« Since three generations, we have been repairing, restoring and personalising string instruments ».
Michel LORIER is born in Saarbrücken (Germany) in 1934 in a family of 9 children of whom 2 brothers are painters and sculptors. His father was known by the German string instrument makers at the Conservatory of Music in Saarbrücken. He was awarded in 1933 during the string-making festival in Vienna ( Austria). In 1975, one of his brothers asked him to finish a sculpture representing the famous string instrument maker Antonio STRADAVARI in his workshop.
Although he never sculpted an instrument, a very meticulous, delicate work where there is no margin for error, it seemed naturally familiar to him and therefore decided to give it a try. The result was just amazing. It is at this moment that he had a « calling ».
He started manufacturing his own tools from little pieces of sharpened steel and using the tools that were bequeathed by his brother.
Some years later he created his master pieces representing famous composers , string instrument makers and life gypsy scenes. These instruments are hand made, painted with inlaid mother of pearl, ivory, wood veneer, all the while respecting the ancestory methods used by the Italian, German and French instrument makers of the 17th and 18th century.
These instruments are real gems in maple or spruce wood dating from the 19th and 20th century.
Today, Michael LORIER lives 1H from the North of Strasboug, where he carries on with his know-how about gypsies. He devotes between 550 hours and 2500 hours of work per instrument ( 8 to 12 hours a day).
Autodidact, Michael LORIER still remains modest. « I do all this for my traditions and my culture which are not well known to the general public ».
A tribute to my father and my two brothers who transmitted this know-how.
All exhibited models are unique, authentic and completely hand made.
The methods and techniques employed by Michel LORIER are inspired by the famous instrument making master like AMATI combined with STRADAVARI who inlaid the guitars and TIEFFENBRUCKER, CARLO BERGONZINI, Jean Baptiste VUILLAUME et Pierre Charles JACQUOT to name a few.
It should be noted that this method does not in any way influence the key.