Anyone who has purchased rosin for their violin has probably had Cat Brand rosin recommended to them. Millant-Deroux rosin began when Sebastian-August Deroux moved to Paris in the late 1800s. His daughter, who married Leon Millant, had two sons named Roger and Max who became passionately involved in their grandfather’s work and took over his business when he passed away in 1919.
They worked diligently to improve the quality of the rosin by both increasing adhesion and reducing dust. They also created the logo of a cat playing a cello, thus leading to the brand’s nickname. Eventually, Max’s son took over the business, followed by acclaimed violinist Snorri Thorvaldsson, and eventually his son.
After a history spanning well over 100 years, much has changed about the company but much has not. They still produce their rosin in the same style they always have and strive for the same quality.
The classic red cap Millant rosin has been made the same way since the company began. It has long been praised for clean and subtle sound. Just as importantly, the low-dust rosin sheds a great deal less than other rosin.
Some lower-quality rosins can be impacted by humidity, becoming sticky and impacting the playability of the instrument. It’s very important to consider a good rosin for your strings as a lower quality rosin may limit your playing ability depending upon conditions. This rosin has become the standard for all the rosin produced by Millant-Deroux and is part of the reason they have found worldwide demand.
The wood box violin-shaped rosin is collaboration between Millant-Deroux and an Italian box-maker. Most importantly, you get the quality rosin that you would expect from Millant-Deroux. However, you get it in a beautifully crafted box carved from aromatic wood.
The natural-grade rosin inside offers a blend of some of the most popular rosins offered by Millant-Deroux. It gives you an impressive mixture of the smooth sounds from the classic dark rosin and the robust notes of the Colophane 2000.
While this makes it desirable rosin, it also means you have to make sure you’re getting the real thing. A dealer such as Triangle Strings sells only the real product and not simple knockoffs you might find by shopping elsewhere.
Although Millant-Deroux is not always able to keep up with the huge demand for their rosin, especially the artistically-crafted violin wood box rosin, you can be assured that there is plenty available for you if you are willing to pay a little more for it. But even this high-quality and high-demand rosin is still affordable for musicians of any level. If you’re looking to improve the playability of your instrument with better rosin than you have been using, the Cat Brand so many people love is now available in a more attractive container.