German Music Industry

Norbert Abel formed the Abel Hammer Company (Helmut Abel GmbH) in 1982 along with his father, to manufacture piano hammerheads, shanks and flanges for the piano industry.  Over the years, they have created many interesting products such as chemical free felt and high quality hammerheads for both upright and grand pianos.  The products are manufactured in their Frankenhardt, Germany factory and distributed throughout the world. Norbert has been involved with several industry associations over the years including the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) where he has not only exhibited but

Philipp Alexander is proud of his musical past. His family formed Musik-Alexander in Mainz, Germany in 1782. They began as brass instrument makers and later opened a music store while continuing the making of horns. One of the company’s milestones took place in 1909 when they introduced the now famous horn, model 103. The horn has been credited with the creation of the ultimate horn sound. Philipp has guided the company into the computer age and has had great success with e-commerce on their Internet site.

Hans-Jorg Andre’s great great grandfather formed Musikhaus Andre Musikverlag Johann Andre in 1774. The company was the first to bring lithograph processes to the production of printed music, making a profound and everlasting impact on the way music was printed. Over the years the publishing company expanded to become a music retailer in Offenbach. Under Hans-Jorg’s leadership the company embraced the computer age and on-line commerce.  

Winfried Baumbach came to represent the German musical instrument industry beginning in the 1980s. As the managing director of the European Music Industries Association, he has played a vital role in the organization and development of the German market. He has also been key in the expansion of the German music market within the larger global economy. His experience working in the industry began in publishing, where he developed a greater awareness of the music products industry.  

Christian Benker has been an influential leader in the German musical instrument manufacturing industry. With fresh ideas and marketing skills he helped Hofner reinvent itself during the 1950s and 60s. Christian worked alongside Mr. Hofner, the inventor of the widely popular Beatle bass and Mr. Hofner’s daughter, Gerhilde, who Christian would later marry. The couple worked together to keep the company growing and producing innovative projects.

Gerhilde Benker served as president of Höfner Music, the company founded by her grandfather Karl Höfner in 1864 in Eger, Germany. A pioneering woman in the music products industry, she led one of its most innovative and influential firms with vision and grace. Her father, Walter, invented the iconic Höfner bass — known worldwide as the “Beatle Bass” after a young Paul McCartney adopted it. The endorsement of the instrument by the most popular band in the world created a demand unlike anything the company had ever experienced.

Frank Bilz applied his passion for music into the expansion of the Markneukirchen Germany music school programs entitled Musicon Valley. As Marketing Director of the school, which is located in the music-rich village where musical instruments have been handcrafted for hundreds of years, Frank has helped create the school’s programs and oversees the programs that focus on providing both hands on training and a well-rounded education in the art of instrument making. 

Thomas Blug was just 17 years old when he began working as a studio musician in his native Germany. He developed his own unique tone, which was based on modifications of his amplifier and his Fender Stratocaster. His band Tic Tac Toe opened for Michael Jackson and he performed with a long list of performers from Tommy Emmanuel to Stewart Copeland. The Thomas Blug Band released three albums, beginning in 2005 with Guitar From the Heart. His interest in electronics led to a 27-year position as a product engineer for Hughes & Kettner, after which he decided to establish his own c

Ingbert Blüthner followed in the rich history of his family tradition of building world-class pianos. Under Ingbert’s leadership the company expanded production and models along with developing new global distribution chains. Over the years, since his own oral history interview, Ingbert has been a strong supporter of the program, supplying research and suggestions of future interviewees. 

Christoph Bull is the organ professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His deep passion for music stems from his grandmother’s piano and his early days playing organ in his church. As he grew up he witnessed the incredible development of electronic musical instruments and synthesizers, his first being the Korg MS 2000. After coming to the United States from Germany and attending Berklee College of Music,

Michael Compernass is the president of the Hoyer Guitar Company in Germany. Michael focuses on the history of the company’s innovative products, particularly those created by Arthur Hoyer in the late 1940s until his passing in 1967 and Arnold’s son, Walter, who ran the company for a decade. Michael has become a historian on the models and the materials used in making these important and coveted instruments. The company was established back in 1874 by Franz Hoyer who began making acoustic guitars and selling them in and around Germany.  

