Koestler (musical instruments)
Koestler is a brand name for harmonica and other reed instruments from a Nauheim company.
Company history
The company was founded in 1891 by Johann Köstler in Graslitz . Up to the Second World War , a total of 300 employees mainly produced harmonica. In the summer of 1946, the Köstler family, like other Sudeten German musical instrument makers, had to relocate from Graslitz. The company owner Josef Köstler re-founded the company as "Köstler & Co" in 1946 in Nauheim . In the post-war period, brass brought from the Soviet occupation zone and iron from the car manufacturer Opel from Rüsselsheim were used for the reeds .
In 1951 the company had a turnover of 2 million DM and 300 employees mainly produced for export. In addition to harmonica and accordion , Köstler and the Trossingen company Hohner added small organs such as the "Harmophon" to their product range from 1955.
The harmophone is an electrified reed instrument and works like a harmonium with penetrating reeds based on pressure wind. The pressure wind required for this is generated by a small fan with a collector motor inside the instrument. Thanks to the tongue, which is relatively stable in intonation, there is no need for a wind-compensating system such as regulating bellows. Sometimes there is a slider in front of the keyboard to reduce the air flow. This enabled a slight modification of the volume to be achieved. The instrument was used in the field of music education in the 1950s. It is to be regarded as the forerunner of the keyboards that will later be used in this area .
Josef Köstler received the Cross of Merit on Ribbon in 1952 and died in 1962.
Due to cheap imports from the Far East, musical instrument production could no longer continue in the 1970s, and so the company stopped producing harmonica in 1973. In 1987 it achieved sales of 22 million DM as a supplier for the automotive industry with 200 employees.
literature
- Martin Häffner (MH): Hohner, Seydel, Köstler, Koch and the many others. German Harmonica Museum, Trossingen.