His dexterous hands have made over 1,000 violins, violas, cellos, double basses and baroque instruments that are being played by Slovenian as well as foreign musicians. Nearly all public music schools in Slovenia have his instruments, as he made numerous instruments for children, which are now used by many young musicians. It’s a well-known fact that not even a violinist beginner can bring out a wonderful sound on the “Demšar violin”, without any squeaking. In fact, there’s a special phrase that violin players use, the so-called “Demšar-like” sound.

With the exception of master craftsmen Jože Turšič and Maksimiljan Skalar, there had been no professional luthiers in Slovenia in the 1980s, which is why at the start of his career Demšar virtually single-handedly took over the care of the entire collection of string instruments in the country. He worked as a lutherie artist since 1981. He also mended instruments from other parts of Yugoslavia as well as travelled to many places to see to the instruments. He received a number of awards from his work in the field of lutherie, including the Betetto Award for exceptional achievements and versatile contribution to musical culture in Slovenia.

Vilim Demšar has left behind an extraordinary oeuvre of string instruments. Anyone who entered his lutherie studio could experience the genuine nobleness of the craft.

P.G., MMC; translated by K. Z.