Bernard Ouchard (15 February 1925, in
Mirecourt
Mirecourt () is a Communes of France, commune in the Vosges (French department), Vosges Departments of France, department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Mirecourt is known for lace-making and the manufacture of musical instruments, particula ...
– 2 June 1979, in
Vittel
Vittel (; archaic ) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Mineral water is bottled and sold here by Nestlé Waters France, under the '' Vittel'' brand. A series of negotiations involving Nestlé, local agr ...
) was a French master bow maker and teacher in the School of Violin and Bowmaking of Mirecourt, France. He is considered by some to have been the last historical French master bow maker.
Bernard Ouchard was the son of
Émile Auguste Ouchard
Émile Auguste Ouchard (24 July 1900–14 February 1969) was a French bow maker of repute and son and pupil of Émile François Ouchard. Honors & awards include the Grand Prix of the 1942 International Paris Exhibition.
Biography
He was born ...
and the grandson of
Émile François Ouchard, both famous bowmakers. He learned his craft from his father and later worked for Vidoudez (a violinmaker of international repute) in Geneva. He was asked to return to France and give a new impetus to the revival of the French tradition(s) of bow making. He became the master bowmaker and teacher in the School of Violin and Bowmaking of Mirecourt, France.
"Bernard, (b. 1925) son of E. A. Ouchard, became his pupil, and worked with Vidoudez in Geneva before being appointed professor of bow making at the Mirecourt school in 1971, giving rise to the New French School which has produced such luminaries as
Benoît Rolland
Benoît Marie Rolland (born 12 September 1954 Paris), is a bow maker and musician, currently established in Boston, Massachusetts. An internationally renowned bow maker, he is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow and a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (2017 ...
, Jean-Yves Matter, Stephane Muller, Martin Devillers, Gilles Duhaut, sylvie Masson, Christophe Schaeffer, Jean Grunberger, Georges Tepho, Jacques Poullot, Eric Grandchamp and Stephane Thomachot.
Most notable of the younger generation has been trained by the students of Bernard Ouchard like Edwin Clement, Sylvain Bigot, Gilles Nehr and Yannick LeCanu.
Bibliography
*
*
*
* Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers -
Rene Vannes 1951,1972, 1985 (vol.3)
*
Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers
The ''Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers'' is a widely cited reference work providing information on approximately 9,000 violin makers. The work is based on the extensive notes of violinist and composer William Henley (1874-1957). Henley ...
-
William Henley 1970
External links
List of contemporary bow makers
1925 births
1979 deaths
Luthiers from Mirecourt
Bow makers
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