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Ellen Hubble plays her new violin for the first time, marking the beginning of a new family story.
By Ellen Hubble
MY OPA, Hans Fischer, arrived in Australia in 1943 with his wife, Lisa Charlotte, and their four-year-old daughter Elizabeth, my mother. As German Jewish refugees they arrived with almost nothing: a few pieces of jewellery that could be sold if necessary, and Opa's violin.
Before the war Hans had been a classical violinist with the Munich Symphony Orchestra. There was little demand for concert violinists in Australia, so he found work as a dental mechanic.
MY OPA, Hans Fischer, arrived in Australia in 1943 with his wife, Lisa Charlotte, and their four-year-old daughter Elizabeth, my mother. As German Jewish refugees they arrived with almost nothing: a few pieces of jewellery that could be sold if necessary, and Opa's violin.
Before the war Hans had been a classical violinist with the Munich Symphony Orchestra. There was little demand for concert violinists in Australia, so he found work as a dental mechanic.
But music remained at the heart of family life. I remember visiting my grandparents' modest two-bedroom house in Box Hill North, where they made one of the bedrooms into a shared music room. That room felt almost sacred. Opa taught violin and Oma piano. She tried to teach me piano but it fell on deaf ears. Opa never offered me his violin. It belonged to the Europe he had lost and was far too precious for an inquisitive child.
Built in 1833 by Friedrich Wilhelm Guthmann in Klingenthal, Saxony, the violin is crafted from figured maple and spruce, the classic European tonewoods prized by violin makers to this day.
I was allowed to admire the violin in its case and sit for hours listening to Opa play.
My childhood fascination with the violin turned to fear when I inherited it. The daunting responsibility remains with me today. It is a family heirloom. I still have nightmares that I’ve broken it and that history cannot be replaced.
Built in 1833 by Friedrich Wilhelm Guthmann in Klingenthal, Saxony, the violin is crafted from figured maple and spruce, the classic European tonewoods prized by violin makers to this day.
I was allowed to admire the violin in its case and sit for hours listening to Opa play.
My childhood fascination with the violin turned to fear when I inherited it. The daunting responsibility remains with me today. It is a family heirloom. I still have nightmares that I’ve broken it and that history cannot be replaced.
*****
I was 38 before I decided to learn an instrument myself. After being talked out of a Mario Brothers game for his seventh birthday, our son Tom chose violin lessons instead. His teacher also ran adult classes in old-time Appalachian fiddle tunes. I thought, "How hard can it be?" and dragged my husband David along too.
It turns out that yes, the violin is incredibly difficult. I clearly don't play classical violin; I'm a fiddle player. There is no difference between a violin and a fiddle. The difference is the style of music played on them. Although one definition is that a violin has four strings and a fiddle has four strangs …
Despite making terribly ugly sounds and annoying everyone within earshot, I came to terms with my fear of playing by accepting that the fear will always be there but it can be turned into fun. If you don’t face the fear you will never improve.
It turns out that yes, the violin is incredibly difficult. I clearly don't play classical violin; I'm a fiddle player. There is no difference between a violin and a fiddle. The difference is the style of music played on them. Although one definition is that a violin has four strings and a fiddle has four strangs …
Despite making terribly ugly sounds and annoying everyone within earshot, I came to terms with my fear of playing by accepting that the fear will always be there but it can be turned into fun. If you don’t face the fear you will never improve.
*****
History starts somewhere and over the past decade I found myself drawn to the idea of an Australian-made violin.
I looked into the work of several makers but I could never find the time to visit them. Violins are such individual and sensitive creatures, made by uniquely talented luthiers who blend science, physics, mathematics, the golden mean, history, and nature’s organic elements into artistic creations of pure acoustic sound.
Then Richard Hall opened Black Creek Music in Korumburra, virtually on my doorstep. Not only was he an accomplished luthier, he was willing to build me a violin using Australian timbers.
David and I met Richard when he opened his workshop last December. He had studied violin making in Cremona, Italy, home of the great masters Amati and Stradivari, and I chose a Nicolo Amati 1666 pattern for my instrument.
