What role did Feurich and Popper play?

As it is so often the case with big developments, it was several brilliant persons who made Welte-Mignon to this world success. Bockisch-Welte-Popper-Feurich (photo from the Zeitschrift für Instrumentenbau No 25, March 1905) are, according to our current assessment, the four personalities in the inner circle who, together with numerous participants and collaborators, stand for this success. 

To this day, it has not been possible to clarify exactly how the invention, product maturity, market launch, marketing, service, economic global success and decline, the end of the Welte-Mignon was connected with M. Welte & Söhne.despite all initiatives, most of the history is still unclear.

It is our concern to contribute with our activities to the fact that in the coming months and years committed knowledge carriers will come together and that the adventurous, ingenious, moving and above all musically unique story will be understood and told more completely. We will also successively publish and initiate more for the other German reproduction systems such as Philipps DUCA and Hupfeld DEA/Tri-Phonola as well as Popper Stella.

An article in the Zeitschrift für Instrumentenbau (September 1904) describes the first public presentation of the Popper "Artist" at the Easter Pre Fair in Leipzig. M. Welte & Söhne (Freiburg) is named as the author. Undoubtedly the Mignon, still under the Popper registered trademark "Artist". Interestingly, Popper also registered the trademark "Mignon" on 9.4.1904. Popper also had the trademark "Welte-Mignon" registered - on 28.4.1906. This may have been due to Popper's exclusive representation rights for Welte-Mignon in Germany. Nevertheless, this is unusual from the manufacturer's point of view.

The discussion about the naming alone will be a topic that needs to be dealt with in more detail, as to our knowledge this is where the most violent arguments between Welte, Bockisch and Popper have taken place. The change of name from "Artist" to "Mignon" to "Welte-Mignon" indicates that Welte ultimately prevailed - and surprisingly, the presumed main inventor (Karl Bockisch) does not appear by name. The importance of Karl Bockisch is clearly emphasized in this article: "This piano-orchestrion as well as the art-playing apparatus "Artist" are creations of Karl Bockisch, ..., who as an innovator...".

However, before the first presentation could take place, numerous preliminary efforts and certainly also successful and failed attempts had to take place over many months in order to be able to present the product successfully at the Easter Pre Fair. Besides the technical realisation, one of the important preparations was the discussion about the market positioning and the price model of the Welte-Mignon. Further research is still required for this. An important hint can be found in a letter from Hugo Popper to his authorized signatory Hermann Möhle (photo: Popper catalogue) from 1906, which can be looked at more closely later on: "...my opinion has always been to present Mignon either as a miracle item and to charge M 10.000,00 for it, or as a curative article, and if such an item is then already very highly paid with M 3.000,00..." (Source: copy of the letter, W. Baus, from the property of Hanns Popper). At that time the selling price for the Feurich Welte Cabinet mentioned was M 3.650,00. 

Julius Feurich, as the close friend of Hugo Popper and Ludwig Hupfeld, at the same time the main supplier of Welte, Philipps and Popper reproduction instruments and an important supplier to Hupfeld, certainly played a key role as well. The first recording grand for Welte recordings is said to have been a Feurich concert grand. Interestingly, in 1903/04 twelve pianoframes were delivered to Popper, but not one to Welte. Were recording instruments possibly built in Leipzig by Popper or Feurich? It is highly probable that Mr. Bockisch and Mr. Welte were in Leipzig very often and for a long time in 1903-05.

Thus, there are numerous curiosities and gaps in the exploration of history to date around Welte and the other manufacturers of reproduction instruments. This is something we must decipher together in the near future.

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