Joseph Alfred Lamy

Joseph Alfred Lamy (père) (1850-1919), was a French archetier (bow maker) of the early twentieth century. He was born in Mirecourt, Vosges, France where he apprenticed from 1862-1868, and later worked from 1877 to 1885 for François Nicolas Voirin in Paris.

Lamy emerged from a great period in French bowmaking and faithfully carried on the tradition. In 1889 he received the silver and gold medals at the Paris Exposition. His son Hippolyte Camille Lamy-fils, (1876-1944) carried on in his father's tradition. Like François Nicolas Voirin, Lamy-père was influenced by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume whose model he frequently used between 1886 and 1890. By 1880 many makers were beginning to consistently aim for an even heavier, stronger model, with varying degrees of success. Lamy's mature period began as early as 1889 to 1890 when he was still only forty. His model, characterized by a slight increase in volume for the sticks as well as for the frogs, became clearer and was adopted definitively. Lamy picked up where François Nicolas Voirin left off, with similar variance in weight and quality of materials. His pupils include Eugene Sartory whose work he had influenced as well as that of his son, Lamy-fils. Today Lamy (père) is regarded as one of the foremost makers of his generation.

References

• Roda, Joseph (1959). Bows for Musical Instruments. Chicago: W. Lewis. ISBN 285955002X. OCLC 906667.
• Vatelot, Etienne (1976). Les Archet Francais. Sernor: M. Dufour. OCLC 2850939.
• Raffin, Jean Francois (2000). L'Archet. Paris: L'Archet Éditions. ISBN 295155690X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Vannes, Rene (1985) [1951]. Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers (vol.3). Bruxelles: Les Amis de la musique. OCLC 53749830.
• William, Henley (1969). Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers. Brighton; England: Amati. ISBN 0901424005.