[QUOTE id=33366 time=1451568411]

Hi all,

I got my 1921 Prague Sofrons a few years ago. I bought these from Vavra in Prague, who repaired the violin. He told me he believes that there wasn't any R. Sofron per se and that he thinks the label with his name is attached to make the violin fancier. He also told me that for casual playing, he would be personally super happy with this violin and gave me really good price for them.

How correct he was - it was an amazing deal . The violin sounds amazing, much better than similarly priced instrument I had a chance to play before. I started playing very often since then.

I've read somewhere else as well that R. Sofron actually was and built these violins as his hobby, while working in mines or something like that - so I would really like to hear more from Martin, if he still follows this forum

Best,

Vojta

Hi Vojta and others,

I came across this forum again by chance and seems like I have missed your posts by couple years - I am sorry for that. So to answer (at least partially) your questions, here is the sum of my current knowledge of Rudolf Sofron and his undertaking in musical instruments manufacturing. Please forgive me incompleteness of this story as he was born almost 150 years ago and only memories of him are from my mom and aunt who met him as small girls

Rudolf was born in a small town south of Prague, in Vrane nad Vltavou in 1877 in a family of a molder Karel Sofron (whose family came from Pilsen and before that from Domazlice, that time their name was spelled as Sollfronk) and learned his father's job. The family incl. my grandpa's mother moved from Vrane to Prague in 1914 and Rudolf was some time also abroad (in 1918 in Hungary). After WWI he moved back to Prague where he married twice during 1920s and 1930s. He was still working in the industry but obviously making of musical instruments was his big hobby. He was an autodidact but from his contemporaries it seems that his works were quite good and known - I found his name in Encyclopedia of Czech Violin-makers (Cesti houslari, 1959). He was also making miniatures of musical instruments, I remember playing small guitar and violin as a small boy when visiting my grandma. To prove above stated you can check this online dictionaly http://www.ceskyhudebnislovnik.cz/slovnik/index.php?option=com_mdictionary&task=record.record_detail&id=1000331. Rudolf died in age of 80 year in Prague and is buried in Bubenec cemetery.

Best, Martin