Wood that sings - interview with Nicolae Bâzgan, director of the HORA musical instrument factory

Reghin, in Mures county, is the home of musical instruments. The oldest, largest and most famous musical instrument factory here is HORA. The musical instruments produced at HORA reach over 100 countries worldwide and more than 80% of the factory's production is exported.

To find out more about the place and the people who make the wood sing, we spoke to Nicolae Bâzgan, the factory manager.

WoodIndustry.News: When was your first encounter with the factory and musical instruments?

Nicolae Bâzgan: My first encounter with the musical instrument factory was on 15 June 1965 when, as a fresh engineer, I was assigned to the Reghin Wood Industrialization Combine (CIL).

RdL: What was the beginning of musical instruments in Reghin?

NB: The industrial manufacture of wooden musical instruments began in 1951 in Reghin when the first 35 violins were made, according to Soviet documentation.

RdL: Briefly, what was the factory's journey from a woodworking mill to today's HORA?

NB: The production of instruments has increased year after year, favoured both by large resources of resonance wood and, above all, by highly qualified and disciplined staff. In 1966 the new factory with a capacity of 20,000 musical instruments was put into operation. In 1970 a new factory with a capacity of 40,000 instruments was inaugurated and in 1980 another factory with a capacity of 80,000 instruments. In 1967 I was appointed head of the musical instrument factory in the CIL, which has since become the Wood Processing Company (IPL). In 1990 IPL was renamed AMIS. Both IPL Reghin and the "heir" AMIS, operated as a combined company, manufacturing furniture as well as musical instruments. In 1991, for strictly professional reasons, the musical instrument part of AMIS withdrew and since then we have been operating as HORA, manufacturing wooden musical instruments (violins, guitars, mandolins, țambales, naiolas, xylophones, balalaiques, educational instruments, accessories, spare parts, etc.). So far we have produced over 4,320,000 musical instruments.

RdL: What is now the star tool of production?

NB: Our star instrument is the acoustic guitar with preamp and EQ (equalizer).

RdL: You produce an impressive range of musical instruments. What special instruments do you produce?

NBSpecial instruments include violins, violas, violoncellos, master double basses, classical concert guitars, master naiolas and the harpsichord, which is the most complex instrument we make.

RdL: Why do you think your customers choose you?

NB: Customers prefer us primarily for the sound quality and then for the decent price we sell for. Our factory is currently the largest in Europe and is well known on the foreign market.

RdL: I understand you also execute commissions for artists. Can you give me some names of artists for whom you have worked on musical instruments?

NB: I made bowed instruments for Ion Voicu, George Iarosevici, Sile Dinicu, Mihai Constantinescu, Nicolae Botgros, Constantin Popescu.
Among the artists for whom I made wind instruments I can mention Gheorghe Zamfir, Radu Simion and Cornelia Tihon.

RdL: How to choose wood for musical instruments? Is it different depending on the instrument? What is the secret of sound?

NB: Wood for the construction of musical instruments must have a homogeneous structure and be free of any defects.
Drying must be slow to avoid internal tension. And there is something else, very important: in order to correspond as well as possible acoustically it must be old and the annual rings as regular as possible.

RdL: Can two violins that we see as identical sound different?

NB: No two instruments can ever be made with the same acoustics precisely because of the large number of factors that contribute to the resonance of the instrument.

RdL: Did famous luthiers used to exist, for example Stradivarius? Do we have them?

NB: The factory, over its 65 years of existence, has created many musical instrument makers, some of whom are now working on their own in the workshops in Reghin.

RdL: How would you sum up, in one sentence, your current relationship with the factory and musical instruments?

NB: First of all I feel obliged to thank my parents and teachers who have shaped and qualified me. I also cannot overlook the understanding and kindness of my family who have supported me to achieve such a great performance. The principle is also true here: 'Man sanctifies place'.