Streicher, Johann Baptist (EN)

Streicher Johann Baptist, *3 January 1796 Vienna, †28 March 1871 Vienna, the son of Nannette and Johann Andreas Streicher. From 1812, he was taught by his parents, and between 1821 and 1822 he spent his wandering years in Germany, France, and England, during which he apprenticed with the most renowned piano makers. In 1823, he officially became Nannette’s partner, and the company was renamed “Nannette Streicher geb. Stein und Sohn”. Following the death of his first wife, he married Friederike Müller (1816–1895), a professional pianist and one of Chopin’s most talented pupils (she took lessons from him between 1839 and 1841, and at the turn of 1844 and 1845). Following his mother’s death in 1833, he became the sole owner of the firm, which gained international recognition under his leadership; in 1837 he opened a new concert hall. Johann Baptist Streicher was one of the most innovative Viennese piano makers of the 19th century: in 1823 he patented a downstriking action with hammers placed above the strings; in 1831, an improved striking mechanism combining elements of the Viennese and English action; and in 1835, tubular frame bracing. In 1839, he was awarded the prestigious title of “Hof-Fortepiano-Verfertiger”. Streicher’s pianos won top prizes at exhibitions in Vienna (1835, 1839, 1845), London (1851, gold medal) and Paris (1867). Initially, the company produced instruments with the slightly heavier Viennese action, but after 1840 it gradually moved away from this in favour of the English action with a single escapement, in order to meet the acoustic requirements of larger concert halls. Around 1850, the factory was producing pianos with three different actions: Viennese, English and an Anglo-Viennese featuring elements of both mechanisms. These covered a range of 6½ (C1 –f4) or 7 (A2 –a4) octaves and were characterised by a full and even tone across the entire scale. At the height of its activity (the 1850s and 1860s), the factory produced around 150 instruments a year. The relatively small scale of production (at the same time, Pleyel in Paris was manufacturing around 1,000–1,500 instruments a year) stemmed from Streicher’s philosophy, who – continuing the family tradition – focused on personalising the instruments, tailoring them to the preferences of each customer; furthermore, he constantly modified the design, which slowed down the production. A total of 7,000–8,000 instruments were produced during the period from when Johann Baptist Streicher took over the company until his death. His pianos were highly regarded by F. Chopin, C. Wieck, L. Spohr, F. Mendelssohn, and F. Liszt; in 1873, a richly decorated 1868 model with a Viennese action was presented as a gift to J. Brahms (the instrument has not survived).

Literature: G. Keeling Liszt and Johann Baptist Streicher, a Viennese Piano Maker, “Studia musicologica” XXVIII, 1986; Ch. Ahrens “Ein überaus poetischer Ton”. Hammerklaviere mit Wiener Mechanik, Frankfurt am Main 1999; M. Novak Clinkscale Makers of the Piano, 1820–1860, Oxford 1999; R. Hopfner Johann Baptist Streichers Reisetagebuch. Seine Aufzeichnungen anlässlich der Europareise 1821/22 und deren Analyse, in: Musizierpraxis im Biedermeier. Spezifika und Kontext einer vermeintlich vertrauten Epoche, eds. B. Boisits and K. Hubmann, Vienna 2004; U. Goebl-Streicher Das Reisetagebuch des Klavierbauers Johann Baptist Streicher 1821–1822: Text und Kommentar, Tutzing 2009; P. Donhauser, A. Langer Streicher. Vier Generationen Klavierbau in Wien, Cologne 2014; Robert und Clara Schumann im Briefwechsel mit Johann Baptist und Friederike Streicher sowie deren Kindern Caroline, Emil und Ernestine Streicher 1839 bis 1895, in: Schumann-Briefedition, series II: Freundes- und Künstlerbriefwechsel, vol. 27, eds. K.M. Kopitz et al., Dresden 2023.