THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY

At a time when bow making in Germany was leaning towards industrialisation, August Rau kept up the tradition of independent craftsmanship. Gennady Filimonov tells the story of his long career and examines several examples of his work

COURTESY JENS PAULUS

In the late 19th century, the German town of Markneukirchen saw a flourishing of bow making activity. Stringed instruments had been the town’s main industry for decades, but bows had been relatively less regarded. As the century ended, however, both the quantity and the quality of the bows coming out of Markneukirchen exceeded what had come before, and the wave of activity lasted up to the onset of World War I in 1914. The town was home to such legendary bow makers as Wilhelm Knopf, Albert Nürnberger and Hermann Richard Pfretzschner (purveyor to the Saxony Court), who broadened the reputation of Markneukirchen makers far beyond its Vogtland borders. It also housed the workshop of Heinrich August Rau, who became one of the best German bow makers at the turn of the century.

In addition to making excellent bows, Rau trained and mentored a number of excellent bow makers such as Fritz Baumgartner Sr, Hermann G. Fischer II, Alfred F. Meinel, Otto Paulus, Hermann Wilhelm Prell and Adolf Curt Schuster. At a time when quantity and division of labour were dominating the scene, August Rau remained independent in his studio until his death in 1951, where he carried on the tradition of fine craftsmanship enjoyed by the 19th-century Maister Bogenmacher (‘master bow makers’).

August Rau was born on 26 June 1866 to Gottlob August Rau, a shoemaker based in the town of Siebenbrünn near Markneukirchen. According to oral tradition and early publications, he served his apprenticeship as a bow maker from 1880 to 1884, in the workshop of the Nürnberger family. He then went to Dresden where he worked for six years with Wilhelm Knopf, and briefly with A.R. Weichold. Around 1890 he went back to Markneukirchen where he was supposed to work for Nürnberger but refused, instead starting his own business in Siebenbrünn. By 1897 he had moved his business to Markneukirchen, where his workshop was established at Bahnhofstrasse 332H.

During his early working period, Rau supplied bows to Weichold, Julius H. Zimmerman and Hammig & Sohn in Dresden. Using the very best pernambuco and Mauritius ebony, and inspired by the Tourte model, he quickly gained a great reputation among musicians. At first he built violin, viola and cello bows, but later branched into bass bows as well. He was soon regarded as one of the best Markneukirchen bow makers of his generation.

A year after starting his business, on 25 July 1891 Rau married Emma Therese Stark with whom he had three sons and four daughters. Three of the sons followed him into the trade: bow maker Karl August Rau (1891–1916); Albin Paul Rau (1893–1916), maker of brass instruments; and Fritz Walter Rau (1895–1963), violin and bow maker (see page 58).

Wilhelm Knopf had had a profound effect on the young August Rau, inspiring him to become an artist as well as perfecting his technique and style. Rau’s early work was very much inspired by the Knopf working traditions, with a Tourte-style thumb grip and the dimensions of the frog, as well as large pearl eyes fitted into the flanks. Bows from this era also exhibit three-piece buttons with a single rounded collar, in the typical 19th-century style. The heads always maintain a Tourte inspiration.

Early on in his career, Rau made an agreement with G.L. Penzel Co. to represent his bows in America. The brothers Gustav Ludwig and Gustav Frederick Penzel set up their firm in 1881, and immigrated to New York a year later. They developed a highly successful musical instrument business, at first importing their goods from Europe, later building their own factory in the Bowery, then in Long Island City. In 1898 they were joined by their relative Edward Georg Müller, and in 1899 the name changed to Penzel & Müller. The firm continued to represent Rau’s bows in the US until the outbreak of World War I.

As we observe Rau’s evolutionary growth, we see the earlier Tourte-inspired heads are upright in appearance, with the throat lightly curved compared to the later ones. The head mortise is always deeply carved. With octagonal sticks, the edges are always rounded off. After the 1900s, the eyes on the frog get a bit smaller, the three-piece buttons start displaying a second cut, and eventually Rau starts conveying a more French attitude towards the design of the frog, with the use of Parisian eyes and silver-capped buttons with a second cut and a single pin. Bows stamped ‘AUG. RAU’ indicate that the bow was made before World War I.

