The shop is closed from the 23rd of December until the 3rd of January for the Festive Season
Violin bow by W. E. Hill and Sons, London, 1979
About W.E. Hill and Sons
The English firm W.E. Hill and Sons was almost unchallenged as the world´s premier violin and bow dealership for almost a century, having been set up by William Ebsworth Hill in 1880. The family´s roots in the trade went back even further: William Ebsworth was the fourth generation of Hill violin makers. As accomplished in making as the Hills were, William Ebsworth was also a shrewd business man: in just seven years the Hanwell workshop grew into a major concern, employing a number of talented makers of instruments, bows and cases. Hill´s four sons were among their number.
Over the course of the next 100 years or so, the Hill name continued to grow in importance thanks to the publication of a number of seminal texts on the great makers and the fact that most of the world´s best instruments were being sold through the firm. The Second World War saw a number of Hill instruments being donated to the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. This collection included Stradivari´s `Le Messie´, arguable the world´s most famous violin.
Hill bows are known for their consistently high quality. There was a strict hierarchy within the workshop, with new recruits beginning by making chin rests and working their way up. The standards in the workshop were very high: I´ve never played a Hill with an overly weak stick, a testament to the rigorous quality control which took place. In order to identify the maker, Hill bows are stamped on the faceplate, under the hair, with a number or a mark. It is possible to find out the maker of each bow from this stamp. There are a few other clues to be found on the frogs and sticks: letters were used to match bows to frogs after cleaning and numbers were used to identify the year of manufacture.
About the violin bow
This violin bow was made for W.E. Hill and Sons in 1979 by John Stagg. This was the year that the company closed their Hanwell workshop and relocated to Great Missenden.
The octagonal stick is of very attractive pernambuco and measures 728 mm in length. The mounts are of silver and tortoiseshell.
The bow weighs 56 and a half grams.
How does it play?
This bow really does play as it looks! Effortlessly classy and well made, it's a really smooth bow with lots of power. The bow has that interesting combination of feeling quite light and flexible, whilst drawing out the kind of volume we associate with stiffer sticks.
Condition
The bow is in very good condition with some wear to the frog.
Further information
Please get in touch for more details about this silver and tortoiseshell violin bow for W.E. Hill and Sons for sale and a member of our team will get back to you.