BOW CHAMFERS

INSIDE
INFORMATION
Very often neglected, the chamfers of a bow head can give intimate clues as to a
maker’s working style and personal characteristics. Anton Lu and Dai-Ting Chung
compare and contrast bows from the Baroque era to the present day

T
he purpose of a chamfer in bow making is to
protect sharp edges from chipping off. Then, as
now, these chamfers would be executed in the
final stages of carving. These small details of a
bow head have been largely neglected – unlike,
say, the graduation or the camber, they have no
bearing on the bow’s playability, and string players are perhaps
unaware of their function. Nevertheless, the chamfers have a
crucial role in identifying the bow maker and expressing their
style, as well as showing the dexterity of their hands.
There are three basic tools used to finish the chamfers: knife,
file, and sandpaper. Each method leaves its own marks on the
bow. By way of introduction, here are the characteristics one
can look out for when assessing a bow chamfer:
On chamfers finished with sandpaper, there may be very fine
Chamfers finished with a knife will not show file marks, scratches. On this violin bow, by the 20th-century German maker
giving a clean and brisk impression, as in this 2019 cello bow Kurt Gerhard Penzel, they are most evident on the upper part.
by the British bow maker Dominic Wilson
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BAROQUE BOWS
In the Baroque period, both stringed instruments and their bows
In chamfers finished with a file, we could notice file marks in were made on diverse models. Accordingly, the bow chamfers also
various directions on different bows. From the oblique direction display a wide spectrum of variations. Some bows were made
of the marks on this self-rehairing Dominique Peccatte bow with vaguely executed, filed chamfers (figures 1a and 1b) and
from c.1835-36, we can also presume that he is right-handed. sometimes with fully rounded ones (figures 2a and 2b).
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 BOW CHAMFERS

Some Pierre Tourte violin bows have very wide chamfers

(figures 4a and 4b). The chamfers often become so wide that
they meet in the middle of the back of the head. These are
referred as ‘V-pattern’ chamfers.

FIGURE 1 The shallow chamfers of an English Baroque bow made near the end of
the 18th century. Coarse marks can be noted on the posterior surface of the head

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posterior part, as seen in this Cramer bow made by F.X. Tourte in c.1780–85
Approaching the end of the 18th century, some Mirecourt bow
makers adopted a unique form of chamfer that started right
In a few Baroque bows, the chamfers are so profoundly cut above the level of the headplate. Thus, when viewed from
and rounded that the back of the bow head becomes oval below, no chamfer could be seen at all. This unusual style
(figure 2) or V-shaped (figure 4), which would decrease the can be observed, for example, in bows by Nicolas Duchaine I
‘attack’ while playing in the upper half of the bow. As the (figure 5) and Jean Lagrosse (figure 6).
down-bow playing of these open-frog bows is already softer, this
feature of Baroque bows might facilitate the so-called Messa di
voce style, the particular crescendo–diminuendo articulation of
a long note. Messa di voce is considered as an ornament in
Baroque violin playing and was designed to imitate the
characteristics of natural human singing, which were
emphasised by composers such as Monteverdi, Geminiani and
Tartini among many others.
In 18th-century Paris, Nicolas Pierre Tourte frequently made FIGURE 5$W%&&'f¥'=-3£-2#3>#@-$3£!9<$,!-2'
chamfers with a uniquely angled chisel in his fluted bows. The
flutings of the stick are considered to reduce its weight while
maintaining its strength. Pierre Tourte very often extended the
chamfers to make them confluent with the flutings (figure 3).

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THE 19TH CENTURY

Chamfers carved by François Xavier Tourte (figure 7) give
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chamfer remains almost equal throughout the vertical part.
They are finished with very fine files, are well-proportioned and
aesthetically are amazing works of art.

IN A FEW BAROQUE BOWS,

THE CHAMFERS ARE SO
PROFOUNDLY CUT THAT
THE BACK OF THE HEAD
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The majority of Jacob Eury’s bows have chamfers wider in

the lower part than the upper (figure 8). However, in some of
his ‘violin-head model’ cello bows, the ‘V-pattern’ chamfer is
adopted, showing the influence of the Tourte family. (figure 9).

