HEINRICH HERMANN TODT – MARKNEUKIRCHEN circa 1913

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Branded inside the violin on back plate:

Heinrich Hermann Todt, violin maker, was born in 1862 and died in 1929 in Markneukirchen, Germany. As a young man Todt trained in his hometown of Markneukirchen and then worked for C. Ficker, an important maker in Budapest, Hungary, before returning home establishing his own shop in 1900. This violin is a fine example of a violin from the Golden Age of German violinmaking. German violin making can be traced to the history of Germany itself. They had wood and artisans. The entire country was literally a forest. Germany had a great boom economically during the 19th century for a number of reasons: the influence of outside countries, violin guilds, demands for high standards, trade routes out of their country to the West, and the vast access to natural resources. These factors helped make this particular region of Germany, Markneukirchen, the hub of violin making. Markneukirchen was also known as the “Deutsch-Cremona” (the German Cremona), a phrase coined by famous maker Ludwig Glasel jr. (1842-1931). Glasel, like Hermann Todt who grew up in this town, had a great sense of regional pride and a healthy spirit of self-confidence in the quality of what they made. They made fine sounding instruments at an affordable price that they inherently knew would sell all around the world. This guild of makers followed through on what they dreamed!

Our Guarneri model is a pattern which helps deliver a superior sound. The violin is branded and is truly a fine violin of this Golden Age. The condition is very good and there are no issues of note. We have restored the treble side top plate, restoring with fine cleat work two areas of the top plate. I have gone over the entire violin. The violin fingerboard was cambered and the nut adjusted for the height difference. I cut a new set of ebony pegs, bridge, and soundpost. I found an early 20th century tailpiece in my collection and put it on with a Guarneri style chin rest in black hardware. The varnish shows some slight patina, beautiful natural wear which tells me the violin was played. The instrument has a wonderful two-piece highly flamed back. The flame is medium width and descends from the center seam. The ribs, neck, and scroll match in flame. The choice of woods is WoW! The spruce top has a very even width grain throughout the entire table. The instrument has been set up with all ebony fittings.

Corpus 355.5 mm., Major Width 206.0 mm., Minor Width 167.0 mm. Rib Height 30.0 mm

The sound is off the charts responsive. The violin has power to fill up a concert hall and the sound delivers in maturity and character across the spectrum. The bottom has a little edge to the tone which very much enhances the overtones. When I get this kind of sound out of a violin, I love it. There is a sustain and a presence on the violin that is hard to describe, all beautiful. The instrument quickly jumps with a decent stick. The power of the violin is also found on the treble strings. The sound is brilliant but not bright. Powerful but not overbearing. The violin simply rings, it lacks nothing in the higher end. The strength and sustain on the treble side is real and does not hold back. This violin leans a little to the darker side but has plenty of brilliance. The 100 plus year-old violin is a gem. It is stunning in all the voices and full of old-world character – not new or bright sounding tone.