Wilhelm Heckel (Company)
The Wilhelm Heckel GmbH is one of the oldest workshops for woodwind instruments in Germany. It is based in Wiesbaden-Biebrich and today manufactures bassoons , contrabassoons and the Heckelphones developed by the company .
history
In 1831 the instrument maker Johann Adam Heckel (1812–1877), whose family came from the Musikwinkel in Vogtland , founded the company ALMENRÄDER and HECKEL together with the court musician at the Biebrich court, Carl Almenräder . In 1845 JA Heckel received the title of ducal Nassau court instrument maker , he died in 1877 and the company was renamed WILHELM HECKEL BIEBRICH by his son Wilhelm Heckel (1856–1909) . In contrast to the company's current specialization in deep double reed instruments, the entire range of woodwind instruments and a large number of brass instruments were manufactured at that time .
After Wilhelm Heckel's death, the company was run by his sons Wilhelm Hermann Heckel (1879–1952) and August Heckel (1880–1914). In 1924 Wilhelm Hermann Heckel's son-in-law Franz Groffy (1896–1972) took over management of the company.
Innovations
With the help of Almenräder the instrument maker operation reformed in the mid-19th century, the flap system of the bassoon. The Heckel system developed here is in use worldwide to this day.
During his work at the Meistersinger is held Richard Wagner , among others, in Biebrich and stirred at Heckel developing an oboe in baritone , which should complete the family of twin-tube instruments in each register. The resulting Heckelphone , developed by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons , did not become the usual orchestral instrument, but Richard Strauss and others liked to use it for special sound effects.