"A Japanese person far away" "I want to surpass Stradivari" ~ Toshiyuki Matsushita, Italy edition ~ ( NHK Hi-Vision BS broadcast in 2005)
1)
Violin Holy Land, Italy, where a statue of the genius violin maker Stradivari stands. Matsushita's work won high praise at an international competition last month, making him one of the leading representatives of modern craftsmanship. Matsushita wants to surpass Stradivari. We follow Mr Matsushita's soulful violin-making journey 80km south of Milan, Italy.
Cremona is a town of about 80,000 people that retains many traces of the Renaissance. The production of string instruments began in the 1500s by Andrea Amati, and there are about 120 violin makers in the town. Antonio Stradivari, a great violin maker born in Cremona, appeared in the mid-17th century and is known worldwide as Stradivarius—basic principles of Stradivari.
2)
The works and designs of Stradivari, who made revolutionary technological advances, are carefully preserved in museums. Approximately 1,000 violins were made by Stradivari. Three hundred years have passed since then, and nothing surpasses Stradivari's works has been created. It is said that Stradivari's work is on display for viewers in Cremona: The Cremonese, one of the last surviving violins made by Stradivari in 1715, is played daily by the curator.
3)
This is because the material becomes complicated, and the sound quality deteriorates. Mr Matsushita's workshop is in the centre of Cremona. Mr Matsushita, who was introduced to Stradivari's techniques, has dedicated himself to making academic instruments since moving to Cremona 22 years ago. The Stradivari has reached the pinnacle in all aspects, including the splendour of its sound and the beauty of its form, but now, 300 years after its creation, it is nearing the end of its life.
4)
Mr Matsushita believes that now is the time to create a work that surpasses Stradivari with his hands, so 1987, he set up a battle here. He has collected blueprints, manufacturing materials, wood, and varnish for about ten years. We have followed everything about Stradivari, as violin-making begins with the search for timber—a mud road at the foot of the Italian Alps. Inside the valley, the Panebeccio National Park has preserved its natural beauty.
5)
In this forest grows the same high-quality wood that Stradivari discovered 300 years ago, the red fir, also known as the musical tree, from which the plates that determine the violin sound are made. Panebeccio Forest has a high altitude and harsh winters, so the trees do not increase. It takes about 200 years for the trees to reach their full size, and by carefully pruning and removing knots, the trees have a finely arranged grain. That's pretty close to perfect. Looks like there's one more to go. I want it.
6)
Mr Matsushita goes to the forest every year to see with his own eyes the environment in which the trees used as materials grow. Every year, about 8,000 red fir trees are felled in this forest, and only a tiny part is used to make violins. Cremona's tradition has been preserved by using materials that meet the requirements.
7)
For me, Stradivari means that there is no end; it means that it is deep and that the connection to play is also a tradition passed down for hundreds of years. But that is what Stradivari is today, so rather than being attracted to Stradivari, I think the human history within Stradivari draws me to it.
There are people called Stradivari and Amati, and the hands of these people capture the energy of nature, the musical instruments that are perfected by the hands of music politicians, and so on. Now, with the performance, I think that connection is the charm of that connection, and in many ways, that one box of Stradivari is packed full of traditions and the techniques of that person. Yeah, I guess I'm drawn to that.
8)
I believe that the forest of Panebeccio that produced the sound of Stradivari will now create the sound of a new violin. Mr Matsushita has started to make a new violin, and first, he chooses the wood to use. To make a violin with a good sound, it is said that the longer the wood is left to rest, the better. Mr. Matsushita chose wood that had been left to rest for 15 years, and the top of the violin is made of soft red fir, which transmits the current vibrations.
9)
Once I have decided on the material, I decide on the shape of the moving parts of the violin, and the one I am using now is based on an actual Stradivarius violin, but this time I am using it for a new model. It means the first Primo made, but it is also called the P model, which was created in 1703. There are three types of Stradivari violins, and Mr Matsushita is one of them. The so-called P model offers the best balance and excellent sound quality.
