Ulrich Rück (October 18, 1882 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

– November 6, 1962 in Nuremberg) was a German collector of musical instruments,

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and dealer in

pianos A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal tempe ...

Biography

Ulrich Rück, together with his brother Hans, continued the work of his father Wilhelm Rück, who had founded a collection of historical musical instruments in

around 1880. Particularly in the 1930s Ulrich Rück succeeded in expanding the collection considerably. Shortly before his death he bequeathed the collection containing approximately 1500 items to the

Germanisches Nationalmuseum The ''Germanisches Nationalmuseum'' is a museum in Nuremberg, Germany. Founded in 1852, it houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day. The museum is Germany' ...

in Nuremberg. After

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 ...

this was undoubtedly the largest and most important private collection of historical musical instruments in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and Rück saw himself as patron of a new area of performance using examples of such historical instruments. He cooperated with music scholars from all corners of Europe and maintained contacts with restorers, most notably Otto Marx of the Heyer collection in

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

and

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. Amongst Rück's most important projects was the work to restore to playability

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

fortepiano A fortepiano is an early piano. In principle, the word "fortepiano" can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1700 up to the early 19th century. Most typically, however, it is used to ref ...

in the possession of the Internationale Stiftung

Mozarteum Mozarteum University Salzburg ( German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the "Mozarteum" name in Salzburg municipality; the International Mozarteu ...

in Salzburg in 1937. Extensive notes, photographs and a wealth of correspondence belonging to Rück's estate, currently being added to the archives department of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, provide detailed information about the collection history and the work involved in it.

Works

• Mozarts Hammerflügel erbaute Anton Walter, Wien. Technische Studien, Vergleiche und Beweise. In: Mozart-Jahrbuch 1955 (1956), p. 246–286

Literature

• John Henry van der Meer: In memoriam Dr. Dr. h.c. Ulrich Rück, in: Monatsanzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, No. 80, 1987, p. 638ff

External links

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Rück's estate at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruck, Ulrich Scientists from Nuremberg 1882 births 1962 deaths German collectors