The Caldwell Collection of Viols
The Caldwell Collection of Viols a Life Together in the Pursuit of Beauty
Background
Catharina Meints Caldwell created this book and CD project in order to archive the important collection of viols and cellos that she and her husband collected, restored and played over a 35-year period. It is a catalogue of the instruments including photographs, paragraphs about the history and construction of the instruments, memoirs about the acquisition and restorations, and finally, two CDs on which Meints plays music from the same place and time each instrument was made.
The book (with two CDs) is available from Amazon or directly from the author. Contact virtualgem@aol.com. The list price is 54$.
This book is an essential read for anyone interested in the viol.
Kickstarter campaign video made by Ardal Powell before the publication of the book
Tina Chancey's article about the book and the collection for Early Music Magazine; Summer 2012
This sumptuous book presents the stringed musical instruments in the Caldwell Collection of Viols, including fine, rare, and important examples by Amati, Bertrand, Norman, Rose, Tielke, and others. Lavishly illustrated listings provide: * 217 photographs, including full-page portraits of each instrument by Roger Mastroianni *over 70 minutes of music, in 40 audio tracks *details of provenance, dimensions, and restoration history *technical descriptions of each instrument by the contemporary viol builder John Pringle *essays on the makers by the musicologist Thomas G. MacCracken. The book is a moving and humorous memoir as well as a catalogue, telling the story of how the collection was shaped by the forty-year musical life together of its principals, and by their conviction that instruments, no matter how beautiful, are meant to be played and heard, not just looked at.