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Violin Bow Hermann Richard Pfretzschner

€500.00

About Hermann Richard Pfretzschner

Hermann Richard Pfretzschner is considered to be one of the very best German bow makers. Part of a large family of instrument makers, he learnt bow making from his father before travelling to Paris to work for Jean Baptiste Vuillaume. Pfretzschner spent just one year with Vuillaume, 1874, before returning home to Germany.

Vuillaume's fame and importance cannot be underestimated: to have spent this year working in the most important Parisian violin and bow shop undoubtedly had a large effect on the young Pfretzschner, refining his work and giving his name great prestige when returning to his native Germany. His work is particularly influenced by Voirin, one of many great bow makers in the Vuillaume workshop.

About the bow

The bow weighs 59 grams and the mounts are of silver and ebony. The stick measures 727 mm in length.

How does it play?

Played blind, this violin bow has more of a French feel about it than a German one: it’s light, springy and agile in the way that the best French bows tend to be. However, this bow is no diva and works well off the string in a variety of different places and feels extremely comfortable and reliable to play.

Tonally, it possesses the qualities which I personally look for in a bow, namely a zest which pulls out the higher harmonics in a violin and really allows the instrument to ring and carry.

Condition

The bow is in good condition. It is stamped H.R. Pfretzschner and also bears a coat of arms on the frog. Pfretzschner stamped this coat of arms onto his frogs after he was granted a noble title in 1901.