New Biographical Data about Piano Makers John Conrad Becker (London) and Yakob Davidovich Becker (St. Petersburg)
Abstract
The biographies, the professional activities, and inventions of John Conrad Becker and Yakob Davidovich (Jacob) Becker — German piano builders who were considered to be relatives, who worked in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Empire in the late 18th and the middle of the 19th century — were virtually never researched until recent times, while the materials published in authoritative referential publications contain erroneous information. On the basis of analysis of archival sources and referential materials, as well as publications in periodical press, in the article the myth is shattered regarding the Beckers’ relatedness to each other, and specification is provided of their origins, the years of their respective lives, the circumstances of emigration, as well as the technical and organizational aspects of the contributions of the two makers to the developments of the British, German, and Russian schools of piano manufacturing. The conclusion is arrived at about the significance of the Beckers as figures who were conducive to the transfer of Western European technologies and artisanal practices into the musical industries of various European countries. The obtained results make it possible to view in new light the processes of cultural and technological integration of the sphere of musical instrument building in the 19th century.
Keywords: John Conrad Becker, Yakob Davydovich (Jacob) Becker, piano manufacturing, piano makers, musical instrument building
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.56620/RM.2025.4.077-086
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