Rules, Rules, Rules... (con't)
Interviewee: Geoffrey Ovington

From our discussion it appeared that violas would be a better chance for the maker to express himself. As Ovington puts it, the viola is, “the odd man out.” The size was never fixed, cellos are pretty much 29 1/2 inches, violins are 14 inches.” Violas have a range from very small (15 inches or less) to very large (18 inch, unplayable instruments). “That’s a big range!” he says, “Even today the practical range is from 15 3/4 to 17 1/4 inches, that’s a big range!”

Violists are “always complaining,” he says, “So viola makers are always inventing design changes to make the instrument more practical.” Aside from that, there is no actual outline like with the violin. In violins, Ovington finds, “very little use in trying to beat the outline established by Stradivari, in my point of view... those guys worked on it pretty well!” However, it is in this respect that the viola is much more interesting, “I have at least one dozen (viola outlines), although the length is pretty much established, things like body shape are not quite so established. So you do get more freedom,” he says. 

Geoffrey Ovington’s studio is a loft at the very top of a restored old barn. The barn is divided in half, one half consists of a small stage with a gorgeous piano, and minimal room for a small audience, the other half is an apartment. On the side with the stage, there is a small wooden staircase, not able to hold any more than about 5 people. If you climb this set of stairs, you will find yourself entering the reasonably spacious studio of Geoffrey Ovington.

When looking at the barn from the outside, you can’t possibly figure how a decent sized studio could have been crammed in! The studio sits in the small amount of space not used by the apartment (it is on the apartment half of the building). Its height provides one of the best views of Dionondehowa Wildlife Sanctuary and School, a gorgeous natural environment of learning where students of all ages enjoy nature, and also the land that Ovington’s studio sits on.

Once you’ve finished gazing in awe at the land, you can proceed to enter Ovington’s studio. His studio is a room which is weaved around the beams and supports that keep the old barn from giving in to its old age. If you were to walk straight into the studio, and then take a sharp left, you would find yourself staring at Ovington’s collection of string and wood related books. Among these books is a gorgeous two-part set which presents the reader with incredible photographs and detailed descriptions, right down to the structure, of every violin Guarneri (one of the most renown violin-makers) ever made.

After proudly showing me his name in the credits, a long collection of names from the people who donated to support the creation of this book, Ovington went on to show me the violin pictures. They were all sloppily made, something Guarneri was known for, but they also all possessed numerous scratches and flaws from the many years they had endured. 

This was the subject he was going on the discuss, a great instrument needs to be preserved. He seemed grateful that today’s good cases will, somewhat, prevent his instruments from undergoing what some of these incredible works of Guarneri had been through. “You don’t put a good instrument in a cheap case!” he remarked.

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Cello | Viola