For Subscribers

François Nicolas Voirin: The style and substance of a pivotal bow maker

2022-10-27T07:03:00

frog

Matt Wehling on Voirin’s artistic and technical advances, which were implemented by most all French makers and paved the way for makers such as Lamy, Sartory and E.A. Ouchard

Discover more lutherie articles here

Read more premium content for subscribers here

François Nicolas Voirin was a pivotal maker in bow history. By changing the shape of the camber and taper of the bow he changed how bows played and sounded. He also gave birth to a new bow aesthetic, and upped the game regarding the precision, craftsmanship and consistency of production. Many of his innovations dominated the way bows looked and felt for three quarters of a century, while others are still with us today. Let’s first look at some of the aesthetic changes he made to bows…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.