Brian Lisus
As a luthier or violin maker, Brian Lisus is one of a kind. He builds his fine string instruments entirely by hand without the use of technology. I spoke to him at his tiny workshop in the East End of Ojai, where he has lived and worked for almost 10 years.
Brian Lisus at his workshop in Ojai’s East End.
If violin maker Brian Lisus were to time travel back to the 17th century, he’d fit right in. A true artisan at heart, who likes to build things with nothing but his bare hands, he’s entirely comfortable without technology: Making his fine string instruments – violins, violas, and cellos – relies purely on natural materials and his workmanship. “That’s why my clients come to me,” he says. “They know their instrument is completely handmade and they appreciate that.” Indeed as a luthier Lisus is known around the world as a rare talent, a renowned craftsman whose instruments are unlike any others’.
As we meet in his tiny workshop in the East End of Ojai, where half-finished instruments adorn the walls and tools are neatly arranged above his workbench, Lisus says string music runs through his blood. Growing up in Johannesburg, South Africa, he was first introduced to it by his godfather, Joe Sack, an instrument dealer, music critic and avid cellist, who would frequently host chamber music gatherings at his home. “He taught me how to play when I was 6, but I quickly gave it up in favor of cricket,” Lisus laughs. But something definitely stuck.
Aged 18, in 1976, Lisus was accepted into the acclaimed Newark School of Violin Making in Nottinghamshire in the UK, securing one of just 12 available places from a pool of 400 applicants. “It was a wonderful experience where the seed of inquiry was planted,” he recalls. He spent three years studying the intricacies of violin making although he admits that his craft requires life-long learning: “It’s all about sound and that’s a very elusive thing to capture.”
A UNIQUE DESIGN
Upon completing his studies and returning to his native South Africa, Lisus set up his first workshop in a small town called Greyton near Cape Town in 1981. From there he developed his unique model, which he says came about more by circumstance than by choice. “On returning from Europe I found all my molds and templates were missing from my box of tools. So my only option was to draw my outlines from scratch.” He explains that while most violin makers copy the forms of old instruments made by the greats of Italy, such as Stradivari or Guarneri, his models are built entirely on his own design. “Instead of just copying the measurements of somebody else, I’ve created my own, which has given me a really deep understanding of the instruments,” he says.
Lisus went on to craft instruments for some of the top musicians and orchestra principals in South Africa and gradually built a global following, picking up clients in all corners of the world from Europe to New Zealand, Asia, Africa and the Americas. He has built instruments for musicians across the spectrum, from hobby enthusiasts to concert masters at celebrated institutions including the London Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic.
One of his most acclaimed projects, which won him international praise, was his “Quartet of Peace," a collection of two violins, a viola, and a cello dedicated to the ideals of peace, reconciliation, freedom, and hope as represented by South Africa's four Nobel Peace Prize laureates Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela. Built in 2010, the quartet has played at venues including the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany (where 18th century composer Sebastian Bach is buried), London’s iconic Kings Place, and L'Atelier de Picasso in Paris, France, as well as at Tutu’s 80th birthday celebration. All proceeds raised from concerts are donated to charities that support the upliftment of children in impoverished areas of Africa through music programs. “We’ve made a lot of difference to a lot of people’s lives,” Lisus says. Today, the Quartet of Peace belongs to a trust in South Africa, which recently flew him out to repair the instruments. It was the first time he had returned home in almost a decade.
COMING TO AMERICA
For in 2012, Lisus won the Green Card lottery and left South Africa for California. After a year in Santa Barbara, he moved to Ojai in 2013 in search of serenity and nature, and set up shop in the 600 sq ft tin-roofed backhouse of a larger home shared by a family of four, their dogs, goats and chickens. This tiny workshop is where the magic happens and it all starts with selecting the right wood, which Lisus sources exclusively from Europe.
The body of his instruments – the back, ribs, and neck – consist of maple from Bosnia (“the same wood Stradivari used”) while the soundboard is made with spruce, a light, strong, and flexible wood from Northern Italy. For the purfling or inlay of the instruments he adds a South African element by using stinkwood, of which he says he has a lifetime supply. “Unlike ebony, which is black, stinkwood has a nice dark brown color, which I like. It’s one of my unique touches,” he adds.
Lisus completely forgoes the use of any electrical tools to build his violins, violas, and cellos, and instead meticulously carves, shaves and bends the wood by hand. For his varnish too, he avoids any chemicals and relies solely on natural ingredients, including unfiltered resin from pine trees which he cooks for several days and then dissolves in sun-thickened walnut oil. “It’s more flexible than linseed oil,” he explains. And for the coloring he mixes sandalwood, madder root, and cochineal, a red dye consisting of the dried, pulverized bodies of female scale insects. “Everything I use was available 300 years ago,” he insists. “I don’t use a brush to apply the varnish either, I rub it on with my finger so that I have complete control.”
CAPTURING SOUND
When it comes to the intricacies of building his instruments, Lisus reveals that the trickiest and most critical part involves a small piece of wood called the sound post. “This is placed inside the instrument and where it sits, how tight it is and how well it fits is crucial for the sound,” he explains. “You have to listen and adjust, listen and adjust – it’s the most fascinating bit of the process and it’s also the most important.” The one element he purchases are the strings, and he says he prefers to use gut rather than synthetic strings as these produce a warmer sound, which is what he’s after. And once an instrument is finished, he has a professional musician play it for him. “I need that distance, to listen to the instrument being played from afar so that I can really hear what it sounds like as though it was being played in a concert.”
Everything Lisus does during his building process, every minute detail he focuses on, is all in the name of capturing that perfect sound. “To me that is a sweet and gentle sound rather than a bright and powerful sound; a sound that is soft rather than edgy,” he explains. “Think of a 1950s movie, where a violin is softly playing in the background and hearing it makes you want to cry. That’s the sound I’m looking for.”
When building his instruments, Brian Lisus’ goal is to capture the perfect sound.
Over the years, Lisus has made over 100 violins, around 30 violas, and 15 cellos. “In the past 10 years, I have predominantly focused on making cellos, which is now my specialty,” he says adding that he builds only one instrument at a time because “there is a relationship between the parts.” The process from start to finish can take anything up to six months and his prices range from $25,000 for a violin to $27,000 for a viola, and $55,000 for a cello. “I offer very good terms of payment and interest free loans to people who can’t afford to pay for an instrument in full,” he adds. “Musicians don’t tend to get paid a lot, even the good ones, and I like to help people.”
He also helps people by teaching. His five-day intensive violin making courses, which are typically spread over a few weeks, encompass the entire process of building an instrument from start to finish. And while his classes are not intended to train professional violin makers, they give hobbyists a rare glimpse into Lisus’ world and an opportunity to use a professional workshop and build an instrument under his guidance each step of the way.
When it comes down to it, Lisus is a true artist, a devotee to an age-old trade, whose work skillfully combines music and craftsmanship. His may be a dying art, but his instruments will outlive many of the world’s maestros and continue to play to music lovers’ hearts and souls.
This article first appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of the Ojai Magazine.
