(Recently received from the Director of Magnamusic Distributors, Inc. of Sharon, Connecticut, this article presents an interesting history of the work on historic double reed and other wind instruments at Celle, W. Germany by the firm MOECK Verlag. Magnamusic is the representative for MOECK instruments in the United States, and we thank them for this information which should be of distinct interest to all members of IDRS and particularly to those performing on historic instruments and/or studying their history.)
Dr. Hermann Moeck, of Celle, Germany, became interested in historic woodwinds during his collegiate studies in German Universities. Shortly after the time when he inherited the firm his father had founded in 1932 (Hermann Moeck Verlag und Instrumentenwerk), he became interested in the work that Otto Steinkopf was doing in Berlin.
Otto Steinkopf, one of the most knowledgeable and talented Berlin instrument makers, teachers, and performers (formerly bassoonist with the Berlin Philharmonic. --Ed.) in Germany at that time, decided that there should be a reawakening of interest in historic woodwinds, and after teaching courses in them extensively, started a workshop where apprentices could come and learn the art of making the old "extinct" woodwinds. He did this for some years, just after the close of World War II, but in the mid-1960's felt that he was growing too old, and needed a follower who could pursue this when he was gone or unable to continue.
Finding such a follower-teacher-maker proved very difficult in view of the standards that Herr Steinkopf set for such a man. Dr. Moeck became interested, and offered him a place in the Moeck workshops in Celle, and all of Moeck's own talents, and the guarantee that the work would continue. Herr Steinkopf accepted and brought his apprentices, tools, equipment and talents to Celle, where the Moeck-Steinkopf historic woodwinds are made, and where apprentices are trained. Many of these have gone out and now produce instruments on their own. From this start, a rebirth of interest, a republishing of music for these instruments which had disappeared or gone out of print, seminars in many countries as well as courses, has been the result.
Since about half of these historic woodwinds are double-reed instruments, Dr. Moeck felt that he should further the interest by some sort of publication about them. At the beginning of 1976, he founded a German-language magazine, which is now published three times a year, called "TIBIA". Not yet well-known, and with the limitation that one must know the language or have a source where reasonable translation can be had, it is one of the only concentrated sources for those interested in double reed instruments, ancient or modern.
To order a one-year subscription to the German-language magazine "TIBIA", send an International Money Order in the amount of 11 DM 80 pf (German Funds) to:
MOECK VERLAG
Sonderkonto TIBIA
3100 Celle
W. Germany
Dr. Moeck, incidentally, does not produce the magazine for profit, but at a small loss, since his purpose is education, stimulation of interest and the general distribution of knowledge, assistance, and growth of such a movement.