Moritz Poehlmann

Biography

Moritz Poehlmann of Nuremberg began making his world-renowned piano wire about 1855, competing against the previously dominant wire of Martin Miller of Vienna. In the first competitive test his wire proved denser than Miller's, though initially not of equal tensile strength; however, because Miller's wire stretched more and held tune less well, piano makers increasingly favored Poehlmann's product. At the Paris Exposition of 1867, tested on a machine loaned by Pleyel, Wolff & Company, Poehlmann's wire proved so far superior to any other make that he won the highest prize, after which nearly all leading piano manufacturers of Europe and America adopted his wire. He went on to win official tensile-strength tests at the Vienna Exposition (1873), the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition (1876, tested on Steinway & Sons' machine), and the Chicago World's Fair (1893, judged by Max Schiedmayer of Stuttgart and George Steck of New York), with his wire's breaking strength improving at every trial. The author credits Poehlmann's relentless efforts to improve tensile strength, gradation of sizes, and rust-resistant polish with lifting the entire piano wire industry to its modern high level and spurring the founding of new wire factories in Germany. Born at Ober Redwitz on January 27, 1823, Moritz Poehlmann began manufacturing cast steel wire for piano strings about 1855. Though his wire proved superior from the start, he struggled for years to find sufficient market outlet, sustained by sheer determination through repeated disappointment. He continued studying to improve his wire's tensile strength, polish and uniform thickness, and succeeded in outclassing all competitors following the Paris exposition of 1867, after which German music wire achieved international reputation largely through his efforts. Poehlmann died March 26, 1902, in his eightieth year, and the business passed to his son, Richard Poehlmann.

Highlights

• Began producing his world-renowned piano wire in Nuremberg about 1855, denser than Martin Miller's competing wire
• Won the highest prize for tensile strength at the 1867 Paris Exposition, after which his wire was adopted by nearly all leading piano manufacturers in Europe and America
• Repeatedly won official tensile-strength tests (Vienna 1873, Philadelphia 1876, Chicago 1893) and is credited with raising the entire piano wire industry to its modern standard
• Born at Ober Redwitz, January 27, 1823; began manufacturing cast steel wire for piano strings around 1855
• Overcame years of difficulty finding a market before his wire outclassed all competitors following the Paris Exposition of 1867
• One of three German self-made men (with Isermann and Weickert) credited with enabling the modern piano

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 125, 237.

Public domain.