10)
I made my structural calculations using Stradivari's wood pattern as a reference. I created a model as close as possible to the P model I am currently using. After graduating from university, Mr Matsushita came to Cremona at 25 and learned to make violins from scratch. Mr Matsushita, born in 1993 in a town in central Hyogo Prefecture, had dreamed of making violins since he was a child after watching his uncle play violins. During his first year in Cremona, he worked as a violin maker, and the following year, after attending the National Cremona International School of Violin Making, he started making his violins and is now one of Cremona's leading violin makers.
11)
Mr Matsushita makes about five violins a year, each sold to a business partner for about 2.5 million yen. On the third day of making new violins, the rough edges of the moulded backboard are cut in the workshop. The thickness of the panel on the back of the violin is 4 mm at the edges and becomes thicker and thicker towards the middle, with a thickness of 5 mm to 5.5 mm in the middle. The thickness of the board on the back of the violin is 4 mm. Even the same piece of maple can be hard or soft, so it is essential to know how to apply force to each chisel and how to use the chisel.
12)
The difference is that if you make a mistake in the rough cut, you will not be able to produce a good sound from the violin, so the skill of a highly honed craftsman is required. After the rough cut, the next step is to make a divine finish. Mr Matsushita uses a tooth width of only 5mm. With a tool this small, you can feel the characteristics of the wood right in your hands and imagine the sound it will make. Each piece of wood is an essential step in producing a good sound. On the banks of this river, surrounded by rich nature, this is one of the secrets to the creation of Stradivari's charm.
13)
Here, Mr Matsushita is harvesting a plant called Tokusa. In Stradivari's time, there was no sandpaper to polish the surface of musical instruments. The idea is to use the violin as it was used, and the peculiarity is that it is left to dry for a year between attack and defence, and the surface of the violin is polished by the unevenness of the stem, no matter how fine sandpaper.
14)
Mr Matsushita says that invisible scratches hurt the reverberation of the remaining sound. Mr. Matsushita believes that even though it takes a lot of time and effort, polishing with a special polish will bring the sound closer to Stradivari. Mr Matsushita feels relieved after a day's work.
Every Thursday, Mr. Matsushita and his fellow violin makers gather here for the once-a-week special menu, and Mr. Matsushita has been working in this shop since he was an apprentice. I have continued to visit the shop, and one of my friends told me in 1965 that making the famous croquettes would relieve work stress.
15)
As soon as the performance started, Mr Matsushita noticed the sound was strange. He thought it would be better to make some adjustments. He went to look for a tool. He borrowed a spoon from the shop kitchen. He used this. I immediately started to make adjustments. Soundposts are called Soundposts, and they are essential parts of the violin that determine the sound of the violin. I used a spoon to adjust their positions delicately.
By moving them and adjusting the sound, Mr Matsushita returned the violin to its original sound. Mario was a dear friend of mine, and he came to this place when we were students and had no money.
16)
He treats me to wine even when I have no money. He understands and is a kind and gentle man. Soft autumn sunlight pours into the lonely town. A park in the centre of town. Stradivari, born in the 1940s, remained in love with Cremona until his death. Mr Matsushita's violin production was at a critical stage when he created the F-shaped holes, which are said to be the face of the violin.
17)
The F holes, which resemble the letter F in the alphabet, are an essential part where slight differences in position and shape can significantly change the violin's sound. Mr. Matsushita decided on the work of the F part based on the blueprint left by Stradivari. However, the design drawings do not mention what kind of calculations Stradivari used to decide the position of the F position.
The bulges on the surface of handmade violins vary slightly from one to another, so the design was drawn on a flat surface. It's not enough to show the mouth at F in the diagram; unless you modify the position and shape of the F point to match the shape of the actual violin, as Stradivari did, you won't be able to get close to Stradivari's sound.
