Georges Apparut ran a very successful workshop in MIrecourt between around 1927 and 1948. This violin is from his student range, yet it’s a very fine instrument with a sophisticated tone.
Georges Apparut is a well known name in French lutherie – he worked for Paul Blanchard and was the successor to VJ Charotte, and over a 20 year period he enjoyed significant commercial success.
This violin bears his “sous la direction de” label, a very common way of denoting that the violin was made by apprentices rather than by the master himself. Nonetheless it’s a very precise and well made instrument, at least equal in quality to contemporary instruments by Amédée Dieudonné or Charles Bailly.
The condition is impeccable – there are no cracks or repairs, all edges and corners are clean, and the original varnish is relatively unmarked – very rare to see a violin of this age in this sort of condition.
This is a lovely sounding instrument too, with a full and open sound throughout the register. There are no weak notes and no nasty peaks – the entire violin has a rounded, solid tone and an easy response. So many inexpensive violins sound boxy, nasal, tubby or shrill, and somehow this modest instrument sidesteps all of that and just sounds like a violin should.
A great choice for an advancing student, and an unusually attractive example from this well respected workshop.
