Instrument maker hits right note thanks to love of music

He does not see this as a disadvantage, because his is a craft that relies on quality rather than quantity of output. He said: “Perhaps only the most motivated customers seek me out but those are the ones that bring me the most interesting projects”.

Mr Douillard trained as a luthier at the French national school in Mirecourt, Vosges, but his journey began much earlier when, aged 13, he discovered to his delight that it was possible to make beautiful things with his hands.
This, fused with his passion for music, and fuelled by a demanding and inspirational teacher, led him to working with stringed instruments. From there to the Mirecourt school, where he studied under the renowned Etienne Vatelot (the man who convinced Yehudi Menuhin to sell his 1714 Stradivarius – to Itzhak Perlman, for £600,000 – as it did not suit his style).

After qualifying in 1987, he worked with luthiers in France, Italy, Belgium and Canada, before eventually opening his own business in Puy-en-Velay in 2003. He was made a Chevalier in the Order of Art and Literature in July 2014.

In his workshop, Pascal Douillard makes more instruments than he restores. The time it takes to fashion a stringed instrument will vary from craftsman to craftsman, but for him it takes about four weeks to make a violin, and 14
weeks for a cello. He makes fewer violas, which are the instruments he feels are the most personal to their players: “It is impossible for me to make a good viola without a specific player in mind.” Indeed, most of his instruments
are made to take into account the personal specifications of individual musicians:

“In making the instrument, I am trying to give expression to the musician at the heart of each player.”

Making quality instruments does not preclude working on mass-produced examples and he enjoys working with children and players at an early stage in their musical training. “You can do wonderful things even with average instruments
but with lutherie it is important to seek excellence in even the simplest of things.” What advice would Pascal Douillard give to any aspiring luthiers? “First and foremost they need a passion for music, otherwise they won’t have the motivation to produce the quality that is needed.”

This passion can be indulged at any age, however. He observes that “many people come to this work when they are a bit older, or retired even. They realise that they are missing something in their lives and are astonished to see that this is a craft that still exists.”

Happily, given the fierce competition for places, Mirecourt is not the only path to a career as a luthier. There are other schools in France, but Pascal Douillard notes that many young people travel abroad to acquire skills and experience.
There is also the route of learning from a master: “If you are passionate about music you probably know a luthier or two already and that is as good a place as any to start”.