Mathias Heinicke

Violin by Mathias Heinicke from 1920

Matthias Heinicke (born March 3, 1873 in Maria Kulm , Bohemia ; † 1956 in Skalná , Czechoslovakia ) was a Bohemian violin maker and student of violin maker Ernst Reinhold Schmidt (1857–1928) in Markneukirchen , Vogtlandkreis , Saxony.

Live and act

For a while there were speculations about the exact date of birth, it could have been 1871 or March 23, 1873, but Karel Jalovec argues that Heinicke celebrated his 81st birthday on March 3, 1954. His years of traveling took him via Berlin and Budapest to Venice to Eugenio Degani (* 1875). However, the period of effectiveness at Degani has not been proven. Since the construction of his violins allows clear Italian influences but no direct references, some dealers tend to interpret this section of his résumé as an advertising measure. Heinicke himself used clear references to this on his opulently designed letterheads and envelopes.

Heinicke subsequently developed into one of the main representatives of violin makers in Bohemia in the first half of the 20th century. After his return in 1897, he set up his own workshop in Wildstein near Eger . The old masters Stradivari and Amati , based on whose models he made his own violins, were formative and authoritative for his instruments . Heinicke executed these brilliantly in places and his violins achieved, well preserved, prices between 3,000 and 6,000 EUR.

Violin making

Heinicke often used material that he could use from old wood from church buildings. This gave access to the wood that had been deposited, as the tonewoods of the southern Italian Alpine region were not available to him. The maple he used was beautiful to look at, but was more noticeable for its beautiful, dense flaming than for its excellent acoustic properties.

Heinicke used a double vein stripe with light stripes in the middle as a decorative insert on his violins. This work has not always been carried out with the same care that is known from his violins. To improve the color appearance of his violin woods, he mixed pink lacquer pigments into his yellow shellac. Heinicke made the curvature of the instruments more according to tonal aspects than to favors the eye. However, this promoted the full tone of his instruments. He cut the f-holes almost steeply and precisely. Heinicke's instruments are characterized by a full, warm tone, with a strong presence in the lower area. Its narrow snail designs, which he carved deeply, are characteristic.

Instruments

Some of the violins by Mathias Heinicke are still in remarkably good condition on the market today.

The 1931 violin shown here was sold for 1,403 Czech crowns. The exchange rate of the krone against the Reichsmark was 0.85 in 1932. This results in a price of around 1200 Reichsmarks. This corresponded to the cost of living for half a year for a family of three in 1935. Converted to the cost of living in 2016, this would result in a price of EUR 20,000 according to today's standard.

Detailed comparison of the F-holes of a Saxon violin manufacturer from Vogtland around 1920 (left) with those of a violin by Mathias Heinicke from 1921 (right)
Violin by Matthias Heinicke from 1920
Envelope from Mathias Heinicke for his correspondence around 1931
Invoice for the sale of a Heinicke violin from 1931
Top of a Heinicke violin from 1931
Branding of a Heinicke violin from 1931

Web links

Commons : Mathias Heinicke - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

^ Jalovec, Karel: Bohemian violin makers . Artia, Prague 1959, p. 56 .
↑ Willibald Leo Freiherr von Lütgendorff: The violin and lute makers from the Middle Ages to the present . tape 1 . Heinrich Keller, Frankfurt am Main 1904, p. 274 ( archive.org [accessed January 25, 2018]).
↑ Willibald Leo Freiherr von Lütgendorff: The violin and lute makers from the Middle Ages to the present . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt - AG, Frankfurt am Main 1922, p. 206 ( archive.org ).
↑ Auction results for violins, violas and cellos accessed on December 16, 2017
↑ Knauer's conversation dictionary from AZ . Knaur, Berlin 1932, p. 417 .
↑ Prof. Dr. Dr. Heutger, Nicolaus: The Mark: History and Purchasing Power of a Currency . Ed .: Money Trend. tape 7/8 . moneytrend, Vienna 2004, p. 178-180 .
^ Deutsche Bundesbank: Purchasing power equivalents of historical amounts in German currencies. (PDF) Deutsche Bundesbank, Publications & Statistics, accessed on January 22, 2018 .
^ Federal Statistical Office: Private consumption expenditure (cost of living) - Germany. Federal Statistical Office, accessed on January 22, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Heinicke, Mathias
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Heinicke, Matthias
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Bohemian violin maker
DATE OF BIRTH	March 3, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH	Maria Kulm , Bohemia
DATE OF DEATH	1956
Place of death	Skalná , Czechoslovakia

[1] Jalovec, Karel: Bohemian violin makers . Artia, Prague 1959, p. 56 .

[2] Willibald Leo Freiherr von Lütgendorff: The violin and lute makers from the Middle Ages to the present . tape 1 . Heinrich Keller, Frankfurt am Main 1904, p. 274 ( archive.org [accessed January 25, 2018]).

[3] Willibald Leo Freiherr von Lütgendorff: The violin and lute makers from the Middle Ages to the present . 3. Edition. tape 2 . Frankfurter Verlagsanstalt - AG, Frankfurt am Main 1922, p. 206 ( archive.org ).

[4] Auction results for violins, violas and cellos accessed on December 16, 2017

[5] Knauer's conversation dictionary from AZ . Knaur, Berlin 1932, p. 417 .

[6] Prof. Dr. Dr. Heutger, Nicolaus: The Mark: History and Purchasing Power of a Currency . Ed .: Money Trend. tape 7/8 . moneytrend, Vienna 2004, p. 178-180 .

[7] Deutsche Bundesbank: Purchasing power equivalents of historical amounts in German currencies. (PDF) Deutsche Bundesbank, Publications & Statistics, accessed on January 22, 2018 .

[8] Federal Statistical Office: Private consumption expenditure (cost of living) - Germany. Federal Statistical Office, accessed on January 22, 2018 .