Peter Mach
Encyclopedia
Peter Mach is a Canadian luthier
who lives in Aylmer (Gatineau), Quebec
. Mach makes violin
s, viola
s, cello
s, and double bass
es, and bows
, and repairs string instrument
s and bows.
. Before Mach immigrated to Canada in 1969, he studied the art of violin-making under Joseph Kun, a fellow Czech and a luthier and bow maker. In 1976, Mach enrolled in the international school of violin-making in Cremona
, Italy
. After graduating in 1980, Mach opened his own luthier's shop in Aylmer, Quebec, where he makes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, and bows, and repairs string instruments and bows.
, which he called the Mach One Shoulder Rest. This rest is available for violin and viola. This is first wooden rest on the market to be hand-crafted out of maple
. The rest has an ergonomic “S” shape that hugs the shoulder and a simple design that allows width and height adjustments. The attaching feet of the rest are molded out of a single piece of rubber. This means that the rest has minimal direct contact with the instrument, which prevents scratches on the instrument. Musicians such as André Rieu
(a Holland-based musician who conducts and owns the Strauss orchestra) have praised the natural look of the rest's wood, which matches the back of the instrument. Some players, especially violists, have noticed that the rest actually improves the sound of their instruments.
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
who lives in Aylmer (Gatineau), Quebec
Aylmer, Quebec
Aylmer is a former city in Quebec, Canada. It became a sector of the City of Gatineau on January 1, 2002. Located on the Ottawa River and Route 148 it is a part of the National Capital Region. The population in 2006 was 41 882 — approx. 16% of Gatineau...
. Mach makes violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
s, cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
s, and double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es, and bows
Bow (music)
In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....
, and repairs string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s and bows.
Training
Peter Mach was initially trained as a pattern maker in his native CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Before Mach immigrated to Canada in 1969, he studied the art of violin-making under Joseph Kun, a fellow Czech and a luthier and bow maker. In 1976, Mach enrolled in the international school of violin-making in Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. After graduating in 1980, Mach opened his own luthier's shop in Aylmer, Quebec, where he makes violins, violas, cellos, and double basses, and bows, and repairs string instruments and bows.
Products
In 1997, Mach developed a shoulder restShoulder rest
The shoulder rest is an accessory that can be found on violins and violas. It may be made of wood, aluminium, carbon fiber or plastic. Usually, the shoulder rest attaches to the edge of the back of the violin with "feet" padded with rubber tubing or made of soft plastic...
, which he called the Mach One Shoulder Rest. This rest is available for violin and viola. This is first wooden rest on the market to be hand-crafted out of maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
. The rest has an ergonomic “S” shape that hugs the shoulder and a simple design that allows width and height adjustments. The attaching feet of the rest are molded out of a single piece of rubber. This means that the rest has minimal direct contact with the instrument, which prevents scratches on the instrument. Musicians such as André Rieu
André Rieu
André Léon Marie Nicolas Rieu is a Dutch violinist, conductor, and composer best known for creating the waltz-playing Johann Strauss Orchestra.- Early life and studies :...
(a Holland-based musician who conducts and owns the Strauss orchestra) have praised the natural look of the rest's wood, which matches the back of the instrument. Some players, especially violists, have noticed that the rest actually improves the sound of their instruments.