This film documents the work of master luthier and musician Walter Waidosch in his quest to reconstruct the Fiedel (or vielle), a key string instrument of the 14th and 15th centuries. With no surviving original instruments to copy, Waidosch's method is one of deep historical immersion. He synthesizes information from period iconography, such as paintings of musical angels, surviving craft traditions from related cultures, and an understanding of the medieval soundscape to inform his build.
The documentary follows the meticulous, hands-on process of creating a Fiedel from scratch, emphasizing the profound importance of material and tradition. Key aspects highlighted include the careful selection and traditional harvesting of high-altitude tonewood, the exclusive use of historical hot hide glue for its acoustic and repair-friendly properties, and a "bottom-up" construction method that predates modern violin-making techniques. The film portrays the craft not as a set of instructions, but as an intuitive art of harmonizing dozens of components to rediscover a lost sound, with the expressiveness of the human voice as the ultimate goal. Part One concludes with the completion of the instrument's main body.
Recreating a Lost Sound: The Art of the Fiedel Maker
1:40 The Challenge of Reconstruction: Walter Weidosch explains that since no original 14th-century Fiedels survive, he must reconstruct them by studying the era's art, culture, and music to understand the instrument's context and form, rather than simply building a "primitive violin."
3:56 Traditional Construction Method: The Fiedel is built using an old-world technique, starting with the back and building upwards without the use of a modern internal mold.
4:45 The Crucial Role of Wood: The quality of the instrument is fundamentally tied to its materials. Weidosch sources special, slow-grown, fine-grained spruce from high-altitude forests for the top (the main soundboard).
5:29 Wood Sourcing and Lore: The film shows the selection of a specific tree and discusses the traditional belief in harvesting it at the right time—December 21st, according to the moon's phase—to ensure the lowest possible sap content, which is ideal for tonewood.
6:49 The Importance of Proper Aging: Raw tonewood must be air-dried and aged for a minimum of 10-15 years to become stable and acoustically resonant.
8:21 A Noble Instrument's History: Contrary to modern associations, the Fiedel was an instrument of high culture, used by nobles and Minnesänger (minstrels), which justifies building it with the highest level of craftsmanship.
10:13 Traditional Adhesives: Weidosch uses hot hide glue, which creates a crystalline, resonant bond and is reversible, allowing for future repairs. He also highlights a specialized, waterproof fish glue made from a sturgeon's swim bladder.
17:21 The Intuitive Art of Voicing: In a discussion with his apprentice, Weidosch demonstrates how tiny adjustments to the internal bracing—measured in millimeters—are critical for shaping the instrument's acoustic response, particularly for low frequencies.
18:25 The Human Voice as the Ideal: The guiding principle behind the Fiedel's construction is to achieve a sound that emulates the expressiveness and tonal qualities of the human voice, a common goal for instruments of that period.
21:18 Crafting Sound and Ornament: The creation of the sound holes and the decorative rosette is shown. While the rosette is purely aesthetic, the shape and placement of the sound holes are critical for allowing the instrument's top to vibrate freely and produce a full sound.
25:17 The Harmony of Components: The narrator explains that the true art lies in the ability to harmonize all 50 individual components. The choice of wood for the back dictates the dimensions of the sides and top, which in turn determines the bracing. This is a skill developed over years of experience, not from a formula.
26:36 The Body is Complete: Part One concludes as the raw body of the Fiedel is fully assembled, marking a major milestone in the construction process.