Cappi, Carlo
Cappi Pietro, Austrian music publisher and Giovanni’s nephew, he was active between 1793 and 1826, initially working for Artaria firm; from 1801 to 1805 he was a partner of Giovanni Cappi, before returning to Artaria — this time as a joint proprietor. In 1816 he obtained a licence to open his own publishing house. In 1818, together with A. Diabelli, he founded the firm Cappi & Diabelli. In 1824, he parted ways with Diabelli, forming the firm Cappi & Company with Carl Cappi. In 1826, after transferring his ownership rights to J. Czerny, he ceased his publishing activities.
The Cappy family business operated for several decades during the 19th century, experiencing a chequered history under the ownership of numerous heirs. The name ‘Cappy’ was dropped from the company’s name in 1828, when J. Czerny became its sole owner. In 1831, it was taken over by the lithographer Joseph Trentsensky (1793–1839), and in 1832 by his brother Matthias (1790–1868); in 1837, Eduard Mollo (1799–1842) became the owner, and after his death, Adolph Othmar Witzendorf. At that time, the publishing house regained some prominence, but following Witzendorf’s death, due to years of neglect and conflicts with the authorities, it lost its licence in 1868 and passed into the hands of Eduard Sieger. In 1875, it was purchased by Constantin Sander, who combined it with his firm, F.E.C. Leuckart.
Literature: A. Weinmann Verlagsverzeichnis Giovanni Cappi bis A. O. Witzendorf, Vienna 1967.