In view of the comparatively high prices (approx. an average annual income) of the pianola and Vorsetzer as well as the corresponding music scores, it was mainly wealthy and very rich people who owned these innovative musical works. Manufacturers such as Welte, whose instruments cost rather two annual incomes, initially focused exclusively on the royal and princely clientele - not only in view of the high prices, but also because the highest degree of artistic interest was suspected here.
Aeolian began very early on to explicitly name personalities as customers. Hupfeld and Welte saw themselves increasingly obliged to publish concrete customer lists - mainly with the very well-known and effective names. Around 1914, M. Welte & Söhne GmbH from Freiburg published a 25-page small catalogue 'Welte in your own home' with photos of Welte instruments in the premises of well-known customers. The instruments can be seen in different styles, suitable for the respective salon, music room, study, reception room, vestibule etc. etc. At the same time the quotations of the artists and owners who praise the Welte system are listed.
In this small catalogue as well as in other publications many of the world's instrument owners are listed - which we list here without comment to give an impression of the houses where these instruments were found. Of course this list is not complete - one can assume that a total of over 7,000 Welte instruments were built. Only very seldom are Welte instruments still in the possession of their first owners - but it happens occasionally that today - 100 years later - Welte instruments that have been restored true to the original are acquired by the descendants of the owners at that time.
Extract from the list of customers of M. Welte & Söhne:
His Royal Highness Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden
His Serene Highness Prince Thurn and Taxis
His Royal Highness Prince Alfons of Bavaria
His Royal Highness Duke Carl of Munich
His Majesty King George of Greece
His Majesty King of Belgium
Her Majesty Queen Margaritta of Italy
Her Majesty Helen of Italy
Her Majesty Queen of Naples
His Majesty Imperial Le Sultan Constantinople
Son Altesse Royale Le Kedive d'Egypte
His Majesty King of Siam
Son Altesse Imperiale le Duc Georg de Leuchtenberg
Le Duc de Montpensier, Paris
His Serene Highness Prince Hohenlohe Paris by André Cannes
Baron de l'Espée, Paris
His Highness Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich
His Serene Highness Prince Rudolph Lichtenstein
His Serene Highness Prince Johann von und zu Lichtenstein
Her Highness Princess Dowager Schwarzburg-Sondershausen
His Serene Highness Frst Dolgurucki, Rome
Her Highness Princess von Battenberg, Darmstadt
Her Grace de Duchess of Manchester
Her Duchess of Marlborough (née Vanderbild)
Count Fritz von Hachenburg
Prince Wittgenstein, Heidelberg
Countess M. Branicka, Bjelaia
Count Kossakowski, Warsaw
Count Ph. v. Kageneck, Freiburg
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Connaught St. James
Lord Pirrie, London-Belfast
Field Marshal Lord Roberts
Count Limburg-Styrum, Berlin
Reich Count Fritz von Hochberg, Halbau
Lord Wolsely, Hampton Court
Earl of Dysart, Richmond
His Grace the Duke of Newcastle London
General Tan Hamilton, Malta
Lieutenant General A. A. Vakulovsky Dotschinsky, St. Petersburg
State Councillor A. G. Eliesejeff, St. Petersburg
Count A. A. Orloff-Dawydow, St. Petersburg
Lord Chamberlain of Baroness von Reitzenstein
Baron of Venningen Baden-Baden
Baron von Goldschmidt-Rothschild, Frankfurt am Main
Baron von Thiele-Winkler, full council rest
Baron Teixeira de Mattos, Rotterdam
Baron von Barnekow, Altmarrzin
Baron of Blanckenburg-Schötzow
His Excellency Baron von Bodman, Freiburg
His Excellency Dr. Bürklin Privy Councillor, Karlsruhe
His Excellency Privy Councillor Röntgen, Munich
His Excellency Minister Ruhstrat, Oldenburg
Managing Director Ballin, Hamburg
Director Captain at sea of Grummer, Hamburg
Imperial Consul Ferd. Schott, Gibraltar
Central Director Ferd. Ritter von Böhm-Bowenberg, Vienna
Industrial magnate Ludwig Ritter von Liebig zu Reichenberg in Bohemia
Professor Dr. Max Schottelius, Freiburg
Manufacturer A. Dietler, Freiburg
Manufacturer Heinr. Brenzinger, Freiburg
Factory Theod. Kromer, Freiburg
J. Himmelsbach, Freiburg
Private Theod. Ganz, Freiburg
Pharmacist Höltscher, Freiburg
Ivan Hörner Reindeer, Freiburg
Franz Pyhrr Director, Freiburg
Mrs Isenberg, Glotterbad and Bremen
Manufacturer Berth. Ziegler, Todtnau
Large industrialist A. ten Brink, Arlen-Rielasingen
Go. Kommerzienrat A. Wacker, Weak
Constant force, Karlsruhe
Max Schwab, Karlsruhe
Dr Knittel, Karlsruhe
F. Winkelsröder, Pforzheim
Director F. Artmann, Mannheim
Kommerzienrat H. Vögele, Mannheim and Triberg
E. Lämmert, Mannheim
Willy Kaufmann, Mannheim
Prof. Dr. Krehl, Heidelberg
Kommerzienrat Schott, Heidelberg
Go. Council Dr. Gans, Frankfurt am Main
Director Schäfer, Frankfurt am Main
Director Habers, Frankfurt am Main
H. Suhlfeld, Frankfurt am Main
Mrs. von Deusler, Frankfurt am Main
Consul General Weinberg, Frankfurt am Main
Dr Lohsen, Frankfurt am Main
Manufacturer W. Haller, Friedberg near Frankfurt am Main
Ludwig Ganz, Mainz
Manufacturer Franz Gastell, Mainz
Manufacturer (sparkling wine producer) Otto Henkell, Wiesbaden
A. Th. Schüfer, Wiesbaden
H. W. Pfühler sen., Wiesbaden
A. Domeier, Wiesbaden
M. Sutorius, Wiesbaden
Dr. Graefe, Wiesbaden
Kommerzienrat Rüping, Wiesbaden
Kommerzienrat Wünsch, Rothenburg (Tauber)
Go. Building surveyor von Rieppel, Nuremberg
Go. Kommerzienrat R. Wetzler, Eupen (Rhld.)
Commercial Councillor Engelhorn, Stuttgart
Dr. Enke, Stuttgart
Chief building officer Weigle, Stuttgart
Prof. Hofmeister Senior Medical Officer, Stuttgart
Dr. Karl Höhn, Ulm
Privy Councillor Benger, Uhlbach
Kommerzienrat A. Junghans, Schramberg
Dr. Kuhlmann Lawyer, Dortmund
Major von Oeser, Mulhouse
Reindeer Sager, Colmar
Manufacturer Aug. Michel, Strasbourg
Dr. Sorgius, Strasbourg
Humert de Wendel, Hayingen
Managing Director Großberger, Kneutlingen-Hütte
Behrens, Hanover
Kommerzienrat Hornschuh, Hanover
Gust. Heise, Hannover
Banker S. L. Mayer, Hanover
Landscape Council Baron v. Spörcken, Lüdersburg
HUPFELD REFERENCES
At Hupfeld, a Phonola catalogue from around 1908 contains a multi-page list of customers to whom instruments were delivered. We will also list them here soon.