18)
Mr Matsushita studied the relationship between the remaining blueprints and actual Stradivari works and says he found a way to design the edge opening in the correct position, determined by the ratio of the violin's length to width. From there, Mr Matsushita discovered specific rules and was able to derive the correct position numerically. The many secrets hidden in Stradivari's violins and Mr Matsushita's violin-making have revealed the secrets. It's also about unravelling them one by one. I want to get closer to Stradivari or even surpass Stradivari. That's my desire.
19)
I have no choice but to go home. No matter how many new things we add, we still haven't found a maker who can beat Stradivari. Judging by the results, the first thing we need to do to get closer to Stradivari is to use Stradivari's method with our hands. If we don't start from there, we won't be able to get anywhere near Stradivari in the end. As autumn deepens, a thick fog begins to gather in the town of Cremo, and the clouds are still at a loss. Matsushita-san still lives several times yearly to inquire about his former master Stefanoko's defences.
20)
So that I don't forget my fresh feelings about making violins, I knocked on the door for the first time when Mr. Matsushita came to give it to me. I laid the foundation for making violins. The place hasn't changed at all in 30 years. So, I haven't changed at all since I was 22. This poster is the same; even the tools are the same, and even the position is the same. He is 59 this year. In addition to the joy of creating his work, he also sees the growth of his students. Mr Masu and Mr Matsushita say it makes them happy, and they continue to learn how to make violins in the tradition of Nikure.
21)
It is said that many things are physically memorised through a fixed system. I think the importance of teaching something that conveys something is something that you probably start to feel as you get older. When people are young, they don't think about such things. Only when you reach a certain age does it become natural to pass on something you know.
In the case of offence and defence, the teaching method is different. Here, you get to the theory through work. Approach comes first, followed by practice. In the Traditional Crafts Studio, it's the opposite of a school. We work first and then explain why we did what we did. Mr Matsushita now has a younger Japanese student.
22)
Mr Ichiro Tsutsumi, 33 years old, left Japan 5 years ago to become a violin maker. To accurately convey the delicacy of the traditional techniques, all instruction is in Italian. Mr Matsushita understands how important tradition is to his students. Mr Tsutsumi senses Mr Matsushita's strong personality as a violin maker and tries to learn from him.
The maestro had just given a classical performance in Japan, so he was invited to see the maestro's instrument for the first time. I was shocked when I saw the Cremonese tools, utterly different from the Italian violins I had seen before.
It's unique, the way it's made, it's that Italian style, but it shows even more of his personality, and you can almost feel like you're that person.
23)
As autumn deepens, the town of Cremona is surrounded by rain and many rainy days. It took about three months from the start of production to complete the violin's shape. Mr Matsushita applies a sealant that he has specially formulated to prevent moisture. Before using the final varnish, he prepares the base with the glue.
24)
Cremona, which has a lot of rain from autumn to winter, is not ideal for violin making, as the high humidity can damage the wood. Still, it was in Stradivari's time that great violins were made. Mr Matsushita believed that the reason for this was that the artisans of the time used a sealant to protect the wood and that this sealant was the hidden secret that created Stradivari's Nero. He began his adhesive by researching historical literature and the moisture barrier used to paint the walls in Rega.
25)
There is a shop that sells varnish. Mr Matsushita visited the pharmacy. Varnish is said to be the final ingredient in Stradivari's beautiful bed. He came to this shop to buy varnish. A book in 1734 called Pharmacope describes the medicines sold at the time and the methods of making them. Of particular importance to Mr Matsushita is the record of the sale of western flour and resin, which were the raw materials for varnish. Stradivari was a violin maker. Although he kept records of almost everything, he left nothing about varnish. Mr Matsushita relied on documents from when he remained in Cremona, purchased raw materials and made his varnish.
26)
Mr Matsushita spent more than 15 years trying to understand Stradivari's varnish, and one day; he found a book of recipes from the 1500s. He believed that the substance called Alizarin produced by Stradivari was the eye of Stradivari's varnish and began to prepare the varnish, adding various types of eye power to Alizarin to make the reddish colour of the Cremona lanterns.
