Simrock, Nikolaus

Simrock, Nikolaus, famous German music publisher; b. Mainz, Aug. 23, 1751; d. Bonn, June 12, 1832. He played the horn in the Electoral Orch. in Bonn until 1794. He began dealing in printed music and instruments in 1780, and in 1785 he opened a music shop in Bonn, selling musical instruments. In 1793 he established a music publ, house with its own printing press. During Beethoven’s lifetime, Simrock’s catalogue listed 85 of his works, including the Kreutzer Sonata and opus nos. 17, 31, 81b, 102, and 107. His son Peter Joseph Simrock (b. Bonn, Aug. 18, 1792; d. Cologne, Dec. 13, 1868) succeeded him and greatly increased the prestige of the house by acquiring the early works of Brahms. He was succeeded by his son “Fritz” (Friedrich August) Simrock (b. Bonn, Jan. 2, 1837; d. Ouchy, near Lausanne, Aug. 20, 1901), who transferred the firm to Berlin in 1870, publ, the works of Brahms, and, at the suggestion of Brahms, added the works of Dvoř ák to his catalogue. His nephew “Hans” (Johann Baptist) Simrock (b. Cologne, April 17, 1861; d. Berlin, July 26, 1910) reorganized the firm in 1902 as a stock company and established branches in London and Paris. A grandson of Fritz Simrock, Fritz Auckenthaler Simrock (b. Zürich, Nov. 17, 1893; d. Basel, April 19, 1973), headed the firm (1920–29) when it was sold to A.J. Benjamin in Hamburg. In 1951 the Hamburg firm, which also had a branch in London, resumed its original name, N. Simrock Co.

Bibliography

Verzeichnis des Musikalien-Verlages N. S. (Berlin, 1893; 3 suppls., 1902–27); W. Ottendorf-Simrock, Das Haus S. (Ratingen, 1954); K. Stephenson, Johannes Brahms und Fritz S., Weg einer Freundschaft. Briefe des Verlegers an den Komponisten (Hamburg, 1961).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire