LOUIS EMILE JEROME THIBOUVILLE-LAMY; THE MANAGING DIRECTOR

After having closed the doors of the famous Bazin family , with the death of Charles Alfred occurred in 1987, we take once again a step back to deal with what can rightly be considered the first true multi-national of instruments; the YAMAHA of the nineteenth century!

Violin bow by J.T.L.

Indeed, if we speak only of bows, the laboratory Thibouville Lamy is not the oldest one , as you will recall Charles Nicolas Bazin begins to build his small empire in 1865, while Louis Emile Jerome Thibouville-Lamy, who henceforth will abbreviate with the acronym by which he was known, J.T.L. ,   traded and manufactured bows only since 1870, thanks to a character we already know, Jean Joseph Martin. But the Thibouville's story begins long before .

It has its origin in La Couture-Boussay in Eure, already in the sixteenth century one of its members begins the activity , which will prove very profitable over time, as a manufacturer of wind instruments.

Jerome is the direct descendant of this dynasty of builders. Born at Mouette in Eure , on February 1, 1833, he starts working with his father, Louis Martin THIBOUVILLE, also manufacturer of wind instruments, who had moved to Paris.

The thinking of this family, and consequently the way of doing business, can be understood very well the behavior of the latter. He plans his son's wedding with Marie Marguerite Hyacinthe Lamy, and in doing so , he brings together four families of important violin makers. Miss Lamy was in fact a cousin of Charles Claude HUSSON (Violin maker and manufacturer of cases ), Charles BUTHOD (Luthier), Claude Carles Duchen (Parisian dealer).

On the day of marriage, which occurred on April 22, 1861, the new brand Thibouville-LAMY, officially begins , Jerome aka J.T.L assume its firm command : when you say pragmatism!

J.T.L. devoted his life to this activity, which thanks to him became worldwide famous and came up as to make yearly about 30,000 pieces , including bows and instruments of various kind.

With the help of  Martin, who gave his personal models, in 1879  J.T.L. includes bowmaking to his activity. At that time it was not difficult to find workers to hire , because as you recall, C. N. Bazin, was able to obtain a reduction of military service for those who worked in the world of violin making and since the Franco-Prussian war is just in those years, many must have thought it was better to hold a plane rather than a gun !

The workers who work for him in these years are so many that it is not possible to identify the hands of individual manufacturers, we can only note that the style is inspired by Charles Nicolas Bazin.

In 1889,when he is 56, he decides that the time has come to pass the baton and takes as its CEO Alexandre Alfred ACOULON Père. The style of this period always follow Bazin's lines , but the bows are starting to be simpler, and are often sold as a support of the instruments.

After the death of J.T.L. on Nov. 10, 1902, the brand has changed its administrator several times. In addition to ACOULON Pére, Emile BLONDELET since 1908, and Emile ACOULON since 1913.

The brand J.T.L. was the first to industrialize some construction processes, such as frog and screws. And thankfully we stopped here: it is impossible to build a stick of a bow by a machine. Although many have tried it in many different ways, with the sticks there's no way, they still require the old plane.

J.T.L. has also played an important role in the education, strengthening the Ecole de Lutherie, with courses in acoustics, physics, and chemistry. Unfortunately the school closed in 1914 because of the First World War.

The brand is officially withdrawn from the market in April 1968, and its last director is the luthier Andrè CHEVRIER.

After four centuries of experience in the production of musical instruments, after having produced between 1870 and 1960, an incalculable amount of bows J.T.L. stop working, but he leaves for posterity a well done job and above all honest. I have seen many J.T.L. I and it was difficult to find ugly ones , considering the level , of course. While among those of other authors, considered most popular and famous, sometimes I have seen things of bad good taste, although higher estimated on the market

The reason is simple: if outside the dor you Atelier, and you call yourself Master, even if you have thirty workers who work for you, everyone will give you a different evaluation than if you declare openly that if you are a factory with a Managing Director, in addition to employees, and workers. As mentioned above, the products are similar and often higher leveled , but honesty pays less, and to ensure that it does, you have to be really clever

List of bowmakers who worked for the brand J.T.L.

BARBE Pierre Auguste - 1906 and 1911; BARJONNET Georges Emile - 1943; BEAUJARD Auguste - 1870; BERNARD Auguste Marcel - 1913; CARDOT Charles Ernest - 1926; CHARPENTIER Henry Paul - 1870; COLLIN Jean Baptiste - 1870; CONTAL Charles FOURRIER - 1901; CUNIOT Nicolas Charles - 1870; DELPRATO Antonie - 1901; DUMONT Auguste Joseph – from l 1921 until 1936; GILLET Louis René – from 1906 to 1911; GRAND ADAM Nicolas - 1901 and 1906; GRADCOLAS Paul Charles Eugène - 1911; GRANCLAIRE Maurice Lucian - 1926; HUSSON Charles Eugène Louis - dal 1901 al 1931; HUSSON Mars Auguste - 1901; JACQUEMIN Edgard Léon - 1901; LABERTE Charles Francois Joseph "Gazon" - 1870; LAPIERRE Marcel Charles 1921 e 1923; MALINE Jean Joseph - 1870; MANGENOT Marcel Charles - 1945; MARTIN Jean Joseph - 1870; MATHIEU Jean - 1931; MELINE Fourier Joseph Paul - 1911 and 1921; MILLOT Nicolas Joseph - 1870; PIROUE Georges - 1926; REMY Camille Joseph - 1931; RENAUDIN Charles Stéphane - 1901 and 1906; RENAUDIN Jaques - 1870; RENGGLY Joseph Antoine – from 1901 until 1926; THOMMASIN Nicolas Francois Joseph.

Cello bow by J.T.L.

So long

Paolo