My first 100 violins

Violinist and luthier José Mª Valverde Sepúlveda was born in Guadix (Granada, Spain) in 1934. He studied violin in Madrid with Luis Antón, being a fellow student with Enrique and José-Luis García Asensio, among many others. Dedicated entirely to music, in 1962 he was a founding member of the Gulbenkian Foundation Chamber Orchestra (Lisbon), where he worked three years.

As a member of the National Orchestra of Spain since 1965, he has toured concert halls worldwide, visiting the most prestigious luthiers and connoisseurs of violin making, and in his travels he has gathered all possible information on the construction of violins and varnishes.

In his role as a luthier, with the knowledge he has accumulated in travels, study manuals, acquired literature and a peculiar ability and persistence which are innate to him, he has made more than 100 instruments, both violins and violas, now forming part of his private collection.

In the making of each of the instruments he has perfected the construction techniques, the finishes, and especially the varnishes, including their components and processes of elaboration and application, trying to get the old Cremonese varnishes, always in search of the best acoustic characteristics of the instruments.

The book My First 100 violins comes from the wisdom of a person who is a vocational violin maker, well aware of the subject and with that glint of light on the old Cremonese varnishesis especially recommended for string players, both students and professionals, because there is really little or nothing published in Spain to meet the basic knowledge. For researchers who want to further study in violin making, an extensive bibliography opens the doors to a generous stream of information.