History of the Pfretzschners

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

Does anybody have any brief info on the various Pfretzschners?

I know that the old H.R. Pfretzschner died in 1921, and that he since 1901 stamped his bows with the characteristic coat of arms of Saxony on the frog. But then, the current Pfetzschner also stamps his bow with that coat of arms and H.R. and I am currently playing one I borrowed, built in 1989. An old teacher of mine has one which is no doubt a Pfretzschner which he says is a H.R., but from the 30's. There is also this story circling around that there were two P's following H.R., of which the worse one inherited the workshop. There are also other initials around. This is all very confusing, and the current Pfretzschner hasn't bothered writing down the history of the firm, despite having a non working link on the site. It's all very confusing. Does anybody have the ability and knowledge to straighten out any of all this?

The Pfretzschners numbered many. They were Instrument makers, Bow makers and some making both for many generations and centuries. I don't know all of the relationships between family members but I can go thru my books and try to map it out somewhat.

Here is a quote about some of the Bow makers from a website;
HERMAN RICHARD PFRETZSCHNER ( b.1857 )was first a pupil of his father, then of Vuillaume in Paris. He established himself in 1880. He created the "Wilhelmj" bow. His sticks are not varnished. ( common with German bows )

Here is another quote from another website as well, slightly more detailed;
PFRETZSCHNER, Herman Richard ( b.1857 )was first a pupil of his father, then of Vuillaume in Paris. He established himself in 1880. He created the "Wilhelmj" bow. His sticks are not varnished. ( common with German bows ). Pfretchner worked for J.B.Vuillaume for a year (1874) in Paris. In 1888 he opened his own workshop in Markneuchirchen. This full-length model perfectly demonstrates what a brilliant maker he was. The head is elegantly carved and has neat, precise chamfers. The stick is round and made from wonderful dense pernambuco that is of an attractive light brown colour. It is strong yet full of elasticity. The frog bears a royal court-of-arms brand. In 1901 Pfretchner was appointed the title of Bow maker to the Royal Saxonian Court. Bows after this date were stamped with this brand. This superbly balanced bow is a delight to use. Silver mounted.

I have Pfretzschners (at least 28 of them) listed in various books from as far back as 1675/80 (born).

This would be a huge project to map them all out. Also, not every book or source agrees with the exact birth dates or work period of each maker.