Nicolaus Kittel
Encyclopedia
Nicolaus Kittel, fully Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel (1805 - April 18, 1868) was a Russia
n bow maker who until recently thought to be of German
origin, and was known as the "Russian Tourte".
According to the latest findings, we now know that his full name was Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel and that he was actually of Austrian origin as it is stated in his marriage certificate. Kittel himself always signed letters and invoices with the name Nikolai Kittel. In all German and French documents (undiscovered till today), he is named Nikolai, no single time as Nikolaus.
Kittel was an enigmatic figure (who worked in St. Petersburg 1825-1868). He is known to have employed some of the leading makers, (as did his great Parisian contemporary Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume), including Russian, Vladimir Ivanoff, and German makers such as Heinrich Knopf
(and Ludwig Bausch
?), to make his bows.
In Czarist Russia N. Kittel served as violinmaker to the court, making superb violins which were considered the best being made in Russia, and produced bows of unsurpassed quality, often using beautiful highly flamed wood.
The design of Kittel bows is also derived from an advanced Tourte model although this interpretation of Tourte is distinctly different from the French interpretations.
His bows are rare and highly prized by soloists.
Kittel bows are nearly always quite light and flexible. Despite their flexibility, Kittel bows have extremely quick playing characteristics alongside a unique beauty of tone.
"Nikolai Kittel died on April 18, 1868 at the age of 63. In his obituary, it stated: 'Thus, in the realm of the bow, the curtain was drawn on a career of memorable achievement'.
"Henri Vieuxtemps
preferred Kittel bows even to those of F.X. Tourte. Since then, Kittel's bows have been used by the greatest soloists, among them Wieniawski
, Heifetz
, Elman, Seidel
, Leopold Auer
, Stern
, Kochanski
, Rosand
, Erica Morini, Zimbalist
, Kogan, Menuhin
and today Vadim Repin
. Kittel bows are extremely rare.
In 1999, a gold and tortoiseshell-mounted violin bow made in St Petersburg in the mid 19th century by Nikolai Kittel, from the The Yehudi Menuhin Collection, fetched £51,000 (Sotheby's auction, London : £58,650 / US$94,837 with buyers premium) more than three times the high pre-sale estimate (est: £10,000-15,000)." - Filimonov Fine Violins - 2007
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n bow maker who until recently thought to be of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
origin, and was known as the "Russian Tourte".
According to the latest findings, we now know that his full name was Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel and that he was actually of Austrian origin as it is stated in his marriage certificate. Kittel himself always signed letters and invoices with the name Nikolai Kittel. In all German and French documents (undiscovered till today), he is named Nikolai, no single time as Nikolaus.
Kittel was an enigmatic figure (who worked in St. Petersburg 1825-1868). He is known to have employed some of the leading makers, (as did his great Parisian contemporary Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume), including Russian, Vladimir Ivanoff, and German makers such as Heinrich Knopf
Heinrich Knopf
Heinrich Carl Knopf was an illustrious German Bogenmacher / Bowmaker.He came from a dynasty of great makers. Studied bow making in Markneukirchen under Christian Knopf ....
(and Ludwig Bausch
Ludwig Bausch
Ludwig Christian August Bausch - an illustrious German Bogenmacher / Bow maker. He became known as the "German Tourte"....
?), to make his bows.
In Czarist Russia N. Kittel served as violinmaker to the court, making superb violins which were considered the best being made in Russia, and produced bows of unsurpassed quality, often using beautiful highly flamed wood.
The design of Kittel bows is also derived from an advanced Tourte model although this interpretation of Tourte is distinctly different from the French interpretations.
His bows are rare and highly prized by soloists.
Kittel bows are nearly always quite light and flexible. Despite their flexibility, Kittel bows have extremely quick playing characteristics alongside a unique beauty of tone.
"Nikolai Kittel died on April 18, 1868 at the age of 63. In his obituary, it stated: 'Thus, in the realm of the bow, the curtain was drawn on a career of memorable achievement'.
"Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century....
preferred Kittel bows even to those of F.X. Tourte. Since then, Kittel's bows have been used by the greatest soloists, among them Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer.-Biography:Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka, had converted to Catholicism. His talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he entered the Paris...
, Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
, Elman, Seidel
Toscha Seidel
Toscha Seidel was a Russian virtuoso violinist, born in Odessa. A student of Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg, Seidel became known for a lush, romantic tone and unique and free rubato. In the 1930s he emigrated to the United States, making his way to Hollywood where he made a career in the studios...
, Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer
Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, teacher, conductor and composer.-Early life and career:...
, Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Kochanski
Paul Kochanski
Paul Kochanski was a Polish violinist, composer and arranger.- Training and early career :...
, Rosand
Aaron Rosand
Aaron Rosand is an American violinist.Born in Hammond, Indiana, he studied with Leon Sametini at the Chicago Musical College and with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music, where he has taught since 1981...
, Erica Morini, Zimbalist
Efrem Zimbalist
Efrem Zimbalist, Sr. was one of the world's most prominent concert violinists, as well as a composer, teacher, conductor and a long-time director of the Curtis Institute of Music.-Early life:...
, Kogan, Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
and today Vadim Repin
Vadim Repin
Vadim Repin is a Belgian Russian violinist who currently lives in Austria....
. Kittel bows are extremely rare.
In 1999, a gold and tortoiseshell-mounted violin bow made in St Petersburg in the mid 19th century by Nikolai Kittel, from the The Yehudi Menuhin Collection, fetched £51,000 (Sotheby's auction, London : £58,650 / US$94,837 with buyers premium) more than three times the high pre-sale estimate (est: £10,000-15,000)." - Filimonov Fine Violins - 2007
Quotes
- "Until the collapse of Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(1989-1990), the exact birth date and the date of his death was ambiguous due to lack of factual information from behind the "Iron Curtain", especially due to the many events such as the Bolshevik Revolution, the Russian Civil War, WWI, WWII and of course the Cold War (mid-1940s until the early 1990s). Many of the well known violin/bow books starting with the Lutgendorff (pub.1922) and some who have since copied his "information" (such as the Henley, Roda, Vannes and others), relied on speculation stating his dates as (1839–1870) . To reiterate, the correct date for this maker is: Nikolaus Kittel/ Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel b.1805-d. April 18, 1868 ". Gennady Filimonov (2007)
- "Nikolai Kittel died on April 18, 1868 at the age of 63. In his obituary, it stated: 'Thus, in the realm of the bow, the curtain was drawn on a career of memorable achievement'.
- "Heifetz: I prefer my Kittel that Professor Auer gave me as a gift a long time ago. But I don't always use it. I have others. The Kittel must rest. It gets tired. . . sometimes it needs hair." - Jascha Heifetz
- Nikolai Ferdinandovich Kittel was born 1805 or 1806 in St. Petersburg, Roman Catholic, Austrian nationality, counted back from his marriage certificate from 27 July 1841, when he marries at the age of 35. E. Vitachek designates the year of birth 1806, however, without documentation.
External links
- http://www.nikolai-kittel.com
- http://nikolai-kittel.com/images/page1.png