A publishing company’s history

Franz Anton Hoffmeister
On 1 December 1800 the conductor and composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812)entered into partnership with the bookseller and organist Ambrosius K?hnel (1770-1813) for the goal of setting up a ‘Bureau de Musique’ in Leipzig. This initial venture prolonged its activities to printing and audio engraving as well as such as publishing facilities mixed with the sale of musical instruments and sheet music. The publishing side from the business was launched with collections of Haydn’s String Quartets, Mozart’s Quartets and Quintets along with the first edition of J.S. Bach’s Keyboard Operates in 14 volumes to which J.N. Forkel contributed the very first Bach monograph ever before to be created. As early as 1802, the publishers succeeded in getting piano and chamber audio from Beethoven, along with the composer’s First Symphony and Second Piano Concerto.

Carl Friedrich Peters

In 1806 the enterprise handed into the sole ownership of the. K?hnel when it absolutely was formally registered under the name ‘Neuer Verlag des Bureau de Musique’. Forkel augmented the Bach series by the addition from the composer’s Organ Works. Other additions comprised Gerber’s Dictionary of Musicians and educational functions for piano and violin published by celebrated Viennese/Parisian academicians of the day. In 1812 the range was enhanced by functions representative from the early Romantic School, such as these of Weber and Spohr.

Following K?hnel’s untimely dying, the agency was acquired from the Leipzig bookseller Carl Friedrich Peters (1779-1827), who traded from 1 April 1814 below the name ‘Bureau de Musique de C.F. Peters’. In spite of the financial malaise that followed the War of Liberation (1813-15), catalogues were issued by the publisher, new additions being Theodor K?rner’s War Songs and John Field’s Nocturnes. Negotiations carried out with Beethoven involving the publication of the complete version with the composer’s operates fell by way of.
Following a lengthy illness, C.F. Peters died in 1827. The business went to his seven-year-old daughter and was acquired from her in 1828 by her Guardian, the producer Carl Gotthelf Siegmund B?hme (1785-1855). An excellent lover of new music, B?hme widened the publishing actions having a significant quantity of new acquisitions besides attracting Carl Czerny to the staff as editor with the Bach collection, including the Solo Concertos, Brandenburg Concertos, the Orchestral Suites and also the Art of Fugue. B?hme also played an energetic part within the formation of the initial confederation of music publishers for the purpose of securing authorized safety. A most influential physique, this alliance integrated this kind of names as Andr?, Breitkopf & H?rtel, Hofmeister, Peters, Schott and Simrock.

In compliance with B?hme’s last will and testament, the company was converted into a charitable foundation under the control and supervision from the Leipzig City Council. During this period the organization was managed by Theodor Whistling, but when he resigned in 1860 the Board of Administrators resolved to dispose from the firm towards the bookseller and audio dealer, Julius Friedl?nder. Friedl?nder introduced substantial improvements towards the process of songs engraving and drew the attention with the public to ‘cheap yet critically accurate editions’.

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