RIN:23 KENNETH WARREN & SON: An example of Pretense and Pretension

THIS FOCUS REPORT'S GUIDING PRINCIPLE: "True ethical responsibility requires and absolute commitment to honorable behavior and practices, even at the sacrifice of personal advantage. (Code of Ethics of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Inc.)

The April, 1984, REUTER'S FOCUS REPORT has been remarkably successful. It has found an audience, an audience international in scope and far more involved and enthusiastic than we had dared to hope. Our aim in the FOCUS REPORT remains as it was in that very first issue: to generate public debate and education regarding the making and selling of stringed instruments. The range of our colleagues' response has been gratifying indeed. The FOCUS REPORT now finds itself at the center of a collegial effort to let light and fresh air into the dark, stuffy closet of the violin business -- to illuminate and revivify its practices and ethics. (The proverbial "skeletons in the closet" are becoming increasingly difficult to hide!)

2. Since the now-infamous "Kanda" scandal shook the violin business two years ago, every day has made it more urgent than ever before to insist upon a crucial, ancient distinction. We must differentiate the violin maker from the musician. Granted, both represent professions which are honorable (indeed, venerable) when honorably pursued. And a problem arises only when a musician -- a musician who is not a violin maker but who happens to deal in violins -- is confused with, sometimes even represented as being, a genuine maker-dealer. Yet today the problem is common enough to make recovery of the distinction vital. We need to do everything possible to clarify the difference between MUSICIAN-DEALERS and VIOLINMAKER-DEALERS.

3. In its April issue, the FOCUS REPORT sought to contribute to this critical effort. We provided separate listings and ratings of violinmaker-dealers, on the one hand, and of musician-dealers on the other. Such clarification by separation was, quite predictably, welcomed in ways already indicated. By and large, our fellow violin and bow makers have praised us. As for negative responses, these have come almost entirely from musicians dealing in violins.

4. Please note, however, that I say almost entirely. There is an exception. Colleagues have objected with great intensity -- almost, in rare cases, with violence -- to what we conceived as no more than an objective representation of the standing of Kenneth Warren, Sr., and Kenneth Warren, Jr. Their firm, Kenneth Warren & Son. Ltd.. is well known and well established. Both Messrs. Warren. Sr. and Jr.. are undeniably accomplished entrepreneurs. Both are fellow members in good standing of the prestigious International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. Even so. actual facts compelled us to list both men as MUSICIAN-DEALERS.

5. It is this which has generated a kind of controversy we hardly expected. All along, it is true, we believed that real issues were at stake. But we failed to anticipate the level of vehemence now evident. For example, the President of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, Inc., apparently felt it necessary to disassociate himself from my REPORT and its listings. And the Federation itself? Its Committee of Professional Ethics found me to have violated "principles of professional conduct" -- though such a finding might seem to betray a strange and strained understanding of the term professional. The same Committee recommended that I issue a formal, public retraction of my listings vis-à-vis the Warrens. In addition, speaking through their attorney, Kenneth Warren and his son suggested that I print an addendum to my April REPORT. I had failed to indicate (and here they raise an issue which is important indeed!) that both father and son are now, and have long been, members in good standing of the International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. To them, this seemed a decisive point. Not surprisingly, they declared that "the REPORT had the effect of a thinly disguised effort to assail and blemish the hard-earned and well deserved reputation for integrity and expertise which is enjoyed by Kenneth Warren & Son, Ltd."

6. However slight the merits of this contention, it is important to insure the credibility of subsequent REUTER'S FOCUS REPORTs -- as well as to assure readers that the April issue was published in full seriousness. This September issue is, therefore, the requested addendum. Since it substantiates and clarifies my original findings, it can hardly please everyone. Yet one matter must be stressed. The compilation of this FOCUS REPORT, like that of every number in the series, is guided by the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers' own Code of Ethics. "Ethical responsibility," the Code reminds us, "requires an absolute commitment to honorable behavior and practices, even though at the sacrifice of personal advantage." I cannot disagree. I am, and shall remain, fully in compliance.

