August Rau (1866–1951) was a German Master bowmaker or ''bogenmacher''.

Biography

August Rau, born June 26 1866 to a shoemaker Gottlob August Rau, in Siebenbrünn near

Markneukirchen Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech Republic, Czech border. It lies in the Elster Mountains (part of the Fichtel Mountains), southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic) ...

. From 1880 to 1884 he apprenticed as a bow maker with the Nürnberger family. After, went to Dresden to work with Wilhelm Knopf for six years, and after with A.R. Weichold. From 1890 started his own business in Siebenbrünn. In 1897 moved to Markneukirchen and settled at Bahnhofstrasse 332H. Rau quickly gained respect and recognition as he made excellent bows. Rau also mentored and trained excellent bow makers such as Adolf Curt Schuster,

Hermann Wilhelm Prell Hermann Wilhelm Prell (1875–1925) was a skillful German bow maker. He was born on July 29, 1875, in Bad Brambach, Germany. Hermann Wilhelm spent his formative years as a pupil of Heinrich Hoyer. In the early years afterwards he worked ...

, Fritz Baumgartner Sr, Alfred F. Meinel, Hermann G. Fischer II and Otto Paulus. "At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialization, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship....Wilhelm Knopf had a profound effect on the young August Rau, inspiring him to become an artist as well as perfecting his technique and style" - Gennady Filimonov TRAD magazine May 2022 - The Old Fashioned Way, by Gennady Filimonov/ref>

References

*STRAD magazine May 2022 - The Old Fashioned Way, by Gennady Filimonov * Die Geigen und Lautenmacher - by Lutgendorff, Frankfurt 1922 *Encyclopedia of the Violin - Alberto Bachmann * * * *Deutsche Bogenmacher-German Bow Makers Klaus Grunke, Hans Karl Schmidt, Wolfgang Zunterer 2000 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rau, August 1866 births 1951 deaths Bow makers German luthiers People from Markneukirchen