The Greatest Bow Maker You've Never Heard Of- Nicolaus Kittel

By Andy Fein, luthier at Fein Violins

Tourte,Vorin, Vuillaume, Hill, Nurnberger, Sartory, Kittel. Wait, Kittel? What's that name doing in the ranks of great bow makers?

Here's another list: Heifetz, Seidel, Vieuxtemps, Elman, Stern, Kochanski, Rosand, Erica Morini, Zimbalist, Kogan, Menuhin, and Vadim Repin. What do they have in common? (OK, besides that most of them are MOTs!) They are all violin soloists that used and loved Kittel bows. And preferred them over any of the French bow makers, including Tourte.

Yehudi Menuhin preferred Kittel bows

Yehudi Menuhin and His Discovery of Yoga

Written by Andy Fein, luthier at Fein Violins, 
and Angela Newgren

Yehudi Menuhin was an extremely talented violinist from New York City. Born on April 22nd 1916, his career started at the age of seven after his first public concert.

Throughout his career Mehunin suffered from a variety of muscular and skeletal aches. In 1951, he was introduced to the practicing of yoga and immediately took interest in its key concepts of relaxation and meditation. A year later, on a two month tour of India, Prime Minister Nehru and Mr. Menuhin found a common bond in yoga practice. It brought the media's attention to the two, which broadened Menuhin's affiliation with gurus and yoga instructors.

Menuhin started working with Iyengar, a guru who taught him true meditation and relaxation. It cured Menuhin of his insomnia and Iyengar remained his personal yoga instructor for 15 years.