F. Frickinger

Biography

F. Frickinger began making pianos in 1837 but soon after shifted the focus of his business to action making as a specialty, according to Dolge. The text treats him as one of the smaller Albany-area tradesmen of the period, mentioned in passing alongside Myron A. Decker, George Gomph, and P. Reed. Frickinger's business did not end with him; it was continued under the name Grubb & Kosegarten Brothers, located at Nassau, New York. No birth or death dates, nationality, or further personal detail are given for Frickinger in this section of the text. From Spillane (1890): Mr. Frickinger was a piano trade partner of Peter D. Strauch prior to Strauch's move to New York. The text records only that Strauch withdrew from this partnership in order to settle in New York City and gain wider experience, offering no further detail about Frickinger himself.

Highlights

• Made pianos beginning in 1837.
• Soon afterward specialized in action making rather than complete pianos.
• His business was later continued by Grubb & Kosegarten Brothers of Nassau, New York.
• Piano and piano-action maker of Nassau, N.Y., recently deceased at time of writing.
• Took on Peter D. Strauch as an apprentice for six years and later admitted him to partnership.
• Former business partner of Peter D. Strauch before Strauch relocated to New York

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), p. 287.

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 313.

Public domain.