Melodies from Yusuf Dede’s violins heard around the world

ESKİŞEHİR

In a small basement workshop in the central Anatolian province of Eskişehir's Tepebaşı district, 91-year-old Yusuf Kaplangil has spent more than half a century making violins by hand and sending them to musicians in Europe. Though he is no longer able to build instruments due to health issues, his passion for the violin remains undiminished.

Originally a metal caster by trade, Kaplangil was inspired by images in schoolbooks and the violins he saw at village weddings when he was just a third-grade student. He eventually turned his home’s coal cellar into a workshop, adapting his casting skills and craftsmanship to violin making.

Over the course of more than 50 years, Kaplangil built approximately 50 violins, many of which found their way to Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands and various parts of Türkiye. He even built the machines he used to shape the instruments.

Now a father of four and grandfather of eight, Kaplangil says he takes pride in having sent his handmade violins to musicians around the world, even though he can no longer continue the craft.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, the retired metalworker recalled learning the art of violin making through trial and error, without any formal training.

In addition to building violins, he also performed repairs. “I once restored a 400-year-old violin and preserved its original neck,” he said. “I would cut the wood myself to make replacement parts. I handled all kinds of repairs — replacing necks, adjusting bows. People would often come directly to my workshop.”

He noted that a violin typically took around 50 days to complete and required intense dedication. “This isn’t something you can do by just gluing four pieces of wood together,” he said. “You need to love it. If your soul and mind have ever truly heard the sound of a fine violin, you keep working until you find that sound again. I devoted years to capturing that tone.”

Kaplangil said he met many musicians over the years thanks to his violin-making. “I haven’t made a violin in 10 years, but I still get phone calls from people who bought one and say they’re delighted with its sound,” he said. “My violins improve with time — the more they’re played, the better they sound. Musicians from TRT Ankara Radio once came and bought violins from me. One woman, a pharmacist, still calls me and says she can’t put down the violin I made for her.”

Though his health no longer allows him to work, Kaplangil still receives orders.