BERNARD GEORGES LOUIS MILLANT; THE KEEPER OF TIMEBefore beginning with the story of this man, who is a true monument of French bow and violin making, the only one left along with Etienne Vatelot, I want to tell about my Millant since he is the only one of the Great I told you about, I can still meet.
Violin bow by Bernard Millant Getting in touch with M° Millant, especially for someone doing my job, is like consulting an oracle. The Master, now arrived at the time-honored age of 82 years, in addition to being the depositary of the French school, is also the only one left who could live and personally know some of the exponents of this discipline, one among all Sartory. To hear the stories, serious or facetious, of people about whom I studied only in books and known through their work, is a once in a lifetime experience. In addition to the little secrets that every time I take with me, there is also the feeling to live moments of metaphysical conjunction with a world that now lives only through Him. Without his knowledge and his archive, such a complete and detailed text as “L' Archet”, considered as definitive, would never have existed.
Bernard Georges Louis Millant, was born on May 13, 1929 in Paris, by Max Stanilas, luthier, and Suzanne Lardon. Grandson of Roger Millant, luthier, and then cousin Jean Jeaques, bowmaker , after completing the compulsory schooling, at the age of 13 years Bernard startshis the first apprenticeship in the family workshop. In 1946, upon his father's advice , did an internship with Amedée Deiudonné, working with René Morel as a mate. Furthermore he was attending for some years the laboratory of Morizot Fréres in Mirecourt, in order to improve bowmaking.
Bernard Millant with the five Brothers In 1949 he moved to New York where he work in the laboratory Rudié side by side with Jacques Francais, where, thanks to the teachings of Rembert Wurlitzer, will start to be fond of bows.
In New York with Jaques Francais His american trip doesn't last long. The following year, 1950, he is already back in Paris, where on November 17 he marries Francoise Davot,and on February 27, 1954 she gives birth to their only daughter Catherine. In the same year, when he is just twenty-one years old , opens his own laboratory at number 56 rue de Rome in Paris, where you can find him until nowadays. During the '50s, due to a bad economic depression, to have more job security, as well as building he also began to make restoration for some colleagues such as Billottet and Dechamp and Enel. During his working life, he shares his time equally between bows and instruments, obtaining two certificates of honor in Liège, one for a quartet of instruments and the other for one of bows. It is also awarded with the gold medal in the bow category , in the competition of Ascoli Piceno in 1959. The decade 1960/70, is a crucial one for of Bernard's career. In this period he produces about four or five bows a month, some of them considered among the best of his production. In 1967, he received the Medal of Merit for Crafts, and in 1969, the gold medal in Liège. Also in these years he develops, in collaboration with Pascal, a professor of viola at the Paris Conservatoire, a new model of bow slightly shorter, but with the same length of hair bows used on standard bows . Having much restoration to carry out Millant has got to have some great assistants such as Jean-Yves Rouveyre, Daniel Berg, Serge Stam, and of course Jean Francois Raffin, from 1972 to 1989.
In 1973 he was appointed Expert Judge for the High Court, and the Court of Appeal in Paris. Involved since ever in the diffusion of the French tradition, in 1988 the city of Paris gives him the "Grand Prix de la Création" (Great Prize of the Creation). In 1989, he makes over the business to Loic and Verena Le Canu , although he will continue to practice as an expert of the Court of Appeal, and will become chairman of the judging committee of the prize "Un des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France" (One of the best worker in France) . Since 1999 he is president of the jury of the "Competition Etienne Vatelot" in Paris. Its production of bows is not huge, since he has worked both as a bowmaker and a luthier, but it is of excellent quality, appraised both by musicians and collectors. Bernard Millant is : Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature Knight of the National Order of Merit
The bows
Bass bow French model by Bernard Millant Of course, analyzing M° Millant's one can not avoid to take into account where and especially by whom he was born. The first ancestor of the Master luthier is S.A. Deroux, his great-grandfather born in 1848, and grandfather of Roger and Max, respectively uncle and father. The biggest inspiration, apart from having done his apprenticeship by Morizot, definitely came from the family collection, which consisted of some of the most beautiful and representative pieces of the French tradition. The heads, especially in the first period recall a lot Dominique Pecatte, even if they are much more tidier and less virulent. The frogs own modern proportions, but the style of the throat alternates, sometimes tending towards Peccatte, others closer to Sartory. In some cases he also tries to recall the aroma of the late. The majority of M ° Millant's frogs has an octagonal "Hill" support . If you want to deepen this topic: EUGENE NICOLAS SARTORY; THE VELOCIRAPTOR MORIZOT BROTHERS AND THE SUPER HEROES PECCATTE, THE SILENT REBELLION EUGENE SARTORY; BELGIAN MOUSTACHES HIDING A FRENCH SMILE So long Paolo To the Master Bernard Millant with the affection of a humble scholar.
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