When we speak about the making of violins most people will only mention the best three world-known Italian stringed-instrument makers: Nicolo Amati, Antonio Giacomo Sradivari, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guaneri (Guaneri del Gesù). Without any doubt they are the masters in the art of stringed-instrument manufacture and the three of them come from the Cremonaise. Moreover their violins have inspired their successors and the present-day stringed-instrument makers a lot. At the end of the 18th century violins were mainly made in France especially in Paris where several talented stringed-instrument makers such as Jacques Bocquay, Jean-François Aldric and Leopold Renaudin among others were famous. Although they are less well-known than Stradivari and Guarneri they took the Italian designed methods into account and thanks to them they created the French Style. Finally in the 19th century Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume appeared in France: he was not just an excellent stringed-instrument maker and innovator but also a very famous copyist of Stradivari’s work. What’s more he was also a great practitioner of acoustics and an outstanding trader. Consequently he is now known as the “French Stradivari”. Thus my thesis is made up of three parts: the origin of the art and analysis of the structure of a Stradivari mould, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s design of a violin, the study of the structure of violins from acoustic basis and finally a conclusion.319th century Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume appeared in France: he was not just an excellent stringed-instrument maker and innovator but also a very famous copyist of Stradivari’s work. What’s more he was also a great practitioner of acoustics and an outstanding trader. Consequently he is now known as the “French Stradivari”.Thus my thesis is made up of three parts: the origin of the art and analysis of the structure of a Stradivari mould, Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s design of a violin, the study of the structure of violins from acoustic basis and finally a conclusion.