7. To provide a clear starting point, I offer the following portrait. The attorney for Messrs. Warren stressed "reputation," and I therefore sketch -- as accurately as my powers permit -- the image which both men project to the larger world. It is a matter of record that both were, in 1969, accepted as regular members of the International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. Representing themselves as violin makers, they were the first persons from the United States' Midwest to be honored as such by the Society. In many lands, they are known as the founders of the Chicago School Of Violin Making. Kenneth Warren, Sr., is sometimes spoken of as the Dean of Chicago violin and bow makers. The Warrens' firm is reputed to be affiliated with W. E. Hill and Sons (London, England), the world's most prestigious firm of violin and bow makers. Such a claim to affiliation seems plausible enough, in light of the wide spread impression that father and son -- individually and in concert -- have spent years making and restoring violins, that their mastery traces back to long tutelage under accredited makers. Who would think to question their standing as violin dealers, makers, and repairers? Who would not be impressed by their standing, not only within the International Society, but as members of the Appraiser Association of America, Inc., as well?

8. The Warrens' apparent attributes and accomplishments lead us to think of them not only as highly successful violin makers, but also as men whose reputation for integrity is self-evidently unassailable and unblemished, "hard-earned and well deserved." They would seem to stand as inspiring models, persons to be emulated by all apprentice violin and bow makers -- those who hope that they will, in the future, be masters. For the FOCUS REPORT to list such paradigms of their craft as simple musician-dealers, must, inevitably, strike many as an absurdity. The Warrens credentials read like a resounding refutation. Not only are they violinmaker-dealers, so some would insist, but, beyond this, their names belong at the very top of the list. Both men stand at the pinnacle of their profession!

9. One only encounters problems when he attempts to discover the basis for their reputation. Then, one may well have trouble finding the actual persons whom the public portraits are supposed to depict. In short, one may almost be compelled to feel that the usual impression of the Warrens is less than accurate. The question is: What is the source of all this confusion? How do we explain the illusions?

ILLUSION - I

10. Kenneth Warren, Sr., and Kenneth N. Warren, Jr., have for years presented themselves -- to the violin business and the general public, both -- in a manner which mingles pretentious fictions with facts. Thus, it is factually accurate to report the existence of a firm known as Kenneth Warren & Son, Ltd. But, through advertisements in the Yellow Pages and elsewhere, many individuals have been led to believe that Kenneth Warren and his son are themselves violin makers and restorers.

11. TO THE CONTRARY, neither Kenneth Warren. Sr., nor Kenneth N Warren. Jr., is a professional violin or bow maker. Bona fide violin makers are at all times listed in dictionaries of contemporary violin and bow makers/restorers, the names of Messrs. Warren and Warren -- not to mention the normal professional resumes -- fail to appear in any of the standard reference works. Their firm's advertising suggests a claim which would be difficult to substantiate, at best. The FOCUS REPORT, in fairness, sought substantiation. Yet the Warrens rebuffed every such inquiry.

ILLUSION - II

12. Not only do Kenneth Warren. Sr. and Kenneth N. Warren Jr.. advertise themselves as makers and restorers. They nurture the notion that they are violin makers and restorers who are affiliated with W. E. Hill and Sons (London, England), the world's most prestigious and respected firm of actual violin and bow makers. Warren & Son, Ltd., has been presented as though it were intimately associated with the genuinely illustrious British firm. By now, the impression has become part of popular folklore. In Jory Graham's Chicago: An Extraordinary Guide (1968), the Warrens are listed as makers of violins and -- capping the triumph of illusion -- their firm is described as affiliated with Hill.

13. TO THE CONTRARY, Kenneth Warren & Son LTD, has never been "affiliated with" William E Hill and Sons. Seeking to clarify matters, the FOCUS REPORT queried the London firm directly. Hill's response was equally direct, a letter dated January 4, 1984. We were assured "quite categorically, that no firm in the world, past or present, has been affiliated with W. E. Hill and Sons nor is this likely in the near future".

