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Crafting beautiful music in Palestine

The youngest luthier in Ramallah lives next door to the shop where he makes and repairs violins.

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Shalalda's workshop is in the old centre of Ramallah, near his house and the al-Kamandjati music school.
By Edmee van Rijn
Published On 21 Apr 2015

Ramallah, occupied West Bank – Shehada Shalalda, 24, is the youngest among the very few luthiers in Palestine. He was born in the old centre of Ramallah, next to the shop where he now works.

About a decade ago, when Shalalda was 15, al-Kamandjati music school opened its doors just metres from his house. Having never seen musical instruments or heard live music before, he says he was immediately attracted by the beautiful sounds of the violin and the oud, a traditional Arabic instrument.

In 2008, a luthier came to Ramallah to repair violins in the workshop near his house. Shalalda says he became very interested in the craftsmanship, and tried to make his own violin from a piece of wood. Noticing the young man’s dedication, luthier Paolo Sortigiantoni invited him to his workshop in Florence, where Shalalda made his first two violins. A year later, Shalalda set off for the UK to study to become a luthier.

Today, he works in the same workshop that once sparked his interest in repairing violins, and in addition to the repair work, he also makes three or four new violins each year. He tries to visit Europe each year to buy maple wood for his violins and to spend time with different luthiers to improve his craft.

At least five coats of varnish are required for each violin, depending on the desired colour. A single coat has to dry for two days.
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Shalalda likes to let the varnish dry in the sun, although luthiers in Europe often use UV lamps for drying, due to the lack of sufficient sunlight hours. 'Here in Palestine, the sun is perfect and gives the wood a different colour,' he says.
The small workshop is full of tools, along with old and new violins.
Maple wood is known for its strong characteristics. The piece of wood Shalalda is holding was cut 15 years ago, a vertical slice of a tree trunk.
Shalalda makes notes of measurements and techniques from every luthier he visits: 'As a luthier, you never finish learning.'
He also copies measurements from some of the older violins he has made.
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Shalalda drills the holes of the bags of the violin at a local blacksmith's workshop.
The process of cutting the outline of the scroll is intense due to the hardness of the maple wood.
Carving the edge on the scroll of the violin is a very precise and difficult job.
Shalalda's college certificate is prominently on display in his workshop.
The label inside his violins always includes: 'al-Kamandjati Palestine, made by Shehada Shalalda, Ramallah', along with the year and sometimes the name of the recipient.
It takes Shalalda about two months to make one violin if he works nine hours a day. The price of a new violin starts at $5,000.
'The most difficult part of making a violin is to sell it,' Shalalda said.