I used hot lavender water because I noticed that lavender hot water gave a more translucent look, and I added a mixture of ani and resin that can be harvested in the morning to create my unique varnish. Matsushita had never used varnish before. He ruined many violins in his experiments, but he finally made his own the year he decided to discover Stradivari's great secret, the varnish. The varnish Mr Matsushita mixed followed the grain of the wood.
27)
It is carefully applied. There are two types of varnish used for violins: alcohol and sulphur varnish. Alcohol varnish has a high temperament, so it dries easily and is finished quickly. However, Mr Matsushita has been mixing and using oil varnish for 13 years. Masu varnish was initially applied to the wood used to make violins, but Mr Matsushita says that alcohol varnish absorbs moisture and is unsuitable for environments with high humidity. Oil varnish takes a long time to dry after one coat. Mr Matsushita usually applies varnish 15 to 20 times, which takes about two months.
28)
It takes a long time to make a good violin. This varnish is Alizarin. That's why this colour can only be made with Alizarin. This ruby colour is unique. This fiery red colour, we call it Ruby Shot, but this colour can only be made with Alizarin, so it's apparent that it's beautiful. I have no choice but to make Alizarin myself to make this oil. In the city of Cremona, Mr Matsushita has a friend who is an irreplaceable musician.
29)
Cellolist Faust Sole's favourite Cello was made by Mr. Matsushita 14 years ago. At that time, his technique was highly praised, but the instruments he made hardly sold. The person who ordered the Cello for me was Mr Sol, a representative machinist from Cremona. Since then, Mr Sol has been using this Cello regularly, and once a month, he calls Mr Matsushita to his home to make careful adjustments. The Cremo tradition is here. Mr Sol's words of praise have always given Mr Matsushita great confidence. The condition of wood instruments has changed over the years.
30)
The sound changes, and we discover the best sound by fine-tuning the Soundpost.
When my instrument is put into the hands of a performer, when it is played for the first time at a concert, and I hear it myself, I always have this uneasy feeling. Yes, it's true, I feel so excited as if I were really on stage; it's the feeling of knowing that my child is on stage and being put to the test because instruments are living beings. Like the body, the wood of musical instruments changes every year or two, including climate changes, differences in varnish, and changes as the wood swells and vibrates. If we keep doing this, the insect's position will not be the same as before, so we have to keep moving it, and like the health of the human body, it will always be in a good state.
31)
Even if you think about it, there are times when it's not in the best condition; as the instrument continues to grow, you have to make adjustments, and that's how important it is. Winter has officially arrived in Cremona. In the meantime, Mr Matsushita has been working to finish the violin that will be entered in the Paris Semester Maker Contest, one of the world's three major competitions, in December. It took him seven months to attach the Soundpost, affecting the sound's quality and resonance. This is the violin I made; the Soundpost is a single reddish tree about 6mm in diameter and 5.5cm long. The Soundpost transmits its movements to the whole violin and makes a loud sound.
32)
The Soundpost's position is slightly different on each violin, and finding the best place requires years of experience and the ability to discern the nature of the wood in the violin. The bridge is placed on the violin when the Soundpost work is finished. It will be glued and then attached to the current piece.
We made the current adjustments and checked everything about the violin, such as the Soundpost's position, the bridge's height and the varnish's colour. It is finished. In addition to this violin, Mr. Matsushita also spent seven months making it. I will enter my new viola and violin in the Paris International Prototype Artist Competition, which is only a few days away.
33)
Mr Matsushita's friends threw a running party for Mr Matsushita. Mr Matsushita came to buy some Japanese food to serve to his friends as a token of gratitude. He rarely eats at the fish shop. I found an ingredient I don't have. It's tuna. That's what I have today. It's amazing! Look! It's hard to find. This is a recipe. I took the ingredients to the restaurant kitchen at Letty's Place and started cooking immediately.
