How to Buy a Violin
Reuter's Consumer Report on Stringed Instruments and Bows
Copyright© Fritz Reuter and Sons, Inc. 1971, 1996-2000, 2006 All rights reserved

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Chapter 11. DEGREES OF PROFESSIONAL VIOLIN MAKERS 

Most professional violin makers, restorers, and repairmen -- whether their practice is based in Chicago or London, Sydney or Toronto or Seville -- learned their skills in Europe. To some extent, their training or schooling has varied (and will continue to vary) from country to country, region to region, and guild to guild. But the differences are not great. Generally speaking, the following two professional degrees are attainable -- and their significance is pretty much constant from school to school:

The Bachelor's Degree in Violin Making

To qualify as a journeyman, one must pass a guild-sanctioned and guild-administered examination. Preparation for this mandates that the apprentice/student have three to four years of supervised instruction under a qualified master of violin making and repair -- a master who understands both the theory and history of violin making, who also commands general business knowledge -- and, most importantly, who demonstrates, in his practice, knowledge of and respect for the relevant codes of ethics. Under the supervision of governmental agencies, guild masters use guild standards to test the apprentice. If the student does pass, he then is awarded the Bachelor's degree. As a holder of this degree, he is entitled to call himself a violin maker and is, at the same time, accepted as a guild member.

One must, in order to qualify as a Master, achieve a passing mark on yet another examination which is sanctioned and administered by a guild. But to even attempt this test, a journeyman must have been employed for at least five uninterrupted years as a violin maker -- five years working and studying primarily in the shops of various masters. The subjects on which one is tested are identical to those which figure in the examination for journeyman. However, the guild routinely sets Master's-level standards -- for both skill and knowledge -- which are far higher. Upon passing, the candidate is awarded the Master's Degree.

Privileges of Master's Standing: The holder of the Master's Degree is entitled to call himself a Master Violin Maker. As a Master of the guild, he is qualified to (1) teach the craft and (2) accept apprentices. Depending upon his position within the guild, he may be asked to collaborate with colleagues -- i.e., other Masters -- in testing candidates and awarding degrees, according to the standards set by the violin makers guild.