Theodor Stocker

Wilhelm Julius Theodor Stöcker (* 1811 ; † 1878 ) was an important piano maker in Berlin in the 19th century .

Stoecker built from the late 1830s up to the age-related closure of his company a few exceptions, a single wing model entirely by hand, a 220 cm long concert grand oberschlägiger mechanics , in rosewood veneer. Of the more than 1000 instruments that were created during his 33 years of activity, an estimated forty are still preserved today.

On May 29, 1865, Rudolf Ibach visited the Stöckersche workshop on a long tour and noted in his diary:

“... went to Theodor Stöcker, Leipziger Strasse. Manufacturer of flipped wings. They are beautifully even and melodious, almost bell-like. St. makes its own device in the treble on the plate for the convenience of tuning, while the tuning pins at this point only serve to pull the strings. (...) The mechanics are peculiar and very complex. - St. only builds this type of grand piano in 2 sizes, works very solidly, is very familiar with his field, does not cause a stir with his makes, but sells a lot, u. doesn't do anything with dealers. St. runs its business the way a piano factory should, but can no longer be run nowadays. If St. continues to work calmly in this way, he will soon be unknown to the world at the stir and shouting that is now being made everywhere, and will perish within himself. "

Theodor Stöcker also had his own concert hall at Kochstrasse 57 in Berlin, in order to bring his instruments closer to the affluent audience in concert performances. Concerts can be traced back to between around 1844 and the mid-1860s; For the Berliner Tonkünstlerverein the Stöckersche Saal was also a kind of domicile.

Preserved instruments

Preserved instruments by Theodor Stöcker are among others today

• in the GNM Nuremberg
• at MIM Berlin
• in private ownership / collection by Heiko Schwichtenberg in Berlin
• in the Haendelhaus Halle
• in the Piano Salon Christophori , Berlin
• privately owned in Weimar
• in the piano museum Haus Eller , Bergheim (near Cologne)
• in private ownership / collection in Essen
• in the collection of the Musicological Institute of the University of Cologne

literature

• Heiko Schwichtenberg: The piano maker Theodor Stöcker from Berlin. Master's thesis with Mrs. Helga de la Motte, Berlin: 1990.
• Florian Speer : Ibach and the others. Rheinisch-Bergischer piano manufacturing in the 19th century. Wuppertal 2002 [recte: Neustadt an der Aisch: Ph. CW Schmidt 2002]. [Contributions to the history and local history of the Wuppertal, vol. 39] (contains diary notes from Ibach's visit to Stöcker).

Sound carrier

Stöcker grand pianos were used on the following sound carriers:

• Friedrich Kiel , Das Klavierwerk Vol. 1 to 4 ( Oliver Drechsel and Wilhelm Kemper, piano), Verlag Dohr .