Summary

Agnes Laurens, a writer and violinist from Bunnik, The Netherlands, shares her deep love for the violin, her personal journey with the instrument since childhood, and insights into the history and craftsmanship of violins, as well as her aspirations as a musician.

Abstract

Agnes Laurens expresses her profound affection for the violin, an instrument she has played since the age of seven. Initially inspired by her sister's practice sessions, she was captivated by the sound of the violin and the spellbinding performance of Maxim Vengerov's rendition of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto. Despite starting with the cello, Agnes found her true calling with the violin, dedicating herself to mastering various techniques under the guidance of a skilled teacher. Her passion for the violin led her to research its historical evolution, from its early form known as the fiddle to the influence of different schools of luthiers, including those from Brescia, Cremona, and Venice. Agnes acknowledges the challenges of becoming a soloist in today's world but finds fulfillment in playing in an orchestra and teaching. She aspires to play numerous violin concertos amidst her busy life as a writer, parent, and orchestra member, and she eagerly anticipates sharing her musical journey through her upcoming Patreon page.

Opinions

Agnes has a strong preference for the violin over the cello due to the instrument's captivating sound and the emotional intensity of its music.
She holds the violin concertos of Tchaikovsky in high regard, particularly as performed by Maxim Vengerov.
Agnes values the historical significance and evolution of the violin, recognizing the contributions of various luthier schools and families.
She believes that despite the difficulty of becoming a solo violinist, there is immense satisfaction in playing in an orchestra and imparting knowledge as a teacher.
Agnes appreciates the diversity of interpretations that different violinists bring to the same piece of music, such as the Tchaikovsky violin concerto.
She is committed to her craft, striving to find time to practice and perform a wide range of violin concertos alongside her other responsibilities.
Agnes is enthusiastic about connecting with her audience and sharing her thoughts and experiences through her writing and upcoming Patreon page.

Violin Is What I Love — Here Is Why

My favorite instrument to play is the violin. I have played this instrument since I was seven years old.

I have spoken about this earlier. But I also want you to know some more facts.

Originally published my answer at http://quora.com.

I love the sound of the violin. It has the high sound of the violin with an amazing contrast of the dark strings. I have played this instrument since I am seven years old. Before that, I played the cello for one year.

I still love the dark sound of the cello. But I heard my sister practicing the violin. And I decided I want to play the violin too! The intenseness she played the music with was incredible. I wanted to create that too. Of course, now I know, is not possible, but as a kid, you don’t realize that. What I knew was the sound I liked.

Tchaikovsky violin concerto

It was the first Christmas Day when we were dining with the family. During that dinner, the lights were off, except the lights of the candles and the Christmas tree. There was no sound. Only from the CD player. My sister played the CD of one of the great violinist Maxim Vengerov playing the violin concerto of Tchaikovsky. I was kept under his spell of the way he played this work.

Since then, I knew that the violin and I were meant for each other.

I started practicing more every day. I had a great teacher. She learned me every technique that exists and I have to know about it. Like learning how to play the vibrato. Or how to phrase the music I play.

Then I have been taught music from a teacher who taught violin at the conservatory, but I never got a musical education. I was somewhere else with my thoughts.

Learning more about the violin and luthiers

When I was in high school, I made a small essay about the violin. The teacher gave me a 9 for this essay. I think he doesn’t know anything about the violin. The violin we know now isn’t the violin that exists years ago. It developed over the years. When the very first violin was known, it was called a fiddle.

There are different schools to make violins:

The school of Brescia has made in the 4th-century liras, violettas, violas and in the first half of the 16th-century, they also made violins.

Some of them included:

The Dalla Corna family were active from 1510 until 1560 in Brescia and Venice.
The Micheli family were active from 1530 until 1615 in Brescia.
The Inverardi family were active from 1550 until 1580 in Brescia.
The Gasparo da Salò family were active from 1530 until 1615 in Brescia and Salò.
Giovanni Paolo Maggini was a student of Gasparo da Salò and was active from 1600 until 1630 in Brescia.
The Rogeri family was active from 1661until 1721 in Brescia.

In the 16th-century there was another school. The school of Cremona. They started with violas and violone and in the field of violin in the second half of the 16th century.

The Amati family was active from 1550 until 1740 in Cremona.
The Guarneri family was active from 1626 until 1744 in Cremona and Venice.
The Stradivari family was active from 1644 until 1737 in Cremona.
The Rugeri family was active from 1650 until 1740 in Cremona.
Carlo Bergonzi was active from 1683 until 1747 in Cremona.

The school of Venice has a presence with several makers of bowed instruments. This was from the early 16th-century. They had more than 140 makers of string instruments registered between 1490–1630.

A few of them:

The Linarolo family was active from 1505 until 1640 in Venice.
Matteo Goffriller is also known for his celli and was active from 1685 until 1742 in Venice.
Pietro Guarneri is the son of Giuseppe Giovanni Battista Guarneri and is from Cremona. He was active from 1717 until 1762 in Venice.
Domenico Montagnana was active from circa 1700 until 1750 in Venice.
Santo Serafin was active before 1741 until 1776 in Venice.

Great violinists

There are so many great violinists in the world who play wonderfully. It is really difficult these days to become a soloist. But it also gives people a fulfilling space to play in a great orchestra or teaching.

I also have made a list once that explains my favorite violinists.

All these violinists have a different interpretation of the music they play. Like the violin concerto by Tschaikovsky. This is one of the famous violin concertos, but ad lot of people are playing this concerto, it will have different interpretations.

I also want to play a lot of violin concertos. But I need to find the time between writing, raising children, practicing for my orchestra pieces. So that is not really easy.

I just love this instrument.

Read my thoughts

Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper, Medium.com. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters. Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.

Writing is her passion since childhood. Never had she ever done anything with it until a few months back.

As soon as her Patreon page is ready to be launched, you’ll be the first one who will get notifications when you subscribe to her mailing list.