August Rau
August Rau (1866–1951) was a German Master bowmaker or bogenmacher.
Biography
August Rau, born June 26 1866 to a shoemaker Gottlob August Rau, in Siebenbrünn near Markneukirchen. From 1880 to 1884 he apprenticed as a bow maker with the Nürnberger family. After, went to Dresden to work with Wilhelm Knopf for six years, and after with A.R. Weichold. From 1890 started his own business in Siebenbrünn. In 1897 moved to Markneukirchen and settled at Bahnhofstrasse 332H. Rau quickly gained respect and recognition as he made excellent bows. Rau also mentored and trained excellent bow makers such as Adolf Curt Schuster,Hermann Wilhelm Prell, Fritz Baumgartner Sr, Alfred F. Meinel, Hermann G. Fischer II and Otto Paulus. [1]
"At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialization, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship....Wilhelm Knopf had a profound effect on the young August Rau, inspiring him to become an artist as well as perfecting his technique and style" - Gennady Filimonov [2]
References
- STRAD magazine May 2022 - The Old Fashioned Way, by Gennady Filimonov
- Die Geigen und Lautenmacher - by Lutgendorff, Frankfurt 1922
- Encyclopedia of the Violin - Alberto Bachmann
- Roda, Joseph (1959). Bows for Musical Instruments. Chicago: W. Lewis. OCLC 906667.
- Vannes, Rene (1985) [1951]. Dictionnaire Universel del Luthiers (vol.3). Bruxelles: Les Amis de la musique. OCLC 53749830.
- William, Henley (1969). Universal Dictionary of Violin & Bow Makers. Brighton; England: Amati. ISBN 0-901424-00-5.
- Deutsche Bogenmacher-German Bow Makers Klaus Grunke, Hans Karl Schmidt, Wolfgang Zunterer 2000