Instruments awaken! The AE Smith collection

Recognised as Australia’s most significant and influential violin maker, Smith dedicated much of the 20th century to handcrafting around 250 instruments. Each one carries his distinctive craftsmanship, producing a sound that is both unique and deeply expressive.

The Museum holds a quartet put together by Smith’s daughter Ruth and her husband Ernest Llewellyn. The cello, viola and two violins in the Museum’s collection were made during Smith’s ‘golden period’, from the 1940s to mid-1950s. When these instruments are played on special occasions, they need to be brought back up to playing condition.

Having rested quietly in storage for more than a decade, these cherished instruments were awakened by the hands of conservators, luthiers and musicians, to share their voices once more.

The role of the conservator extends beyond merely assessing the instrument’s appearance or structural integrity, such as examining cracks or damage. It’s essential to consider what the instrument was designed to be — an object meant to produce sound. By embracing this broader significance and focusing on the intangible qualities associated with it, I aim to preserve not only the physical aspects but also the deeper meanings it embodies. These intangible qualities, richness and resonance, make them an integral part of the instrument’s value and legacy.

— Jen Brian, Conservator, National Museum of Australia

The most effective way to preserve instruments is to play them. They should be used as much as possible to maintain our Australian history, ensuring that future generations can appreciate both the benefits and the sounds that have echoed through the ages.

— Max Glanville, Luthier

These instruments have remained in the Museum collection store, slumbering, for over a decade. Part of the waking up process is simply that they are played again.

The physical connection with the instrument is incredibly important. As a player, the goal is to become so familiar with your instrument and bow that the music you envision in your mind flows out effortlessly, without the need for technical deliberation in the moment. While this seamlessness doesn’t always occur, the more attuned you are to your equipment, the closer you get to this ideal.

— Pip Thompson, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

I suspect that an instrument might last longer if it remains unplayed. But what’s the point of keeping it silent? The finest instruments are often said to have had their best years between 50 and 250 years old. They weren’t created just to be admired for their appearance — though they can be beautiful — they were crafted to sound good.

— Douglas Macnicol, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

The relationship you have with your instrument is deeply personal. You aim to achieve a level of technical proficiency where you no longer have to think about your actions. This connection develops as you spend time with the instrument, learning its unique characteristics and how it differs from the one you typically play. This process is essential for awakening the instrument, allowing you to understand its sound, timbre and potential. You discover how to push its limits regarding volume and explore the various sound colours you can create. These are all elements we uncover when playing an instrument for the first time.

— Lucy Carrigy-Ryan, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

Playing the cello is a very different physical experience compared to playing the violin. There are many more points of contact between the instrument and your body, so you get a really strong sense of the sound through your feeling of the vibrations. You can feel it in your feet as the vibration travels through the endpin into the floor, all the way to the tips of your fingers through the bow and strings. It adds up to a significant amount of physical feedback which is almost as important for your playing as what you can hear.

— Samuel Payne, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

For me, this project really is an opportunity to be part of history, to be part of the process of bringing these instruments to a listening public who might never have heard them before is a really exciting experience and given that AE Smith is a part of the musical landscape that I grew up in, the project allows for a really meaningful connection.

— Pip Thompson, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra

I truly believe that the audience is what brings a performance to life; without them, it may as well be a rehearsal or a recording. The particular dynamic of a concert creates a special bond between performers and their audience – they share a limited time together that fosters an exchange of energy. Each experience is unique and irreplicable and being part of it is always something extraordinary for both the performers and the audience.

— Pip Thompson, Musician, Canberra Symphony Orchestra