1 mins
TALES OF THE TRADE
The article on the Newark School of Violin Making (‘Fifty years young’, September 2022) had a couple of missing items in my opinion. I think the National Westminster Bank might have been credited for giving the NSVM its home, as they gave the school priority on acquiring the building when they wished to part with it. There’s also a black and white photograph on the second page that shows a group of people, two of them judges at the 1978 making competition at Newark at Maurice Bouette’s property. I know – I was there. The ‘unknown’ on the left is Jim Davis, my viola teacher in my second year at the Birmingham School of Music. Jim led the BBC Midland Radio Orchestra at Pebble Mill, owned a Vuillaume violin and made the most luxurious sound.
He was brought in to judge the best playing violin; Charles Beare was similarly invited but to choose the best workmanship violin. The problem was that Maurice had only prepared one prize. Charles chose his best violin (which did look lovely) which Jim immediately dismissed as a ‘box’; Jim then chose his best playing violin, which was complete with slightly purple varnish. Neither would budge. A tussle ensued, after which Maurice attempted to moderate by having the prize shared. In following years, separate prizes were given.
ANDREW BELLIS
Bournemouth, UK