Rautmann (violin maker)

The shop at Schöppenstedter Strasse at the corner of Mauernstrasse , 2013

Rautmann is the name of a family of violin makers from Braunschweig , whose workshop was founded in 1844. It was continued in the fifth generation until Elfi Rautmann's death in early December 2008, making it the oldest violin-making workshop in Germany.

history

Carl Rautmann (1818–1895), originally a carpenter by trade, received a license to make violins from the city council of Braunschweig on September 13, 1844 . From then on, violins , violas , cellos and double basses were made according to their own models and using selected beautiful woods. His descendants still used the founder's abundant wood stocks for their work. From 1846 Rautmann repaired the basses of the ducal court theater and the private string instruments of the court orchestra.

In the orchestra of the Braunschweig State Theater , a bass from 1866 has been preserved, which is still played today. In 1873 the violin-making workshop was represented at the world exhibition in Vienna , where several instruments were awarded prizes. During the Second World War , the old workshop was completely destroyed during the bombing of October 15, 1944 , but a short time before the valuable wood supplies, instruments and tools had been removed and thus saved. After the end of the war, production was initially carried out in the family's apartment, and a new workshop was only available in 1956; it is still located at Schöppenstedter Strasse 42 today.

After more than 160 years of family and company tradition, Elfie Rautmann died at the end of 2008, not only the first woman at the top of the company, but also the last Rautmann to manage the company. No successor could be found in the family to continue the traditional business. It was not until the summer of 2013 that violin maker Matthias Vorbrodt from Wernigerode succeeded in gaining a qualified successor to continue the company.

quality

The quality of the instruments is also evidenced by the numerous well-known musicians who (s) play them, including: Walter Fenske , Michail Goldstein , Ulf Hoelscher , Yehudi Menuhin and Tibor Varga . A representative overview of Rautmann instruments of all generations can be found in the Braunschweig Municipal Museum .

Violin maker of the Rautmann family

• Carl Rautmann (1818–1895), founder
• Gustav Rautmann (1849–1917)
• Hermann Rautmann (1853–1918)
• Karl Rautmann (1875–1934)
• Gustav Rautmann (1908–1979)
• Elfi Rautmann (1939-2008)

literature

• Berndt Strobach: Violin making in Braunschweig - 125 years of Rautmann's workshop , In: Reports from the Braunschweig Municipal Museum , No. 15, Braunschweig 1969
• Berndt Strobach: Rautmann Geigenbau , In: Luitgard Camerer , Manfred Garzmann , Wolf-Dieter Schuegraf (Ed.): Braunschweiger Stadtlexikon . Joh. Heinr. Meyer Verlag, Braunschweig 1992, ISBN 3-926701-14-5 , p. 188 .
• Steffen Tiggeler: Rautmann, Carl Eduard Heinrich Theodor , In: Horst-Rüdiger Jarck , Günter Scheel (ed.): Braunschweigisches Biographisches Lexikon - 19th and 20th centuries . Hahnsche Buchhandlung, Hannover 1996, ISBN 3-7752-5838-8 , p. 477 f .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The tradition continues , In: Braunschweiger Zeitung of July 5, 2013
2. ↑ Braunschweiger Zeitung: Where the ceiling hung full of violins , article on Elfie Rautmann's death