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After obtaining his diploma in instrument making at the National School of Decorative Arts (l’ENSAD) in Paris, Christian Rault went on to study with the renowned luthier, Giobatta Morassi in International School of Cremona.
He established his workshop in France in 1978, specialising in the restoration of instruments of the 17th and 18th centuries. Through this work he developed a thorough understanding of the construction of the instruments and the craftsmanship required to produce their characteristic tones. He has since devoted himself to reproducing historically accurate instruments, looking for authentic sounds.
His passion for baroque instruments and their ancient sonorities was further stimulated by the rediscovery in the 1980s of the music of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. It was clear that the instruments used by contemporary musicians playing music from these periods did not correspond to what was described in the texts, illuminated manuscripts and mediaeval sculptures and so he began his work on organology. This study of the science of instrument making, sound production and classification has given him profound insight into the authentic and original techniques involved in instrument making which can be seen today in his work as a luthier.
These techniques and aesthetics are predominantly derived from non-european tradition and it naturally follows that he also has a great interest in Oriental Instruments.
CR has written numerous books and articles and gives lectures and conferences in Europe and throughout the rest of the world. He organises symposium and exhibitions on the subject of organology and has participated in scientific projects on the reconstruction of instruments of the Santiago Compostella, Puivert, Lugo, Royaumont and Chartres. He is a member of ALADFI and the association Luthiers sans frontières.
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