August Meinel

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August Meinel (born October 31, 1868 in Markneukirchen , † April 8, 1961 in Liestal ) was a German-born violin maker who settled in Switzerland.

Life

August Meinel was the son of the guitar maker Karl August Meinel, called "Meinel-Fuchs"; and the brother of Paul Meinel . From a young age he worked in his father's workshop. After school he completed an apprenticeship and attended the music and technical school for instrument makers with Paul Otto Apian-Bennewitz (1847-1892). His years of travel took him to different places, most recently to Dresden. In 1890 he came to Basel, Switzerland, and found a job as a violin repairer with his brother Paul Meinel. After two years he moved on to Meran, from where he came back to Switzerland after five years. In 1902 he was a co-founder of the Swiss violin making company in Liestal. He became the technical director of the company and at the same time the conductor of the town music. When this company was dissolved two years later, Meinel took over the business as a sole proprietorship under the name "Schweizerische Geigenbauesellschaft A. Meinel & Co". He built numerous instruments, some of which went to dealers who pasted their company notes. From 1920, however, Meinel provided all of its instruments with their own number label. Thanks to his diligence, he has made it to several hundred. He also trained students, including Fritz Baumgartner I (Basel), Hans Huber (Flawil), Adolf König (violin maker) (Brienz), Robert Reinert (La-Chaux-de-Fonds), and his son Karl Walter Meinel (* 1895 in Meran). Even Henry Werro spent a short time with him. Meinel gave up his business in 1955 and died in 1961.

literature

  • Hans Boltshauser: The violin makers of Switzerland , Haelg-Verlag, Degersheim 1969, online version (PDF) , p. 75f.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Meinel, August
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss violin maker
DATE OF BIRTH October 31, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Markneukirchen
DATE OF DEATH April 8, 1961
Place of death Liestal