Based on his clear vision Nikolaus continued and built on his father’s, grand-father's and great-uncle's achievements. In 1961, Arno died suddenly and unexpectedly, and Nikolaus had to assume responsibility for the company. Before he joined, he had spent many years in piano stores and factories in Europe and the United States learning all aspects of the piano business. In 1959, at the age of 25, Nikolaus Wilhelm Schimmel joined the company to learn from his father Arno and slowly begin taking on the responsibilities of the company. With their musical abilities and the modern designs, Arno’s pianos were second to none and in 1958 Schimmel pianos became the world’s best-selling instruments of German origin.
Sadly, in 1953, Fridolin passed away.Īrno powered on and showed his immense talent by developing several very successful designs, patents and instruments in his first few years at the helm. Arno and Fridolin worked together to re-establish the Schimmel brand in North America. Not to be forgotten, Arno kept contact with Fridolin, who was still working with pianos in the United States. This decision turned out to be a very fortunate one because 20 years later, after World War II, Leipzig was part of East Germany, whereas Braunschweig was in West Germany. Starting his generation’s era with this immense challenge, Arno reacted quickly and actively by moving the company to Braunschweig, Germany where circumstances were more favorable than in Leipzig. Meanwhile back in Germany, Wilhelm Schimmel, retired from active management of his company, passing the mantle to his son Arno Wilhelm Schimmel.
Fridolin's piano company did not survive. Years later, in 1927, the world economy was going through a difficult phase known as The Great Depression, culminating two years later in the stock market crash on Black Thursday. As soon as I have time, I will design a grand. I have already made two technical drawings for a short and tall upright.
One of the passages reads, "Things are going well in my new company. On October 29, 1912, Fridolin sent this letter (pictured below) to his brother Wilhelm from his hometown in Faribault, Minnesota. Being of the same nature, he was also a successful piano manufacturer and held patents for inventions in many other industries as well, including wood preservation. At one such event a newspaper wrote, “It was this upright, the tone of which had first captured attention, and after testing the performance of the instrument, we must confess that, in its sonority as well as delicacy and beauty of tone, it is in no way inferior to the best uprights of the select few top-selling international ‘name brands’.” In the meantime, Wilhelm’s brother, Fridolin Schimmel, had started his own piano company, Schimmel & Company, (formerly Schimmel & Nelson) in Faribault, Minnesota and was challenging his brother on the other side of the Atlantic. Several royal families and nobilities soon appointed Schimmel, and Schimmel won several medals at Trade Fairs and Exhibitions.
His efforts and success resulted in many awards and early export sales. Wilhelm was a well- trained and experienced carpenter and piano technician by profession and a technical genius and inventor by nature.įrom the very beginning, Wilhelm followed his motto “Quality will prevail” and thanks to his very rigid quality policy the young company grew fast and became known for quality and design. Wilhelm Schimmel (1854-1946) founded the Schimmel Piano Company in 1885 in Leipzig under the name Wilhelm Schimmel Pianofortefabrik.
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