Johann Adam Heckel (14 July 1812 in

Adorf Adorf () is a small town and Municipalities in Germany, municipality in the Vogtlandkreis to the south-west of the Saxony, Free State of Saxony, Germany. Gettengrün, a village within the municipality, borders on the Czech Republic. Etymology Th ...

– 13 April 1877 in Biebrich) was a German instrument maker. He founded the family firm in

Wiesbaden-Biebrich Biebrich is a borough of the city of Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany. With over 38,000 inhabitants, it is the most-populated of Wiesbaden's boroughs. It is located south of the city center on the Rhine River, opposite the Mainz borough of Mombach. Biebr ...

in 1831, and became the foremost German

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

maker, making many improvements to the instrument. His company, Wilhelm Heckel GmbH, is still regarded as one of the top makers of bassoons in the world today. The company also makes

contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The Reed (mouthpie ...

s and

heckelphone The heckelphone () is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons. The idea to create the instrument was initiated by Richard Wagner, who suggested its concept at the occasion of a visit of Wilhelm Heckel in 1879. Introduced in ...

References

German musical instrument makers 1812 births 1877 deaths People from Wiesbaden {{Germany-engineer-stub