Carl Fredrick Becker (also known as Carl F. Becker and Carl Becker Jr.) (1919 – January 30, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

luthier A luthier ( ; AmE also ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word "luthier" is originally French and comes from the French word for lute. The term was originally used for makers o ...

and restorer, known for restoring the " Lady Blunt" 1721 Stradivarius violin. He had a reputation as "one of America's finest violin makers" and “the dean of American violin-making”. Becker was a founding member of both the International Association of Violin and Bow Makers (

Entente Internationale des Luthiers et Archetiers Entente, meaning a diplomatic "understanding", may refer to a number of agreements: History * Entente (alliance), a type of treaty or military alliance where the signatories promise to consult each other or to cooperate with each other in case o ...

) and the American Federation of Violin and Bowmakers. Several important American luthiers trained under his guidance including Peter Beare, Eric Benning (of

Benning Violins Benning Violins is a California-based luthier business, crafting, restoring and repairing violins, violas and cellos since its opening in 1950 as Studio City Music. In 1953, it moved to its current location on Ventura Boulevard. Learning the cra ...

), Charles Rufino, Sebastian Zens and

Samuel Zygmuntowicz Samuel Zygmuntowicz (born 1956) is a contemporary luthier and is widely regarded as one of the finest violin makers of his generation. He began his instrument making training at age 13, and studied making and restoration under Peter Prier, Carl B ...

Biography

Becker was born in the family of Carl G. Becker in 1919 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He started apprenticing with his father at age 16, while still at school, making

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

ribs. After graduating from high school in 1937 he worked for William Lewis & Son Co. under his father's supervision. In 1941, Becker was called into the military service and joined

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

where became a trainer of other pilots, finishing his military career at the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

ended, he continued the family tradition of violin-making. From 1946 to 1968, Becker worked with his father for William Lewis & Son. ''

The Strad ''The Strad'' is a UK-based monthly classical music magazine about string instrumentsprincipally the violin, viola, cello and double bassfor amateur and professional musicians. Founded in 1889, the magazine provides information, photographs and re ...

'' magazine reports that the couple made their first “Carl Becker and Son” violin in 1948 however it wasn't until 1968 when they opened their own shop in a multi-level building on Belmont St. in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

that served as the family's shop as well as their home. Their shop was offering new instruments, valuable old Italian instruments as well as repair and restoration services. With the few exceptions, all "Carl Becker and Son" violins constructed between 1946 and 1975 were made jointly by father and son who divided the labor (his father was responsible for the arching, while he did the carving of neck and scroll). Together they made over 500 instruments. After the death of his father in 1975, Becker made by himself only 13 instruments. Much of his violin-making happened at the secluded cabin in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

by Lake Pickerel, where he worked in a studio over the garage and practiced

muskie The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskellun ...

fishing. His time in Chicago was devoted to repairing and restoring violins. During 1970 and 1971, Becker restored the famous " Lady Blunt" 1721 Stradivarius violin. Shortly after that, the violin sold at an auction for the record amount of $201 000. Becker's children, Jennifer and Paul, continued the family tradition of violin making. Jennifer started her first violin in 1966, at age 11 and completed it at age 15. In 1970 (at the age of 16) she joined the company full-time. In 1978 she moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and started her own violin making business. Paul Becker joined the company in 1971 at the age of 14. He is the current owner of “Carl Becker and Son”. Becker died in January 2013 at the age of 93.

References

External links

Carl Becker and Son: Our Legacy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Carl Fredrick 1919 births 2013 deaths Businesspeople from Chicago Military personnel from Illinois American luthiers American musical instrument makers Bowed string instrument makers 20th-century American businesspeople