BAUSCH Model – BRUNO, Violin Bow, Germany circa 1910-1920

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For over three centuries, German luthiers have supplied musicians not only with serviceable and affordable instruments but also their bows. This bow is from the early 20th century. From the late 1700’s through 1945 the violin was the most popular form of musical entertainment, next to the piano. To meet the demand, a thriving industry developed in a remote area of eastern Germany on the Czech border, a region known as Western Bohemia. The center of this instrument making industry was the town of Markneukirchen in the state of Saxony. The Bausch family made bows there for four generations, starting with Ludwig Christian August Bausch in 1820’s. The Bausch family made superb bows sold as their own, and marketed unstamped bows to other shops in Germany, such as the Heinrich Knopf shop up to 1876. The “BAUSCH” branded bows were still being made while the Bausch shop was under the management of the Paulus family from 1876 up to the 1920’s. This Bausch violin bow was made for the trade in Germany and sold as an unstamped bow. The bow would have been sent to the C. Bruno & Sons instrument firm in New York City in the early 1900’s where it was branded by the Bruno firm. C. Bruno & Sons was a large music store which sold instruments in the greater New York area.

The bow is choice pernambuco. The stick is sleek, well thought out in its construction, and the color a knockout in its clarity. We have meticulously gone over the entire bow, replacing the silver winding and leathers. The bow was cleaned very well, revealing the color of the wood, then just oiled. It is tight grain older pernambuco and the orange-brown color jumps. The bow is finished in sterling silver mounts and a solid silver endscrew cap. The frog, endscrew, and tip are original to the bow. This is an old school handmade frog with pin work in the silver lining and the carefully selected pearl slide matching the color of the pearl eyes. The ebony frog is slightly smaller in length and its overall design. The head (tip) of the bow matches the slightly smaller profile of the frog. It plays better than a typical trade stick, and I found it to feel light in my hand and smoothly execute sound. The stick is easy to control, has strength, but also a nice flex. I like the details of the stick: it has good balance, feels lightweight, quick camber after the head, thin well-executed piece of pernambuco, new sterling silver winding with new leathers, a balance that leans towards the frog which makes the rest of the bow feel like a feather. Looking for a great playing stick, give this a try. Wow!

Weight fully haired 60.0 grams