Sebastian Dirr has relatives that play string instruments professionally, so it was only natural that they welcomed it when Sebastian decided to become a bow maker. After studying musicology, he started an apprenticeship at Paesold in 1988. Sebastian specializes in modern and historic bows. For Sebastian, the wood of a bow is most important, and he sources much of it from colleagues who are retiring. Sebastian is a founding member of the International Pernambuco Conservation Initiative (I.P.C.I.) which was founded with the goal to protect existing trees and to ensure future suppli

Irmgard Dittmar has been a part of the music products industry her whole life. Her father was a noted trumpet builder and designer, and she has worked for the Schreiber music company for nearly 40 years. Over the years she has served as President Hugo Schreiber’s assistant and in doing so has gained great insight into the industry.   Irmgard has been a passionate and energetic supporter of this important archive program, providing contact information, historical details and even acting as interpreter during several interviews.  

Theo Dollmann was the sales representative for Schott Music, the famed music publisher located in Mainz Germany. He joined the company in 1939 and continued to work for the company past his retirement. During his NAMM Oral History interview, Mr. Dollmann recounted how the manuscripts and important documents of the Schott company were saved during World War II by the hands of employees (including him) who hid the documents in a protected building. He also recalled meeting and getting to know some of the composers that worked with Schott’s, such as Carl Orff. His was a life full wit

Hans Dörner grew up in the music town of Schönbach/Luby surrounded by musical instrument makers - including his grandfather the violin maker and tonewood dealer Joseph Trasny and his uncle violin maker Hans Trasny, who was master of the guild until 1945. Hans lived in Luby until 1946 and worked for a short time at Amati, a newly formed Czech cooperative for the production of music instruments. Supplied with parts from workers in the region, as Mr. Dörner remembers, Amati already exported instruments by late 1945 to England and the United States.

Thomas Dotzauer is a master mandolin builder from the region of famed music instrument production center Bubenreuth in Germany. He did his apprenticeship in guitar production of Walter Hoyer for the Hoyer Guitar Company. Over the years Thomas Dotzauer has focused on producing custom-made mandolins and made-to-order guitars. His father is also well known in the industry for the distribution of instrument parts.  

Gerhard Dotzauer has made a living selling musical instrument parts to companies worldwide. He provides bridges, exotic woods, machine heads, and specializes in necks for banjos with mother of pearl and abalone inlays for such companies as Baldwin and Gibson, among many others. He sources these high-quality parts from companies in the Bubenreuth region of Germany known for its production of stringed instruments after 1945. Originally from Schönbach, in the Czech Republic, Gerhard Dotzauer is a descendent from a family of luthiers.

Michael Falkenstein grew up in a very musical family.  His father was repairing musical instruments when Michael was a small child.  Michael watched his father work in the music industry and took great joy in hearing his father play his favorite instrument, the Hammond Organ!  Michael learned the instrument and focused on playing and selling the organ for his entire career.  His father’s love and passion for music and life was certainly given to Michael!

Dieter Fischer comes from a family of luthiers and started working for Höfner in Bubenreuth when he was 14 years old. He continued working for the next 56 years for Höfner, of which 30 years were as a plant manager. Dieter learned his craft from several luthiers in the company and from his dad, Willi Fischer, who built guitars for the stringed instrument maker, Otto Joseph Klier. Dieter was witness to the boom years driven by the Beatles bass and even built this world famous guitar until he retired in 2015. 

Ilse Fischer delivered orders for Kirschnek on her scooter to the luthiers of the music town of Schönbach/Luby. Her father, Franz Kirschnek, established the company which specializes in exporting string instruments in 1933. After a move to Klingenthal, the company expanded to add harmonicas and accordions to their portfolio. Then in 1956, Franz moved the family to Bubenreuth and began focusing again on fine string instruments. Thanks to good connections worldwide, the business survived and thrived even during economic downturns and major changes. Ilse took over after her father’s

Herbert Fischbach spent his entire working career in the design and crafting of brass musical instruments. As was the tradition in the German village of Markneukirchen, Herbert studied the fine craftsmanship that was handed down from generation to generation, and then handed down his techniques to the next generation. While a member of the JA Musik team, he contributed to the modification and design of several models over his long career. He passed away in the Summer of 2015.  

