Conrad Graf
Conrad Graf (born November 17, 1782 in Riedlingen , Württemberg ; † March 18, 1851 in Vienna ) was a German - Austrian piano maker .
Life
Grew up as a half-orphan in Riedlingen, in 1798 Graf moved to Vienna and worked as a journeyman with Jakob Schelkle. On February 14, 1804 he married his widow and took over Schelkel's business in Währing No. 126. In 1811 he received permission to sell pianos. The address of his workshop between 1811 and 1825 was Auf der Wieden 182 and 102, until in 1826 he moved into larger rooms in the former dance hall “ Mondscheinhaus ” behind the Karlskirche . In 1822 he took the Vienna Citizenship Oath , and two years later he was given the title of “ k. k. Hof Piano- und Klaviermacher ”awarded. As an award for the quality of his instruments, he received a gold medal at the first trade product exhibition in Vienna in 1835. During this time, his factory was considered the "largest and most renowned of Vienna and the Empire" (Austrian National Encyclopedia). In 1841 Graf sold his business to the piano maker Carl Andreas Stein .
Works
Graf's pianos were a. a. played by famous musicians such as Ludwig van Beethoven , Frédéric Chopin and Clara Schumann , née Wieck. The fortepiano from Beethoven's possession - a loan from Graf to him, which was initially given to him as part of a repair of his Broadwood piano, but then for life - can be viewed today in the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn . Clara Wieck received a grand piano from Conrad Graf as a gift during her visit to Vienna in 1839 or when she married Robert Schumann in 1840 - both representations can be found in the relevant sources - which later became the property of Johannes Brahms and is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna stands.
In addition to the instruments by Anton Walter , Stein and Andreas Streicher, instruments by Conrad Graf are considered highlights of southern German and Viennese piano making and as prototypes of the transition to the romantic sound ideal in piano making.
literature
- Winfried Aßfalg : From Riedlingen to Vienna, along the Danube. Conrad Graf (1782-1851). "Kaiserl. can Hof-Fortepianomacher Wien “ . In: Society for Home Care Biberach e. V. (Ed.): BC - Local history sheets for the Biberach district . 18th year. Issue 1/1995, pp. 3-30, ZDB -ID 136055-3 .
- Winfried Aßfalg: Jacob Schelkle and Conrad Graf in Vienna. Country team relationships cannot be ruled out. In: Society for Home Care Biberach e. V. (Ed.): BC - Local history sheets for the Biberach district . 25th year. Issue 1/2002, pp. 34-36, ZDB -ID 136055-3 .
- String pianos . In: Victor Luithlen, Kurt Wegerer: Catalog of the collection of old musical instruments . Volume 1. Guide through the Kunsthistorisches Museum , Volume 14. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 1966, ZDB -ID 28887-1 .
- Victor Luithlen: Graf, Conrad. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7 , p. 724 ( digitized version ).
- Conny Restle (ed.), Attila Csampai (collaborator): Fascination piano. 300 years of piano production in Germany . Prestel, Munich (among others) 2000, ISBN 3-7913-2308-3 .
- Deborah Wythe: Conrad Graf (1782-1851). Imperial Royal Court Fortepiano Maker in Vienna. New York 1990.
- Jörg Demus : in Schubert's birthplace: on Conrad Graf's fortepiano . In: Arbeiter-Zeitung . Vienna August 25, 1971, p. 8 ( berufer-zeitung.at - the open online archive - digitized).
Web links
- Article about Conraf Graf in the " Keys Wiki "
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Graf, Conrad |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German piano maker |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 17, 1782 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Riedlingen , Württemberg |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 18, 1851 |
| Place of death | Vienna |