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In the case of Dominique Peccatte, very often the chamfers

retain their file marks. These not only reveal his swift working
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style but also add a bold feature to the masculine character of
the bow head. The marks can be coarse, as in the example on
page 50, or fine, as in figure 13:

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The style of Étienne Pajeot’s chamfers changed during the
different periods of his lifetime. In his early years, the turning of
the chamfer is rather angular (figure 10). A later trend had the SWAN-NECK BOWS
chamfer start from the headplate very narrowly, and become Swan-neck bows, such as this Peccatte example (figure 14),
gradually larger as it goes upwards. This sort of chamfer, were comparatively popular for a period in the 19th century but
reminiscent of Jean Lagrosse, can be observed in some other fell out of fashion in the 20th century. Their chamfers are totally
makers towards the middle of the 19th century, such as Jean rounded out, and no facet exists.
‘Grand’ Adam (figure 11) and Nicolas Maline (figure 12).

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Approaching the end of the 19th century, an intriguing

trend appeared in the bow chamfers – the width of the chamfer
FIGURE 11,'$,!1('83(;,-9 enlarged significantly in the upper part where it connects to
$W%¥&(g&& 8!2&&!1=-3£-2#3> the neck. This characteristic has been observed in the works
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of Joseph Arthur Vigneron (figure 15) and in some early works
of Eugène Sartory (figure 16a).
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 BOW CHAMFERS

THE 20TH CENTURY

With the advent of the 20th century, some French makers
adopted narrower chamfers than before, as observed in the
works of Jules Fétique, Louis Morizot père (figure 18) and
Louis Gillet (figure 19), just to name a few.

FIGURE 15 In this c.1890 violin bow by Joseph Arthur Vigneron, the width
of the chamfer is obviously wider in the upper part close to the neck

In the case of Sartory, it is often noted that the audience-side

chamfer is slightly wider than on the player side (figures 16a
and 16b). FIGURE 18 Narrow chamfer of a Morizot père violin bow of c.1945

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cello bow made c.1955–60

Generally speaking, some French bow makers would tend to

emphasise the elegance and dynamics of the curve, in contrast
FIGURE 16 In this early Sartory violin bow, made c.1890–92 , the upper part is to their English counterparts, who preferred their chamfers to
remarkably enlarged (16a). The audience-side chamfer is slightly wider (16b).
be neat and parallel (figures 20a and 20b).

In some examples of Eugène Sartory, vertical strokes from

fine files can also be identified (figure 17).

FIGURE 20 Parallel and even chamfers of a Samuel Allen violin bow

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In the opinion of Belgian bow maker Pierre Guillaume,

‘A beautiful chamfer that is perfectly flat and aesthetically
proportional to the head requires great attention and skill. It is
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on the chamfer of this 1937 Sartory violin bow thus an essential element in judging the talent of a bow maker.’
For the French maker Jacques Poullot, ‘The chamfer brings
dynamics to the bow head. It is the last operation in the finishing
of a bow, which allows the maker to leave his final personal touch
PECCATTE’S FILE MARKS on his creation. It reveals both his gestures and his character.’ This
REVEAL HIS SWIFT WORKING is a corner of a secret garden where the maker can give his own
personal, artistic expression to the final work of art.
STYLE AND ADD A BOLD
FEATURE TO THE BOW HEAD Special acknowledgements to Anne-Emmanuelle Ceulemans, Jérôme
Akoka and Constance Frei for their contributions to the Baroque bow
section, and to Pierre Guillaume for access to his prestigious collection
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 Lutherie
MAKING MATTERS
Points of interest to violin and bow makers

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The harmonic properties of a string’s afterlength have been examined in the past
– but what about the ‘before-length’, from the peg to the top nut? André Theunis
and Gunnar GidionƒPFUQOGUWTRTKUKPITGUWNVUKPVJGKTKPXGUVKICVKQPU

