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©Laura Kelly
©Laura Kelly
©Laura Kelly
©Laura Kelly

Noel Burke

Noel Burke Bow maker
Contact
English, French
Hours:
Monday to Friday 09:00 - 18:00
Phone:
+353 (0)599131948
©Laura Kelly

Making music

  • • Noel handcrafts bows for violins, viola and cello
  • • He was an apprentice to Charles Espey and Stéphane Thomachot
  • • He uses beautiful materials for his bows

After leaving school in 1983, Noel Burke trained as a clarinet maker in Newark, England, but after a chance meeting in Paris he began making bows. At a wedding he met Charles Espey and Stéphane Thomachot, two of the leading bow makers in the world. A seed was planted and two years later he approached Espey, now living in Seattle, and became his apprentice. After a year studying bow making, he moved to Paris to apprentice with Thomachot. He worked with Thomachot for two years and then stayed on in Paris, working from his apartment, making copies and restoring old French bows. He said, “I was truly honoured to learn this centuries-old craft from two of the leading makers in the world”.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Noel Burke
  • ©Noel Burke
  • ©Noel Burke
  • ©Noel Burke
Photo: ©Noel Burke
Violin bow head

This violin bow is one of Noel Burke’s personal classical designs. The look and playability of this bow are a homage to the bows made in France in the late 18th century. The octagonal stick is made from a beautiful reddish brown pernambuco wood and the bow is mounted with a frog and button made from ebony and gold. The bow weighs 62 grams.

Length 73 cm

Photo: ©Noel Burke
Violin bow frog and button

The frog and button of this violin bow, one of Noel Burke’s classical designs, are crafted from Cambodian ebony and 18 carat rose gold. The slide and eye of the button are made from Abalone shell. The grip is made from 18 carat rose gold wrapped on silk and the Moroccan goatskin leather.

Length 45 cm

Photo: ©Noel Burke
Cello bow head

This cello bow is one of Noel Burke’s modern designs and is based both in style and playability on the bows made in France in the late 19th century. The round stick is from pernambuco wood and the tip plate is from ebony and mammoth tusk. The bow is mounted with a frog and button made from ebony and silver. The bow weighs 80 grams.

Length 70 cm

Photo: ©Noel Burke
Cello bow frog and button

The frog and button of this cello bow are also from Noel Burke’s modern design, crafted from Cambodian ebony and French silver. The slide and eyes are from Abalone shell. The grip is made from silver wrapped on silk and lizard skin leather.

Length 5.5 cm

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