Étienne Vatelot (13 November 1925 – 13 July 2013) was a French

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers of ...

Biography

Étienne Vatelot is the son of luthier Marcel Vatelot, who opened his workshop in 1909, and Jehane Lauxerrois. He attended high school at the . From 1942, he learned the craft of luthier in the workshop of his father, located at 11 bis in Paris. He perfected his skills in

Mirecourt Mirecourt () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mirecourt is known for lace-making and the manufacture of musical instruments, particularly those of the Violin family. Inhabitants are called Mirecurtiens ...

with luthier Amédée-Dominique Dieudonné, in Paris in the studio of Victor Quenoil, then in New York at Rembert Wurlitzer. In 1949, he obtained the diploma of honor at the International Violin Competition of

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a list of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's ad ...

(Netherland). In 1959 he was appointed

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge ...

by the Court of Appeal of Paris and succeeded his father. Étienne Vatelot used to compare his profession to that of a doctor. He was renowned for his diagnostic capabilities He regulated the instruments of numerous international soloists that he accompanied on tour, like French violinist

Ginette Neveu Ginette Neveu (11 August 191928 October 1949) was a French classical violinist. She was killed in a plane crash at the age of 30. Early life Neveu was born on 11 August 1919 in Paris into a musical family. Her brother Jean-Paul became a cla ...

. During his career, he advised

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to t ...

, Arthur Grumiaux, Isaac Stern,

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Hen ...

, cellists such as

Maurice Gendron Maurice Gendron (26 December 1920, near Nice20 August 1990, Grez-sur-Loing) was a French cello, cellist, conductor and teacher. He is widely considered one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. He was an Officer of the Legion of Honor and a ...

and

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

, as well as

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well ...

, whom he had known since the 1960s. He advised him to buy the Duport Stradivarius cello which he had appraised. He convinced Yehudi Menuhin to resell his

Soil Stradivarius The ''Soil Stradivarius'' (pronounced ) of 1714 is an antique violin made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona (1644–1737). A product of Stradivari’s golden period, it is considered one of his finest. ''The Soil'' was acquired by ...

, which he deemed unsuitable for his playing, to

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

. In 1973, he acquired a quartet of stringed instruments made in the same wood by luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and nicknamed "les Évangélistes". In 2009, he allowed the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation, a patron of the Modigliani quartet, to acquire it so that they could be played together. In 1970, Étienne Vatelot created the national school of lutherie in Mirecourt. The luthier Jean-Jacques Rampal, son of the flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal and assistant to Étienne Vatelot, took over his workshop in 1998 Étienne Vatelot gave numerous lectures and is the author of a book on ''Archets français'' ("French bows"). Les Archets Francais Volumes 1 and II
/ref> A foundation in his name was created to support young luthiers and bowmen by giving them

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

s. With the participation of the

Paris City Council The Council of Paris (French: ''Conseil de Paris'') is the deliberative body responsible for governing Paris, the capital of France. It possesses both the powers of a municipal council (''conseil municipal'') and those of a departmental co ...

, he created an international competition for violin and bow making.

Distinctions

* Commandeur of the

Légion d’honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

* Officier of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's es ...

* Chevalier of the

Palmes académiques Palmes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Sir Brian Palmes, English landowner and politician * Sir Guy Palmes, English politician * Brian Palmes MP * Lieutenant General Francis Palmes * Major Billie Palmes * Captain Laurence P ...

* Commandeur of the

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system ...

* Commandeur de l'

Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...

(after restoring the Stradivarius quartet of the

Royal Palace of Madrid The Royal Palace of Madrid ( es, Palacio Real de Madrid) is the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid, although now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the ...

)

References

External links

Concours Étienne Vatelot lutherie et archèterie 2011

Étienne Vatelot, Paris, 1980

French violin expert Étienne Vatelot dies aged 87
on The Strad
VATELOT RAMPAL - Experts String Instrument makers since 1909
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vatelot, Etienne 1925 births 2013 deaths People from Provins Luthiers from Paris Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Chevaliers of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Luthiers from Mirecourt

Biography

Distinctions

See also

References

External links