Old-timers on the European continent are still talking about the famous and excellent Knochenhauer reeds. Old Wilhelm Knochenhauer has become a legendary figure. Annually he supplied thousands of bassoon reeds all over the world. Everybody always thought, nay were convinced, that Knochenhauer made all those reeds himself, and even today gray-haired bassoonists get hotly indignant when you have the temerity to openly doubt that old Wilhelm made this broad flowing river of reeds himself; or that he had, like the image of some oriental god, eight arms and eight hands, absolutely necessary to manufacture such a staggering number of hand-made bassoon reeds.
But several years ago, by correspondence with his then still living widow, I learned the truth: he did not make all those reeds himself.
Wilhelm Knochenhauer, in his time a bassoonist, a soloist and a teacher of great fame, was born May 4th, 1872 in Emmersleben in the county of Halberstadt, Germany. At the age of 14 he went to study music in Bernburg. Then he went to the Berlin Conservatory to complete his studies under the supervision of the renowned bassoon virtuoso Wilhelm Valerius.
Subsequently he served in a military band in Bremen where he also was principal bassoon in the local orchestra and participated in chamber music concerts.
After about four years there, he went on the move, playing in various orchestras in Germany and in Switzerland. Returning to Berlin, he performed there under the famous conductor Ernst von Schuch, who advised him to go to Dresden. There he was appointed principal bassoon in the royal Saxonian court orchestra. Knochenhauer there was the founder of the First Dresden Wind Quintet, was the teacher at the Hochschule für Musik, and in addition he constantly had a host of private pupils from many European countries and from the U.S.A.
Of course, he was an accomplished reed maker, and initially he made many reeds for other bassoonists himself. His reeds were so good that he received requests for them everywhere, but his very busy musical life did not permit him to make any reeds himself any longer.
He started a reed-making workshop and trained a man to build his reeds exactly to form, after a short time he had five! -- whom he taught thoroughly, and these men turned out, year after year, the thousands of famous Knochenhauer bassoon reeds. Knochenhauer himself, however, tested and inspected every reed before it was dispatched. No reed was sent out that he himself had not approved.
In 1938 he resigned from orchestral life. He died in Dresden, August 30th, 1940.
