Roman Boianciuc

Roman Boianciuc, probably the greatest luthier in Romania, in 1975. Photo: Emanuel Tânjală

Born in Văşcăuţi - Storojineţ in 1912, he attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Vijniţa, under the guidance of the teacher and sculptor Ioan H. Sârghie. He was a disciple of Alexandru Apăteanu, who in turn learned the violin from Anton Uhlschmidt from Schönbach. Called by Ioan Sârghie, he will become a foreman at the musical instruments department of the School of Arts and Crafts from Câmpulung Moldovenesc, where he will work until its closure in 1950. single resonator log! And the finishing of the violins, which lasts for months, is done only with pallets and shards of glass, because the metal damages the wood fiber and "cuts" the resonance. These instruments were the pride of the Philharmonic Society "Resound of the Carpathians", established in Câmpulung Moldovenesc on August 22, 1921.

In 1950, after the abolition of the School of Arts and Crafts, Knowing that in the Reghin area wood was cut for instruments and keyboards, and that in this area grew resonant spruce and maple with acoustic qualities recognized worldwide, Roman Boianciuc puts in Reghin , the basis of a section that builds stringed instruments, which has since become HORA SA, one of the world's leading violin producers.

This photo (taken in 1975) is part of a series made by the great photographer Emanuel Tânjală, for an article by Nicolae Cristache in the magazine "Flacăra", dedicated to master Boianciuc. She was sent from Lynchburg, Virginia, for the Wood Art Museum Media Library, less than 24 hours after our request.