Included with Thursday Exhibition Plus Ticket or Thursday Day Pass
Alumni from the West Dean College present talks about their research and instruments. Students on the Stringed Musical Instrument Making course construct a range of instruments including violin-family instruments, guitars and uniquely the viola da gamba. The focus is on advanced practical skills, supported by studies of original instruments and visits to instrument collections.
Paul Fremantle: The Recreation of a Salter 1777
Paul will describe how he recreated an unusual bowed instrument from Dublin. Taking inspiration from both the English Guitar and the Viola d’Amore, the Salter also known as a Sultana or Cither Viol is a bowed instrument with pairs of strings, tuned in unison, unique to the British Isles in the late 18th century.
Starting with measurements in the museum in Dublin and then recreating the unusual brass tuners as well as the deep arching, Paul will explore the instrument and its making. Paul created this as his final project on the BA at West Dean College.
Corin Ewbank: The Viols of Ernst Busch in Nuremberg
Corin will introduce and explore the Nuremberg maker Ernst Busch. His instruments and their strong visual identity will be discussed, informed by the recent making of a copy after one of his 1640 bass viols. Theories of the meanings behind aesthetic choices will be explored in a talk focusing on a very unique luthier.
