Page 53 - The Strad (February 2020)

pulled back, thus increasing the bridge height to produce
a louder sound. ˜e necks were widened at the same time,
to accommodate the new seventh string that was famously
introduced into France by Sainte-Colombe.

ooking at the table below, we can see that six of the
surviving Collichon instruments are basses with seven
L strings, two are pardessus de viole, and one is a treble.
It is quite likely that the ‘Plan de Paris’ was originally a seven-
string, based on the width of the top-block. ˜e wide range of
Above !#'£ (831 ;,' ¤¥ #!99 =-3£T ;,' '!8£-'9; 023>2 3££-$,32 -29;8<1'2;
'đ ,' Y £!2 &' !8-9ZT 8'$'2;£@ -&'2ধ)'& !9 #'-2+ 1!&' #@ -$,'£ 3££-$,32 woods used in these viols suggests a maker with an individual
approach to his craft who was not bound by the usual choices
both dating from the year 1682, and both containing his of makers of this period. In three of the basses the bodies
signature. Michel was the second of ve children born to (including the front) are made entirely from a hardwood found
Nicolas Collichon, a lute maker by trade, though there are no in central America: cedrela odorata (Spanish cedar). Of the
known instruments attributed to him. Nicolas was a prosperous remaining four, one has ribs and a back of a piece of wood
man, owner of ve properties in Paris including some land in with an extremely wild, burr-like gure; a second has ribs of
Villepinte, in the north-east of the city – all assets his children cherrywood and a back of walnut; a third has ribs of maple
eventually inherited. He was also tenant or owner of a shop on and a back of walnut; and the fourth has a walnut back and ribs.
Pont St Michel, on the corner of Rue de la Harpe. Michel One pardessus has ribs and back of burr-like wood, the other
Collichon ran a shop on Rue Jean Pain Mollet and, according to pardessus has ribs and back of ash, and the treble has ribs and
research by Corinne Vaast, it is also likely that at some point he back of wild service wood. ˜e necks on many of these viols,
too had a workshop on the Pont St Michel, close to that of his where original, are also made of wild service wood, maple or
father – or that they cohabited the same premises. walnut. Fingerboards are made from wild service wood, maple,
All the surviving Collichon instruments date from between walnut, larch and cedrela. ˜e bass-bar on the 1693 viol is made
1683 and 1693. Eight have handwritten labels, although these are of cedrela, as are the bottom-blocks of both the 1691 and 1693
not all in the same hand, use diˆerent spelling, and none is similar instruments. Up to this time, fruitwoods were commonly used
to the handwriting of his documented signature. In 1683 in viol making but by the latter part of the 17th century, the
Collichon would have been 42 years old, presumably having fashion had shifted and makers were increasingly turning to
undergone an extensive period of training, but there are no
records of an apprenticeship. It is possible he spent time in
London, given his adoption of the English system of bent-stave
construction for making soundboards. French viol players IT IS POSSIBLE
frequently travelled to London, and English viols were regarded as
the best in the world at that time, with many makers across COLLICHON SPENT
Europe using the English model as inspiration. Makers such as TIME IN LONDON, GIVEN
Stradivari, Stainer and Nicolò Amati are documented as having
copied English viols, not only because they were so highly HIS ADOPTION OF THE
regarded but also because they had been taken abroad by players ENGLISH SYSTEM OF
and were thus freely available to copy. Rousseau tells us that it was
common in the late 17th century for English viols to be taken to MAKING SOUNDBOARDS
France and physically ‘adjusted’ to suit the French playing style: it
was recommended, he says, that these English viols have the neck

Year Instrument 8'9'2; £3$!ধ32
1683 Bass viol Musée de la Musique, Paris, France
1686 Pardessus 8-=!;' $3££'$ধ32 l 9,'=-££'T T m
1687 Bass viol !9;'££3 (38A'9$3T -£!2T
;!£@
1688 Bass viol 8-=!;' $3££'$ধ32 l !='23f 31#'££3T
;!£@m
1689 Bass viol ;!&;#Ü$,'8'-T 3$,<1T '81!2@
169? 8'#£' =-3£ c !8&'99<9 8-=!;' $3££'$ধ32 l !9'£T >-;A'8£!2&m
1690 Pardessus '81!2-9$,' !ধ32!£ <9'<1T <8'1#'8+T '81!2@
PHOTOS SHEM MACKEY 1693 Bass viol <9Ì' &Z!8; '; &Z,-9;3-8'T '2'=!T >-;A'8£!2&
1691
8-=!;' $3££'$ধ32 l <8-$,T >-;A'8£!2&m
Bass viol
<9-$!£
29;8<1'2;9 <9'<1T 8<99'£9T '£+-<1
!99 =-3£ lY £!2 &' !8-9Zm
16??
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0 THE STRAD 51
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