Violone Thir Museum, musical instruments, instrument collection, viol, violin, viola, violoncello, viola da gamba, viola d'amore, double bass, violone, baryton, harpsichord, spinet, Renaissance music, Baroque music, Classical music, Baroque orchestra, viol consort, musica antigua, Orpheon, Orpheon Foundation, Jose Vazquez, José Vázquez, Haydn, Lidl, Marin Marais, Johann Sebastian Bach, playmate of the month

This violone or double bass merit our attention. As a rule, double basses are made from low quality woods, the finer planks saved for the more expensive violins and violoncelli. This bass, however, has the finest highly-figured spruce for the top and extremely highly figured maple for the sides and back. The fact that the leading luthier in Vienna at that time, Johann Georg Thir, was given the commission for a double bass and that he used the finest spruce and maple available imply that this was a special order from some very prominent customer, someone like the Emperor himself, or Prince Esterhazy, who at the time was the wealthiest man in Europe, or Graf Lobkowitz, who kept a solid musical establishment in his palace.

Immediately after restoration, this bass by Thir took part in the concert of June, 2008 at the Castle of Kremsegg, Austria. We are very pleased!

Martini Hofinger with the Johann Georg Thir double bass

Martini Hofinger with the Johann Georg Thir double bass

Martin Hofinger with the Johann Georg Thir violone in a performance in the Cappella Sistina
in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI (January, 2009)

Martin Hofinger with the Johann Georg Thir violone in a performance in the Cappella Sistina
in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI (January, 2009)

Body length	1115 mm
Upper width	490 mm
Middle width	330 mm
Lower width	630 mm
Rib height	215 mm
String length	1090 mm