Michael Purcell

Jaime is trying out his beautiful Italian viola after some extensive work. He is such a great player who draws a big,rich sound out his viola its a treat just to hear him play scales. He is currently trying  a few new Haide violas that I have worked on thoroughly – making them all they can possibly be. It sounds like the Maggini copy is getting a lot of work in the Orchestra and Chamber concerts. High praise from a very discerning musician.

“Billie” Watts was  Orlando Cole”s assistant for decades. Together they were a dramatic force shaping many of the most talented cellists of our day. She continues to be a tremendous teacher and influence on countless young musicians.Her  energy and passion are an inspiration to me as I’m sure they are to her many  students. I’m proud to build on our long association at Wm Moennig & Son and continue to work on her cellos and also her student’s cellos in my own shop. Whether bringing out the best in a cello, solving a problem or helping a student find  a cello at the next level, I will constantly work to continue to earn that trust.

One vivid memory of the last day that Moennig”s was open: Billie came in to say goodbye and while reminiscing thought back to when she first set foot in the shop to buy her first cello and said  very matter- of- factly that it was “over 70 years ago”. That said it all

I had the good fortune to be the last apprentice taken on by William Moennig III. Over the sixteen years that I worked for him and with him he was very consistent. He was tough, demanding and uncompromising,which is everything you want a mentor to be.His ability to take the long view with an apprentice grew out of a deep sense of time and perspective that came with being the head of a 100 year old family business and a legacy of violin making that stretched back 12 generations.  Not only was Bill the head of a prestigious shop, he had studied with the leading European masters of his day. He often told fond, interesting stories of his training in Mirecourt, France with Amadee Dieudonne ,(where he was a bench mate with Rene Morel),and time spent learning and working with Aschauer in Mittenwald, Vidoudez in Switzerland and Moller in Holland.He was a man of stature that you did not want to let down.

Bill was,deep down, an artistic person and I think he responded to my training and interest in art. He had a great ability to take a chance on a person:sink or swim. You progressed under the watchful and helpful eyes of everyone in the shop and you quickly learned not to let anything leave your bench that you were not not completely satisfied with.I gauged my progress by the instruments I was handed. As your skills evolved you were handed ever finer instruments until one day, many years later, you were handed a fine instrument that needed major work and then you knew.

I am most grateful to Bill for his long,patient stewardship through those years. Though the progress came from my own hard work, his guidance and example put me on a path that I am still on today. Now as I merge my skills and craftsmanship with the running of a business I am increasingly grateful for the opportunity that I had to learn in an atmosphere where the artistry was central and all the business aspects grow from that  source. Never the other way around.

I go on now on my own with a blueprint of how it should be and like any true mentor they are never left behind

Jesus brings brio and passion to his music and his cello. It doesn’t take very long before you see the results of your work written on the expression of his face. In this case he was nothing but smiling exhuberance with the beautiful sound and look of his musical partner. Its always a pleasure to hear him tear into the Brahms E minor sonata!

Fiddles and Cake: MICHAEL PURCELL – Violin Restoration and Repair in Philadelphia.