Jacques Martel

In 1980, I completed a three-year training with the Italian master Sylvio de Lellis. His influence was decisive. He instilled in me the rigor and reflection necessary for the practice of this art. The years of experience acquired allow me today to express my originality more freely despite the restricted framework of the form. My acoustic research is continuous; it feeds on my sensitivity to wood, the most precious tool for communication. Privileged contacts with other masters such as Frédéric Boyer, Jean-Jacques Rampal, Jean-Jacques Pagès and Jean-François Raffin were important; they confirmed me in certain ways of doing things and also opened up other avenues for me to explore. My desire to access unexplored dimensions of violin making sometimes seems to me an ambitious, even reckless project, but it constitutes my deepest motivation, allowing me to redo a new experience each time.