Cello Awards

Last November, I was pleased to finish a cello in time to participate in the 23rd International Violin making competition held by the Violin Society of America (VSA) in Cleveland.

Among the 68 cellos presented, my instrument was awarded a Double Certificate of Merit :

-a Certificate of Merit for Tone by judges and cellists Dane Johansen, Jeffrey Solow and Brian Thornton.

-a Certificate of Merit for Workmanship by judges and violin makers Ulrike Dederer, Antoine Nédélec and Raymond Schryer.

It was a great achievement and honour to be rewarded for my work in this way. For a violin maker it is significant and meaningful to receive such distinction at this international level and to see the results of years dedicated work acknowledged and encouraged.

This event is also an excellent opportunity to acquire a representative overview of global contemporary instruments which were, in my opinion, quite remarkable in quality.  It also gives to participants the opportunity to discuss their individual work with the judges. Thank you and congratulations to everyone who took part in it!

I also wanted to personally thank Paul Marleyn, Rachel Mercer, and Raphael Weinroth-Browne for their time and useful feedback while adjusting the cello.

This 2018 Dequincey Cello has a body made of Canadian poplar and spruce. The maple neck and pear wood scroll are sourced in Europe.

Copyrights © 2019-2021 Charline Dequincey. All rights reserved.

Poplar cello

Cellos or Violas made with poplar or willow backs have a reputation for having a warm sound. These wood species were used throughout the history of violin making, and particularly in Cremona during the second half of the XVII century and the first half of the XVIII century. In his book, “The Secrets of Stradivari,” Simone F. Sacconi mentions that two fifths of Stradivari’s cellos still remaining, feature poplar or willow backs. There are fine examples of those instruments in the collections of the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

A few years ago, I acquired some pieces of Canadian poplar which were quarter sawn for violin making use and big enough for a cello. Guy Harrison and I had built in 2009 a cello using European poplar, resulting in a very satisfying sounding instrument. As I was curious to try this other kind of poplar on a cello, I built one. In fact, the spruce used for the blocks and the front also came from Canadian forests, making the body of this instrument entirely Canadian sourced!

Cello patchesTo work with a different wood than the more common maple required that I take into consideration the differences in mechanical and acoustical properties. Accordingly, I adjusted the thicknesses in relation to the density of the wood. Then I measured the tap tones and weight, in order to adjust the final stiffness of the back as a free plate, using Nigel Harris’ method.

Some instruments with poplar/willow back features ribs made in a different wood than the back, such as ash or beech, matching the scroll. I used poplar for the ribs to match the back, and reinforced them with linen (a method also employed by Antonio Stradivari).

Copyrights © 2015-2021 Charline Dequincey. All rights reserved.