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n the process of making a violin, from the top of the pegs to the edge of section shows a 1/20 relationship;
luthiers generally refer back to old the top nut, I realised that that of the the A string 1/5; and the E string 1/10.
models and methods when it comes D peg string was exactly the same as the The length from the A peg to the top
to positioning the tuning pegs. afterlength, i.e. also 1/6 of the vibrating nut is often slightly longer than 1/5 of
How their exact placement was originally string. Harmonic relationships between the vibrating string, such as on the
calculated, however, is rarely questioned. the vibrating string section and the c.1570 Andrea Amati shown in figure 2.
The most important consideration, pegbox section can also be found for the It is likely that the measurement has been
obviously, is the practical use of the pegs: other strings: see figure 1, in which the calaculated to accommodate more space
the player should have enough room to relationships for Stradivari’s ‘Messiah’ for the player to manipulate both the
tune the instrument comfortably. But is violin are shown. The G-string pegbox A and the D pegs. But here is another
this the only criterion on which we observation: when the placement of the
IMAGES COURTESY J.&A. BEARE LTD

should base their positioning? A peg is low and the string touches the
The violin maker usually calculates D peg, the latter acts as a nut. The
the afterlength (the length of the string
WHEN THE STRING distance between the A string touching
between the bridge and the tailpiece) TOUCHES THE D PEG, on the D peg and the top nut again
to 1/6 of the vibrating string length, IT ACTS AS A NUT equals 1/6 of the vibrating string length.
in order to optimise the overall timbre. Even if the Baroque string length is
When I started measuring the distances taken as a reference, the proportions still
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 MAKING MATTERS

from the top of the peg to the back edge

FIGURE 1 '+#3?9;8-2+£'2+;,683638ধ3293( 1/5 of the top nut are harmonically related to
Stradivari’s 1716 ‘Messiah’ violin, in comparison 1/6 the vibrating open string. In many cases,
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1/10 specific intervals could be distinguished
1/20 by ear.
To understand these observations,
we need to examine the harmonic
relationships between the open string
and the pegbox section. The lengths of
the pegbox sections are measured from
the top of the peg to the edge of the nut.
The pegbox length of the G string is
equal to 1/20 of the vibrating string.
Based on the fundamental frequency of
the G string, 196Hz, this corresponds to a
fundamental frequency of 3,920Hz of the
pegbox section of the G string. Moreover,
FIGURE 2 '!9<8-2+;,'6'+#3?9;8-2+£'2+;,93(!
the relation to certain harmonics of the
1/5
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1/6
G string may be of interest: with a ratio of
1/10 2:1 (or 20:10), the pegbox section has an
1/20 octave relationship to the tenth harmonic
of the open G. This would be a perfect 4th
(4:3 = 20:15) or major 3rd (5:4 = 20:16)
when the fifteenth or sixteenth harmonics
are regarded respectively.
For the E string, the pegbox section
has a length 1/10 of the vibrating string.
As the open E string has a fundamental
frequency of 660Hz, the pegbox
fundamental has a theoretical frequency
of 6,600Hz. This again could be regarded
as an octave in relation to the fifth
harmonic of the E string, for example,
or as a major 3rd in relation to the eighth
harmonic of the E string.
The length from the D peg to the top
nut is equal to 1/6 of the vibrating string,
work out approximately the same which generates a perfect 5th, for
because the length of the pegbox string example, when compared to the fourth
section should vary from 0.5mm to 1mm THE PEGBOX SECTION harmonic of the open string (the ratio is
compared with the modern string length. CAN BE REGARDED 6:4 = 3:2). From the A peg to the nut,
The idea to build a stringed the length is equal to 1/5 of the vibrating
instrument in such a way that the unused
AS A RESONATOR string. Here, a major 3rd can be
string sections are in a harmonic relation COUPLED TO THE conceived owing to the fourth harmonic
to the main section is also realised in the of the open string.
Steinway grand pianos. In a 2012 study
VIBRATING STRING In conclusion, as the pegbox section
this was referred to as ‘duplex stringing’. can be regarded as a resonator coupled
After examining the Andrea Amati to the vibrating string, it is possible that
violin, I concluded that violin makers In any case, on the well-preserved Amati the described placement of the pegs
LINE DRAWINGS COURTESY ANDRÉ THEUNIS

