Vuillaume's Early Years: The Making of a Master

Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume is, along with Nicolas Lupot, the most famous French luthier in history. Today his instruments are sought-after and appreciated by musicians just as much as when they were first crafted in the mid-19th century – perhaps even more so. As a luthier myself, I feel a sense of pleasure every time a Vuillaume instrument appears on my workbench, and it’s heartening to note the ever-increasing interest from players and customers in the works of our illustrious predecessor. Vuillaume can accurately be called ‘a mid-19th-century maker’: his first labels are dated 1823, and he died in 1875. His career was one of incredible richness as well as resounding success, a testimony to his brilliant entrepreneurship given the turbulent times he lived through. One could say it was an almost perfect success story – although not a universal one. Despite the plethora of books and articles about the middle and later parts of Vuillaume’s career, hardly anything has been written about his early years. This short period is still a grey area for most musicians, and indeed luthiers, even though it explains much about the formative influences on the great 19th-century master.