H.R. Pfretchner - French Style Double Bass Bow - # 2255 |
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There are many bow makers recorded with the surname name Pfretchner. Can you provide a brief history? The tradition of bow making by members of the Pfretchner family can be traced back to the mid-nineteenth century. All appear to be related - in one way or another - to the bow maker Carl Richard Pfretchner who was born in Markneukirchen in 1832 and died in 1893. Today fine bows are still actively being made by fourth and fifth generation descendants. What do the initials H.R. stand for? The initials H.R stand for Hermann Richard. Herman Richard Pfretchner is the most well recognised member of the Pfretchner family. His bows are highly regarded by players, connoisseurs and dealers alike for their fine workmanship and for their exceptional playing qualities. Can you tell me a bit about H.R. Pfretchner? Yes - Hermann Richard Pfretchner was born in Markneukirchen in 1857 and died in 1921. He learnt bow making from his father Carl Richard Pfretchner (1832-1893) and with J. B.Vuillaume (1798 - 1875) with whom he left to study and work with in Paris in 1874. The year spent under Vuillaume's guidance turned out to be major influence on the young Pfretchner's making and in 1880 he opened his own shop in Markneukirchen where he produced bows using the French working techniques that he had learnt. In 1901 Pfretchner received an appointment - "Königlich Sächsicher Hoflieferant" - from the King of Saxony. To mark this honour - bows made after this date were stamped with the Royal Coat of Arms. The techniques, style and fluency of H.R.Pfretchner's making were to influence the whole direction of bow making in Germany. Did Pfretchner himself become influential in any way? Yes. Pfretchner's newly learnt skills - did indeed influence the whole direction of German bow making. His shop was an important and highly influential establishment and the workshop employed and helped train some highly skilled and talented makers. Is it possible to identify any of the makers and apprentices? Yes - here are a few of the more well recognised;
Tell me a little about Pfretchner's two sons Richard Herman Pfretchner and Berthold Walter Pfretchner. Both Richard Herman Pfretchner and Berthold Walter Pfretchner learned bow making from their father and worked in his shop for most of their lives. In 1914 the brothers took over the company. It is recorded that Richard concentrated on tool and machinery development and on designing new bow models while Berthold - an extraordinarily talented craftsman spent most of his time making the top model bows. The shop employed about seven people to produce bows of different grades and price and the work continued to be stamped with both the H.R. Pfretchner brand on the stick and the traditional Saxonian Royal Coat of Arms stamp on the frog. Is it possible to identify any of the makers and apprentices after the brothers took over the shop? Yes - here are a few of the more well recognised;
Can you tell me a little bit about this bow? Yes - this is a fairly typical example of H.R. Pfretchner's bass bows. The stick is quite long and the head is refined, elegant and quite-petite in style and form. So - the burning question is - what period would you say that this bow dates from? If we said around about 1920-1930 - then I don’t think we would be too far out. The general feel of the wood, the frog and the mounts, the sharp precise name stamp and the slightly more robust style of making would tend to suggest this sort of period. Can you tell me more about the quality of the stick? Yes - the quality of the stick is very good. It is made from a long-grain chestnut-brown pernambuco - that is strong and flexible. As for the facets of the octagon - they are beautifully symmetrical and graduate evenly towards the head. What about the head? To gain the optimum balance in a bow of this length it is simply no use whatsoever in having a large heavy head. In this respect Pfretchner really is the style master. The perfectly proportioned compact head that we see here is an inspired concept. In execution - it is both elegant and flowing. So overall you would say that this is a pretty nice bow to have? Yes indeed. There is little doubt amongst players that if you are lucky enough to find one of the older H.R Pfretchner bows - the making and the playing qualities of the bow are as good as it gets. There is something magical about this bow which surely has to be a combination of feel in the hand, the superb balance, the weight and the way in which the bow articulates and produces sound with consummate ease. What reference works did you consult in writing this? The main reference work that we consulted was "Deutsche Bogenmacher - German Bow Makers 1783-1945" (Volume 1) & German Bow Makers 1945-2000 (Volume 2) by Klaus Grünke, C. Hans-Karl Schmidt and Wolfgang Zunterer. Published in 2000 by Walter Lachenmann, Waakirchen. ISBN 3-00-005839-7 A summary perhaps? This well made H.R. Pfretchner bow is everything a player could want. It is strong, elegant, refined, flexible, and articulate and is sure to put a smile on the most demanding of pro-players.
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