Dietrich Kessler; Luthier
Hyfler/Rosner
January 08, 2007
Dietrich Kessler
July 21, 1929 - December 12, 2006,
Highly esteemed maker and repairer of stringed instruments
who for many years ran the London firm of Withers
The violin expert and restorer Dietrich Kessler was a
well-known figure in the stringed musical instrument world.
He was highly respected by musicians and colleagues alike -
a rare accomplishment in any field where business and craft
coincide, and not least in the rarefied world of violins.
Kessler was born in Switzerland in 1929 where he took an
early interest in instruments, learning the cello and
playing trios with his parents. He trained at the
Schweizerische Geigenbauschule (Swiss violin making school)
in Brienz, studying under Adolph König, where he learnt the
strict disciplines of instrument making and repair. He also
earned a reputation as a fast worker by holding the record
for the most instruments completed in the four-year course
at Brienz.
In 1950 Kessler came to England where he worked with
Dolmetsch, the respected musical instrument makers in
Haslemere, for whom he made and repaired viols (precursors
to the violin) at £6 a week. He later worked with Cyril
Jacklin, a prominent expert at the time, at Albert Arnold
Ltd. in Charing Cross Road until the shop closed in 1955.
Kessler's overriding passion since his time at Brienz was
the viol, and in particular (despite his own origins) the
English viol. Although he excelled in all things violin,
viola and cello, this very specialised area became the
backbone of his creative life's work. Throughout his working
life, he not only made more than 250 viols himself but also
made a number of important advances in their construction
such as the original method of shaping the arched fronts by
bending, rather than carving them from solid wood. For the
coronation of Queen Elizabeth he made a special coronation
viol with her head as the scroll, with thistles and emblems
on the back of the peg box.
As a result of Kessler's love of viols, over the years he
collected and restored a number of uniquely fine examples by
the best English makers of the Baroque period which saw the
early flowering of the luthier's art in London - craftsmen
such as Barak Norman, Henry Jay, John Rose and Richard
Meares.
Although the names may not be as familiar as that of
Stradivari, the makers of these important instruments
deserve at least as much recognition for their critical part
in the development of stringed instruments in Britain.
After a period of freelance work from 1955 to 1969 during
which Kessler had carried out piecework for Edward Withers,
Stanley Withers, the last member of the 200-year-old Soho
violin firm, asked Kessler if he would take over the
establishment on his retirement.
Kessler's time at Withers had its own special impact on the
violin world but this time with further consequences.
Naturally, viols continued to be made, but many of the world's
foremost violin makers and restorers passed through the shop
and received precious training from him based on his solid
work ethic, phenomenal drive, natural ability and warmth.
Kessler was perhaps unique in directing his business from
the workbench, as a first violin rather than a conductor on
the rostrum. A workshop tenet, remembered by all who worked
with him, was that every repair job should be treated as a
rehearsal for working on a Strad. Withers customers knew
they would always have this kind of guarantee when they left
their prized instruments at the shop. Another of Kessler's
rare talents as a craftsman was to be able to intuitively
understand the delicate relationship of the individual
musician and their instrument. This quality inspired great
confidence among all string players who visited him.
Since selling the shop of Withers in 1987, Kessler was able
to devote more of his time to what he really loved, working
in the workshop at the top of his North London house.
Indeed, it was to pursue his lifelong interest in the viol
that he gave up the shop and its demands on his time.
As a tribute to Kessler's memory, and to ensure that his
irreplaceable English viols remain for the benefit of
players and makers alike, a trust fund is being set up to
keep the instruments in the UK.
In a business where intrigue and rivalry are the norm, no
one had a bad word to say about Kessler. His many years in
the violin trade brought him affection and respect from all
who knew him.
He leaves his wife, Jane Ryan, a well-known viol player, and
four children from his first marriage.
Dietrich Kessler, luthier, was born on July 21, 1929. He
died on December 12, 2006, aged 77
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> As a result of Kessler's love of viols, over the years he
> collected and restored a number of uniquely fine examples by
> the best English makers of the Baroque period which saw the
> early flowering of the luthier's art in London - craftsmen
> such as Barak Norman, Henry Jay, John Rose and Richard
> Meares.
I leaned a new word today. Thanks.