Violinmaking has long been the profession of a very select group of craftspeople. In Slovenia, a widely respected violinmaker kept alive a craft that he had inherited from his father – and passed it down to the next generation.

Vilim Demšar was born in 1937 to a father with a passion for music. Blaž Demšar had been a carpenter, but he became a respected violin maker when living in Sarajevo. He combined elements pioneered by Stradivarius with his own designs. Aged just 13, his son Vilim began to work in his father’s workshop and, after completing a three-year apprenticeship, began to practice the craft full-time.

A member of an unusually musical family, Vilim Demšar also studied the violin at the Ljubljana Music Academy and then taught music and served as a member of several orchestras. He combines his first-hand knowledge of violin music with attention to detail: Only the best maples and spruces from Slovenia are good enough for his violins, but that is just the beginning: Demšar believes that the way the wood is used happen to be far more important than the quality of the wood itself.

Each violin is the result of a laborious process that takes at least 150 hours – a traditional approach using time-honored tools in order to guarantee the best possible sound. In place of industrial varnish, each violin receives a finish of natural of egg yolk. Even though he believes that having an ear for music is not a requirement for being a good violinmaker, Demšar’s knowledge of acoustics and the ability to hear the tiniest details of each sound ensures that his violins rank among the world’s best. Their prices reflect their quality; they cost several thousand euros each. Regardless of the price, they are treasured by musical enthusiasts and can be found in homes and music schools across Slovenia.

Even though Vilim Demšar died in February 2017, the Demšar legacy appears to be in safe hands: His nephew Blaž Demšar learned the craft from his uncle and is now making world-class violins of his own.