Yann Besson is featured in the special edition "Crafts in France – 2018".
Text by Marie Lepesant / Photos Audrey Morisson
You can click on the thumbnails below to view the article or read a copy further down.
In his workshop located in Les Essards, Charente-Maritime, Yann Besson makes violas, violins and cellos for musicians from all over the world. He cultivates technical rigor and creativity to make acoustics and aesthetics rhyme.
It was a concerto for guitar and mandolin by Vivaldi that sparked Yann Besson's taste for classical music and a particular fondness for "the strength and breathing of baroque music".
His parents enrolled him in the municipal music school in Corme-Royal, Charente-Maritime, to fulfill his desire to learn to play the mandolin. Since this instrument wasn't taught at the school, he took guitar and violin lessons there for several years. He was delighted to discover, however, that the strings of a violin are tuned the same way (G D A E) as those of a mandolin. Alongside his musical studies, he spent a great deal of time in his father's carpentry workshop, assembling and carving wooden objects. He still remembers today the "scents of resin, elm, or oak, and the very particular smell of sawn, planed, spindle-shaped, or sanded wood."
This simultaneous encounter with wood and stringed instruments naturally led him to want to become a luthier. His desire to "open up" his violin to explore its interior, an undertaking thwarted at the last minute, already hinted at a certain aptitude for technique. At 15, he successfully passed the entrance exams for the National School of Violin Making in Mirecourt, in the Vosges region.Mirecourt and England
In Mirecourt, Yann Besson acquired the fundamental techniques of making and restoring violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and viols. "I learned woodworking, the proper use of tools such as the plane and the gouge, as well as the mastery of efficient techniques in a short amount of time," he explains. Still enamored with the mandolin, he had the opportunity to make a copy of a Stradivarius, carving the pegbox with the head of a chubby-cheeked angel. After five years of study, Yann Besson earned a diploma in fine arts with honors. At the age of 20, he continued his apprenticeship in renowned lutherie workshops in France and Hong Kong. He then decided to further develop his skills at one of London's leading workshops, Frederick Phelps Ltd, where he spent seven years restoring violins, violas, and cellos. A multitude of very different instruments pass through his hands: from 17th-century Italian instruments to contemporary ones, such as a Chinese instrument made in the 1980s. This experience has changed his perspective on the craft and allowed him to move beyond the highly technical approach of Mirecourt. "While making a violin body requires technical skills, carving the head of an instrument leaves room for creativity. I admire the strength and freedom of movement of some amateur luthiers," he acknowledges.
In 2002, Yann Besson established his own workshop and has since crafted violas and violins for international artists. "I offer each musician a specific tonal aesthetic with a particular roundness and power, and then I take care of the technical aspects to achieve the desired acoustic result," he explains. Each creation begins with the selection of the wood: spruce from the Alps and maple from Romanian forests, chosen for their tonal quality and beauty. The precise and elegant compass markings on the block of wood determine the instrument's dimensions, tailored to its specific acoustic requirements.Acoustics and aesthetics
Choosing the right tool, an important step, allows, for example, the removal of material with millimeter precision. When Yann Besson creates a viola, he is primarily concerned with its size, playability, and the amplification of a rich and deep sound. "The ratio between the body and the vibrating string length is crucial for sound quality and overall playing comfort," he explains. For twenty years, Yann Besson has mainly designed violas, driven by a desire to get ever closer to perfection: to create an instrument capable of easily amplifying vibrations and minimizing the bow pressure required to produce a high-quality sound.
“It’s interesting to make two violas at the same time because it allows you to compare the sound of each instrument and their response under the bow,” he notes. The luthier recently began making violas at his workshop in Les Essards (Charente-Maritime), where Yann Besson designs all his violins, violas, and cellos.
Cellos, I waited until I knew how to play them to better judge the instrument's acoustic quality. In terms of aesthetics, Yann Besson made a particular choice regarding the finish, opting for a solid varnish, whereas most are covered with a deliberately distressed varnish according to 18th-century techniques. The solitary work in the workshop ends with the adjustments. "I can change the soundpost, the bridge, or the strings to vary the sound quality without affecting the instrument," he explains. The luthier cultivates a long-term relationship with musicians. He meets them at trade shows or music festivals to maintain, adjust, or repair their instruments and show them his new creations in progress.
In parallel, Yann Besson is working with dealers in London and Lisbon to expand his network. The craft of lutherie requires at least fifteen years of apprenticeship and gaining recognition takes almost as long.
This is why Yann Besson can be proud of having been rewarded by his peers at the International' Viola 2016 competition, organized by the Franco-European Viola Association.
The jury, composed of luthiers and musicians, appreciated one of his violas for its exceptional sound and craftsmanship.
But Yann Besson insists that he has not finished learning and that he tirelessly pursues his quest for perfection.
Text by Marie Lepesant