ILLUSION - III

14. In one notable respect, the Warrens advertise quite correctly. They do hold membership in the "Entente", the International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. Their acceptance into this organization came in 1969, at Copenhagen, Denmark.

15. The International Society embodies the ancient guild tradition. It is an alliance of professionals. Aside from recognizing its incorporators as Founder Members, there is no distinction among membership categories -- no provision for institutional membership, associate (as contrasted to full) membership, etc. One thing is intended to be unquestionable... that membership, by definition, should entail professional standing. On the signed membership application, one must attest in the affirmative to precisely specified minimum prerequisites. These are set forth, without qualification, in the International Society's governing document.

16. I cite Article 3 from Section II of the "Articles of Association."
Membership is governed by the following conditions:

a. Members must be 30 years of age;
b. Members must not have been convicted of any dishonorable act;
c. Members must have completed their studies in violinmaking with an approved firm or in a violinmaking Trade-Institute;
d. Members must have carried on the art of violinmaking as a maker and restorer for at least eight (8) years with an approved master violinmaker;
e. The members must legally carry on the trade of violinmaker or be a master violinmaker managing a firm of good repute, and must in each case be in constant and direct contact with players;
f. No application for membership will be considered from a member of the staff of firms managed by one or more master violin makers, whether members of the Society or not and no matter how high his trade qualifications may be and even if he has an interest in the business of the undertaking.

Article 4 merely adds the assurance that "master violinmakers answering the conditions set out in Article 3 may be accepted without distinction as to nationality or domicile".

17. Given the care with which these conditions are stated, what would membership in the International Society seem to mean? Would it not, for most of us, equal an assurance that Society Members are professionals? How could we help assuming that the Warrens' truthful claim to membership in the International Society certifies, authoritatively, their standing as professional violin makers or bow makers?

18. TO THE CONTRARY, however, the Warrens membership in the "Entente" is misleading. Henri Werro was Secretary of the "Entente" during its 1969 General Meeting in Copenhagen, the meeting at which the Warrens -- both father and son -- were accepted as members. In May of 1969, during a meeting of the German Association of Violin and Bow Makers (convened at Kassel, Germany), H. Werro and others had important things to say. They acknowledged, not only to me but to additional colleagues, that neither Kenneth Warren Sr., nor Kenneth N. Warren Jr., was a professional violin maker or bow maker.

19. How, then could either man have been granted Society Membership? The full details are, obviously, not available to the public. Yet it would seem quite reasonable to suggest that only special actions -- e.g., official suspension of the Society's laws, bylaws, and "Articles of Association" -- could have allowed unqualified individuals to gain technically legitimate membership. Otherwise, how are we to understand the admission of persons lacking most of the prerequisites?

20. In a spirit of frank and open collegiality, I submitted my findings to the President and the Secretary of the "Entente". In like spirit, I submitted the same to the attorney for Messrs. Warren. My intent was to provide them with an opportunity. They could correct my conclusions, where these were in error, or they could extricate themselves from their practices in an honorable manner. Both of these avenues were rejected, however. The Warrens determined that neither I nor the FOCUS REPORT readership was entitled to any information regarding their professional background.

21. Readers will have to draw their own conclusions from all this. I have set these matters before the public as an addendum to my April, 1984, REUTER'S FOCUS REPORT. I hope to have satisfied those who originally objected to my observations, including the many who were probably unaware of the real business background and qualifications of Messrs. Warren. Each man has undeniable credentials as an entrepreneur. But, speaking as a violinmaker-dealer, this is precisely the point. The qualifications and experience of a musician who happens to deal in violins -- even one whose dealing has been eminently successful -- set him apart form the true maker of instruments. And it is as MUSICIAN-DEALERS (as musically knowledgeable businessmen. primarily rather than as VIOLINMAKER-DEALERS) that Kenneth Warren. Sr., and Kenneth N. Warren Jr., have left their mark upon the musical world.

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