Interview with Daniela Finkel

That is Zeitgeist

Finkel bows can look back on a very long tradition. Are there things that can still be improved?

There are indeed many good reasons to do things the way my father, grandfather and great-grandfather did. Every generation has driven development further, everything works. But I also believe that there are people in the world of music who want to explore new things, and it’s for them that we have created our Zeitgeist collection.

What does Zeitgeist signify?

It’s in the design that I want to add a personal touch to our Zeitgeist bows. Somewhere along the line, we started experimenting with the lens on the frog, putting a Burlesque dancer or a skull there. This is nothing new in itself, since other producers have also placed their logo there. Whatever the choice of motif, which might also be very personal, our Finkel bow now has a very special appearance.

You practically grew up in the workshop, what are your earliest memories about making bows?

I really liked drawing or playing in the workshop while people were working all around. Similar tools are still used today, and one of the things that reminds me most of my grandfather is a small plastic bottle with a red lid. This plastic object was probably a sensation back then. It could be used to dampen the floor with water to prevent too much dust from whirling around.

Your father perfected the workshop. What was it that made him such a good bowmaker?

One thing I always admired about my father was how easily he was able to shape the wood. It was something he really did with incredible instinct. I often have this visualisation in my mind’s eye when I don’t know exactly what to do next.

Flexibility, weight and resilience play an important role in a good bow. Not many woods are suitable for making bows; in reality, only pernambuco is strong and elastic enough to tick all the boxes. Bow makers and musicians alike swear by this tropical wood, a species that only grows in Brazil and is now under strict protection. The famous French bow maker François Xavier Tourte pioneered its use in bow making at the end of the 18th century, sparking a revolution. The reddish wood had previously been used in Europe primarily as a colouring agent.

The blank is gently heated and bent again numerous times, heated and bent, planed and rasped, heated again and bent again – until the wood acquires precisely the desired shape. Just a few of the sticks made from the highest quality wood ultimately turn out to be the best of the best. It is not the gold used that makes a gold bow so precious, but rather the quality of the wood.

The perfect bend
is the essence of
the art of bow making.

Interview with Markus Fischer

The secret behind the details

Each bow maker has their own style. How would you characterise one of your bows?

That’s something I can’t really describe, of course there are certain characteristics or models that you base yourself on, for example some make the head of the bow a little rounder, others more angular, but in the end everyone has their own idea of what a bow should look like, down to the smallest detai

I suppose personal style also changes over the years?

It’s like when I look at bows that I made 20 years ago, I see a lot of little things that I do differently today. You sometimes make a conscious decision to change something or try out something new. However, most things happen unconsciously, things simply change – and these details can’t be measured, a layperson can’t see them, they’re just subtle nuances that give the end product a personal signature.

Much has to do with the eye and dexterity, is that something that can be trained?

Not directly. There are things that just work in terms of aesthetics, some people see that, others don’t. Of course, a lot can be achieved with interest and routine, yet ultimately it’s like in any profession: things just have to be right. On a personal level, it was simply luck, I completed my apprenticeship here at the Finkel workshop by chance and after 36 years I continue to enjoy it. The team is also important for the end product, we compare notes, learn from each other and share tips.

And where does a bow maker draw inspiration from?

To me, nature is the measure of all things, I can always be astonished by it, even with very small things, for example a flower or a piece of wood. Mother Nature always creates something perfect for the eye.

“Sometimes we have very special pieces of wood to deal with, each one has to be treated differently”

Daniel Ernst

“The bow and the instrument form a single unit. Both things have to harmonise with each other and, more importantly, they have to be suitable for the person making music with them. As a trained violin maker, I am well aware that no two pieces of wood are the same; wood is a living material and is itself always a component of its own work. Each piece has to be approached differently. I still have plenty of experience to gain as a bow maker, but my fundamental fascination with wood remains the same.”