I recently finished reading Wilhelm Heckel Six Generations Dedicated to Music. And as I noted in my YouTube Video- I had a slight challenge following a timeline of events.
The book follows innovations in relation to each family member. But many of the family members overlap in their work at the company. As I read the book I built a timeline of events to aid in my personal comprehension and synthesis of materials. I am sharing my timeline so that it may serve as an aide in your bassoon studies and personal enjoyment while you read the book. Cheers! Eryn
HECKEL COMPANY TIMELINE: Based on Edith Reiter’s
Wilhelm Heckel Six Generations Dedicated to Music
Johann Adam Heckel (1812-77) and much older Carl Almenräder (1786-1843) meet while working for the music publisher Schott
1831: 19 year old Heckel and Almenräder open Musical instrument Factory in Biebrich, Germany
1838: Almenräder leaves the firm. No established reasons for leaving.
Heckel Factory will continue as a family tradition, passed down through inheritance, each family member working in the company
1845-50: European Sales Tours: increased sales to St. Petersburg
1847: Construction of “Contra-bassophone” or Contrabassoon
1852: Sale of bassoon to Louis Weissenborn, father of Julius Weissenborn
1856-67: Bassoons sent to Boosey & Son in England/Colonies for military bands. This ends in 1867 Boosey & Son develops their own bassoon
1862: Richard Wagner visits Heckel workshop and becomes family friend, later praises the “Contra-bassophone”
1877: Patented Construction of “Contra-bassophone”
- 19 keys, no finger holes
- 1 inch higher in length than a usual bassoon
- Larger Bocal
- Range of three octaves and a major third
- Sound compared to a 16 foot pipe organ
Serial Numbers added to Bassoons: Serial Numbers Begin at 3000 to account for bassoons made Pre-1877
1880: No Longer called Almenräder Bassoon, referred to as Heckel Bassoon
Post 1889: Lined Wing Joint to avoid the consistent challenge of Decay
1900: Modernize Bell Ring
- “Calophone-Ring” narrowed opening (more than our modern bassoon)
- Meant to help the sound of B, E, and C-sharp
Richard Strauss visits the Heckel factory, pushes for Piccolo Heckelphone
1904: Bocals marked with either a Star or a Sun
- Bocal Types C, CC and D
- Added Bocal Button, closed by the E Key
- Attempt at a Water Free Bocal. This was unsuccessful. It required a shortened wing joint, altering tuning and sound of bassoon.
1911: Heckel Serial Number 5000 sold to Dresden bassoonist Knochenhauer
- Local debate over serial number, due to numbering beginning at 3000
- Knochenhauer later given credit for Tuning Pipe used for Setting up Heckel Bassoons
WWI: Stop consecutive ordering of serial numbers to hide declining sales. This is still used today to mask actual instrument sales
War Recession: Heckel begins to copy of bombards and dulcians from Leipzig Museum
1920: Higher Tuning of bassoons, first bassoon sold tuned to A 440
1932: Heckel Bassoon with a Boehm System
- Changed the Sound, the Intonation, and Acoustic Radiation: NOT for the better
- Visit this bassoon at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
1939: LEGEND of the Stroboconn Tuner and the Conn 8R
- Attempted trade of 2 Heckel Bassoons for the Stroboconn Tuner
- Heckel denies the trade due to challenges of the wartime conditions
- Begins the legend of the Conn 8R based on 8000 series Heckel Bassoons
- *Not in the book but it is believed that Conn had 4 Heckel Bassoons that they modeled the Conn 8R after
1945: Recovery after war, retrieval of stored instruments in Taunus, USA contacts assist
1950’s: Secrecy in the workshop between instrument makers
- Fearful of losing their jobs if other’s new their profession
- Workers took all tools home as part of job protection
- Creation of E Bocal for extreme High Notes
1995: Creation of XL Bocals for High Notes and R Bocals built without a brass casting, creating consistent wall thickness
Contrabassoon Advancements:
- Bell facing upwards for acoustic resonance
- Expanded to B or Sub Contra A
- Lined wing joint, improving longevity
1996: Student Model “Opus” Bassoons
1997: Student Model Heckel “Opus” Bassoons changed named to Heckel Crest
Current Bassoon Innovations:
- Synthetic Lining of Wing joint and secrets pipes
- Round Wings
- Third Octave Keys
- Shifted F-sharp Hole with a New Key Mechanism
Hi, Erin!
Thanks for the timeline! I bought the book when it first came 0ut, and managed to enjoy it despite my German being a bit rusty. Incidentally, I heard a restored Conn 8R at bassoon camp a few years ago–not a bad bassoon, but it was no Heckel 8K series (I have a friend who plays a Heckel 8K)!
Best,
David
David Bell 2506 Crest Street Alexandria, VA 22302-2717 703.998.2903 (home) 703.732.3684 (mobile) bssn2@comcast.net
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I agree that the Conn 8R may be modeled after a Heckel but they are not the same. I believe this has a lot to do with the wood being different between the Heckel and the Conn 8R.
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Thank you for the great timeline! You’re amazing and I enjoy your videos!
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Thank you! 🙂
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Hi, thanks for the time line. There’s a typo: Without knowing the book I’m quite sure that instruments were hidden during WWII in Taunus (not Tannus). I is a less populated montain range north of Frankfurt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunus). People from larger towns (Mainz, Wiesbaden, Frankfurt) went there to escape bombings.
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Thank you! I have adjusted it in the timeline to reflect the typo. I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Happy Music Making to You!
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