34)
I chose tuna sashimi and tempura soba for the menu. The people gathered were musical instrument artisans and their friends. It was my first time eating tempura soba. Mr Matsushita, 22 at that time, came to help me dream of becoming a first-class musical instrument craftsman. Years have passed, and now a circle of people from the town has formed around Mr Matsushita, who has high hopes for the maker of Cremona's representative musical instruments. In December, Mr Matsushita entered the competition.
He is the manager of the Stradivarius Museum. He evaluates Matsushita's violin.
"Every day, I play Stradivari and other famous instruments that are treasures of this city, and I work to keep them in good condition.
In our time, when we have finally achieved the perfect sound, I think about the old Orin. It had an excellent sound, and as the wood ages, it gives the violin a mature sound.
In the same way, this violin will be a great instrument in 100 or 200 years; after a long time, it will be a representative instrument of the Cremonese violin."
35)
5 December 2004. Judging has begun for the Paris International Piano Competition, held every four years. Approximately 10 trillion outstanding musical instruments are selected by judges who have a strict eye for materials and the beauty of artistry. This time, Mr Matsushita submitted 113 agents in the violin category, and 47 agents in the viola category, each presented separately to ensure fair judging. The name of the maker is not revealed. The most important thing is the traditional craftsmanship of musical instruments.
36)
We have set such high standards in this competition, reflecting the amount of technology that goes into each instrument, to enable young instrument designers to create tools that will retain their quality in 200 or 300 years, just like Stradivari. I hope that the young academic designers of the 21st century will have the talent and skill of Stradivari, and I believe that such people will emerge shortly. The winners will be announced on 12 December.
37)
Among the musical instrument artisans gathered from all over the world, there was Mr Matsushita with a nervous expression. It was the presentation of the viola section that Mr Matsushita had entered. He won the Matsu's viola 2nd in this competition.
The final presentation was for the violin section. Mr Matsushita's name was not often called.
Mr. Matsushita's Special Sound Quality Award Mr. Matsushita's violin was said to have the best sound in the competition. I am very jealous of the sound quality of Mr. Matsushita's violin because Mr. Matsushita is Japanese. However, the colours and quality of his work are very Italian, and Mr Matsu understands the Italian spirit.
38)
It's not proof that I'm becoming a creator. It's the best thing ever. I was honoured among so many people over a beer in a hotel, and I'm thrilled that I became this creator. Of course, I'm a musical instrument maker, but of course, I have to use my skills to make good instruments, but they're still musical instruments, like a violin, a viola or a cello. Of course, the technique is essential, but it also means that we make instruments even more than we make things, so yes, being praised for the sound means that to me. I'm the happiest.
39)
January is the start of the New Year, and the cold winter weather has arrived in Cremona, with fog rolling in over the city. Every January, Mr Matsushita teaches violin making to the final year students of his alma mater, the Cremona International School of Production. Mr Matsushita's master Stefanoko was also introduced at this school seven years ago. So, the tradition of prototype-making in Cremona is passed on through schools and workshops to the next generation and Takanari himself.
40)
It means that we pass on what we have learned from the teachers who taught us, and this is what I have learned from the teachers who taught me, and I will continue to pass on what I have learned from the teachers who taught me, it is all about repeating things over and over again through the centuries. I hope that this tradition will continue for many centuries to come, and in that sense, I want to pass on good things correctly and accurately, like this one cushion, and that's what I'm teaching at this school; that's the meaning of what I'm teaching at this school. Mr Toshiyuki Matsushita has been working on making violins with the hope of one day surpassing Stradivari. The soulful sound of Matsushita's violin echoes from Cremona to the world.
"A Japanese person far away" "I want to surpass Stradivari" ~ Toshiyuki Matsushita, Italy edition ~ ( NHK Hi-Vision BS broadcast in 2005)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHtO2E5guDE
Toshiyuki Matsushita - Wikipedia
Toshiyuki Matsushita (born 1957 ) is a luthier maker born in Hyogo Prefecture and currently living in Cremona, Italy.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%BE%E4%B8%8B%E6%95%8F%E5%B9%B8
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