Rau’s gold and tortoiseshell bows are exquisitely crafted, with the best of materials, the decorative frog adorned with thick Parisian eyes and a divided heelplate with its mother-of-pearl section on the back, indicating the use of the Tourte model. The three-piece buttons on these are usually lavishly decorated and engraved. Some of the gold and tortoiseshell bows were made without eyes fitting into the flanks. These have a gold-capped button with a second cut.

WILHELM KNOPF INSPIRED THE YOUNG AUGUST RAU TO BECOME AN ARTIST AS WELL AS PERFECT HIS TECHNIQUE AND STYLE

TOP BOW RICO STEINBACH. MIDDLE BOW MICHAEL SANTINI. BOTTOM BOW GENNADY FILIMONOV

Mounted in silver and ebony, this unbranded 1890s violin bow is one of the most beautiful and earliest of August Rau’s production. The head is greatly influenced by Tourte, slender and elegant. The pearl eyes are larger, like those of his mentor Wilhelm Knopf. The frog is typical of his early work, with its short ferrule and the throat which opens upward. The three-part button has a deep U-shaped collar.

This unbranded Rau cello bow dates from c.1900. The octagonal stick is made from fine-grained pernambuco, treated with yellow shellac. The shallow chamfers of its elegant, clear-cut head are directed towards the back of the head, a personal signature of Rau’s. The bow is mounted in silver, with a silver-capped button which has a second cut on the collar. The underslide is attached with two screws.

Made before 1907, this August Rau violin bow is branded ‘AUG. RAU’. There are mother-of-pearl eyes fitted into the flanks, with a three-piece button. The round stick is made of light brown pernambuco, mounted in silver and ebony. The three-piece button has a second cut to the collar. The underslide is attached with two brass screws.

This beautifully engraved silver mounted Rau violin bow was made before 1907. The head is the typical Tourte model. The silver-mounted frog is reminiscent of the Knopf workshop, with its short, slightly rounded throat reminiscent of some Tourtes. The ferrule, the slide, back plate and the button are artistically engraved.

This bass bow, now owned by a Berlin Philharmonic bass player, is a spectacular example of August Rau’s pre-World War I work. The octagonal stick is made of superb highly flamed pernambuco, mounted in German silver and dense Mauritius ebony. The button is also of ebony. Stunning!

The octagonal stick of this c.1930s Rau violin bow is made of superb highly flamed dark brown pernambuco, mounted in silver and ebony. The threepiece button has a second cut. The brand reads ‘AUGUST RAU’ with feathered arrows pointing to the name.

The head on this 1920s violin bow is fuller at the bottom than usual. The elegant shallow chamfers allow more focus on the face of the bow. The octagonal pernambuco stick is mounted in German silver. The solid capped button has a second cut on the collar. The brand reads ‘AUG. RAU’ with feathered arrows.

The brand ‘AUG.RAU & SOHN’ dates this violin bow to 1907–14, with mother-of-pearl eyes fitted at the flanks, and a silver-capped button which has a second cut. The octagonal stick is made from superb, flamed dark brown pernambuco, mounted in silver and ebony.

The octagonal stick of this 1930s violin bow is of dark brown pernambuco, mounted in silver and ebony with a silver-capped button with a second cut on the collar. The frog has Parisian eyes. The brand is ‘AUGUST RAU’, again with feathered arrows pointing to the name.

TOP LEFT BOW EUGENE LOPIN. MIDDLE RIGHT PHOTO TIM TOFT. BOTTOM RIGHT BOW ALFREDO CLEMENTE

From the 1930s, the only change we can observe in Rau’s bows is that the Parisian eyes become a bit smaller. From the 1940s (the twilight of his career), his bows became somewhat robust, and on some we see that the throat of the frog has become slightly longer yet still graceful and elegant. Nevertheless, on the whole he maintained all his other characteristics. The geometry and stylistic choices in his work are reminiscent of refined French makers. Rau’s bows are generally made of attractive and often highly flamed light brown pernambuco. During this period, the brand stamp he used was ->AUGUST RAU<-bordered by plain arrows.

