Guidantus
– aristocrat of the violas
T
he collection of Pohjola Bank Art Foundation contains two
violas: the German Leonhard Maussiel and an Italian viola from
1737. This instrument, which was built in Bologna by Joannes
Florenus Guidantus, has previously belonged to the violin maker
Enrico Marchetti and in the 1930s to the famous British viola player
Watson Forbes.
B
ecause violas are tuned lower than a violin, making them is something
of a challenge. On the one hand, the instrument should be as easy to
handle as possible, and on the other, achieving a warm and sonorous
timbre from a small frame is almost impossible. There are very few
good old violas to be found: indicative of this is the fact that
about 550 Stradivarius violins are known to exist, 60 cellos
but only 13 violas.
T
he Pohjola Bank Art Foundation has indeed been
fortunate in finding this important Guidantus viola for
its collection. The instrument maker has achieved the
rich full sound of a large instrument through the
instrument’s rounded shape. The reddish brown
varnish of this beautifully sounding viola is of the
highest quality, just like a Stradivarius.
I
t can be stated that the timbre of the instrument
corresponds to its appearance. The soft aristocratic
tone of the instrument offers precisely what its visual
qualities promise.
J
ussi Tuhkanen plays the Art Foundation’s Guidantus.