Description
【FAMILY HISTORY: THE PORTRAIT OF OUR FAMILY - TRUE MITTENWALD VIOLIN MAKING TRADITION】
【Arts and crafts violin making】
In addition to craftsmanship and artistic skill, experience and creativity are particularly important: this is the only way to build unique instruments that convince both in terms of sound and craftsmanship.
【The Leonhardt family manufactures ...】
... in the spirit of the 350-year tradition of Mittenwald violin making, for 95 years handmade string instruments.
It all started with the founding father Anton Dietl: he learned the violin making craft in Schönbach (Gossengrün), opened his first workshop in 1926 and in 1968 transferred the management to his son-in-law Wilfried Leonhardt - who also came from the local "handicraft dynasty": father Fritz Leonhardt at that time already established as a local plucked instrument maker.
【Rainer W. Leonhardt has been running the master workshop since 1997】
Rainer Leonhardt learned the violin making craft at the technical school for violin making in Mittenwald and passed the journeyman's examination in 1982. This was followed by several journeyman years with various well-known violin makers to expand their knowledge of new construction, repair, optimal tonal adjustment and bow making. In 1990 he successfully passed his master's examination at the Munich Chamber of Crafts as a guild winner.
In the years that followed, he was able to incorporate the acquired knowledge more and more into the family business. Since then, particular value has been placed on intensive contact with musicians with their special requirements and needs: only in a harmonious dialogue between violin maker and musician can exceptionally harmonious results be achieved.
Julia Klotz has been in the 4th generation since 2016. In 2019 she successfully passed the journeyman's examination in the violin making trade at the Mittenwald instrument making school.
【AWARDS - GEIGENBAU LEONHARDT: FOUNDED IN MITTENWALD - AT HOME IN THE WORLD】
Quality doesn't have to hide. The violin making workshop Leonhardt has always been an open house - this is still the case today and is certainly a reason why the special ambience of our workshop is always an interesting attraction for radio and television.
You have to work out quality. The presence at the most diverse national trade fairs (e.g. Frankfurt Music Fair, Bozen Autumn Fair, Innsbruck Crafts Fair, Munich Crafts Fair) and international trade fairs is an integral part of our business year, as is the successful participation in numerous international violin making competitions.
Quality pays off. Of the many awards we have received over the years, just a few are mentioned here.
【Quality has its price. Sometimes even several】
․1989 - awarded the medal of honor as the guild winner of the Bavarian Chamber of Crafts.
․1993 - the French Violin Maker Association awarded us the honorary award.
․1995 - won the German Musical Instrument Prize for the violin cello "Bergfeuer", awarded by the Federal Ministry of Economics.
․1997 - we received the honorary award from the European Association of Violin and Bow Makers for the best European participant in the competition in Mittenwald.
․2005 - the Kreissparkasse Garmisch-Partenkirchen awarded us the special prize for outstanding manual work.
․2005 - Director of the Mittenwald violin making museum
․2012 - Bavaria Export Award - Awarded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economics in the craft sector
【Classical Violins - An Authorized Wholesale Supplier】
We, Classical Violins, are the authorized wholesale supplier and we sell the whole series of Rainer Leonhardt's high-quality and exquisite instruments. If you are interested, please don't hesitate to contact us through email and/or phone. It's our great honour to invite you to come over and try these beautiful instruments. Thank you!
