|
The Catgut Acoustical Society Library |
| File #: | K4970 |
| Name: | Kimball, Maxwell |
| Dates: | d. 1966 |
| See also: | C7450 - Condax, Louis |
| General Information: |
| An architect, sculptor and musician who had stayed an architect during the 1929 depression by making a |
| violin and two violas from information in books and the help of a local violin maker, (as well as working |
| with his wife to raise chickens and a big garden). He was also a naturalist, amateur astronomer, and avid |
| bird watcher who made his own telescopes. Kimball and CMH met when they were both exhibitors at |
| a hobby show in Glen Ridge (the next town to Montclair) where he lived. This started a long association |
| of mutual interests from quartet playing to bird watching and violin making. Kimball became particularly |
| interested in making violin bows and exploring methods of measuring their physical properties, including |
| the dimensional changes along the stick, bending characteristics, centers of percussion and gravity which |
| he measured with great precision on many bows of different qualities. Some of his technical writings |
| and measurements are included here as well as in the Newsletter of the CAS. He worked with Louis |
| Condax at one point and made a drawing of the cello podium which Condax had developed for Howard |
| Hanson at the Eastman School of Music. The famous cellist, Maurice Eisenberg used this podium in |
| several concerts with the New Jersey Symphony and was delighted with it. See photo of Kimball and |
| Eisenberg, also a copy of the drawing which was published in the CASNL. Efforts to explain the |
| acoustical effectiveness of this podium have not as yet met with success. But it works! Kimball's |
| greatest contribution to the CAS was in helping CMH to develop the design of the new instruments of |
| the Violin Octet, once the basic acoustics had been worked out. He also designed and supervised the |
| building of the large garage-workshop at 112 Essex where over 100 of the Octet instruments have been |
| built. |
| File Contents: |
| K4970 | -- | 101 |
| Correspondence: with CMH (1956-1966). |
| Key Words: |
| K4970 | -- | 102 |
| Miscellaneous: Newsp articles, permission, Summit Symphony concert programs, Xmas card, bill of |
| sale on bow., bow & instrument measurements. |
| Key Words: |
| K4970 | -- | 103 |
| Technical: paper - `On Making a Violin Bow'; data: bow design curves; write-up and diagram of |
| Condax-Kimball Cello Podium. |
| Key Words: | Bow making | Cello podium | Violin Octet design. |