Albert Muller; master violin-maker
Hyfler/Rosner
By Ryan Lillis - Bee Staff Writer
Published 11:53 am PST Saturday, January 27, 2007
A crash on Hwy. 50 early this morning claimed the life of a
master violin maker from Sacramento, authorities said.
Albert Carl Muller, 87, died when his 2003 Toyota slammed
head-on with a Honda around 1:20 a.m., according to the
California Highway Patrol.
The CHP said Muller was travelling in the wrong direction in
the eastbound lanes near Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho
Cordova. Investigators said they do not know why Muller was
driving on the wrong side of the highway.
The 51-year-old driver of the Honda suffered major injuries
and her two passengers were also hurt, police said.
Muller was a well-known violin maker, owning a shop on El
Camino Avenue in north Sacramento until a few years ago.
According to a story about Muller in The Bee last August,
the San Francisco native made 300 violins during his 60-year
career.
Hyfler/Rosner
"Hyfler/Rosner" <rel...@rcn.com> wrote in message
> Muller was a well-known violin maker, owning a shop on El
> Camino Avenue in north Sacramento until a few years ago.
> According to a story about Muller in The Bee last August,
> the San Francisco native made 300 violins during his
> 60-year career.
>
Sacramento Bee (California)
August 1, 2006 Tuesday
METRO FINAL EDITION
Crafting violins-- and a friendship;
A music student in search of an instrument found much more:
A mentor, a comrade and a calling as a certified violin
maker.
BYLINE: Erika Chavez Bee Staff Writer
Cheryl Macomber was just 18 years old when she met the man
who changed the course of her life.On that fateful day in
1983, she went into Albert Muller's violin shop in search of
an instrument to advance her nascent skills. There, among
the scores of half-finished violins, tools and jars of
homemade varnish, a passion was born.
"I was totally intrigued," Macomber recalled. "I wanted to
know, how can a little instrument do all this? So I asked
Albert." More than 20 years later, Macomber has joined the
increasingly rare profession of certified violin maker. She
has taken over Muller's shop, and the duo enjoy an unlikely
friendship.
Even though he is long retired, Muller is at the shop most
days, working on his oil and pastel paintings or just
sitting by Macomber's side, watching, guiding, advising.
"He's a gentleman, and he really looks out for me," said
Macomber of the 87-year-old Muller. "He has so much
knowledge that just being around him and watching him, I
learn things."Muller is equally grateful for the 41-year-old
Macomber's company.
"We're peers now," Muller said. "When we're working, she
sits in the master's chair. I sit off to the side."Macomber
grew up in Wilton and began playing piano at age 4. At 14,
she took up the violin.
After she bought a violin from Muller when she was 18, the
two kept in touch. Macomber visited the shop regularly to
get her bow re-haired or find instruments for her students
once she began giving private violin lessons.
She was always intrigued by the violin-making process, and
wondered how a block of European maple could be transformed
into a work of art that produces dulcet notes."I had no idea
I could make one myself, but one day Albert handed me a
violin mold and said, 'Want to try it?'" Macomber said.
"Right then, I was hooked."
Even though Muller closed his shop seven years ago following
his wife's death, he kept the small cottage as a hobby shop
for his woodwork and painting. The building is tucked behind
a used car dealership on El Camino Avenue, a cool, quiet
refuge from the hustle and bustle.
The two began a formal apprenticeship five years ago, which
continued when Macomber moved to Paso Robles and opened her
own violin shop.
Macomber would drive to Sacramento on weekends so that
Muller could continue to teach her the painstaking artistry
necessary to make a violin.
They worked side by side for years, the teacher and the
student, sculpting, scraping, smoothing, and basking in each
other's quiet company.When Macomber decided to move back to
Sacramento, Muller had a suggestion: Why not reopen his old
shop?She rented the cottage from Muller, opened for business
in June and is slowly establishing a client base.
Macomber appreciates Muller's company as well as his
expertise; she has built 18 violins so far; he crafted 300
during his 60-year career.
She also makes violas and cellos, repairs and restores older
instruments and continues to give private music lessons.But
violins are her primary passion."Making a violin is
physical, it's mental, it's artistic," Macomber said. "You
can put your own touch and personality into the scroll, or
the F holes."High-end violins like Macomber's, which sell
for about $5,500 each, aren't necessarily in high demand.
That doesn't lessen their impact."These instruments will be
around for 200 or 300 years," she said. "So we must always
do our best."The Bee's Erika Chavez can be reached at
(916)321-1016 or ech...@sacbee.com.
J.D. Baldwin
In the previous article, Hyfler/Rosner <rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> A crash on Hwy. 50 early this morning claimed the life of a
> master violin maker from Sacramento, authorities said.
I guess he'll be buried col legno.
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_|70|___:)=}- J.D. Baldwin |am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also
\ / bal...@panix.com|to deny under oath that I ever made it. -T. Lehrer
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