An introduction to Martin Biller

My name is Martin Biller. I was born in Mittenwald, Germany, a town nestled in the mountains of the Bavarian Alps. Mittenwald, an ancient town on the trade routes from Venice to Nuernberg, is known for its rich violin-making history, which dates back to the beginning of the 18^th century.

With the encouragement of my father and being surrounded by alpine forests of magnificent growth, I soon developed an interest in building things made out of wood. Growing up in a musical family, I started to play the violin at 6 years of age, which added to my motivation and love for the violin and the making of it. Violin making has been in my family since the early part of the last century, with my great grandfather, Karl Zunterer, working in this trade. Thus it was only a natural choice to become a violinmaker to.

I was accepted as an apprentice at the famous "Geigenbau schule", a violin making school in Mittenwald, my hometown. My training included: the making and varnishing of stringed instruments, as well as repairing and restoring of antique instruments. On February the 17^th, 1978, I graduated successfully after three and a half years of schooling. My grade for violin making was an A-plus.

Following my graduation, at the age of 18, I moved to Cologne (Germany), to work as a journeyman for Wolfgang Bünnagel. His extensive knowledge of repair techniques as well as introducing me to the working world was of great value to my growth as a journeyman.

In October 1982, the opportunity arose for me to work for Michael Becker, in Park Ridge, IL (USA). During the next three years of working with Michael Becker, I acquired greater expertise in repairing and restoring antique instruments.

On October 1985, the renowned 3^rd generation establishment of violinmakers & dealers, Fritz Reuter & Sons, engaged me to do repair and restoration work, as well as make new instruments. I have worked there for 21 years. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to pursue my childhood aspiration and follow in the footsteps of my great grandfather.

I have been specializing in the making of small size violins as you can see from the list of instruments made.

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