Word: violins
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After a day in the office, psychologist Dr. Robert M. Childs likes to unwind by making a violin or two. Donning a work apron, he ascends to his third-floor loft, turns on a CD of classical music, and gets busy with some sandpaper...
Around Christmastime, the global community of fiddlers that play on Childs’ violins—called Childsplay—gathers in Cambridge for a concert series, led by Childs, beaming, in the center. “Not all violin makers will agree, but I believe that the soul of the maker goes into the instrument,” he says. “You want whatever it is you’re expressing to live beyond your own life. When I have everyone gathered around me, it helps me feel that...
Childs says he has a waiting list of over a year for one of his instruments. As demand has risen, so has price: in 1986 his violins sold for $2000; now, you could purchase a Childs violin for $14,000. Each of his handmade violins bears his signature, not only by the ink stamp of a “Putto” cherub, which is his personal insignia—but also by the violin’s sound, which is distinctly Childs?...
...have never advertised in my life,” he admits. “People find me by word of mouth. Your instrument is out there in public, speaking for you all the time. Someone who hears that violin might get intrigued by the sound, and that encourages them to try the violin and that hopefully brings them to my door...
...other tracks Byrne sticks to more contemporary forms of theatrical pop. “The Other Side of My Life” is an afternoon stroll, driven by a lengthy violin opener that leads into Byrne’s description of a happy day, when “beautiful angels appear at my side / corporate sponsors will act as my guide.” Any fears that the cynicism of the Talking Heads would be absent here be rested...