Mensur Avdic from Tuzla made his first violin in 2009, and he inherited the love for this craft that rarely anyone is dealing with in BiH from his father Sifet.
This 30-year-old said that producing violins is a special type of art, and it requires a lot of precision and patience.
“In the beginning, I had the first contact with the production of small instruments such as saz (baglama) and similar. Later, the love for this hobby became more serious since my father is engaged in the production and restoration of string instruments. This is a hobby that I really love and it relaxes me, but it is not my primary activity,” said Avdic.
“I started making my first violin with my father’s help and it took me three months. It was not easy at all because the process of making a violin is a special kind of art and requires a lot of precision, patience, and care,” explained Avdic.
Mistakes are out of the question because the slightest mistake affects the sound quality of the instrument.
He also said that the process of making a violin used to be a lot harder and slower before because there were no tools that we have available today.
Now it is much simpler, and the production of a violin now takes 350 to 400 hours of active work.
Mensur was lucky to have the gift for this work in him, which he inherited from his father Sifet, who is self-taught in this business, and the value of his work has been recognized by musicians from all over the world.
Mensur has made five violins so far, and the sixth violin is currently in the process of the production.
“At the fourth violin that I made today plays the girl that is attending music school in Vienna. I am especially happy because of her professor, member of the Vienna Philharmonic, said that the quality of violin meets the criteria,” proudly stated Avdic.
He is currently finishing a violin that he will gift to the elementary music school in Tuzla in mid-May, with the hope that some of its students will win at one of the competitions with this instrument.
Finally, the prices of hand-made violins in our country reach 4 000 BAM.
(Source: A. K./Klix.ba)