Johann Goldfuss (11 December 1908,

Skalná Skalná (; until 1950 Vildštejn, ) is a town in Cheb District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Skalná consists of five municipal parts (in brackets population according to ...

– 3 July 1970,

Schwandorf Schwandorf is a town in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany, which is the seat of the Schwandorf (district), Schwandorf district. It lies on the river Naab. Geography Geographical location Schwandorf is located at the intersection of ...

) was a German

luthier A luthier ( ; ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments. Etymology The word ' is originally French and comes from ''luth'', the French word for "lute". The term was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be ...

Biography

Johann Goldfuss was born in Wildstein in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

). He studied his craft with Mathias Heinicke, who was one of the main representatives of the school of luthiers of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. Goldfuss worked with Heinicke for 17 years, becoming himself a master craftsman. His work was interrupted during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when he was drafted and then taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. When he was released, in 1949, he found out that his family had been expelled from Czechoslovakia and had moved to

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. He started his craft again, first repairing violins and eventually opened a new workshop for violins. His wife Katharina was able to go back to Czechoslovakia and to smuggle to his new homeland the tools which had been left behind. He built over 300

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

s and

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

s which were known for the outstanding uniformity of their sounds. He founded the "Geigenbau Goldfuss" company which specializes in the production of violins and string instruments which have gained recognition for their high quality and are used by

ists in concerts all over the world. Besides the production of string instruments, Johann Goldfuss is also known for his restoration of classical violins. He died of a heart attack on July 3, 1970.René Vannes - Dictionnaire universel des luthiers - 1999 The company founded by Johann Goldfuss was taken over by his son Horst Goldfuss (*1941) and has 1985 moved to

Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...

. The company later was taken over by Thomas Goldfuss (*1966)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldfuss, Johann Bowed string instrument makers 1908 births 1970 deaths People from Cheb District