Hans Johannsson (born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, 1957) is a contemporary

violin maker A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be u ...

, most notable for his 21st century violin, which New York Times chose as one of the best ideas of the year. He makes violins, violas, cellos, double basses and various other stringed instruments. His passion for the violin started at an early age in the workshop of his grandfather Gudjon Halldorsson, a cabinet maker in Reykjavík, Iceland, where he began making musical instruments. He finished his studies at the Newark School of Violin Making in Great Britain with a diploma of distinction, under Maurice Bouette and Glen Collins in 1980. He subsequently received a masters diploma from the Icelandic Arts and crafts council in 1982. He has been making instruments for professional musicians in many countries. After 1982, Hans lived and worked with his family at the Chateau de

Bourglinster Bourglinster (, ) is a small town in the commune of Junglinster, in central Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, ...

in the Grand Duchy of

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

, until 1993. He is a full member of the International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. David Fulton, the well known violin collector, is quoted as considering Hans Johannsson to be one of the best violin makers in the world today.

Career

Hans has been making his instruments after his own model, designing all outlines and proportions on an ever evolving basic line. He has not made copies except in rare circumstances, as he believes that the great masters of earlier times all created their own distinctive style based on a classical theme, and that emulation is only practical when serving an educational purpose. Hans has made many experimental string instruments, both acoustic and electro-acoustic, and has studied the use of modern technologies such as Experimental Modal Analysis and FFT sound radiation measurements for his work on both classical conventional stringed instruments as well as prototype experimental electric bowed instruments. In 1998 he played the main role in a 60-minute television documentary, The Violin Maker, focusing on his works, filmed at the Chateau de Bourglinster in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, featuring

Sandrine Cantoreggi Sandrine Marie Adèle Cantoreggi (born 1969) is a Luxembourg violinist who has gained an international reputation, performing both at home and abroad as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals. She also teaches the violin at the Conservatoire d ...

and Roby Lakatos. Produced with a grant from

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in . Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages co-op ...

for international distribution. In 2003 he moderated and wrote the script for a BBC 3 radio documentary on technology and tradition in violinmaking. In 2005–2007 he collaborated with

Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson (; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scaled installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's experience. In 1995, ...

and Andreas Eggertsen on a 21st Century violin project, that imitate 17th and 18th century violins but look different. The resulting violin debuted in 2007 at the

Serpentine Gallery The Serpentine Galleries are two contemporary art galleries in Kensington Gardens, Westminster, Greater London. Recently rebranded to just Serpentine, the organisation is split across Serpentine South, previously known as the Serpentine Galler ...

, Hyde Park, London. New York Times chose the violin as one of the best ideas of the year. Hans has collaborated with several musicians on custom instruments. In 2017 he collaborated with

Úlfur Hansson Úlfur Hansson (born 30 March 1988) is an Icelandic songwriter, electronic musician and composer. He is also an engineer and has designed and built his own musical instruments. Some of his works have been written for classical ensembles, such a ...

. In 2013 he collaborated with Oscar-winner

Hildur Guðnadóttir Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (born 4 September 1982) is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and ...

featuring experimental string instruments. Since 2013 he has collaborated with Prof. Patrick Gaydecki of Signal Wizard systems, developing the use of impulse response measurements of classical instruments to emulate sound using digital signal processing. In a listening study the audience preferred the virtual violin, but the experts where still able to differentiate between the two.

Interviews

Interview with Dr. Roger Kneebone.Interview, Rosin the Bow

References

External links

Official website.
The Violin
60-minute television documentary {{DEFAULTSORT:Jóhannsson, Hans 1957 births Luthiers Bowed string instrument makers Living people Music of Iceland People from Reykjavík