s and then learned the fundamentals of restoration under Rembert Wurlitzer and Fernando Sacconi in New York City. He returned to London to work at J&A Beare Ldt in 1961 and became director of the firm a year later. Chairman since 1998, when the company merged with Morris & Smith, Mr. Beare is renowned for his expertise in identifying fine old instruments. Honorary founding advisor of the Newark School of Violin Making (UK) and jury member of numerous competitions, he chaired the Scientific Committee for the exhibition in Cremona marking the 250th anniversary of Stradivari’s death. Mr. Beare is an honorary citizen of Cremona, Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of South Dakota. He has been a member of the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art (EILA) since 1967 and served as president of EILA from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Beare’s publications include articles in the Grove Dictionary of Music and Antonio Stradivari: The Cremona Exhibition of 1987 (with Bruce Carlson), and he is currently collaborating on a comprehensive book about Venetian violin and lute makers from 1500 to 1800.

Robert Cauer studied violin making at the Staatliche Geigenbauschule in Mittenwald. He began working at Wurlitzer in New York City under the tutelage of S.F. Sacconi and Dario D’Attili and then went on to William Moennig & Son in Philadelphia. He opened his own workshop in Los Angeles in 1980 and continues to perform restorations and care for several collections containing rare antique instruments. Mr. Cauer has served as a jury member of numerous competitions throughout his career. He is a member of the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers d’Art (EILA) and of The American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM), and has served as president of the AFVBM.

Florence Gétreau was curator of the Musée instrumental du Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris from 1972 to 1993 and received her PhD from the Sorbonne in 1996 for her thesis on the history of this collection. She was curator of the music section at the Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires from 1993 to 2003 and is now Director of Research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Director of the Institut de recherche sur le patrimoine musical en France, and associate professor of organology and musical iconography at the Conservatoire de Paris. She is the author of Aux origines du Musée de la Musique : les collections instrumentales du Conservatoire de Paris, 1793-1993 (Réunion des Musées Nationaux 1996) and Restauration des instruments de musique (Office du Livre 1981), as well as over one hundred papers on French musical instruments and conservation. She has also edited or co-edited over a dozen books, including Musique, esthétique et société en France au XIX e siècle (Mardaga, 2007); curated many exhibitions, including La facture instrumentale européenne (1985) and Instrumentistes et luthiers parisiens (1988); and is founder and editor of the journal Musique, Images, Instruments. Dr. Gétreau is an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres and has received the Anthony Baines Memorial Prize from the Galpin Society for the Study of Musical Instruments and the Curt Sachs Award from the American Musical Instrument Society.

Roger Graham Hargrave began his career making harpsichords and spinets, and then retrained as a violin maker at the Newark School of Violin Making in the UK. He joined the workshop of W. E. Hill & Sons of London before moving to Germany to manage Machold Rare Violins. In 1986 he established a workshop specializing in the detailed reproduction of classical Italian instruments. Mr. Hargrave has won many awards for his instrument making, including a coveted gold medal at the International Triennial Competition in Cremona in 1978. A leading authority on the construction of classical Cremonese violins, he regularly serves as a jury member for international violin-making competitions and gives lectures on the making and identification of stringed instruments. Mr. Hargrave is the co-author of Amati, Stradivari & Guarneri: The Library of Congress Violins (Biddulph 1997), has published extensively on the history and methods of classical makers, and is currently writing a book about the Cremonese school of violin makers.

Friedemann Hellwig studied violin making under his father, Günther Hellwig, in Lübeck, and at the renowned London workshop J&A Beare Ltd. He was conservator of musical instruments at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg for over two decades and was later head of the conservation department at Rheinisches Museumsamt Brauweiler near Cologne. Mr. Hellwig was also professor of wooden objects conservation at the Insitute of Conservation Science at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne (Fachhochschule Köln) for almost twenty years before retiring in 2003. He served as the general editor of the Institute's scientific series, Kölner Beiträge zur estaurierung und Konservierung von Kunst- und Kulturgut, and he sits on the editorial board of the journal of the German conservators' society. He also served for six years as President of the International Committee of Musical Instrument Museums and Collections (CIMCIM) within the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Hieronymus Köstler graduated from the Staatliche Geigenbauschule in Mittenwald in 1975. He apprenticed for two years under Max Möller in Amsterdam, followed by four years at the renowned London workshop J&A Beare Ltd. In 1982 he opened his own workshop in Stuttgart, specializing primarily in restoration.

Peter Moes studied at the Staatliche Geigenbauschule in Mittenwald and apprenticed in restoration under the renowned Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles. With his wife, Wendela Moes, he opened a workshop in New York City in 1981. In addition to restoring and repairing instruments, the Moes have made instruments that are now played by musicians around the world, including Yo-Yo Ma and Hilary Hahn. Mr. and Mrs. Moes received a gold medal for their cello in the VSA’s International Violin-Making Competition in 1984. Peter Moes has been a member of the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers de l’Art (EILA) and the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM). The Moes moved their workshop to Munich in 2004.

Sigrun Seifert graduated from the Staatliche Geigenbauschule in Mittenwald, Germany in 1976 and apprenticed in violin conservation under the renowned Hans Weisshaar in Los Angeles for three years. She established her own workshop in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Joseph Grubaugh, in 1979. The couple have won numerous awards for their new instrument making, including five gold and four silver medals at Violin Society of America competitions, and were consequently declared Hors Concours from the VSA in 1988. They are members of both the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers (AFVBM) and the Entente Internationale des Maîtres Luthiers et Archetiers D’Art (EILA), and they have frequently been guest lecturers for the VSA and AFVBM. Their co-authored articles have appeared in the Strad, Strings, Journal of the Violin Society of America, and the Journal of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers. In 1993 and 1994, under the sponsorship of the AFVBM and with the aim of fostering better communication between the artisan and conservation communities, they organized a workshop at the Smithsonian’s Conservation and Analytical Laboratory outside Washington DC.

Marco Tiella founded the Civica Scuola di Liuteria del Comune di Milano in 1978 and was its director until 1988. He has also been the director of the Accademia di Musica Antica di Rovereto and the Istituto per la Ricerca Organologia e del Restauro di Milano-Rovereto and he presided over the Stradivari Foundation’s Triennial International Contest for Stringed Instruments in Cremona from 1987 to 1992. He is member of numerous musicological and instrument-making organizations and is the author of over 130 books, catalogues, and articles on musical instruments and their conservation and restoration, including L'officina di Orfeo: tecnologia degli strumenti musicali (Il Cardo, 1995).