Jonathan Hill

Luthier

©jonathanhill

©Andy Shaw &daughtersstudio

©jonathanhill

Carving a Baroque sound

Jonathan specialises in making viola d'amore, a Baroque instrument
His priority is to craft the right sound and the aesthetics are "the cherry on top"
He received the Heritage Crafts Woodworker of the Year, 2022 award

Jonathan Hill is a maker of historic and modern stringed instruments from the violin and viola families, as well as the viola d’amore, and the lira da braccio. Jonathan was born in England and now lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied instrument making at West Dean College in Sussex, then studied with various master luthiers, including Shem Mackey, in the UK, in Europe, and with a master oud maker in Turkey. Jonathan opened his workshop in 2018 and developed his specialism as a UK-based craftsman of the viola d’amore, with its sympathetic strings and silvery tones. He has travelled worldwide to find, draw, and measure old instruments in museum collections, which has guided his work for historical accuracy and inspired the evolution of his designs.

Interview

©Russel Sach

©jonathanhill

What do you enjoy most about your profession?: It is the process of making something. It is the feeling of the tools in the wood, and all the little details in the making. Simply planing a bit of wood can sometimes be the most enjoyable part – using the senses and getting lost in the work.
Do you have a favourite wood?: I particularly like all the fruit woods that grow in the UK and Europe. Plum wood is my favourite, although it is not easy to source large pieces. It has great qualities: it works well, it is quite waxy, and has the right density to give a lovely sound.
How would you describe the sound of your instruments?: The quality of the sound comes from the strings that were made in this way in the Baroque period. This approach has been largely lost in favour of more volume. I aim to bring back this tradition and produce instruments that have a different sound to that of a standard violin and viola made today.
Where do you get the inspiration for the carved heads and marquetry in your pieces?: Each instrument takes on an individual theme, which can come from the customer – a symbolism or emotional value or point of interest. Then I try to mirror the decoration around the rest of the instrument to fit with this theme.

Jonathan Hill is a master artisan: he began his career in 2012 and he started teaching in 2014