Wolfgang Förster’s family-owned piano company was formed in 1859 by August Förster, who opened a small piano workshop in "Löbau, Germany. Wolfgang grew up in the family business and recalled as a young boy hiding under the workbench while his father and grandfather worked on building pianos. After nationalization of East Germany in the early 1970s, the company became state-owned, although Wolfgang continued to manage the building of their musical instruments.

Walter Glaßl is leading the Walter Geipel Company known for producing rosin for string instruments in Bubenreuth, now in the third generation. The company was founded 1908 by Walter Geipel in Kirchberg close to the town of Schönbach, historically a major center of violin making. Walter Glaßl’s father Ferdinand Glaßl married into the Geipel family. The company relocated to Bubenreuth in 1953 and flourished continuing the production of high quality rosins and adding the manufacturing of pick guards and plectra. Walter Glaßl nurtures a close relationship with the musicians who use hi

Heribert Glassl had two musical loves, the tuba and the cello. While it may seem like a strange pairing, Mr. Glassl made it work. In fact, after a long career in musical instrument making, the tuba and cello are the only products he produced in his small German factory. As founder of the Musik Glassl Company, Heribert has been a regular fixture at the Frankfurt Messe from the very beginning. It was during a Frankfurt Fair that he was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History Program on April 2, 2004. 

Manfred Gleissner was part of Gleissner Tonewoods, a family business known for supplying high-quality tonewoods to luthiers around the world. His grandfather, Anton Gleissner, founded the company with his brother in 1905, sourcing wood from Bosnia and the Carpathian Mountains. After 1945, the family resettled in the Bubenreuth region and, following a difficult start, successfully reestablished the company. As was the case with many families in Bubenreuth, Manfred’s family had deep connections to instrument making; his mother came from a family of luthiers. Manfred continued the to

Carsten Göpf has combined his passion for playing the trumpet with an affinity for engineering in his profession as the plant manager for the brass factory at Buffet Crampon in Markneukirchen. Carsten did his apprenticeship at Wenzel Meinl GmbH known for first class brass instruments. As assistant of Ferdinand Kleinschmidt, he received insight into research and development as well as training in all technical aspects of the production. Carsten values the training of new instrument makers as the most important assurance for a prosperous future of the entire industry.

Klaus Götz’ family comes from Wernitzgrün, a small town not far from Markneukirchen. His grandfather, Conrad August Götz, founded C.A. Götz in 1884 which initially produced tuning pegs and strings. In 1958, Klaus Götz, together with his brother Karlheinz, traveled to the United States to personally market their string instruments. Klaus forged long lasting relationships to his customers and exhibited at the NAMM Show in Chicago as early as 1958.

Karlheinz Götz was proud of his musical heritage. His grandfather, Conrad August Götz, was the founder of the C.A. Götz Company back in 1884. The company, which was located near Markneukrichen, Germany handcrafted violin parts such as tuning pegs and later the manufacturing of strings.

Günter Graulich is the founder of the German music publisher, Carus. The company was established in 1972 with the mission to publish sacred choral music. Since it’s founding, the focus of Carus has been to publish both little-known choral works from all eras in critical editions and reliable editions of older works, which do not conform to the standards of modern editorial practice. With Mr.

Veronika Gruber was musically trained as a child but did not think of a career in music until she met her husband, Hans, in college. He was a jazz fan who found it difficult to find music for his band, so he began distributing American publications in Germany. In 1978, the Advanced Music Company was formed. The couple worked close together and designed noted and successful marketing programs to expand their dealer base. They also soon branched into publishing and began offering more than just jazz and big band music. After the premature death of her husband in 2004, Mrs.

Richard Grünke of Richard Grünke & Söhne GmbH which is located close to Bubenreuth produces high quality bows. Richard’s sons, Klaus and Thomas, run the business today but their father is still active in the workshop. Richard learned the craft of bow making in Markneukirchen at H.R. Pfretzschner before he started working in 1952 for Roederich Paesold in Bubenreuth. Richard then received his master craftsman examination in 1957 and refined his artistic excellence over the years. In 1975 his oldest son Klaus asked his father to teach him the craft of bow making. After purchasing

Wolfgang Haffner grew up in Germany and began playing drums at a young age. He gravitated towards jazz and one of his first recordings was with Al Cohn in 1987. He went on to record with the likes of Dominic Miller, Metro, Eddie Daniels, and Peter Bolte. Wolfgang was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program while performing for Yamaha in 2008.