According to prof Martina Meincken, she used yellowwood to make the front and sapele to make the back and ribs of the violin. PHOTO: Supplied/Hannes Jacobs.
A unique violin, made of indigenous African wood and designed by Stellenbosch University (SU) prof Martina Meincken, was built during lockdown by a former SU student.
“The whole idea was that, by choosing suitable pieces (wood) based on scientific analysis, the quality of the violin can be comparable to those made from carefully aged and dried wood that is conventionally used,” said Meincken.
Although Meincknen, from the Department of Forest and Wood Science, started this project two years prior, the violin took three months to be built by luthier and former SU student, Hannes Jacobs. Jacobs finished building the violin on 12 June.
According to prof Martina Meincken,the aim of this project was to show that wood science could be applied to different forms of life, not just construction. PHOTO: Supplied/ Hannes Jacobs.
“I wanted to show that wood science is not just about building materials, but also features in other, potentially more interesting spheres of our life,” said Meincken.
The project began by sourcing and identifying the specific wood that Meincken needed. Eventually, sapele mahogany and yellowwood were chosen to create this violin.
“There is actually a lot of science going into the choice of wood,” said Meincken.
But, some of the materials used to make the violin, posed different challenges under working conditions, according to Jacobs.
In order to craft this violin, a planned process was implemented by Hannes Jacobs, who resides in Pretoria. VIDEO: YouTube/Martina Meincken.
“The grain of the sapele was coarser than that of maple (which is often used to make violins), so one had to be more careful when cutting the wood. It made splinters more easily when being cut,” said Jacobs.
SU lecturer in violin and viola, Louis van der Watt, hopes to organise a lecture to showcase the violin’s abilities and the process it took to create the instrument. However, it is likely that this lecture will only take place next year due to Covid-19 restrictions, he said.
“As there will only be a phased return of students and lecturers [this] semester, this is something that can only take place in 2021,” said Van der Watt.