From the beginning I was captivated by the process. Richard showed me the Australian blackwood from the Otways and King Billy pine from Tasmania that would become my violin. Over the next six months I visited the workshop regularly to watch it take shape.
I looked into the work of several makers but I could never find the time to visit them. Violins are such individual and sensitive creatures, made by uniquely talented luthiers who blend science, physics, mathematics, the golden mean, history, and nature’s organic elements into artistic creations of pure acoustic sound.
Then Richard Hall opened Black Creek Music in Korumburra, virtually on my doorstep. Not only was he an accomplished luthier, he was willing to build me a violin using Australian timbers.
David and I met Richard when he opened his workshop last December. He had studied violin making in Cremona, Italy, home of the great masters Amati and Stradivari, and I chose a Nicolo Amati 1666 pattern for my instrument.
From the beginning I was captivated by the process. Richard showed me the Australian blackwood from the Otways and King Billy pine from Tasmania that would become my violin. Over the next six months I visited the workshop regularly to watch it take shape.
His sensitivity to the timber was extraordinary. He tapped each piece, listening for the note of C hidden within it, carved with astonishing precision, and explained how centuries-old principles of design still shape the sound of every fine violin.
The unveiling was deeply emotional. Richard had spent hundreds of hours completing the instrument in time for his son Tony, a violinist with a Finnish orchestra, to "play it in" while visiting Australia.
The unveiling was deeply emotional. Richard had spent hundreds of hours completing the instrument in time for his son Tony, a violinist with a Finnish orchestra, to "play it in" while visiting Australia.
The handover ... Ellen Hubble with luthier Richard Hall, Korumburra, June 2026
Hearing its voice for the first time in Tony's masterful hands was unforgettable. Then came my turn. The first notes I played on my new violin marked the beginning of its own story.
*****
My new violin made its debut at this year's Wonthaggi Acoustic Music Festival. It didn't put a string wrong, and kept a sympathetic ear out for my inaccuracies. I’m looking forward to playing it at several gigs coming up.
Opa's violin now hangs on the wall offering sounds of silence but it will still be played and kept alive and well.
I have always appreciated art for art. I paid for my new violin from sales of some of my paintings and the money my son insisted on paying me for grandma duty looking after our granddaughter, Vivienne.
The violin is now a new family heirloom. I was heartened when our son Tom suggested we give Vivienne something musical for her fourth birthday. I still have his first half-size violin.
I hope Opa’s old and my new violin will stay strung to the golden mean of music in our family.
Opa's violin now hangs on the wall offering sounds of silence but it will still be played and kept alive and well.
I have always appreciated art for art. I paid for my new violin from sales of some of my paintings and the money my son insisted on paying me for grandma duty looking after our granddaughter, Vivienne.
The violin is now a new family heirloom. I was heartened when our son Tom suggested we give Vivienne something musical for her fourth birthday. I still have his first half-size violin.
I hope Opa’s old and my new violin will stay strung to the golden mean of music in our family.
6 Comments
Thank you Ellen for such a beautiful and interesting story about heirlooms, memories, family traditions, creativity, artisan skill and love.
Oh Ellen! That is such a beautiful story. The links to past, present and future through such exquisite artistry. Thanks for sharing.
I adored this description: "Violins are such individual and sensitive creatures, made by uniquely talented luthiers who blend science, physics, mathematics, the golden mean, history, and nature’s organic elements into artistic creations of pure acoustic sound." Love your wordsmithing, Ellen, as well as your fiddle (and now Australian violin) playing. And the slideshow showing the painstaking process of crafting your new heirloom was fascinating. Aren't we incredibly lucky to have such a talented craftsman as Richard living locally!!
What a great story....thank you.
What a wonderful story. The history and photos of the original violin plus those of the making of the new one are beautiful. What a great family history you have to cherish. Thank you.
What an inspiring story. Thank you for sharing it, we all have an artistic side, finding it can be hard.