Nicolaus Kittel

Nicolaus Kittel (Nikolaus Ferder Kittel) (b.1805 - d. April 18, 1868) [STRAD magazine - "Nikolaus Ferder Kittel: The Russian Tourte" by Harvey and Georgeanna Whistler] was a Russian bow maker of German origin, and was known as the "Russian Tourte".

Kittel was an enigmatic figure (who worked in St. Petersburg 1825-1868) [STRAD- 'Favorite Bow' - article by Joseph Gold (recollection of Jasha Heifetz and his Kittel bow)] . 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 Nicolas Kittel served as violinmaker to the court, 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.

"Nicolaus Kittel died on April 18, 1868 at the age of 63, following a brief illness. In his obituary, it stated: 'Thus, in the realm of the bow, the curtain was drawn on a career of memorable achievement'. [Moscow, Russian Federation archives]

"His bows have been used by the greatest soloists, among them Heifetz, Seidel, Leopold Auer, Henri Vieuxtemps, Elman, Stern, Kochanski, Rosand, 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 centuryby Nicolaus Kittel, from the The Yehudi Menuhin Collection, fetched £51,000 (Sotheby's auction, London), more than three times the high pre-sale estimate (est: £10,000-15,000)." - [http://www.filimonovfineviolins.tk Filimonov Fine Violins]

Quotes

"Until the collapse of Soviet Union (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 Ferder Kittel) (b.1805-d. April 18, 1868) ". [ [http://www.filimonovfineviolins.tk Filimonov Fine Musical Instruments] ] Gennady Filimonov

References

*Moscow, Russian Federation archives
*STRAD magazine - "Nikolaus Ferder Kittel: The Russian Tourte" by Harvey and Georgeanna Whistler
*STRAD- 'Favorite Bow' - article by Joseph Gold (recollection of Jasha Heifetz and his Kittel bow)
* VSA 14 #2 1995 Nicolaus Kittel: The Russian Tourte by Kenway Lee 183
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External links

* [http://www.ifshinviolins.com/gifs/kittel-silver.jpgSilver mounted "ex Ted Hinkle" N.Kittel]