Viola player Jacomine Punt in conversation with violin makers Jaap Bolink and Annelies Steinhauer 

In his Last work, the Ninth Symphony, Anton Bruckner looks back proudly and fondly on a life dedicated to music. So is that of violinists Jaap Bolink and Annelies Steinhauer, but to making cellos, violins and double basses rather than compositions. Viola player Jacomine Punt of Residentie Orkest is a guest in their Hilversum studio and asks the couple about their 50-year careers and what makes the craft so wonderful. 

Jaap and Annelies met at violin school. 'A rather happy combination,' laughs Annelies. Jaap is the son of violin maker Jan H. Bolink and built his first violin in his workshop when he was only thirteen years old. Annelies came from a creative family and played the violin herself. She wanted to combine her love of the instrument with creating something tangible. 

Jacomine: When I wanted to be a viola player, I was arrogantly ambitious. What was that like for you guys? What was your dream? 

Jaap: "To make a living out of this work, and thereby also give musicians a livelihood, that was my dream. In the beginning of our career no one wanted a modern instrument, old ones were more in demand. It is still too often denied that old and new instruments get along very well. We persisted and continue to persevere by encouraging, encouraging and inspiring each other. 

What makes your instruments so good?  

Annelies: "Good is a relative term, it varies from one violinist to another. You can see and hear our personality in our instruments. Wood is a living material; when you work with it, you interpret it in your own way. That's why my instruments always sound different from Jaap's.' 

What talents does a violin maker need? 

Jaap: "At least a sense of design, music and beauty in general. You have to be artistic. Because you can master the technique so well, without that feeling an instrument will not live. It is also important that you can handle saws, knives and chisels. If you slip, you can throw a whole board away. So you have to be handy and precise.' 

Tell me, where does a new work begin? Can you take me through the building process? 

Annelies: "It starts with the design, the drawing. Then you make a mold. Around this you bend the sides, later you remove the mold. The front is made of spruce and made from cut sheets - not bent, as people often think, but really sculpted. Once those are glued to the sides, you make the curl for the neck from a piece of wood. That's beautiful work. A curl fascinates. 

So how long have you been at it? 

Jaap: "We've never calculated it, but it takes about 250 hours to build a violin. It also varies per type of wood, some types are difficult to work with. And you can never work on one instrument in a row, because we get many requests in between, for example for maintenance. I sometimes think of the old violin makers who worked by candlelight, undisturbed, without a ringing phone. If there is no deadline, I sometimes work on a violin for six months. All that time I can't wait to hear the result. 

What do you find difficult in work?  

Annelies: 'I always find the black, ebony parts tricky. Those are essential, with the top bridges that strings run over and the bottom bridge on a fragile top.' 

Jaap: "The wood for the sides has to be planed, scraped and sanded to a thickness of over a millimeter. That's difficult enough, and then you have to bend and fix it. They break regularly, and then you have to start all over again. It is quite a relief when the sides are finished. They form the basis of your instrument. If that is not right, you will always see it. It is very precise work and that requires a lot of patience.' 

But that must be what makes this work so beautiful. 

Annelies: 'Yes, the making is the most fun. I am always nervous when someone plays on it, but fortunately we have been working for very nice musicians since the beginning. The work is personal and friendships often develop with the people who keep coming back faithfully. As a violin maker, you remain responsible for your own construction throughout your life. 

Interview - Sobriquet