Roger Hargrave
Roger Hargrave was born in Leeds England in 1948. He
initially studied fine arts and for a time taught painting in English
state schools. In the 1970’s he made harpsichords and spinets, before
retraining as a violinmaker at the Newark school in England. From the
Newark school he joined the workshop of W. E. Hill & Sons London,
where he worked as a restorer of fine Italian instruments. In 1981
Hargrave moved to Bremen in Germany as manager of Geigenbau Machold’s
workshop. At Machold’s he was responsible for assembling one of the
largest and most distinguished teams of bowed stringed instrument
restorers in the world.
Although Roger Hargrave’s reputation
was founded upon his ability to create instruments with exceptional
tonal qualities, his work as a restorer of fine instruments has also
given him a singular insight into the secrets of their aesthetic beauty.
In 1986 he established his own business specialising in detailed
reproductions and modern instruments inspired by the classical Italian
tradition. For many years he has been recognised as one of the worlds
leading copyists and he has won many awards, including a coveted gold
medal at the International Triennale in Cremona, Italy. His instruments
are played by some of the worlds leading professional musicians
including many concert masters and several world renowned soloists.
Quality violins begin and end with quality materials. Hargrave’s
instruments are made from the finest selected materials. Much of his
tone wood stock is over 100 years old; some is more than twice that age.
Every instrument is mounted with the finest handmade boxwood or ebony
fittings. His fingerboards are of premium quality aged ebony, which
although expensive resists ware far longer than the inferior stained
woods that are available today. During the working process all of these
materials are constantly subjected to quality controls. They are worked
with all the tradition and experience that Hargrave’s almost forty years
in the business can muster, however Hargrave does not neglect the
various possibilities proffered by modern scientific equipment.
Since the mid 1980’s Hargrave has been much in demand as a judge and
lecturer at international violin conventions and he has been a regular
contributor to the ‘Strad’ magazine for more than twenty years. He has
published numerous books and articles dealing with the history and
working methods of the classical Italian violin makers.
In 1994 he was instrumental in organising an exhibition of works by the
Cremonese maker Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, which was staged at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Following this exhibition two
volumes on the life and works of Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu were
published in 1998. These books are lavishly furnished with technical and
explanatory drawings by Hargrave, and together with his dissertation on
the stylistic development of Guarneri del Gesu and his reconstruction
of the masters working methods, they form a major part of this
definitive work. Hargrave is now recognised as the leading authority on
the construction of classical Cremonese violins and baroque instruments
have become an important element of his production. At present he is
writing a comprehensive work about the violinmakers of the Cremonese
school.
Membership:
- EILA - Entante Internationale Des Maitres Luithiers Et Archetiers D'Art (International Society of Violin and Bow Makers; Internationale Vereinigung der Geigenbau und Bogenbaumacher-Meister)
- British Violin Makers Association. BVMA.
- Violin Society of America. VSA.
- Verband Deutscher Geigen und Bogenbaumeister VDG.
