Blue violin story

Where did the blue violin even come from?

“My friend, violin maker Honza Špidlen, once invited me to a gathering of the world’s seven best violin makers in Amiata, Italy,” recounts internationally renowned violinist Pavel Šporcl.

At first glance – aside from the color – you wouldn’t notice much difference. But the violin’s body is slightly altered, and even the f-holes next to the bridge are carved differently. One particularly interesting feature is the scroll – it’s carved in a more artistic, open design you can actually see through. A traditional scroll is solid, with no opening. Because this scroll is more hollowed out, it’s lighter in weight. And scroll weight actually affects the sound of the instrument: if it’s too light, the violin barely plays – or sounds like it has a mute on. When Honza and I added a bit of weight to the scroll and it was too heavy, the violin sounded like a trumpet. So we kept adjusting until we found the perfect balance.

We tried other tricks, too – like with the varnish. When a violin is built, the wood first has to be sealed before any colored varnish is applied. This is done with a clear base coat that closes the pores, leaving the instrument naturally yellow, the color of the raw wood. Only then is the color added. Blue, of course, isn’t a natural pigment for violin makers, so Honza had to do a lot of experimenting to figure out how to achieve it. Eventually, he managed it using synthetic dye. But when you apply blue over yellow – you get green.

The first time he varnished the violin, it came out green. He wiped it off with a sponge. The next attempt? A different shade of green. He wiped that off, too. If I’m not mistaken, the coat on my violin now is the third version. I liked it and told him: “Honza! Stop messing with it. This is a good blue.” But the truth is, when I’m on stage and the lights hit me with a yellow glow, people still come up to me afterward and ask why I play a green violin.

Excerpt from the book: Pavel Šporcl; “Můj život (nejen) s houslemi” (“My Life (Not Only) with the Violin”)