It therefore tended to center around repair shops. The best of these became focal points for violin culture, providing a meeting place for musician and maker, and a training ground for young talent. Flourishing in the vigorous economic and musical climate of post war America, these firms handled the very best in old instruments and set standards of restoration unmatched in Europe. As superb Italian instruments found their way to America, a new generation of makers, tutored in restoration and inspired by the fine instruments they were surrounded by, began to emerge. They may then strike out on their own, pursuing careers in dealing, repairing, making, or some combination of these.
Further progress depends on dedication to the craft and an ability to keep learning.
Vital to this learning process in continued contact with first class musicians who can provide informed criticism together with the inspiration of hearing great music performed on the instruments they have made. Under the auspices of professional associations and research societies, new information is continuously being published on both the history and acoustics of the violin family, shedding new light on the workshop practices of the classical Italians. This has much the same tonic effect on contemporary craftsmen that research into baroque performance practice has had on today s performers. In the shaded light and conditioned air of a museum, an instrument will last almost indefinitely. But in the hands of even the most careful musician, eventual damage is almost inevitable.