Wilhelm Heckel GmbH

The Wilhelm Heckel GmbH is one of the oldest workshops for woodwind instruments in Germany. It has its headquarters in Wiesbaden- Biebrich, and today bassoons, contra bassoons and developed by the company Heckel Phone forth.

History

1831 founded the instrument maker Johann Adam Heckel ( 1812-1877 ), whose family came from the music angle in the Vogtland, together with the court musician at the court Biebricher Carl Almenräder the company PASTURES WHEELS and Heckel. 1845 JA Heckel received the title of Duke of Nassau court instrument maker, 1877, he died and the company was succeeded by his son Wilhelm Heckel ( 1856-1909 ) renamed Wilhelm Heckel BIEBRICH. In contrast to the current specialization of the house on deep double reed instruments at that time the full range of woodwind instruments from the flute was offered to the saxophone.

After Wilhelm Heckel's death, the company of his sons Wilhelm Hermann Heckel (1879-1952) and August Heckel (1880-1914) was operated. 1924 took over Wilhelm Hermann Heckel 's son Franz Groffy ( 1896-1972 ) of the company.

Innovations

With the help of Almenräder reformed the instrument maker operation in the mid-19th century, the flap system of the bassoon, the case developed Heckel system is still in use worldwide.

During his work on Die Meistersinger Richard Wagner held inter alia in Biebrich and encouraged Heckel in the development of a baritone oboe in position, which was to complete the family of double-pipe instruments in each register. The thereby formed, developed by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons Heckelphone was not for the usual orchestral instrument, but Richard Strauss and others, it sat for special sound effects like.