Interesting old French viola, René Morizot, 1932

This French viola by René Morizot provides an interesting insight into one of the most famous workshops in the history of French instrument making: "Morizot, père et frères“ where Louis Joseph Morizot and his sons crafted magnificent bows, following in the footsteps of the great Eugène Sartory. The family business involved five of Morizot's six sons, to be precise, since René Morizot was the only member of the family who chose to become a violin maker. In 1932, the year in which this viola was crafted, René Morizot had just completed his training under Emile Audinot and worked under the same roof as his brothers and father before opening his own workshop in 1939. After being a prisoner of war, Rene Morizot re-established his workshop and was eventually appointed the director of the École nationale de lutherie in his home town, where he taught from 1962–1982 and became a teacher with a great influence on an entire generation of luthiers. The typical broad Mirecourt model of this viola confirms that the young Morizot was an exquisitely trained and sensitive craftsman who had delved deep into the great traditions of his home and had full mastery of its standards. René Morizot chose outstanding tone woods with excellent resonant properties and an undramatic yet appealing grain for this instrument with a clear and mature sound that is extremely pleasant. Mild traces of use, which are to be expected on an instrument which was clearly played with such joy, round out the character of the reddish-brown varnish on a golden-yellow base, cultivating a lovely radiance. We received this Rene Morizot viola in crack-free condition and have made it ready to play after having carefully set it up at our workshop, and we recommend it to sophisticated musicians who appreciate the inimitable style of modern French violin making.

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