The World of Musical Instrument Makers: A Guided Tour

Description

109 pages
Contains Photos
$29.95
ISBN 0-88962-349-X
DDC 681'

Publisher

Year

1987

Contributor

Photos by Brian Pickell
Reviewed by Neal Johnson

Neal Johnson was Associate Professor of Languages and Literatures at the University of Guelph, Ontario.

Review

The author has conceived an original and imaginative presentation for this handsomely produced volume: he takes us on a guided “walking tour” of an imaginary gallery exhibition of the work of Toronto’s present-day professional musical instrument makers. Despite the fact that such a tradition is relatively new for Toronto (most of these artisans have been attracted there since the 1960s), the city is the handmade musical instrument centre of Canada and one of the major centres on the continent, with skilled makers of all types of instruments. We are presented with a gallery of 26 craftspeople, making a wide variety of instruments ranging from violins, lutes, and guitars (both classical and electric), through flutes (gold, silver, and porcelain), to Celtic harps, bouzoukis, and steel drums.

An impression of considerable vitality emerges, as well as a real sense of the pride of these skilled artisans in their work. These impressions are reinforced by numerous photographs, 80 in full colour and 60 in black and white.

Both text and illustrations are aimed at an audience of the uninitiated: they are deliberately non-technical in language, personal in approach, and informal in tone. This is not a reference work on musical instruments, and it makes no claim to cover the field in a comprehensive manner. The question-and-answer format (questions that we the readers would presumably like to ask while on our “tour” of the exhibits) seems at times a little precious, but does provide some insight into the world of instrument-making. This book is above all a celebration of human creativity; these artists working in our midst produce instruments which are not only capable of making beautiful sounds, but which are themselves objects of great beauty. One can only salute their success in a society in which all too often mass production leads to mass mediocrity.

 

Citation

Laskin, William, “The World of Musical Instrument Makers: A Guided Tour,” Canadian Book Review Annual Online, accessed November 22, 2024, https://cbra.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/34461.