1955 - Charles Enel 1956 - Charles Enel at his bench Label of Charles Enel

Son of Jules Enel and Louise Vigneron Vigneron (from the family of the famous bow maker Arthur Vigneron). He was born on July 14th, 1880 in Mirecourt (the Vosges). He did his training in the workshops of Grillon, Gustave Bazin, and joins as a workman the company of Leon Mougenot very famous at that time in Mirecourt. His bench competences allow him very quickly to pass the competitive examination and obtain the diploma of state workman from the Departmental Jury. He leaves to Paris and joins the company of Auguste Deroux who was a former workman in the well known company, Claude-Augustin Miremont. The beginning of his career is lightning because he had attended all these prestigious companies before his military service, around the age of 20. After his military service, he works in Geneva at Bertherat, then in Lyon. He returns to Paris at Eugene Marchand's, Linz in Austria, Augsburg and Stuttgart in Germany and finally Geneva at Vidoudez (Switzerland) making his training a true guild course. It is in this Genevan workshop that Ernest Maucotel (partner of Hippolyte-Chrétien Sylvestre) comes to seek Charles Enel. That shows what craftsman he was, the company Sylvestre and Maucotel being at the time one of most prestigious companies in France. In 1909, at the age of 29 he settles rue de Cléry in Paris, not far from his cousin, the great bow maker Arthur Vigneron. In 1911 he transfers his workshop to 48 rue de Rome in the 8th district in Paris. In 1911 he appoints Felix Bollecker to deal with the commercial part of the company under the name "Charles Enel and C°". This collaboration stops with the war of 1914-1918 in which both take part. After his demobilization his company keeps growing thanks to the knowledge and the competences acquired during his many training courses in the workshops of string instruments Towards 1900-Arthur Vigneron He is a well-informed expert, a great manufacturer of instruments of the quartet, and also a very important restorer. His permanent researches lead him to copy with talent the greatest Italian authors of the 18th century. The woods are always very well chosen, his varnishes of a beautiful transparent red, sometimes cracked a little. He makes nearly 220 violins, approximately 30 cellos and some violas. In 1920, his nephew Pierre Enel joins him and will remain by his side until 1934 to assist him in very high restoration. 1947 : he is Vice-President of the Grouping of Art Violin and Bow Makers of France (GLAAF), which counts today 110 members through all France. 1948 : Charles Enel is named Expert to the Commercial Court of the Seine in the speciality of the quartet instruments. Charles Enel with Pierre Enel 1949 : He becomes one of the founding members of the International Society of Violin and Bow Makers. EILA is today the elite of the world string instruments making which counts at the present time more than 170 members: France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, China, Japan, Israel….

The company Enel is one of the most important companies in France, together with Maucotel and Deschamps, Jombart, Dupuy, Vatelot…where Frederic Boyer enters as a workman. On August 14, 1954, Charles Enel dies in Saint Brieuc. Having become his principal collaborator and spiritual heir,Serge Boyer continues alone the management of the workshop. Mrs Céleste Enel, wife of Charles Enel deals with the customers. In 1960, following the sudden death of Mrs Enel and after 12 years spent in this prestigious company,Frederic Boyer will continue alone to ensure the continuity of this firm, quote, "in tradition and memory".