were using a very similar approach to and Stradivari instruments it is quite clear might influence the vibrating string,
stringing even at the beginning of its that the positioning of the pegs follows the especially the open strings, which could
conception. The positioning of the pegs, described principle of proportions. enhance the overall tone. But these are
however, varies slightly depending on the speculations that will have to be

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individual instrument. Moreover, when hile studying the sounds confirmed. We hope that this initial
this concept is applied, the G peg might produced by the strings in the study of peg placement might provide
look abnormally high in the pegbox. pegbox, I unexpectedly found an incentive for future research on the
Some have been bushed and placed lower. that the frequencies of the string sections function of the pegbox.
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 Sentimental
Work

VADIM
GLUZMAN
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When I was three, my family moved from speaking families, like mine, in places like Latvia. I had a happy
Ukraine to Riga, Latvia. Although we childhood there but there was always a feeling of our being
emigrated to Israel when I was 16 I still ‘imported goods’. It was similar for Vasks, who was the son of a
have many friends in Riga and often go Baptist pastor living under an atheistic regime. One
back to the city to perform – I have a consequence for him was to be denied entry to the Latvian
deep nostalgia for the land where I grew Academy of Music; instead he had to study in Vilnius, almost
up. As soon as I heard Latvian composer 200 miles away in Lithuania. So maybe both of us understand
Pēteris Vasks’ First Violin Concerto ‘Distant Light’, I fell in this feeling of being strangers in a strange land, yet also having a
love. It’s an extraordinary work, full of the melodies of the strong affinity with the Latvian national culture.
Latvian language and the music I associate with my childhood

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– which, for everyone, embodies a special place of security. hen I was rehearsing ‘Distant Light’ for the first
Vasks never quotes directly from any particular piece, but time I met with Vasks at his home. He talks
everything he writes is imbued with the spirit of Latvian folk constantly about colours and emotions, about
music. Singing is a tremendously important aspect of the searching for oneself and one’s place in the world, and how
culture and we always went to the Latvian Song and Dance people relate to the power of nature. At the same time he’s a
Festival, where choirs from almost every village in the country very spiritual person who often prefers to express himself
come to perform. The music is very gentle and lyrical, and at visually: at one point, rather than explain what he meant, he
the same time projects an air of national pride. It’s a quality took me by the hand and led me to a small lake near a forest by
I can hear so much in ‘Distant Light’: I almost hear words when his house. ‘Here, this is my music,’ he would say as we sat
I play it. There are also elements where Vasks imitates the gazing at the water, both understanding each other. In each and
rhythms of dance. every bar I can hear how his music connects not only with the
He’s by no means a political Latvian music traditions but
person but he’s very proud of the also to the country itself.
culture he comes from, and this The concerto is quite
music is filled with a feeling of difficult technically: there are
hope. The title ‘Distant Light’ three cadenzas, one of them
could refer to unobtainable much longer than the others,
TOP PHOTO MARCO BORGGREVE. MAIN PHOTO MARTIN NAGORNI

dreams, or ones that can finally be and all three require emotional
attained; also the nostalgic feeling and technical virtuosity. It’s
of a long-departed love. It one of the very few concertos
reminds me of the emotions I felt that make me feel drained once
when I arrived in Israel for the I leave the stage – although
first time, as if I were finally I feel fulfilled at the same time!
finding my homeland – as well as It requires everything in my
everything that had come before. being, emotionally and
In the 1970s the Soviet regime physically. For that reason I’ve
was trying to eliminate the Vasks and Gluzman never played an encore after
national identities of its various discuss the concerto the concerto.
at a recording
states by resettling Russian- in Helsinki INTERVIEW BY CHRISTIAN LLOYD
in April 2018
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