Rau became a highly sought-after maker in his own lifetime, and was exporting all over Europe and the US. As he developed a personal business relationship with Paul and Walter Safran (‘Paul Safran & Son’) in the 1940s, he exported his bows to them in Philadelphia, and they in turn sold them on to dealers including William Moennig & Son.

In the period from 1947 to 1951, Otto Paulus and his son Johannes Paulus were working for Rau, often helping him with his work. Rau was still working at the age of 81 and when he could no longer carry out some of the work himself, they were there to help him. According to the Rau family, after his death, the rights to his company including the last brand stamp were sold to the northern German instrument dealer Böse in 1956. Böse profited from Rau’s famous name by having various Markneukirchen master makers build ‘Rau model’ bows, stamped them with this brand and marketed them. This explains the mystery regarding some late bows stamped ->AUGUST RAU<-.

THE GEOMETRY AND STYLISTIC CHOICES IN R AU’S WOR K ARE REMINISCENT OF THE REFINED FRENCH MAKERS

A 1940s portrait of August Rau

Two of the self-made tools from the Rau workshop

PORTRAIT AND TOOLS COURTESY JENS PAULUS

This c.1940 violin bow is a fine example, retaining its original light tinsel winding and grip. The octagonal stick is orange-brown, the frog is mounted in silver with Parisian eyes, and there is a silver-capped button with a second cut and a pin at the centre. The underslide is attached with two screws

With an octagonal-section pernambuco stick, this c.1940 Rau violin bow is mounted in sterling silver with imitation whalebone winding. The ebony frog features a mother-of-pearl slide and silver Parisian eyes, and the stick is finished with a silver button and tip

Below Seven brands from August Rau’s career, arranged in chronological order:

A. RAU

AUG. RAUC

AUG. RAU & SOHN

AUG. RAU MARKNEUKIRCHEN

AUG. RAU

TOP LEFT BOW ALEX GARTSMAN. TOP RIGHT BOW JEFFREY R. JUDD

AUGUST RAU

->AUGUST RAU<-

Unlike other makers, Heinrich August Rau used seven stamps throughout his career:

• AUG. RAU (early career) and rare)

• AUG. RAU & SOHN (1907–14)

• AUG. RAU MARKNEUKIRCHEN (1915–20)

• AUG. RAU with feathered arrows pointing to the name (from the 1920s)

• AUGUST RAU with feathered arrows pointing to the name (from the 1930s)

• AUGUST RAU with plain arrows pointing to the name (1940s)

In 1966, an exhibition of stringed instruments and bows was held in New York to commemorate the 70th birthday of Simone Fernando Sacconi and his association with Rembert Wurlitzer Inc. The exhibit featured instruments and bows by the greatest makers of the past and present, including Stradivari and Tourte. An exquisitely engraved 1930 bow by August Rau was certainly included and exhibited at the event, on loan from Walter Hamma of Stuttgart, and is featured in the publication which was released later: Loan Exhibition Stringed Instruments and Bows NYC 1966. The Rau bow is featured on the same page as bows by Dominique Peccatte and Étienne Pajeot.

August Rau’s work represents a tradition that began with the Knopf family at the end of the 18th century. Although his early training began with the Nürnberger family, the stylistic influence of Wilhelm Knopf is undeniable. He worked closely with musicians of his time and left us beautiful examples of his oeuvre. His bows (including cello and bass) are still highly regarded and sought-after.

The author wishes to thank Jens Paulus, Roland Baumgartner, Serge Stam, Jan Boekhout, Bruce Babbitt, Enrico Weller, Fritz Meyer, Martin Krivin, Andy Lim, Klaus Grünke and B. Zoebisch