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Hitting the sound barrier

Dwindling supplies of prized spruce wood threaten a centuries-old Czech tradition

By Hela Balínová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
January 31st, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Craftsmen like Jíří Hron, who produce a relatively small number of violins, have not felt the squeeze.

Paul McNulty, a producer of antique-style fortepiano replicas, definitely can’t complain about customer demand. “A couple years ago, almost nobody longed to have a fortepiano,” says Viviana Sofronitzki, McNulty’s wife. “And nowadays we are receiving so many orders.”

One theory about the high demand is that last year’s celebration of Mozart’s 250th anniversary made many people want a copy of the master’s instrument in their homes. Along with all the time and skill that McNulty devotes to the instruments, another component makes them unique: resonant spruce from the Šumava forests in south Bohemia, known the world over among musicians for its amazing sound quality.
“After playing it, I realized that I had never tried an instrument that brought me so close to the music,” says Softonitzki of the first time she played one of her husband’s creations. “My choice was made — or rather, my fate was decided.”
In fact, Šumava wood was one of the main reasons McNulty left Holland for the Czech Republic in 1995 and settled in Divišov, where his workshop is open to visitors.
But there’s a problem looming, at least for the larger instrument makers who rely on Šumava spruce. It’s disappearing, endangering a centuries-old craft.
“We haven’t been forced to cut production yet, but who knows what the situation is going to be like in the future,” says Ivan Vaníček, a spokesman for Strunal, the largest string-instrument maker in Europe. Based in the west Bohemia town of Luby, Strunal manufactures 60,000 instruments a year.
Much has been written about why the unique Šumava spruce is in decline. Pollution has been cited as the main cause, dating to the 1980s, when new laws were enacted to protect the forests. But, for the big manufacturers, those laws have hurt as much as they’ve helped.
“The number of places where we are still allowed to choose trees is getting smaller,” Vaníček says. “Years ago, we were allowed to select in the Boubín primeval forest, but they have even banned that. The restrictions have caused us a lot of troubles and worries.”
Specially trained scouts now scour the forest to find the right trees. The finest wood is usually found in the core of trees that are over 120 years old.
Resonant pine cannot be felled like lumber, because that would damage the wood, so the tree must be brought down very carefully. It is then cut by hand according to the size of instruments the wood will be used to make. The final selection of trees and wood depends on a number of factors, including:
The tree must be upright and in the middle of a forest, not on the border.Trees on the north side of slopes tend to be better, as they’re grouped tightly together.
The wood must be clean, with no rot or knots.
The more annual rings, and the closer they are, the better.
Craftsmen such as McNulty, who makes only six or seven instruments a year, aren’t worried. “Wherever one finds spruce grown rather slowly for a good number of years, there you will find me,” he says.
Jiří Hron, a violin maker who plies his trade in Prague, notes that traditional instrument makers typically have an advantage. “Makers who continue in the family tradition are not yet in danger,” he says. “They can survive on supplies preserved by their fathers and grandfathers.”
But companies like Strunal are already starting to look elsewhere. “Our wood experts have been to Bosnia and Russia to see what our chances of importing their resonant wood are like,” says Vaníček. “It will cost us more money to bring the wood all the way here, and we will have to add the higher transit costs to the final price.”
Ultimately, though, the most important changes will not be monetary. Czech-made instruments are valued the world over for their sound, which is bound to change if the wood supply comes from a different source. While no one can say exactly how, it’s clearly a cause of concern.
Asked whether using Russian or Bosnian spruce would change the strunal instruments’ sound, Vaníček hesitates for a moment before answering.
“Well,” he says, “every tone is going to be different.”

Hela Balínová can be reached at hbalinova@praguepost.com


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