François Xavier Tourte and L'Archet de Viotti: Perspectives from a Violinist at the Workbench

This presentation explores the 1782 meeting of bow maker François Xavier Tourte and violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti and how the creative leap in the design of the "modern" bow arose through their interaction. Ellie Nimeroski draws on her experience in bow-making, records from the Paris Conservatoire and a manuscript from one of Viotti's students, the Belgian violinist André Robberechts to imagine Viotti's encounter with Tourte.